Reappointment Runs June 1 - July 31, 2020
Web: http://mgcoord.ucanr.edu/Administration/Reappointment_Process/

Per the UC Master Gardener Program Administrative Handbook reappointment runs from June 1 through July 31, 2020. 

“All UCCE Master Gardener volunteers must be reappointed by their County Director annually to remain active in the program and to continue acting as agents of the university. Volunteers are independently and personally responsible for meeting all administrative requirements necessary to secure reappointment by correctly submitting the following: Annual Agreement, Code of Conduct, and Driver's License and Insurance Information.” 

Reappointment can be a time consuming process for coordinators. We recommend blocking out a few hours each week through August 2020 to ensure that your reappointment is complete and that insurance fees are properly submitted to the UC Master Gardener Program statewide office. Counties will receive insurance billing information beginning the first week of August (at a rate of $6.00 per volunteer). Insurance payments will be processes to recharge account numbers provided by coordinators. Alternately, checks can be made payable to UC Regents.

COVID-19 Impacts

COVID-19 has had and is having a tremendous impact on planned activities across the state. Volunteers who choose to remain active and reappoint for the 20/21 program year will be approved, regardless of the number of volunteer or continuing education hours completed this year. Further, volunteers will not be responsible for making up any incomplete volunteer and continuing education hours in the following program year. If COVID-19 has impacted a volunteer's ability to complete minimum hour requirements, these volunteers should complete reappointment. These volunteers will indicate that they have “Not Completed Hours, Seeking Reappointment” when prompted by VMS. In the optional description text box, these volunteers should write “COVID-19” or similar.

If a volunteer is still carrying a balance of incomplete hours from the 2018-2019 program year, this balance should be addressed at the discretion of the coordinator and County Director. A 2020 Reappointment Hour Balance Decision Matrix has been created to guide coordinators and County Directors through this process.

Help and Training Resources

Help documentation and training resources can found on the UC Master Gardener Coordinator website. Please feel free to use, copy and share any of the available resources, particularly the 2020 Step-by-Step Guide to Completing Reappointment (For Volunteers).

• 2020 Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Reappointment (for Coordinators) (PDF, 6/24/2020)
• 2020 Step-by-Step Guide to Completing Reappointment (For Volunteers) (PDF, 6/24/2020)
• How-To Complete Reappointment for UC Master Gardeners Volunteers (Video, 4/26/2018)
• 2020 Reappointment Hour Balance Decision Matrix (PDF, 6/1/2020)
• 2020 Create a Credit Card Survey for Insurance (PDF, 5/1/2020)
• 2020 Letter to Inactive-Resigning Volunteers (Word, 5/1/2020)
• 2020 PDF of PowerPoint Presentation, Brown Bag Webinar: Reappointment (39 slides)
• 2020 Recording, Brown Bag Webinar: Reappointment (60min.)

Questions? Contact
Marisa Coyne
Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
macoyne@ucanr.edu

This year has brought many changes to our personal and professional lives especially in how it has changed how we interact. With the limits placed on group size, social distancing, travel and other personal safety restrictions holding in-person training for current and new UC Master Gardener volunteers is a challenge. Many groups are talking about how to overcome these challenges by hosting classes online, live and recorded or doing a hybrid model that would work for their current level of technology, staff, speaker availability, budget and other factors.

With the assistance of several program coordinators and academics the statewide UC Master Gardener Program office has established and is actively managing a course on eXtension campus that is functioning as a repository for UC Master Gardener related trainings. Recordings, online resources and quizzes, for volunteers have been and will continue to be posted in the course as they become available during this time of transition. Access to this is FREE and open to the public. There are currently 8 trainee focused recordings and 14 continuing education opportunities.

Add a Recording Anytime

If you have a training to submit and the permission of the content creator and would like it reviewed and listed as a resource please complete the Recorded Training Submission survey. Provide proper titles of speakers, complete training description, any quizzes, and required / recommended readings, if you are not sure of those items contact the speaker to get their input.  Click here to submit a training.

Accessing eXtension Campus

Navigate to the Navigate to the eXtension online campus website https://campus.extension.org/login/index.php

Create a free account or log in as a guest. 

• Some courses may allow guest access, some require an account.
• It is highly recommended to make an account to track progress, see your history and receives updates as classes are added

Distribute this information easily with others by sharing and linking to the UC Master Gardener eXtension campus webpage: http://mg.ucanr.edu/Resources/eXtension_Campus/

Course Table of Contents (6/26/20)

1. Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas Design & Maintenance Considerations (Fire)
2. Maintaining an Existing Landscape (Drought Related)
3. Planning a Low Water Landscape (Drought Related)
4. Weeds (Training Class)
5. Weed Management in the Landscape (Training Class)
6. Control of Weeds in the Garden Landscape (Training Class)
7. Diagnosing and Managing Arthropod Pests (Training Class)
8. Plant Identification- tools and techniques for learning how to identify plants (Training Class)
9. Plant Propagation (Training Class)
10. Vertebrate Pest Management (Training Class)
11. Plant Diagnostics (Training Class)
12. Climate Change: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions (Climate Related)
13. Asian Citrus Psyllid for Backyard Growers (IPM)
14. Slugs and Snails (IPM)
15. Avocado Cankers and their Causes (IPM)
16. Avocado Root Rot Disease Management (IPM)
17. Laurel Wilt Disease (IPM)
18. Invasive Shot-hole Borer (IPM)
19. Bee Gardening (Horticulture)
20. Container Gardening (Ornamentals)
21. Gardening in Crisis: An American Norm (General)
22. Creating an Oasis for Yourself and Others (General)

