Learn About Landscape Design from Yard to Trough
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Scott County office is hosting the sixth annual "Growing Season" webinar series beginning in June.
The June webinar, Design from Yard to Trough, with Iowa State University Department of Horticulture lecturer Lisa Orgler and Fayette County Master Gardener Gary Whittenbaugh, will be offered on June 17, 2015, at the Scott County Extension Office, 875 Tanglefoot Lane in Bettendorf, IA starting at 7 pm. Participants will learn how to add spark to landscape designs and dive into trough planters filled with conifers and their companions. There is a $5.00 fee that is payable at the door, however, pre-registration for the webinar is requested.
To register please contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Scott County office at 563-359-7577 or aheitz@iastate.edu. All master gardeners attending will earn two continuing education hours for each webinar.
-30-Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Scott and Davis Counties, Iowa
Emerald Ash Borer has been positively identified in Davenport and central rural Davis County, bringing the total of confirmed counties to 24 since it was first detected in Iowa back in 2010. This metallic green insect, which only measures about half-inch long and an eighth-inch wide, kills all ash tree species and is considered to be one of the most destructive tree pests ever seen in North America."With emerald ash borer already being in the area on the Illinois side, it was only a matter of time until it was found in Davenport." said Mike Kintner, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship EAB and gypsy moth coordinator. "With these two newest findings being nearly 100 miles apart, it is a good reminder that we just never know where or when this ash-killing insect is going to reveal itself."
The City of Davenport's Forestry Division has been planning for the arrival of this exotic pest and has a working Emerald Ash Borer Response Plan in place. The city plans to remove ash trees infested with EAB on public properties and continue to reduce its ash tree populations in public areas. The Davis County find was in a rural area north of Bloomfield, Iowa.
Out of the 24 Iowa counties that have confirmed EAB findings, six have been found this year alone. A statewide quarantine, issued in February 2014, remains in place, restricting the movement of hardwood firewood, ash logs, wood chips and ash tree nursery stock out of Iowa into non-quarantined areas of other states.
"We still strongly urge Iowans to not move firewood long distances," said State Entomologist Robin Pruisner of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. "A large portion of Iowa is not showing signs of EAB infestation; let's keep those areas EAB-free as long as possible by not moving wood that potentially harbors EAB or other tree pests. Be vigilant and report suspicious symptoms in counties that are not yet known to be infested to a member of the Iowa EAB Team."
The Iowa EAB Team provides EAB diagnostic assistance to landowners and includes officials from Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and the USDA Forest Service.
The Iowa EAB Team strongly cautions Iowans not to transport firewood across county or state lines, since the movement of firewood throughout Iowa or to other states poses the greatest threat to quickly spread EAB and other plant pests. Most EAB infestations in the United States have been started by people unknowingly moving infested firewood, nursery plants or sawmill logs. The adult beetle also can fly short distances, approximately 2 to 5 miles.
At this calendar date, the treatment window for soil-applied preventive treatment measures (soil injection, or soil drench, or granular application) has ended. Basal trunk sprays with dinotefuran can be applied until mid-June and are most effective for trees less than 18" dbh - the diameter of the tree's trunk at breast height, 4 ½ feet above the ground. Trunk injection remains a viable EAB management option, as this method can be done when the tree has a full canopy of leaves (now through August), provided there is good ground moisture. If a landowner is interested in protecting a valuable and healthy ash tree within 15 miles of a known infestation, he or she should have landscape and tree service companies bid on work, review the bids, and treat during the recommended treatment time.
Please contact Iowa EAB Team members to have suspicious looking trees checked in counties not currently known to be infested. The State of Iowa will continue to track the movement of EAB on a county-by-county basis. Before a county can be officially recognized as infested, proof of a reproducing population is needed and an EAB must be collected and verified by USDA entomologists.
