Volume 29, Issue 11 – November 2019
Congratulations to this month’s Bexar County Master Gardeners who have earned their 2019 certification and the Monarch Butterfly pin! They have completed at least 30 volunteer hours, 6 CEU hours, and attended 2 regular monthly meetings as of October 26 reporting.
The pins are available from Susan Noonan at the monthly meetings or can be picked up at the Master Gardener office during the Office Manager business hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For other delivery options, please contact [email protected]. The complete year-to-date list of certified Master Gardeners can be found on our website under Members/Master Gardener Stars.
CONGRATULATIONS:
Anna Rascoe Ted N. Ritchie Pat Simpson Melody Stramer
Suzanne Watson Vicki Wright
BCMG BOARD MEETING will take place 3 – 5 pm on Thur, November 21 , 2019 at 3355 Cherry Ridge 78230. If you are interested in placing items on the agenda, email President Grace Emery ([email protected]) by October 9, 2019. And, all members are welcome to observe the meetings; however, in order to accommodate seating, please email Grace Emery that you will be attending.
2020-BOD-Election
Fall 2019 South Central District Rose Show & Convention – “Roses of the Wild West” November 1 @ 8:00 am – November 2 @ 5:00 pm
San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N New Braunfels Ave, San Antonio, TX 78209. The theme for the Show is “Roses of the Wild West,” which incorporates the romance of the rose with the ruggedness of the old west. For more information, visit http://www.sarosesociety.org/ Find out more »
2019 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series: Spiders Commonly Found in Houses November 1 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Note: on November 1, the link to the live webinar, in the title below, opens about 15 minutes before the webinar. If you try to log in earlier, you will get an error message. The URL is subject to change. Please click on the title prior to the start time in order to get the correct URL. Find out more »
November 2 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Olmos Basin Park, 651 Devine St. San Antonio, TX 78210.
Join us to celebrate San Antonio trees and nature at this free, family-friendly event with activities, presentations, crafts, and tree climbers. Find out more »
November 3 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Government Canyon State Natural Area, 12861 Galm Road, San Antonio, TX 78254.
Join us as we search for fall colors and late bloomers and other interesting plants on this guided walk. Natural Area entrance fees apply. Registration required and will be accepted through noon November 2, 2019. Reserve your spot online at https://friendsofgovernmentcanyon.org/events. Plan ahead, as the Natural Area often experiences heavy visitation and wait time at the fee booth. Subject to cancellation. Moderate intensity hike; participants must be able to walk over rocky, uneven ground. Find out more »
Central Texas Savannas: Fire, Grazing, and Invasive Species – NPSOT Boerne Chapter Mtg.
November 5 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Cibolo Nature Center Auditorium, 1681 River Rd, Boerne, TX 78006.
Free. The Native Plant Society of Texas-Boerne Chapter meeting begins at 6:30 PM with a native plant/seed exchange & social time, followed by the program at 7:00 PM. For more information, go to https://npsot.org/wp/boerne/ Fire and herbivory are widely discussed as factors affecting the distribution of both native plant communities and invasive species in central Texas savanna ecosystems. This presentation will look at the effects of these factors on plant population dynamics, plant-plant interactions, community structure, and landscape-scale distributions. Find out more »
Pilgrimage Through the Missions — San Antonio Garden Center Mtg.
November 6 @ 9:30 am – 11:30 am San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N New Braunfels Ave, San Antonio, TX 78209.
The San Antonio Garden Center invites you for a plant exchange and social at 9:30 AM and the speaker at 10:00 AM; meetings are free and open to the public. For more information go to http://sanantoniogardencenter.org or call 210-824-9981. Speaker: Rebecca Simmons, El Camino de San Antonio Missions. Find out more »
Lunch & Learn: Time to Think About Trees — Guadalupe County MG
November 7 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. Guadalupe County AgriLife Extension, 210 East Live Oak, Seguin, TX 78155.
Free presentation by the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners. Attendees are welcome to bring lunch. For further information, visit https://guadalupecountymastergardeners.org or call the Guadalupe County Service Office at 830-303-3889. Speaker: Robert Teweles, Guadalupe County Master Gardener 1 CEU. Code 001. Find out more »
Composting for Fall — Men’s Garden Club Mtg.
November 7 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. Oblate Mission & Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, 5712 Blanco Rd., San Antonio, TX 78216.
The Men’s Garden Club of San Antonio meets on the first Thursday of each month and meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Darlene Badorski at [email protected]. Join us for this interesting and timely seminar with Compost Queens Betsy Gruy and her daughter Kate Jaceldo. https://www.compostqueenstx.com/ Find out more »
Rain to Drain Experience — SAWS
November 8 @ 8:30 am – 4:30 pm San Antonio Water System Headquaters, 2800 U.S. 281, San Antonio, TX 78212.
