Due to circumstances related to the worldwide pandemic, the 2020 UC Master Gardener Conference has been postponed to 2021. The decision to postpone the conference was due to current group size limitations, travel restrictions, speaker availability and cancellations, and reduced staff capacity.

We are happy to report that we were able reschedule the conference at the same location, the Granlibakken Resort in Lake Tahoe for Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 2021.

2020 Alternative Online Conference Activities

Planning is ongoing to move some immediate conference activities online. Stay up to date on the latest conference news by reading this blog and checking your email for updates from the statewide office. Stay tuned for information on online lunchtime horticulture themed webinars, photo contest and the announcement of 2020 Search for Excellence winners!

2020 Search for Excellence in Full Swing

The Search for Excellence (SFE) competition is an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the tremendous talents of UC Master Gardener volunteers from across the state. County programs were invited to submit educational and innovative projects for consideration, the application window closed on April 28 with 17 applications.

The published online SFE timeline for judging, awarding and presenting have been adjusted to accommodate a new celebration and recognition plan. Typically, SFE winners are featured on the statewide blog and in-person at the statewide conference through poster and breakout sessions. SFE winners will still be celebrated on the statewide blog as planned. New this year, we are going virtual with online webinars for all top three SFE winners to share their projects.

Thank you

We thank you for your support as we all work through this! We are grateful for the understanding of UC Master Gardener volunteers, coordinators, advisors and county directors as we continue to work hard to ensure that our future event is met with the same enthusiasm and learning opportunities. Sincere gratitude to our conference location the Granlibakken Resort and several tour providers who were able to work with us to reschedule such a large event.