All posts by avidstrand

Horticulture Club Announcements, Scholarships

Loudoun County Master Gardeners Association New Scholarship for NOVA Horticulture Students

LCMGA Horticulture Scholarship

The Loudoun County Master Gardeners Association scholarship annually awards a $1,000 scholarship to encourage students to focus on horticulture-related studies in college. This includes horticulture, landscape design, environmental science related to agriculture, plant sciences or soil sciences.

Applicants must be a resident of Northern Virginia who are currently attending NOVA Loudoun Campus, priority may be given to Loudoun County residents.

Applicants shall complete an application form highlighting why this scholarship is sought, their academic and extra-curricular accomplishments, evidence of current employment or volunteer work for the community, and career plans.

Both Full time and part time students may apply.

In addition, applicants shall provide:

  • A transcript showing a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or equivalent.
  • A letter of recommendation from a faculty member
  • A one- or two-page personal essay describing you educational and career goals in the field of horticulture or related industries. This can include any current work experience in the field or other related information about how this scholarship will impact your goals along with any accomplishments you feel we should consider.

The Application form is attached: NOVA Scholarship Application LCMGA  see instructions for the application process at the end of the form.

NOVA Scholarship Application LCMGA

https://loudouncountymastergardeners.org/

Loudoun County Master Gardeners

Events, Horticulture Club Announcements

Spring 2024 NOVA Horticulture Plant Sale! 4/16 and 4/18 10am-5pm

NOVA’s Horticulture Club and Program is excited to announce the return of its annual plant sale to the Loudoun Campus Greenhouse greenhouse! This year, we’re selling new varieties of annuals, bedding plants, and indoor plants that we’ve never before carried! This includes more options for shade and greater color diversity. There are 11+ different types of plants to choose from including Alternanthera, Angelonia, Bacopa, Bidens, Coleus, Fuchsia, Geranium (many types), Impatiens, Lobelia, Portulaca, and Scaveola with over 40 cultivars available. Our full plant list is here: NOVA Horticulture 2024 Plant Sale Inventory / Cultivar List. Each 5.5” student-grown plant will be $10 and we can accept payment by cash or check and now (on campus only): Debit or Credit Card. The greenhouse will be open on Tuesday and Thursday, April 16th and 18th from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day. If you’re unable to come out to the Loudoun Campus greenhouse, the Horticulture Club will also be participating in this year’s Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival: https://www.leesburgva.gov/departments/parks-recreation/events/flower-garden-festival. You can find our booth at the intersection of Kings St. and Market St. in downtown Leesburg, as well as a weekend full of fun and flowers!

If you have any questions, please call or email Program Head Anders Vidstrand at avidstrand@nvcc.edu and at 703-450-2614

Events, Horticulture Club Announcements

Trip to Winterthur Museum and Gardens with NOVA Interior Design Program

Hello Horticulture Program Students! The interior design program has invited you to join them on a bus trip to Winterthur in Delaware! The trip is sponsored /paid for by Student Life! Details are below:

You are invited to take a bus trip with us to lovely Winterthur Museum, Delaware, the home of Henry Francis Dupont. He was a collector of all things American and Americana and filled his giant mansion with both furniture and decorative arts as well as the architecture of the interiors from the early colonial era to the industrial revolution (and they are starting to collect beyond that as well). The gardens are also extensive and will hopefully be seeing spring flowers by mid-March. This is a great trip that our program often goes on and we are doubly lucky this time around because the cost is being absorbed by Loudoun Student Life. You will need some money for lunch, but right now, that is all.

Here is a link to the Winterthur web site: https://www.winterthur.org/ browse to find out more about the museum and gardens.

See the attached flyer with itinerary and QR code for RSVP (required):Winterthur Field Trip Flyer There are only 14 spaces left on the bus, so sign up early making sure to use your student email address.

Basic Info:

Date: Friday March 15 (this is the week of spring break, so no classes to get in the way)

Time: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm (pending traffic)

RSVP: see attached flyer, you will need to scan the QR code. Sign up only if you intend on going, we want to give everyone an opportunity and dropping out late prevents someone else from enjoying the trip.

