News You Can Use!

October 2023

Hello Shoshana,

Here is the October 2023 edition of News You Can Use featuring:

• Updates from your Advisory Chair, ANR Educator, Volunteer Coordinator, & Internal Committee Chair
• Registration information for 2023 State Conference & the Stinner Conference
• CE opportunity on mushrooms
• & more...
• MGVC "Update" Archive

*NYCU is published once a month October - April; twice a month May - September.

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If you have any questions on information found in News You Can Use - contact Tammy L. Currier at currier.37@osu.edu.

Help us build our social media presence by following the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cuyahoga County Facebook page and by sharing it with your friends. If they share, we will expand our reach!

If you have information to share in the next News You Can Use contact Tammy L. Currier at currier.37@osu.edu.

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Update from Ellen Comeau, your Advisory Chair



Hello all,

We certainly have been blessed with some beautiful weather lately. I've actually played hooky a few days, but shhh... don't tell my clients.

News Flash: We're getting new name badges! The new badges were designed at the State level to reflect milestone years as a form of recognition for time served as an MGV.

In the photo (right),the bands of color at the top of the name badge reflect years of service - 5 years, 1o years, 15 years, etc. Since this is a statewide initiative, there will be no cost for you. The new badges aren't required, but are a nice form of recognition.

Remember your official start year begins after your class year. For example, I'm class of 2010, but my first official year with the MGCC was 2011 - my new name tag would be for 10 years of service. Stay tuned for more.

The AC executive committee has started meeting to look into the next phase of reorganization and to also go over some ways we can improve our organization. I will keep you informed as we move forward.

The next meeting of AC is 11/20. We meet at the office at 4:30 PM.

Another piece of good news... We will be having a new Basic Training class next Fall. Maggie will be helping out, along with Morning and other ANR's.

As of now, it looks like it will be an " in person" class. Details will follow as

things start to come together.



As always, I appreciate all your service hours. Thank you for being a Cuyahoga County MGV!

Ellen

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Update from Morning Robinson, your ANR Educator

Greetings MGVs,

I hope harvest season is treating you well and you are enjoying Ohio's best season. I do not have many updates for you; however, I appreciate your hard work and dedication to the Master Gardener Volunteers, OSU Extension, and your community.

In the wake of numerous reports of Spotted Lanternfly, OSU Extension encourages individuals who have suspected SLF sightings to report their findings either using the Ohio Department of Agricultures (ODA) online reporting form, or the Great Lakes Early Detection Network App. If using a computer, the EDD MapS is another option for reporting. If anyone is looking for additional information, they can visit ODA's website or lookup the PennState Extension factsheet about Spotted Lanternfly.

If you know of any community gardeners in the Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre or Stockyard areas please let them know to contact Metro West Community Development office to access resources and information to further their community garden.

Thanks for all you do,

Morning

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Update from Tammy L. Currier, your Volunteer Coordinator

Dear MGVs,

Please see the following:

• Please get your 25 Volunteer & 10 Continuing Education hours into Hands on Connect - there are still MGVs with ZERO hours listed. If you're short on hours, there are still a couple of opportunities before the 10/31 deadline to take advantage of: Ben Franklin, Fall Seminar, and, possibly, The Stinner Event in the CVNP - I'm currently waiting to hear if they need volunteers. Reach out to ME if you have any interest.

• Just ONE Saturday (weather permitting) remaining to volunteer at the Ben Franklin Perennial & Herb Gardens, 9:00 AM - NOON. Mark the following date on your calendar: 10/14.

• FYI: The Ben Franklin Demo Gardens close for the season on 10/14, but you can still earn volunteer hours helping put the gardens to bed. Join fellow MGVs Thursday, 11/12, and Saturday, 11/14 - 9:00 AM - NOON. There is no need to sign up, just show up. These hours will still count towards your 2023 VH totals.

• For those of you in need of CEs, the recently launched 2023-2024 Horticulture Lunch & Learn and Happy Hour Webinar series offers opportunities. Tune in live or watch the recordings. What a great way to earn CE's - listen while you garden, cut the grass, cook, walk, or do the dishes! Presentation schedule and registration links are available HERE.

