The Mission in ANR Involving Four Basic Program Areas

The Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension program will focus on core mission messages in
2013.  Our basic programs fall within the areas of Urban Agriculture, Sustainable Landscape Management Practices, Urban Forestry, and Natural Resource Conservation with much overlap in these four areas. Our support for the Tree Stewards volunteers helps to support the Urban Forestry canopy mission.  The work of these trained volunteers, provides the backbone for a package of public education that promotes concepts of the right tree, right place and correct pruning and planting  techniques. Tree Stewards will begin their annual volunteer training course on February 13th.   Applications are available at their website at www.treestewards.org    

The Arlington Regional Master Naturalists will again be offering a spring training class for members interested in working to protect and promote good management practices for our green space natural resources. Engaged in outreach that reaches from water quality monitoring to native plant sales, and bringing wildlife to schools, this growing group of volunteers has been supported and sponsored by Extension for the past 5 years.  For more information about their activities and programs see: www.armn.org

VCE Master Gardeners are the arms of Extension ANR outreach that encompass Sustainable Landscape Management practices and urban agriculture education. ANR provided 112 public programs on these subjects during 2012.  With the recently completed 2012 training class completed, the program is safely moving forward on a new fall training rotation.  We are so pleased to be looking forward to the following events:    March: Arlington Home Show and Landscaping Expo,   April: Alexandria Earth Day; MGNV Plant Sale; the opening of our fifth farmer’s market plant clinics and our fifth demonstration gardens.  In 2013, we will offer new online course resources.  Look for our series at the Arlington Public Schools Adult Continuing Education classes in the spring and the new U.S. Botanical Garden curriculum-based, Landscaping for a Sustainable Yard beginning on January 19th. For more information about this series or any of our fine public education offerings go to our website or to the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia website at:  www.mgnv.org