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Prince George's County
May 2016
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Solutions In Your Community News
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May 2016 |
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I am pleased to share the news that the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has announced that Dr. Tom Porter will serve as Interim Associate Dean and Associate Director of Extension. Tom will begin his appointment Monday, April 11 for a period not to exceed 18 months.
Dr. Porter
received his Ph.D. in Animal Physiolo
gy from the University of Minnesota in 1988. He joined the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland in 1997, where he was subsequently promoted to Associate Professor and Professor. He served as Chair of the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences for 8 years, from 2007 to 2015.
We are excited to be working
with him during this next year and hope you will have an opportunity to meet with him during his time with us.
Capitol Area Extension Director
University of MD Extension
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Upcoming Events
Department of the Environment, Green Summit 2016, May 19th:
Join
Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III and other
 environmental officials at the Prince George's County Green Summit 2016. This FREE, one-day event will feature concurrent sessions and interactive workshops on topics that
affect our environmental impacts.
Our goal is to engage, promote and empower you to explore the development of a more sustainable community!
The 2016 Green Summit will be held on Thursday, May 19th, from 8:30 am to 5:00pm, on the campus of University of Maryland at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, 7801 Alumni Drive, College park, MD 20742.
Farmers Market Season is Upon Us with two more openings in June:
The Port Towns Farmers Mercado will be opening on June 4th at its new location at Three Brothers Plaza, 4521 Kenilworth Avenue, Bladensburg from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Meet local farmers, support local food businesses, get your fresh, local produce and tasty foods, hear live music, and fun for kids. Cooking demonstrations are also planned.
Customers with SNAP and WIC can double their dollars at the Port Towns Farmers Mercado!
The Hyattsville Farmers Market opening Day is June 7th, 2016, 3-7pm (Tuesdays 3-7pm, June 7 - September 27, 2016). They are having a Strawberry Soiree on opening day. Join them as they celebrate everything Strawberry and their 25th season!
Located at 3799 East-West Highway, Hyattsville, MD 20782 in the parking lot of Redeemer Lutheran Church.
Zoning Rewrite Listening Sessions,
June 6th-9th:
June 6th through
June 9th the Prince George's County Park a
nd Planning Zoning Rewrite Team
will host 3 listening sessions for the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite.
If you are interested in expanding Agriculture and Urban Agriculture projects throughout the county, this is your chance to be heard.
If you would like more information contact Kim Rush Lynch at [email protected] or Michelle Nelson at [email protected].
4-H
Awareness Night, Saturday, June 11th:
"4-H Awareness Night Event" with the 4-H of The
District of Columbia and Northern Virginia on Saturday, June 11, @ 7:00pm at the Verizon Center. Youth or Extension Agents can showcase
STEM programs at this event and the first 50 (youth participants) tickets purchased will be showcased at half time. This event is open to all of Maryland Extension, family, and friends. Don't forget to show your 4-H pride
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Welcome, Amanda, Our new FSNE Educator
Amanda Rzepkowski
is the new FSNE Educator in Prince George's County! Amanda received her BS in Health Science from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. In January of this year she obtained her Master's of Science in Public Health with a concentration in nutrition from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For her Master's essay, Amanda presented the argument for why locally produced foods may have a greater nutritional value than foods imported or shipped across the country. In addition, she discussed what potential impact this may have on the academic success of elementary school children if locally sourced foods are provided as a part of the National School Lunch Program.
Last professional position:
In between her undergraduate and graduate studies, Amanda served with AmeriCorps in Lynn, MA ( Boston, MA Metro area). During her service in Lynn, Amanda created a youth health council that started to plan and implement a healthy corner store initiative in the city.
Favorite Hobby or Interesting Fact:
Amanda loves spending time outside including biking, running, hiking, reading on the porch, working in the garden or lounging on the beach.
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Friends of Master Gardeners
Community Service Volunteer Program
CALLING ALL STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS!