• For Additional CE's, follow these links:

• 2022-2023 Webinars
• 2021-2022 Webinars
• 2020-2021 Webinars

• Need help with Hands on Connect, reach out!

• TWO MGV MERCHANDISE PICKUPS REMAIN: For those MGVs who ordered MGV swag/merchandise earlier this summer, could you please pick it up or arrange for someone to pick it up for you. Michelle, our office assistant is in the office M-F, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM.

Thanks for all you do!

Questions? Please reach out to currier.37@osu.edu.

Happy End of Season,

Tammy

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+++Note from Rita Politzer, your Internal Committee Chair+++

The Advisory Nominating Committee is looking for a few good leaders! Please reach out to Rita at psychorita2@aol.com if you or an MGV you know would like to join MGCC leadership.

In the meantime, stay tuned - more information will go out mid-October via email.

Thank you,

Rita

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+++Going to State Conference? Would You Like to Carpool?+++



Please contact MGV Shoshana Wodzisz at slwodzisz@yahoo.com or 330-730-7507 if you'd like to ride share.  

Thank you,

Shoshana

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• October 7th - Fall Seminar - “Natives, Trees, Backyards and Bees”; REGISTRATION CLOSED!

• October 12th-14th - 2023 MGV State Conference - Greene - More than a Color; REGISTER NOW!

• October 13th - Fascinating Woodland Fungi; LEARN MORE HERE!

• November 13th - The 17th Annual Stinner Summit; REGISTER HERE!

• January 12th - 19th, 2024 & January 19th - 26th, 2024 - Ecuador Trip; REGISTRATION CLOSED!

For more information on these dates, see descriptions below.



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Register Now: 2023 MGV State Conference - Greene - More than a Color! - October 12-14, 2023

Hey Master Gardener Volunteers!

Have plans for the fall yet? You do now.

We hope you will consider joining us in Greene County, Ohio for our face to face State Conference. Please consider joining us for this great event!

*Early bird registration is now open! 

When: October 12th-14th, 2023

Where: Holiday Inn Fairborn, Ohio 45324 – Greene County

Featuring:

• Bus and bike tours
• Educational Sessions & Workshops
• Friday evening keynote with Scott Beuerlein, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
• Saturday morning keynote with

Brent Heath of Brent & Becky’s Bulbs

• State Awards Luncheon
• Trade and Vendor booths

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

For more information:

Visit this LINK!

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YOU’RE INVITED:

AFFILIATE FALL FORUM 2023

Preserving the Past, Focused on the the Present, & Looking Toward the Future

'Tis the season to honor affiliate garden clubs - their leadership & members, while also honoring out collaborative history with Holden Forests & Gardens.

You are invited to join us for our Annual Affiliate Fall Forum for Club Presidents & Representatives. Our featured speaker, John Barber, will present: “Planting Native Plants for Birds.”

When: Thursday, October 19, 2023 / 9:30 am – 12 pm

Where: Cleveland Botanical Garden – Woodland Hall

Register by October 10th: HERE!

* Check in begins at 9:00-9:25 AM; the program will be begin promptly at 9:30 AM.

* There will be complimentary parking on site and light refreshments served.

-submitted by Sandy Gorby Welches, MGV 2005



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CE Opportunity: Are You Fascinated with Fungi?

Join OSU's Woodland Steward Program for a day in the woods: Fascinating Woodland Fungi! Fungi of many types can be found in every woodlot throughout Ohio. They often get overlooked, ignored and/or avoided by visitors because they don’t know what they are, have limited knowledge of, or have been misinformed as to their importance or dangers. Fungi are quite intriguing once you get to know them, their life histories, their ecological importance, and their diversity.

Come learn about these fascinating organisms and the beauty they possess.

When: October 13, 2023 / 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Where: 1760 University Drive / 100 Ovalwood Hall / Mansfield, OH 44906

Cost: $40.00 - includes lunch and materials

Register: HERE

Questions?: Woodland Stewards / 614-688-3421 / ohiowoods@osu.edu



MGVs will receive FOUR CEs for this program

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The 17th Annual Stinner Summit - November 13, 2023

^{*Open to MGVs - Registration Now Open!}

^

If you're interested in urban agriculture - this event should be pretty interesting. It will take place in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's Happy Days Lodge and is held annually as a tribute to Dr. Ben Stinner, who was a pioneer in regenerative agricultural research and a great connector of people.