If you’re interested in learning more about the source of your drinking water and where it goes, well, “after the flush,” join SAWS Education for The Rain to Drain Experience field trip for adults. During this day-long expedition, you will explore an Edwards Aquifer recharge cave, experience the inner workings of a SAWS water production facility, and tour a water recycling plant. The field trip, lasting from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, is free to Bexar County residents 18 years and older. Lunch is provided. Find out more »
Brown Bag Lunch & Learn: Fall Is for Planting Trees
November 8 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. Bexar County Master Gardeners, 3355 Cherry Ridge, Ste. 208, San Antonio, TX 78230.
FREE and open to the public! Bring your lunch and join us! Speaker: Paul Bauml, Bexar County Master Gardener Tree Care Specialist 1 CEU. BCMG Code: 001. Find out more »
Shrub Class — Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard
November 9 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard, 25195 Mathis Road, Elmendorf, TX 78112.
Shrub Class — Learn to make a vinegar reduction to make your own unique holiday beverages. There will also be some discussion of other ways to use the reductions you make. Find out more »
Opportunities with Native Texas Plants in Landscape Design
November 9 @ 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm The Villiage at Incarnate Word (CHRISTUS Heritage Hall), 4707 Broadway Street, San Antonio, TX 78209.
Free Admission. Native Texas plants are reliable but often underused or misunderstood. Mr. Pecen’s presentation will explore what can be planted more often, and where, for outstanding designs that perform dependably. Discussion will include how to pair microclimates on developed/developing sites with native plants from ecoregions around the state. Native plant care, availability and applications will also be covered. Speaker: Mike Pecen is a licensed Texas landscape architect practicing with Rialto Studio in San Antonio. Find out more »
Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives — NPSOT Guadalupe County Chapter Mtg.
November 12 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. St. John Lutheran Church, 600 S. Center Street, Marion, TX 78124.
Free. Native Plant Society of Texas, Guadalupe County Chapter Meetings are open to the public and visitors are welcome. There is a plant/seed exchange and greeting at 6:30 PM followed by the program at 7:00 PM. For more information, directions to St John’s Lutheran Church, or membership applications, see the website at http://npsot.org/wp/guadalupe/ Mark will describe and explain recent fascinating scientific findings on the benefits of trees to human health. Find out more »
November 16 @ 8:30 am – 12:00 pm. Government Canyon State Natural Area, 12861 Galm Road, San Antonio, TX 78254.
Join us on the third Saturday of every month for a new adventure! Natural Area entrance fees apply. Knowledgeable guides discuss the flora, fauna, natural and cultural history of this awesome natural area on this exploration. Length of walk and interpretive topic will vary, depending on the group. Dress appropriately, sunscreen and hat recommended, Find out more »
Let’s All Eat Native Texas Plants — NPSOT Lindheimer Chapter Mtg.
November 19 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Tye Preston Memorial Library, 16311 South Access Road, Canyon Lake, TX 78133.
Free. The Lindheimer Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (Comal County) meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 P.M. Meetings are open to the public and new members are welcome. For more information, visit http://npsot.org/wp/lindheimer/ Speaker: Gretchen Fettel Find out more »
15 Bugs Every Gardener Should Know — Guadalupe County MG Mtg.
November 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Guadalupe County AgriLife Extension, 210 East Live Oak, Seguin, TX 78155.
Everyone is welcome, and it’s Free! The Guadalupe County Master Gardeners Meeting will begin at 6:15 PM followed by the speaker at 7:00. For more information, visit http://guadalupecountymastergardeners.org or call 830-303-3889. Topic: 15 Bugs Every Gardener Should Know Speaker: Molly Keck, Entomologist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 1 CEU. Code 001. Find out more »
Fall Free Admission – Explore Mitchell Lake for FREE
November 30 @ 7:00 am – 3:00 pm Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, 10750 Pleasanton Road, San Antonio, TX 78221.
Free entry all day the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Bring your out-of-town family and friends for birdwatching, picnicking, and hiking through our gardens and trails. Not a hiker? We offer several miles of driving trails as well (weather permitting). Don’t forget, it is Small Business Saturday! We have new inventory in the store, just in time for the holidays. No RSVP needed. Find out more »
This is just a sampling of the events scheduled for November, as there were way too many to list here. Please check the Calendar for a list of all the events! Click here for calendar.
The San Antonio Botanical Garden (SABOT) has lots of educational programs available to members and non-members. To see a calendar of their activities, click here.