No additional guests unless they are current NOVA students (ie you can’t bring your parents, sister or friends, sorry it’s a NOVA policy).

Questions: contact Professor Abby Lenon, alenon@nvcc.edu with questions.

Internships, Jobs

Appalachian Conservation Corps Open Positions

From Laura Boaggio, Appalachian Conservation Corps:

I am reaching out to share upcoming internship opportunities for folks right out of high school or college with an interest in Environmental Studies, Natural Sciences, Ecology or other similar fields.

Appalachian Conservation Corps is currently recruiting for over 20 internships at National Parks and Battlefields in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. You can check them out on our Individual Placement page under Open Positions (Individual Placements | Appalachian Conservation Corps (appalachiancc.org)). These are paid AmeriCorps internships, with a Segal Education Award upon completion, which can be applied to federal loans or for further education. Our internships range in size from 3-month, summer positions ​– ideal for current students – to year-long positions – ideal for upcoming graduates and alumni.

I’ve highlighted some positions below that might be of interest to your students, alumni or connections:

  • Resource Management and Maintenance IP at Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick, MD– Work with park staff on maintenance and natural resources field projects.
  • Buffers Assessment IP with Appalachian Conservation Corps in Mount Crawford, VA– Help ACC Watershed Corps assess sites and develop plans for riparian forest buffers.
  • Summer Resource Management and Maintenance IP at Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD– Help NPS staff complete a wide variety of field projects.

We are prioritizing candidates commutable to the project site, except for positions with available park housing. Please share with any students or alumni that might be interested and feel free to pass along this email or my contact information. Thank you!

Laura Boaggio

(she/her/hers)

Individual Placement Member Coordinator

Appalachian Conservation Corps

Cell: 540-209-6105

lboaggio@conservationlegacy.org

www.appalachiancc.org

Internships, Jobs

Mount Vernon Gardens and Landscapes Part-time Position Summer 2024

Mount Vernon Gardens and Landscapes Part-time Position Summer 2024

George Washington’s Mount Vernon Horticulture Department has openings for paid summer positions that may have the potential of fulfilling an internship requirement for undergraduates in horticulture, landscape architecture, environmental sciences, agriculture, botany, or a related field. These positions offer the chance to gain practical, hands-on horticultural experience at a renowned historic site. Students are expected to be dependable and highly motivated, and will have the opportunity to work alongside the gardeners in all areas of the Mount Vernon Estate, including the historic gardens and grounds, the museum, Fred W. Smith Memorial Library landscapes, as well as in the surrounding woods, managing invasive plants. Exposure to adverse weather conditions such as heat and humidity is to be expected, as well as periods of strenuous physical activity. Schedule is a 40-hour week, 6:30am-3:00pm, including one weekend day. Applicants are expected to behave and communicate in a manner that promotes and fosters a culture of teamwork and cooperation, within the Horticulture department and throughout the Estate, with co-workers, management, and volunteers.

Expected duties include, but are not limited to, assisting gardeners with:

  • Planting, seed sowing, watering, and staking annuals, vegetables, and perennials.
  • Weeding and mulching.
  • Pruning grapes and ornamental vines, shrubs, and fruit trees.
  • Dead-heading and seed collecting of perennials and annuals.
  • Harvesting produce.
  • Invasives control in woods.

Ability to use hand tools and operate mowers, string trimmers, and blowers are a plus.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume by March 28th, 2024 to: Leslie Bird, Curator of Historic Gardens and Landscapes at lbird@mountvernon.org

Events

Loudoun County VCE Events!

