Master Gardener Conference

I am very excited to welcome you back to campus for the 27th Annual Florida Master Gardener Continued Training Conference. This year, the event will be held in the Reitz Union in the heart of campus. This venue allows us to keep the costs down, enjoy a first class meeting facility, and experience a little bit of campus life GATOR style.

Each year we learn from previous years and try to make each conference better. We took your suggestions and have adjusted the schedule to make this year truly enjoyable. We will hold the 4-H contest prior to the beginning of the conference so those participating will not have to miss any of the educational components. On the first day we have topics that are sure to increase your knowledge base and give you information to bring home to share with your peers. Enjoy an evening reception at the Florida Museum of Natural History and see another part of campus.

Day Two is highlighted by a day of learning at the Pine Acres Research Facility. This station is full of great research projects and you will come away with the latest information directly from the research plots. Following the tour we have a general session and the always lively horticulture auction which helps to fund our recognition and service awards. Following the Horticultural Auction, enjoy the local flavor of Gainesville and the comradery of your friends by participating in the Downtown Dine-Around.

Day Three has more educational sessions and an opportunity to share what you know and to learn from your fellow volunteers about how their programs work. We will complete the day with our awards program and an inspirational presentation from one of America’s top horticulturists, Dr. Robert Lyons.

This will be an incredible conference. Plan to attend and bring the other volunteers from your county. I look forward to seeing you here in Gainesville.

       Sincerely,
       Tom Wichman
       Florida Master Gardener Coordinator

The Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program was developed to address serious problems of pollution and disappearing habitats by enlisting homeowners in the battle to save our natural environment. This program provides special educational and outreach activities directed at the community to help residents reduce pollution and enhance their environment by improving home and landscape management.

Master Gardeners who have received additional FYN training in their county can become Florida Yard Advisors and help homeowners evaluate and reduce the environmental impacts of their landscapes. All Master Gardeners play a key role in educating homeowners about the nine Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) principles:

All conference participants will attend concurrent sessions sponsored by Florida Yards & Neighborhoods.

As Program Director, Dr. Robert Lyons oversees the professional development and research projects of ten M.S. students in the Longwood Graduate Program in Public Horticulture. He received his B.A. in Biology from Rutgers College of Rutgers University and went on to earn an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, both in Horticultural Science.

From 1998 – 2004, Dr. Lyons held a Distinguished Professor chair in Horticultural Science at NC State University where he was also the Director of the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, N.C. From 1981 – 1998, he was Professor of Horticulture at Virginia Tech and also Co-founder/Director of the VT Horticulture Gardens. Dr. Lyons received the 2001 Outstanding Undergraduate Educator award from the American Landscape & Nursery Association, the 1999 National Outstanding Undergraduate Educator Award and 1993 Outstanding Research Paper Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science; in 1996 he received the Virginia Tech W.E. Wine Award for excellence in undergraduate education. Dr. Lyons served as an Associate Editor for HortTechnology from 1997 – 2003 and developed the theme issue, “Arboreta and Gardens – Teaching Labs for Undergraduates” (HortTechnology 9(4): 548 – 576).

He has been a photographer for over 25 years and has published widely in homeowner, commercial, and educational publications (print and electronic); he has exhibited and lectured nationally about horticultural photography, and has received awards from the Garden Writers Association of America for both his photography and writings.

Dr. Lyons has given over 300 talks to professional and non-professional organizations over his career and was an invited speaker at the conference for urban landscaping in Merano, Italy, in 2001.

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What great projects and programs have been happening in other counties this year?
Come and find out!

The mission of the Plant Science Research and Education Unit is to provide superior agricultural field research service to our customers to meet their changing needs.

The conference registration fee, combined with funds contributed by our generous sponsors, provides three days of educational program, conference materials, a proceedings booklet, the Monday night welcome reception, daily refreshments, Tuesday field trip to Citra Pine Acres Research Center and catered lunch, the Tuesday evening Horticulture Auction and reception, and the Wednesday awards lunch.

We are happy to announce that a "Guest Registration Fee" will be offered this year. It includes participation in the Monday Welcome Reception, the Horticulture Auction and Reception, and the Wednesday Awards Lunch and keynote speaker. Please note that no reduction in the guest registration fee can be given if you choose not to attend any of these included events.

Registration is limited. Register Early to Ensure Participation.

Online registration has closed.
On-site registration will be available at the conference.

Refund Policy: Requests for registration refunds will be honored if a written notification of cancellation is received by the Office of Conferences & Institutes on or before October 5, 2007. A $40.00 processing fee will be deducted from each registration refund. Sorry, no refunds will be honored for cancellations after October 5, 2007.

