Polk Small Farms: Florida Land Steward Update 7/17/15

Florida Land Steward Update
July 17, 2015

Have Land? Get a Plan and Stay Connected. Florida Land Steward is your source of assistance, information, events and resources.

News, information and upcoming events below.
Please share this update with your neighbors, colleagues and others that may be interested.

- Florida Land Steward Newsletter (Spring/Summer 2015 (Vol 4, No 2) and back issues -

News & Info Brief

Registration open on a couple new events ->

USDA SEEKS PARTNERS TO PROTECT AND RESTORE WETLANDS IN FLORIDA
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service announces the availability of $17.5 million in financial and technical assistance nationwide to help eligible conservation partners voluntarily protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on private and tribal agricultural lands. Funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), a special enrollment option under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program’s Wetland Reserve Easement component, created through the 2014 Farm Bill. WREP was formerly known as the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program. Under WREP, states, local units of governments, non-governmental organizations and American Indian tribes collaborate with USDA through multi-year cooperative and partnership agreements. Partners are required to contribute a funding match for financial or technical assistance. These partners work directly with eligible landowners interested in enrolling their agricultural land into conservation wetland easements.

Wetland reserve easements allow landowners to successfully enhance and protect habitat for wildlife on their lands, reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. The voluntary nature of NRCS' easement programs allows effective integration of wetland restoration on working landscapes, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.

Proposals must be submitted to NRCS state office in Gainesville by July 31, 2015. Contact information can be found on Florida NRCS website. Visit NRCS’s ACEP webpage to learn more about wetland conservation options.

2015 FLORIDA LAND STEWARD CALENDARS STILL AVAILABLE
A few left - send an email to cdemers@ufl.edu with your mailing address if you’d like a copy. First come first serve while supplies last.

FOREST STEWARDSHIP VIDEOS - VIEW AND SHARE!
All the latest videos are on the Florida Forest Stewardship Program home page:
http://sfrc.ufl.edu/forest_stewardship

SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES?
Do you have pests or a disease in your trees? Leaves or needles wilting, and you don’t know why? Sawdust falling out of your trees, and you don’t know how to save them? There is help: ask your question at the free Forest Health Diagnostic Forum: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/treehealth/forum/.

GOT AN INVASIVE SPECIES PROBLEM?
Go to floridainvasives.org for information, assistance and partnership opportunities.

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR TOPIC?
Check the vast array of extension publications available through UF/IFAS on the EDIS publication site: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ Wow, there’s a publication about that?

HAVE AN EVENT OR RELATED NEWS TO SHARE?
Drop a line to Chris Demers, cdemers@ufl.edu