Each year the Stinner Summit gathers researchers, farmers, educators, policy leaders, and organizations from across the state. Through a participatory process, specific project ideas are crafted during the Summit and funded through the Stinner Endowment Fund. This year, they will be encouraging projects focused on building more resilient and equitable food systems in metropolitan regions.

We invite you to help us design and lead these projects by attending the Summit this fall. The Summit provides an excellent opportunity for networking, sharing, and designing impactful projects, and there is no cost associated with attending. 

When: Monday, November 13th, 2023 - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Where: Happy Days Lodge / CVNP/ 500 W Streetsboro St / Peninsula, OH 44264

REGISTER HERE!

MGVs earn ONE CE per ONE hour of instruction

-submitted by Maggie Rivera, Summit County ANR Educator

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* Cuyahoga County: Looking Forward to Next Year's CE Opportunities

Stay tuned for 2024's CE opportunities - can't wait to see what the committee comes up with!

MGVs earn ONE CE per ONE hour of programming





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MGV Coordinator "Important Info" Archive: Please use this ongoing archive to access important and helpful information shared by myself to assist you in being an effective MGV.

Need help finding MGCC Projects or Roster? Follow these steps:

• Log into this LINK
• Scroll down to MY COUNTIES
• Click on the grey box titled: SEARCH PROJECTS to locate full list of current MGCC projects. Click on the title of the project to access description.
• Click on the grey box titled: ROSTER (located to the right of the SEARCH PROJECTS box) to locate the names, status, phone, and email addresses of your fellow MGVs.

HANDS ON CONNECT TIPS:

• Accessing Hands on Connect: - BOOKMARK the following link: https://mgvolunteers.osu.edu/ - doing so will provide easy access to the site and you won't have to reach out to me. : )

•  REMEMBER to log-in - the log-in button is in the upper right corner - 0therwise, the information you see does not directly pertain to you.

•  The Roster is located under the heading - MY COUNTIES. The Roster is in the third grey box to the right.

• If/when you are interested in a project you need to reach out directly to the chair in charge of that project to sign up. For instance, if you wanted to work with the Community Garden Mentors, you would reach out to Emily Roll. Contact information for every Master Gardener Volunteer is located under the ROSTER in Hands on Connect.

• Do NOT use the Hands on Connect sign-up feature – it is more a function of the system than a sign-up tool. Expressing interest basically pins the project to your page and allows you to then log any volunteer time spent or CE's earned.

• Take the time to familiarize yourself with the site - you can't break it and it will be much easier to use once you've clicked on a few links. You can't get the lay of the land, so to speak, until you explore.

2023 Hour Requirements: 25 Volunteer Hours / 10 Continuing Education Hours.

Your volunteer and continuing education hours should be earned participating in county and OSU Extension sponsored activities and continuing education opportunities. The goal is to support our county's projects benefiting the public and to gain OSU Extension-approved, science-based knowledge.

DON'T DELAY - start earning hours as soon as you can in 2023! It's always easier to accrue hours when our programming is in partial to full swing than to wait until our programming has wound down and hours are due to try and scramble to find hours to fulfill your requirements.

BUSY CAREER or HOME LIFE & WANT TO REMAIN AN MGV? - for those of you working full time, we know work gets crazy, so consider opportunities you can do at home to maintain your status as an MGV:

• Volunteer at Ben Franklin Perennial & Herb Demo Gardens the second Saturday of the month, 9:00 AM - NOON. Just one date remaining: 10/14.
• Participate in Telephone Hotline (task completed from the comfort of your own home).
• Join the Ask a Master Gardener team (questions answered online - also done from the comfort of your own home).
• Become a member of the Tech Team (also from the comfort of your home).
• Assist community gardens by becoming a Community Garden Mentor - mostly you respond to phone calls.
• Be a regular contributor to the MGCC Facebook page.

 Please keep the information shared above for easy access.

If you have any questions about the information I have shared here, please let me know.

Thanks for all you do,

- Tammy

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