Upcoming Events in Loudoun County:

Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop on February 29th. Please open the flyer to learn more about: 2024FruitTreePruningWorkshop (Landscape))

2024 Viticulture meeting and pruning contest on March 4th . This year Jiya Vineyards, a 3-year-old vineyard, will host out program and the pair pruning competition. Experts from VT AREC Winchester will be presenting. Please open the flyer to learn more about: 2024Viticultureandpruningcontest

Blueberry physiology and pruning workshop on March 7th. Our VT Small Fruit specialist, Dr. Jayesh Samtani will be presenting. Please open the flyer to learn more about: 2024 Blueberryphyandpruning

Generation NEXT Program. Generation NEXT is a VCE and VA Dept. of Forestry Program that aims to help families conduct legacy planning – estate planning for rural lands – to keep their land intact, in forest (or farm), and in family. This webinar focuses on tools for conserving working lands, primarily woodland. Cost for the webinar is $10/family. Learn more at: www.tinyurl.com/GenNextHome and here: cons-tools-one-page or reach out to Beth Sastre with any questions.

For more information contact Beth Sastre at flores69@vt.edu the Commercial Horticulturist for Loudoun County VCE

 

Scholarships

Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts- Scholarships

College Scholarships for Conservation and the Environment | Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (fairfaxcounty.gov)

The Educational Foundation of the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts annually offers several $2,000 scholarships to Virginia residents and full-time students enrolled in or who have applied to a college freshman-level curriculum. These scholarships support students with an interest in studies related to natural resource conservation and/or environmental studies.

We appreciate your assistance in spreading the word to interested students. The application and all accompanying documents must be received at our office by April 1, 2024. Students submit their scholarship applications to their local soil and water conservation district, as determined by the student’s residence. The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District includes all residents of Fairfax County. Each of Virginia’s 47 conservation districts may choose one student to nominate for consideration by the state committee.

The address for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is:

VASWCD Scholarship
Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District
12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 905
Fairfax, VA 22035

Applications will be reviewed by evaluation panels, and all applications and information contained therein shall remain confidential.

Full application is also located here:SWCDScholarshipApplication2024

Events, Horticulture Club Announcements

The T-Shirt Design Contest is BACK for another year!

The T-Shirt Design Contest is BACK for another year!
From NOW (deadline extended) until Sunday 2/25 at the end of the day! Submit your Horticulturally related School Appropriate Designs to hortclubnvcc@gmail.com for your chance to win one of three prizes!
1st prize will have their winning design printed on the back of over 100 T-Shirts printed by Reston Shirts AND a houseplant valued at $30
2nd prize will receive a preselected houseplant valued at $15
3rd Prize will receive a preselected houseplant valued at $5
Voting will begin 2/26 and end 3/1 so be sure to check your email and our social media page to choose your favorite!
Events, Horticulture Club Announcements

2024 Horticulture Career Fair!

Are you looking for an internship? What about a seasonal job? Or maybe a new career?
Horticulture Club is here to Help!
On Tuesday February 27th from 4pm to 6pm in the HEC Event Center (HEC 203), we will be hosting our annual Horticulture Career Fair!
This is a great opportunity for you to speak with prospective employers, get a sense of jobs in the green industry, and even network with your fellow horticultural professionals!
It is FREE to participate in- and there will be free food!
Scholarships

Urban Forestry Student Scholarships

These scholarships just in from our friends at Fairfax County! Some great scholarship opportunities from Trees Virginia:

Visit the Trees Virginia Website to apply today.

To access the online application directly click here.

Our mission is to enhance the ranks of future urban forestry professionals by providing financial assistance to students studying urban forestry and related curricula at Virginia colleges and universities. The scholarships are awarded to applicants who best demonstrate financial need, academic excellence, and a clear commitment to a career related to urban forestry.

Eligibility Requirements

·    Currently enrolled at a Virginia community college, college or university

·    Majoring in urban forestry or a related discipline (forestry, horticulture, environmental science, biology, landscape architecture, geography. urban planning)

·    Successfully completed one academic year of courses (graduate students are exempt from this requirement)

·    Possess an overall GPA of 2.5 or greater

Awards

·    One Graduate (Master’s or Doctor’s) – $2,800.00

·    Two Undergraduate – $2,100.00 each

·    Two Associates – $1,100.00 each

Trees Virginia is currently accepting applications until:

Friday, April 5, 2024