More news and info at the Florida Land Steward Blog

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EAST FLORIDA (Madison County, east and south)
July 22-24	Water Quality Tours, 9 am to 4 pm, Freedom Community Center, 7340 SW 41 Place, Gainesville, FL 32608. Provided by UF/IFAS Alachua County Extension. The tour will provide research-based information about water resources. The tour stops will include urban and springs watersheds, and agricultural operations. $40 includes lunches and bus fee. To reserve your seat, please pay in advance to the UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office, 2800 NE 39 Avenue, Gainesville, Florida. For more information about this program, please call (352) 955-2402.
July 23	Hydroponic Veggies: Made in the Shade - Growing Vegetables Hydroponically under Open Shade Structures (link), 5:00pm—8:30pm, Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center, 8202 CR 417, Live Oak, FL 32060. Cost: $50 for Primary Participant & $25 for additional participants. See link above for details. Registration at: http://2015shadeveggies.eventbrite.com/
August 6	Certified Pile Burner Course, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, West Central Florida Agriculture Center (Sumter County Fairgrounds) Bushnell, FL. $50 fee includes lunch and materials. Contact DarLinda Duteau at (352) 569-6865 or dduteau@ufl.edu for more information.
August 20	Forest Stewardship / Lake County CISMA Workshop: Invasive Exotic Species and Management (pdf link), 9 am to 3 pm ET, UF/IFAS Lake County Extension Auditorium, 1951 Woodlea Rd, Tavares, FL 32778. Provided by Florida Forest Stewardship Program and Lake County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area. FDACS Pesticide CEUs approved: 1 Standards/Core, 2 Prvt App, 2 Forestry, 2 Nat Area Weeds, 1 Limited Wildlife Trapper. SAF CFEs approved: 3.5 Cat 1, .5 Cat 2. $15 fee includes lunch and materials. Register on-line at https://fsp-workshop082015.eventbrite.com/. You can also reserve a space by contacting Lake County Extension (352) 343-4101 ext. 2.
August 27	Invasive Plant ID Workshop, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, UF/IFAS Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center, 8202 CR 417, Live Oak, FL 32060. Sponsored by Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) and North Central Florida CISMA through a Kathy Craddock Burks Education Grant. Free. Details and registration here
August 28	Invasive Plant ID Workshop, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, UF/IFAS Taylor County Extension Office, 203 Forest Park Dr, Perry, FL 32348. Sponsored by Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) and North Central Florida CISMA through a Kathy Craddock Burks Education Grant. Free. Details and registration here
October 22	Forest Stewardship Tour at Sparkleberry Farm, Property of Bill Black and Denise Matthews, Alachua County (pdf link), 9:00 am to 2 pm ET. longleaf pine regeneration and management, groundcover restoration, wildlife habitat management, how to combat invasive exotic species, Silviculture Best Management Practices, available assistance and more. $10 fee covers lunch and materials. Register on-line at https://fsp-tour102215.eventbrite.com/ or reserve a space by contacting Chris Demers, (352) 846-2375, cdemers@ufl.edu
October 29	Forest Stewardship Field Day: Tree / Plant Identification (pdf link), 9 am to 3 pm, Morningside Nature Center, 3540 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32641. $10 fee covers lunch and materials. Register on-line at https://fsp-workshop102915.eventbrite.com/ or contact Chris Demers, cdemers@ufl.edu, (352) 846-2375.
November 17	Forest Stewardship / Everglades CISMA Workshop: Invasive Exotic Species and Management (link), 9 am to 3 pm ET, UF/IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center, 3200 East Palm Beach Road, Belle Glade, FL 33430-4702 . Provided by Florida Forest Stewardship Program and Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area. FDACS Pesticide CEUs SAF CFEs pending. $10 fee includes lunch and materials. Registration at http://fsp-workshop111715.eventbrite.com/ or contact Palm Beach County Extension Office at (561) 233-1759.
WEST FLORIDA (Jefferson County and west)
August 29	FAMU Grape Harvest Festival, FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, 6505 Mahan Dr, Tallahassee, FL 32317. Grape wine samples, pick your own grapes, 5K run, live entertainment and more. For more information contact 850-599-3546 or extension@famu.edu
September 24	Forest Stewardship / Six Rivers CISMA Workshop: Cogongrass Identficiation and Control (pdf link), 9 am to 2:30 pm CT, UF/IFAS Walton County Extension Office, 732 N. 9th St, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433. FDACS Pesticide CEUs and SAF CFEs pending. $15 fee includes lunch and materials. Register on-line at https://fsp-workshop092415.eventbrite.com/. You can also reserve a space by contacting Walton County Extension (850) 892-8172 or haneyc@ufl.edu.
October 15	Forest Stewardship / Aplachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance Workshop: Integrate Wildlife and Forestry (link), 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, Dixie Plantation, 1583 Livingston Rd, Greenville, FL 32331. Supported by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant. $5 fee. Register online at http://fsp-workshop101515.eventbrite.com /or call Jefferson County Extension at (850) 342-0187.
WEBINARS, ONLINE, POLYCOM TRAINING
July 22	UF/IFAS Great CEU Round-Up (link), 8:30 am to 4:00 pm ET, participating UF/IFAS Extension facilities across Florida. Earn up to 6 CEUs in some of the most difficult to attain areas. Sign up by July 15 for early-bird pricing of $50. See link above for details and registration.
July 28	Webinar: Silviculture for Non-foresters: Managing a Forest for Multiple Objectives (link), 2 pm ET, See link for details.
July 29	Webinar: Technologies for Addressing Phosphorus Associated with Livestock Operations (link), 2 pm ET, See link for details.
August 4	Webinar: Opportunities for Conservation in Organic Livestock Systems (link), 3 pm ET, See link for details.
August 3-14 August 18-21	S130/190 Basic Wildland Firefighter Training (link), Presented in a hybrid format, online and in person in Gainesville and Ordway Swisher Biological Station. See link above for details and registration.
August 27	Environmental Benefits of Organic Agriculture: Soil (link), 1 pm ET, See link for details.
September 14 - October 22	Natural Areas Training Academy: Collaborating to Manage Ecosystems (link), Presented in a hybrid format (a combination of online and in-person training), this workshop builds an appreciation of how to manage natural areas as part of a larger ecosystem, in coordination with neighboring land owners. See link above for details and registration. For more info email nata@ifas.ufl.edu or call (850) 875-7153.