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2019-BCMG-Visit-to-Sandy-Oaks-Olive-Orchard-Oct-10th-1EDITED Olive-Grove-Photos
| CEU OPPORTUNITY You can now earn 1 CEU of the minimum 6 CEUs required for Master Gardener re-certification by listening to at least 1 archived podcast of WOAI 1200 AM Lawn & Garden Show. All of the Saturday morning episodes are available. You will surely find a topic that meets your knowledge needs! And they are fun! Listen on your phone while you drive. Or you can earn 1 CEU (of the minimum 6 required CEUs) by listening to a LIVE radio broadcast of the WOAI 1200 AM Lawn and Garden from 7 am-10 am on a Saturday morning. You can only record 1 CEU per year using the radio broadcast option! VMS CEU Code 001 |
And remember, you can find all the TEXAS MASTER GARDENER ADVANCED TRAINING (formerly Specialist) COURSES offered at the TMGA website. If you are interested in attending any courses, please email David Rodriguez ([email protected]), Extension Agent-Horticulture, Bexar County. BCMG CEU Code: 001.
See the BCMG Calendar for MORE learning opportunities this month! (Click HERE!)
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It’s EASY to Volunteer!
- To sign up as a volunteer, go to your VMS – Volunteer Management System, log in and click on GENERAL EVENT CALENDAR from the left column.
- To record your CEUs or volunteer hours, click on ADD NEW HOURS from the left column.
If you need help learning how to use VMS or have a question, contact Lisa Nixon, [email protected]
Bexar County Master Gardener Poinsettia Sale!
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CULINARY DOCENTS, COME ON OUT!
If you have not volunteered recently, please pick a date, or dates, and sign up on VMS today.
– November shifts are 10 am to 1 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
VMS has all dates/times for sign-ups! VMS Code 0100.
Please come and use your training, and at the same time strengthen our partnership with the San Antonio Botanical Garden. And have some FUN, too!! Email Grace Emery if you have any questions.
All Master Gardeners: Please see new Clarification on Reporting Volunteer Hours below. Note there are some important changes that affect you!
Clarification on Reporting Volunteer and Continuing Education Hours
Our purpose as a Master Gardener is to provide home gardeners with unbiased, research-based gardening information that is locally relevant. We want them to be successful in their gardening endeavors so they can love their gardening experience as much as we love ours!. However, some responsibilities also come with being a Master Gardener. Such responsibilities include reporting our hours in a timely and accurate manner.
Reporting our volunteer hours is important, as they are used for two purposes:
- Certification – In order to be certified as a MG in good standing for the next year, a BCMG member must volunteer 30 hours (VH), receive 6 hours of continuing education (CEU), and attend two BCMG monthly meetings. By recording your hours, the Membership Director can generate a list of the MGs who have reached these milestones for David to certify for the next year.
- Funding – Our hours of service (VH) are reported to the state and all funding organizations as part of the AgriLife Extension Service reports on services and activities provided within our county. The accuracy of these hours is extremely important when providing these funding organizations with our outputs. Our hours are often converted to FTEs (Full Time Employees) to show the work we do in terms of what a paid employee would accomplish.
In order for all BCMGs to report their hours in a manner that is appropriate for the AgriLife Extension reports, the BCMG Board has approved the following clarification points to use when reporting hours:
- Report hours as soon as possible! – Hours that are not reported until the end of the year are often forgotten. In addition, those hours were not available for the AgriLife Extension reports that go out earlier in the year and therefore provided no support documentation for the work that we do.
- Travel time should not be reported as volunteer time. While it is understood that the time you spend traveling to and from events is very real time (and it is greatly appreciated!), it is not considered appropriate volunteer time in the reports that are generated showing our equivalent FTEs. A full-time employee’s travel time is not included and therefore it should not be included in ours.
- No double dipping. If you are volunteering at a presentation that qualifies for CEUs you may count the time as either VHs or CEUs, but not both. For example, if you spend 30 minutes helping to set-up, handle sign-in sheets, and take-down for a 60-minute presentation, you may count it as 0.5 VHs plus 1 CEU (two separate entrees in VMS) or you may count it is 1.5 VHs.
- Use accurate hours. While VH and CEU times may be posted for an event, this is just to give you an idea of the time that is anticipated. Oftentimes, an event takes more or less time than this estimate. Please report the actual time you volunteered or that the CEU presentation took.
- Record your hours to the nearest ½ hour. Sometimes this means you are recording a few minutes extra and sometimes a few minutes less, but in the course of a year it will all average out.
Please use these guidelines moving forward. Thank you for the service you provide Bexar County, home gardeners! And thank you for your support of the Master Gardener Program and AgriLife Extension through the accurate reporting of your hours!
NOTE : Any MG that is not going to make their required volunteer and/or CEU hours, and wants to continue their active MG status for 2020, needs to contact David early with an explanation of why they are not going to make their hours and a summary of the hours they have submitted to VMS for this year.
Submitted by
Lynn Cox, BCMG Vice President
(10/17/2019)
MORE Volunteer Opportunities available on the VMS Calendar!
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