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Name Badges Order
I will be sending in the next name badge order on Friday January 20. Please send me any names soon if you want to be included in that order – the next one probably won’t be sent for another couple of months.
2012 Upper Midwest MG Conference
Minnesota has recently posted more information about the next regional MG conference that will be held at the MN Landscape Arboretum July 19-21. See http://hennepinmastergardeners.org/upper-midwest-master-gardener-conference/.
2013 International MG Conference
The conference committee is beginning to work on the details for the Sept 7-14, 2013 IMGC Alaskan Cruise. They plan to go live with cruise booking starting May 7, 2012 and have registration for the speakers, workshops and tours Sept. 1, 2012. You can sign up to get monthly updates via Constant Contact on the conference website at http://www.uaex.edu/imgc2013/.
IPM3 Offers Discount for MGVs
The IPM3 Training Consortium offers a number of online courses related to Integrated Pest Management. IPM3 training is designed to reflect practical, real world content -- theoretical and academic content are only included to the extent that they are needed to understand the practical training. Modules are the fundamental element of IPM3 training, and range from 5-15 hours of student contact time Lessons use multiple media learning techniques that variously include text, videos, still photo, and case studies.
Courses are delivered online and asynchronously, and as such, are available 24/7 with the work being done entirely on your own schedule. Therefore, you can login and complete as much as you like in a given time period between course start and end dates. Assessments are given periodically throughout the course, usually after each sub-unit; a grade of 80% or better is required for successful completion. However, since our goal is to increase your knowledge and understanding, there are no limitations to the number of times a student may retake an assessment.
IPM3 is currently offering 7 courses suitable for Master Gardeners (although those of us in the Midwest likely will not find the Fire Ant one relevant (it’s only in the southern states), and few people will need the info for facility managers). A special 33% "master gardener discount" is available until the start of courses on 23 January 2012. The Winter Session runs from 23 January – 12 March 2012 (except for the IPM for Facility Managers course, which runs through April 9). The Core Concepts Module is now available in Spanish.
Visit www.umn.edu/ipm3 to register for any of the following courses at the discounted rate:
· IPM Core Concepts Module: Discounted rate $250 (regularly $375)
· Pest Biology – Weeds: Discounted rate $168 (regularly $250)
· Pest Biology – Plant Diseases: Discounted rate $100 (regularly $150)
· Invasive Species Specialty Module: Discounted rate $168 (regularly $250)
· Imported Fire Ant IPM: Discounted rate $168 (regularly $250)
· IPM for Facility Managers and Supervisors: Discounted rate $250 (regularly $375)
· IPM Core Concepts Module in Spanish: Discounted rate $250 (regularly $375)
2011 Annual Accomplishment Report
All local reps will be getting a copy of the 68-page report in the mail soon. A copy is being sent to every UWEX office as well. A summary and the full report (as a pdf to view or download) is available on the MG website at http://wimastergardener.org/?q=Accomplishments. If you want just the single page for your MGA’s report (and can’t extract it yourself from the full report), just send Susan a request for this.
Level 2 MG Training
This year, the MG Program Office is offering two Level 2 (formerly “Advanced” or “Specialized”) training topics. The winter session will be Horticulture: History & Health (Feb 7-March 13) and the spring session is The Ecology, Cultivation & Use of Wisconsin Native Plants (March 20-May 1). For more details on the course contents, see http://wimastergardener.org/?q=Schedule2.
Now there’s a different way for you to obtain your continuing education. Level 2 training will be offered as a live broadcast through a select number of UWEX offices as has been done before, but we’re also experimenting with a new technology so more MGVs can access these same programs – recorded and available via on-line archives to view from the comfort of your own home and on your own schedule. These archives will be available using the online program Blackboard Collaborate. Before you register for the online class(es), you should check to make sure your computer is compatible with the program (most are, after you download a few programs). Due to everyone’s computer being different we cannot offer technical support or configuration assistance. Click on this link for an Overview of Using Blackboard Collaborate for Level 2 MG Training: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2011-11-21.0953.M.75CDC48AB7D5A8BFB42F277BF60911.vcr&sid=1304 . This may take a while to open, so be patient! Eventually you will connect to the BlackBoard interface and a 6 minute introduction by Mike Maddox will start playing in the same format as the class sessions will be offered (make sure the volume is turned up, as audio accompanies the presentation). This will give you an idea of how well the program works on your computer.
Registration is NOW OPEN for Level 2 Training! Go to http://wimastergardener.org/?q=Level2_Registration for the options and instructions for registering. The program is being offered live only in selected counties, so you may not be able to register for this option in your own county (but you could go to another county to do this). Even if your county is offering the live program, you can still choose the online, archived option. Registration for the archives option is being handled by UWEX Conference Services, and requires a credit card (there are no other payment options, unfortunately).
Garden Visions Cancelled
Due to the unexpected closing of the Stevens Point Ramada Inn & Conference Center where Garden Visions was planned to be held on Jan 27-28, 2012, the North Central Wisconsin MGA has reluctantly had to cancel this annual conference. They attempted to find an alternate location, but were unable to find a facility that could handle the event at this late date. They are now working on rescheduling the speakers for 2013 instead. Please help NCWMGA get the word out to anyone who might have been interested in this great educational event.
Wisconsin Volunteer Registry
I’m not sure if this is applicable to all local MG programs, but there is a new web portal for nonprofits, government entities, schools, faith-based organizations, civic groups or coalitions to register their needs for volunteers. WeVolunteer (www.volunteerwisconsin.org) might be a way of advertising for MG training – but you should consult your local UWEX office about whether this is appropriate as THEY are responsible for MG training (not the MGVs or MGA) before you pursue this.
This resource is supported by a collaboration between the new state initiative, Volunteer Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Emergency Volunteer Management Project. The goal of this joint effort is to increase volunteerism in every corner of the state and present a single place where volunteers can search for volunteer opportunities and register to provide help in the event of a disaster.
Barron Co. was the test county and has a limited number of connections posted (the others just link to their county’s United Way page for now)
You can attend a free online webinar training for organizations learning to post to the registry. The training will last 45 minutes and you will learn:
· How to create and manage your agency profile
· How to post and edit volunteer opportunities
· How to track and manage volunteer referrals and get your own activity reports!
The webinar training scheduled for December is: Every Wednesday from 1 – 2 pm Places are limited to 20 per webinar. RSVP to Melanie at wivsmgr1@volunteernow.net by the Monday before. (Please note there will not be a training on Wednesday, December 28.) If you have any questions or to register for the webinar, email wivsmgr1@volunteernow.net or call 262-338-8256.