Special Needs: Participants with special needs can be reasonably accommodated by contacting the Office of Conferences & Institutes at least 10 working days prior to the conference. We can be reached by phone at 1-352-392-5930, by fax at 1-352-392-9734, or by calling 1-800-955-8771 (TDD). The TDD number can only be accessed from within the State of Florida.

The Meeting Site is located at the J. Wayne Reitz Union at the University of Florida on Museum Road. Participants will need to go to the second floor and check in at the Grand Ballroom Conference Registration Desk for nametags and conference materials.

Parking will be available in the Visitor Welcome Center Garage adjacent to the J. Wayne Reitz Union. A parking permit page will be emailed to pre-registered participants to allow entry into the garage beginning Monday morning, October 22nd through Wednesday, October 24th. If an email address is not listed on your registration, a parking permit will be mailed

to you. The permit will also be available on the conference website for participants to print out. Due to a limited number of parking spaces in the garage (200) please plan to carpool from your hotel to campus and follow these instructions: place the printable "Master Gardener Conference All Day Parking Garage Permit" in your car's front dashboard so that the parking garage attendant can identify your vehicle for the conference. There will be no parking fees charged to Master Gardeners as long as they have the permit placed in their car. We would encourage everyone to please make arrangements in advance with your County as to who will be the designated carpool driver.

A block of guest rooms is being held at the Gainesville Cabot Lodge located at 3726 SW 40th Boulevard, Gainesville, FL 32608; Phone: (352) 375-2400 • Fax: (352) 335-2321

The Cabot is offering participants of the 27th Annual Florida Master Gardener Training Conference a very special rate of $79 per night, single or double occupancy (plus 9.25% tax) and a special rate of $89 per night for a King Executive room. The group rate will be honored 3 days prior and 3 days following conference, based on availability. All hotel reservations must be made by Sunday, September 30, 2007. After this date, availability of guest rooms at the Cabot Lodge cannot be guaranteed.

To Make Reservations, please contact the hotel directly at (352) 375-2400 and be sure to identify yourself as a participant of the Master Gardener Conference.

Included in the nightly rate, the Cabot Lodge offers a generous complimentary continental breakfast and a morning paper each day and a two-hour complimentary cocktail reception each evening. The continental breakfast buffet is offered on weekdays from 6:30am-9:30am and on weekends from 6:30am-10:00am. It includes fresh fruits, assorted breads, bagels, pastries, donuts, yogurts, juices and coffee. The complimentary cocktail reception is held nightly from 5:30pm-7:30pm and includes mixed drinks, beer, wine, assorted sodas and popcorn. For your convenience, there are also several local area restaurants within walking distance of the Cabot Lodge such as the Atlanta Bread Company, the Gainesville Ale House (where hotel guests receive a 10% discount), Hops Restaurant, Imperial Gardens, Shoney's, Sonny's Bar-B-Q and the Texas Roadhouse, to name a few.

The Cabot Lodge facilities include a complete business service center and all hotel rooms have a large desk, WebTV, Ethernet ports, dual-line telephones and analog ports for modem access.

A small block of guest rooms is being held at the Country Inn & Suites located at 4015 SW 43rd Street, Gainesville, FL 32608; Phone: (352) 375-1550 •
Fax: (352) 375-9045)

The Country Inn & Suites is offering participants of the 27th Annual Florida Master Gardener Training Conference a very special rate of $94 per night, double or quad occupancy (plus 9.25% tax) and a special rate of $116 per night, for one-bedroom suites (plus 9.25% tax). All hotel reservations must be made by Friday, September 21 2007. After this date, availability of guest rooms at the Country Inn & Suites will not be guaranteed. For your information, the Cracker Barrel Restaurant is located next door.

To Make Reservations, please contact the hotel directly by phone: (352) 375-1550 and be sure to identify yourself as a participant of the Master Gardener Conference.

Country Inn & Suites is one of the finest hotels of Gainesville. It is conveniently located off of I-75 at Exit 384 (Archer Road). Country Inn & Suites of Gainesville is one of the most attractive buildings and offers guest superior value, convenience and a home-like atmosphere. Our hotel features traditional architecture and a sophisticated residential interior design with hardwood flooring, a fireplace, staircase and decorative ceiling borders. Guests are welcomed with a warm feeling of home with our traditional furnishings that blend with rich woods and elegant patterned fabric.

All guest rooms come with exceptionally comfortable beds with premium down bedding, complimentary wireless high speed Internet access, color TV, coffeemakers, hairdryers, and irons/ironing boards. Other amenities include: a complimentary hot breakfast, indoor heated pool & spa, a 24 hour exercise facility, guest laundry facility, business center, and free wireless Internet throughout the hotel.

Gainesville Area and Airline Information: Air service is provided through the Gainesville Regional Airport, just north of Gainesville. Additional airports within a 2-3 hour drive of the University of Florida are located in Jacksonville (85 miles), Orlando (110 miles).