Expand Your Knowledge! Broaden Your Horizons! Earn Your Continuing Education Hours!

One of the pleasures of gardening is that it is an on-going learning experience. Take advantage of these educational opportunities to cultivate your expertise or to branch out into a new gardening venue.

On this page are up-coming area educational events and notices of educational interest.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Texas Master Volunteer Entomology Specialist Training

 For Certified Master Gardeners Only

Dallas, Sept 26-30, $350

Do your friends think you’re a little eccentric because of your interest in creeping/crawling things? The Texas Master Volunteer Entomology Specialist Program may be just the thing for you. Offered annually, this year’s program will be held at the Research and Extension Center in Dallas. It’s a great opportunity for any Master Naturalists or Master Gardeners with a special interest in insects to get a week of in-depth entomology training. The training will earn you certification as a specialist through your statewide Master Volunteer program.

The course is approximately 40 hours-long, with field trips and laboratories in addition to lectures by both Extension entomologists and local insect experts. Once the course is completed, students are required to contribute a minimum 15 hours of volunteer contributions to the county office (above and beyond the 12 hour volunteer requirement for Master Gardeners) to receive their certification. To read all about this year’s program contents, click here.

Registration must be completed and submitted online, but the form must also be printed and mailed in with registration, per instructions on the website: http://agrilife.org/insectspecialist/registration-for-2011-class/

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us through Ms. Kaye Garrison (972-952-9201). Registration is filling up quickly and is based on a first-come-first served basis. There is a maximum class size of 30 to keep the instruction as personal as possible and allow us to do all those cool hands-on activities.

2011 Junior Master Gardener Specialist Training

For Certified Master Gardeners Only

Sept. 15-17, Cross Roads, Texas (near Denton), $250 thru Aug. 31

Details and registration available at http://dcmga.com/events/2011-JMG-specialist/

OTHER NOTICES

There is a new book on “Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies” available through the Xerces Society.  Take a look at http://www.xerces.org/announcing-the-publication-of-attracting-native-pollinators/ for more information.