Questions? Contact: 
Lauren Snowden
Statewide Training Coordinator 
llsnowden@ucarn.edu

Effective volunteer recognition is crucial to volunteer retention efforts. Volunteer recognition can take a variety of shapes and forms; some volunteers respond well to a recognition of years of service or number of hours donated, while others may prefer a project leadership opportunity. Offering a personal or professional reference detailing a volunteer's contributions to the program, on the part of a program coordinator or volunteer leader, can be a great way to show some volunteers their work is valued. Still others may appreciate a handwritten note or a simple thank you in person.

Use National Volunteer Week as an opportunity to test your ideas and see what resonates within your volunteer community.

Here are a few suggestions to help get you started:

• Consider submitting a volunteer project to the Search for Excellence (SFE), a statewide competition designed to recognize outstanding UC Master Gardener projects that support the mission of UC Master Gardener Program.

• Use the UC Master Gardener Program Green Thumb Award to recognize individual achievements and contributions.
  • Access the Green Thumb Certificate on the Coordinator website.
  • Read more about the Green Thumb Award and view pin purchasing options on page 10 of the Spring 2019 Coordinator Newsletter.
    
    
• Visit the Volunteer Management Institute (VMI) webpage on the UC Master Gardener Coordinator website for ideas regarding recognition across the generations.
  • Check out the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA)'s one-pager on Volunteer Recognition Ideas.
  • Check your peers' suggestions (recorded during our Breakout Session) in the VMI Generations - Coordinator breakout notes.
    
    
• Attend the March 19th 2020, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Coordinator-to-Coordinator Zoom Discussion hosted and facilitated by Mimi Enright, Program Coordinator in Sonoma County. Experienced in client relations and program management, Mimi's approach to volunteer recognition goes beyond once-per-year appreciation events. Bring your questions and suggestions for fellow coordinators.
  
  
• View the Building Volunteer Engagement e-course handouts and materials on the eXtension platform. The "Let's Measure Up" handout contains a set of guiding questions to help you evaluate your county's volunteer recognition efforts. Access the eXtension course login instructions on the UC ANR Learning and Development site (under Office and Team Management >> Engaging Volunteers). 

• Nominate one or more extraordinary volunteers for recognition in the UC Master Gardener Program 2019 Annual Report. Use the Gardeners with Heart Nomination Form to nominate any volunteer in your county who uses their creativity, strategic thinking, problem-solving, passion for mission, or commitment to outreach to improve program delivery at the local level. Be sure to include photos! More information is available on the UC Master Gardener Coordinator Collaborative Tools page.

What volunteer recognition strategies have worked for you in the past? What new approaches will you try in 2020? Share your recommendations with fellow coordinators via the UC Master Gardener Coordinator Collaborative Tools page.

Questions? Contact:
Marisa A. Coyne 
Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
macoyne@ucanr.edu
(530) 750-1394 

Join PlantRight this spring for its 9th Annual Spring Nursery Survey. UC Master Gardener county programs can offer volunteer and continuing education hours to UC Master Gardener volunteers who visit local nurseries to help PlantRight track the availability of invasive plants in California. Participation in the 2020 Spring Nursery Survey is easy, educational, and fun!

Volunteers will:

1. Register as a volunteer for Northern California or Southern California
2. View a training video online and pass a short quiz
3. Download required survey materials (e.g. survey form & plant ID key)
4. Sign up to survey a store in their county
5. Visit the store and record information about any invasive plants sold there
6. Submit information to PlantRight 

The survey process takes about 2.5 hours to complete. UC Master Gardener volunteers can get started by RSVP'ing to participate on PlantRight's website. When it becomes available, volunteers will be notified and be able to view a training video. After completing the online training volunteers will take a short quiz and be able to claim nurseries to survey. 

Nurseries will become available to claim on PlantRight.org:

• Southern California - Monday, March 9th at noon
• Northern California - Monday, April 6th at noon 

In the training video, PlantRight staff will share an overview of common invasive garden plants in California, along with basic training for completing the survey. Everyone is welcome to view this training video, regardless of survey participation. 

2017 Survey Highlights

PlantRight's 2017 Spring Nursery Survey was its most successful yet as far as the amount of data goes, thanks to the 172 volunteers who participated. Survey data from 332 nurseries in 45 counties showed that just 11% of nurseries sold the four remaining invasive plants our original list (created in 2006), compared to 30% of nurseries in 2012.

Between 2015 and 2017, the percent of nurseries selling periwinkle (Vinca major) dropped from 5.3% to 1.8%. In 2014, we used survey data to add Mexican feathergrass (Stipa/Nassella tenuissima) to our list, and since 2014, the percent of nurseries selling this plant has decreased from 39% to 22%.

Want to learn more? Check out our survey report and fact sheet at: plantright.org/spring-nursery-survey. Thank you for your invaluable role in shaping PlantRight's strategy and helping us collaborate with the nursery industry!

Questions? Contact
Alex Stubblefield
PlantRight Project Manager
Email: info@plantright.org
Phone: (916) 448-3900