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Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
P.O. Box 156
7400 Carriage Court
Gloucester, VA 23061
804-693-2602

Maintained by:
Mary Soto
&
Bill Walker

Updated:
08/26/2008

Events 
2008 Calendar

Join the Masses You can help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s rivers by participating in CBF’s Grasses for the Masses program. Volunteers in the program grow wild celery, a type of underwater grass, in small tubs in their homes for 10 weeks, then help plant the grasses in local rivers to boost the population of this critical Bay resource. Join the Program You can help change that by volunteering for CBF’s Grasses for the Masses program. Combined with efforts to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution and soil runoff, the program helps improve the Bay’s health by increasing the amount of grasses in the Bay. It’s easy. CBF provides the equipment, instructions and support needed for growing the grasses. Volunteers do the following: Attend a Grasses for the Masses workshop to receive a growing kit, seeds and instructions ($30 fee, which includes a year of CBF membership). Plant the seeds within 4 days of receiving them. Grow and maintain the plants in their home for a 10 week period. Plant grasses with fellow volunteers in a designated local river.   Return the equipment to CBF at the end of the project. Participants this year also have the added element of our MyGrass web page where volunteers can post questions, concerns or just connect with CBF staff and other volunteers about their grasses.  Why Grasses? Underwater grasses, also known as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), help the Bay in a number of ways: They provide food and shelter for young crabs, rockfish, speckled trout, shellfish, and many more aquatic creatures. They provide food for ducks, geese and swans. They help clear the water and stabilize the sediments that are already on the bottom of the Bay. They filter pollution that runs into the Bay. They slow wave action and reduce shoreline erosion. They produce oxygen necessary for aquatic life. They take up nitrogen and phosphorus pollution that can cause fish kills, algal blooms, and dead zones in the Bay. Scientists estimate there once were hundreds of thousands of acres of underwater grasses growing in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, helping to make the Bay one of the world’s most productive estuaries. However, grasses have declined dramatically over the past several decades, primarily because of poor water clarity caused by pollution. Excessive nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution has clouded the Bay’s water, blocking the sunlight vital for the grasses’ growth. In 2006, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science mapped only 59,160 acres of underwater grasses Baywide, a decline of 25 percent from the year before. Grass abundance didn’t improve during 2007.  Sign up today-- space in upcoming workshops is limited. Workshop schedule:          Gloucester --          Richmond  -- Alexandria --  To reserve your spot, please sign-up on-line today. For more information please visit our website . Contact Jess Barton at Jbarton@cbf.org or (804) 780-1392 or email Bill Walker @ wcwalker@inna.net  if you have any questions. VIMS Upcoming Events and Calendar Making Rain Barrels  September 13, 2008 1000 am - 1200 pm  Where:  St. Clair Walker School Gym Cooks Corner-Middlesex  RSVP by 8 September 2008 804 693-3562  ext. 5 Limited amount of barrels available - first come first serve Make reservations early since slots will fill fast   Fee:  $10.00 per barrel Items to bring to workshop - flash light and 2 pair of pliers Barrel is 55 gallon drum, remember this is for transporting. Mount Vernon Tour Friday - September 19, 2008  The VMGA Education Committee has planned an exciting program at Mount Vernon.  Your experience at MT Vernon will begin at 9:00 am in front of the souvenir shop with Dean Norton, Director of Horticulture.  His presentation will be on the history of the estate and George Washington as a farmer and is really special.  We will than have a guided tour of several gardens and learn about GW's innovative methods.  After the morning tour, you have several options for lunch including the charming Mount Vernon Inn, the new cafeteria with many food courts located in the Orientation Center, or else, bring a lunch and picnic on the grounds.  After lunch, you can self-tour the new Orientation Center and the new Museum and Education Center.  Visit the meticulously restored mansion and see the outbuildings such as the smoke house, wash house, carriage house, slave quarters and many others.  If your feet can stand it, mosey on down the hill to see GW and Martha's tomb.  Costs:  VMGA Member                 $20.00             Non-Members                   $32.00  Deadline to register for this event is September 12.  There is a form to fill out.  If you are interested please e-mail me coupdevent@aol.com and I will sent it to you.    Early Bird Deadline: August 24, 2008   All Americas' Horticulture Field Day   Presented by:   Major Field Day Sponsor:   Wednesday, September 10, 2008  7:30 am - 3:00 pm Hampton Roads AREC 1444 Diamond Springs Road Virginia Beach, VA 23455     Registration Fees   Early bird Registration (by Aug. 24, 2008): Individual Registration $35/person Group Registration (5 or more ) $30/person*   Registration after Aug. 24, 2008:* Individual Registration $40/person Registration at the door $45/person *No group discounts available after 8/24/08    To register online:       To register by mail:    Download a flyer and registration form here    Oprimir aqui para bajar o llenar la registracion en Espanol       Need Lodging?        Discounted hotel rates have been arranged with the Sleep Inn at the Lake Wright Resort Golf Course, 6280 Northampton Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia. The Sleep Inn  is located approximately 1.5 miles from the Field Day event. Continental breakfast included Complimentary high speed internet service 18-hole golf course onsite Enclosed outdoor swimming pool Field Day Rate: $112.87 (includes all taxes) Discount Rate valid until August 9, 2008 To receive this rate, call the Lake Wright directly at (800) 228-5157 and mention "Virginia Tech Field Day. "  The discounted rate is not available online.     CEU Credits Available   LCM = Landscape Crew Manager ALCM = Advanced Landscape Crew Manager VCH = Virginia Certified Horticulturist (through VNLA) VSLD = Virginia Society of Landscape Designers ISA = International Society of Arboriculture           ISA Class LCM ALCM VCH (VNLA) VSLD Arbor TW Climb Muni BCMA Sci BCMA Pract 8:30 AM Disease Diagnosis 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Weed Management 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Propagation 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 9:30 AM Turfgrass Research 1.5 1 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 Bare Root: Trees 1.5 1 1.5 1.5  0 1.5  0 1.5 Pesticide Safety 1.5 1 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 11:00 AM Water Quality 1.5 1 1.5 1.5 0 1.5 0 1.5 Tour: Tree ID 1.5 1 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 0 Invasive Insect Pests repeat: 2 pm 1.5 1 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 0 2:00 PM Cut Holly Production 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Invasive Insect Pests repeat: 11 am 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Hort. English for Spanish Speakers 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0                     Join us for a fun-filled day!  Morning coffee and pastries from 7:30 - 8:30 am Hot Mexican Buffet lunch (including vegetarian options) sponsored by Land & Coates Try your hand (foot?) at our soccer shoot out (3 balls for $10), officiated by a FIFA referee, and win prizes (proceeds benefit the scholarship fund of The Virginia Horticultural Foundation)