To learn more about EAB and other pests that are threatening Iowa's tree population, please visit www.IowaTreePests.com. Please contact any of the following members of the Iowa EAB Team for further information:
-
Mike Kintner, IDALS EAB coordinator, 515-745-2877, Mike.Kintner@IowaAgriculture.gov
-
Robin Pruisner, IDALS state entomologist, 515-725-1470, Robin.Pruisner@IowaAgriculture.gov
-
Paul Tauke, DNR state forester, 515-725-8450, Paul.Tauke@dnr.iowa.gov
-
Emma Hanigan, DNR urban forestry coordinator, 515-725-8454, Emma.Hanigan@dnr.iowa.gov
-
Jesse Randall, ISU Extension and Outreach forester, 515-294-1168, Randallj@iastate.edu
-
Mark Shour, ISU Extension and Outreach entomologist, 515-294-5963, mshour@iastate.edu
-
Laura Jesse, ISU Extension and Outreach entomologist, ISU Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic, 515-294-0581,ljesse@iastate.edu
-
Donald Lewis, ISU Extension and Outreach entomologist, 515-294-1101, drlewis@iastate.edu.
-
Jeff Iles, ISU Extension and Outreach horticulturist, 515-294-3718, iles@iastate.edu
Iowa State Announces New Course on Iowa's Civil Rights History
Iowa State University's School of Education will be offering a new course called "Teaching and Learning Iowa History: Iowans and The Civil Rights Movement". This innovative course will be open to members of the public, to university students, and to teachers. The class will explore the history of racial segregation in Iowa and struggles against it, as well as Iowan's role in the national Civil Rights Movement.
The course will primarily be taught online and will run July 1-31 this summer.
This course is available to interested community members for FREE.
University students can take the class for 3 undergraduate or graduate credits. Cost is determined by credit.
Iowa teachers also have the opportunity to take the course for 1, 2, or 3 licensure renewal credits. This course has been approved by the Iowa Department of Education and the cost per licensure renewal credit is $75.
Those taking the course for undergraduate, graduate, or continued education credit will participate in a 'Best Practices Workshop Day' on July 15 at Iowa State University as well as an Archives Visit day scheduled for July 22 with participating museums across the state.
Further information about the course can be found at: http://www.education.iastate.edu/graduate-studies/social-cultural-education/talih.html. Registration for the course begins May 1 by contacting the project's technology coordinator, Clyciane Michelini, at clyciane@iastate.edu.
-30-ISU Scott County Extension Master Gardener Fall 2015 Openings
Do you like to garden and share your gardening experiences with others? Are you a plant enthusiast who looks forward to spring time and the outdoors? Then the Iowa State University (ISU) Scott County Extension Master Gardeners wants you!
Master Gardeners are volunteers, trained by ISU in horticulture, who return service to the community through a variety of educational projects. Trainees attend over 40 hours of classes and complete volunteer service. Each master gardener has the opportunity to learn and share their unique skills and knowledge with others in a variety of way.
Each year this opportunity is extended to a limited number of residents of Scott County. Classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings this fall at the ISU Scott County Extension and Outreach office, starting September 10th. There is a fee which covers the training and reference materials provided by ISU Scott County Extension and Outreach Office.
If you are interested in joining the Master Gardener program, additional information and an application for the 2015 fall session is available at our website http://www.extension.iastate.edu/scott/. The deadline for receipt of applications is July 31st. Applicants can attend a Master Gardener informational session scheduled in August. Send completed applications to Scott County Extension and Outreach, 875 Tanglefoot Lane in Bettendorf. Call 359-7577 with any questions.
-30-
EXTENSION CALENDAR
June 23, 2015 Scott County Extension Council Meeting, Scott County Extension Office, 7:00 pm
July 10, 2015 Pesticide Applicator Testing, Scott County Extension, 10 am-2 pm
July 15, 2015 Water in the Garden, Scott County Extension Office, 7 pm
Visit our events calendar at our web site: http://dbs.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/