This new program is open to all Prince Georges County middle school and high school students who are in good academic standing and between the ages of 14 and 19. Through this volunteer program, students will be able to earn community service hours under the guidance of Certified Prince Georges County Master Gardeners.
Students will participate in various gardening programs offered by the PGCMGP and gain valuable hands-on experience in food production, flower production, food harvesting, garden maintenance and growing plants from seed and transplants. They will participate in creating personalized garden art and accessories that will be used throughout our four demonstration gardens on-site at the UME office at 6707 Groveton Drive, Clinton, MD 20735.
If you are interested in participating in this program please e-mail your name, grade and school name to Esther Mitchell, Prince Georges County Master Gardener Program Coordinator [email protected]. We will forward additional information and a registration form to you upon receipt of your e-mail.
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4-H and Urban Ag Team Up for the Mt. Ennon Green Fair
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Nelson and Guy-Dixon going over recyclable materials: Glass, Aluminum, Paper, Plastic.
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On Sunday, April 17th,
Nikki Guy-Dixon,
4-H Faculty Extension Assistant and
Michelle Nelson
, Urban Agriculture Coordinator, teamed up to celebrate Earth Day with the congregation at
Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland!
Our two educators tag teamed a "Recycling in the Garden" lesson followed by a flower stencil activity to highlight various flowers in the bible
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Nelson holding a self watering container garden made from a 2 liter bottle.
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Nelson and Guy-Dixon reached nearly 145 youth during the Green Fair. Other attendees and vendors at the Green Fair were WSSC, the Department of the Environment, and many others! In addition to the flower stencil coloring books, each child was also given a goodie bag with gardening tips and sunflower seeds for planting at home.
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East Capitol Urban Farm Re-Opening
& Free Soil Testing
Environmental Protection Agency and its partners will be hosting a soilSHOP at the Grand Re-opening of the East Capitol Urban Farm across from the Capitol Heights Metro Station on Saturday May, 21st from 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m. This is a community health education event to create awareness about lead in soil and safe gardening in urban areas. Community members are invited to bring soil samples for free lead screening.
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Did You Know...
Did you know...Farmers' Markets are open! Many farmers' markets in the county are already open and ready for business! Visit a market near you and choose a variety of fresh produce to make healthy family meals and snacks. For information about preparing and serving fresh fruits and vegetables, go to
http://www.eatsmart.umd.edu/recipe/recipesearch.
Did you know the National Center for Appropriate Technolo
gy (NCAT) is having a Sustainable Agriculture Photo Contest! To celebrate their 40th Anniversary Celebration, they are asking all farmers, students, and lovers of agriculture
to submit photographs to the "ATTRAGRAM" photography contest. To find out more information, visit their website!
 Did you know May is National Bike Month! Get your bikes revved up for National Bike to Work Day on May 20th, 2016! Join the hundreds of other Prince George's Residents in biking to work one day May 16th- May 20th.
Did you know the Prince George's County Soil Conservation District celebrated 75 years of service, dedication and commitment to the agriculture community! Thank you for all you do. We appreciate your continued service in Prince George's County and across the nation!
The event was held at Robin Hill Farm and Vineyards.
Did we miss your event, posting, service opportunity, or farm visit opportunity,
email
Michelle Nelson at [email protected] and we'll be sure to add it to our next newsletter or post your event on our
Facebook!
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This newsletter is brought to you by University of Maryland Extension,
Prince George's County.
University of Maryland Extension (UME) is a statewide non-formal education system funded by federal, state, and local governments within the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - Eastern Shore. Our mission is to support Maryland's agricultural industry; protect its valuable natural resources; enhance the well-being of families and individuals, both young and old; and foster the development of strong, stable communities.
The Prince George's County office, partially supported by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, serves the community from two locations including the main Extension office in Clinton and the Center for Educational Partnership in Riverdale.
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national origin.
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