Registration is now being accepted for this year’s Coastal Certificate Program, titled “Pathways from Source to Sea — How Gardens Can Make the Connection.” It will take place in March at Connecticut College in New London.
A series of four evening classes with a field trip, students will learn about coastal environmental issues, rethinking their lawns, creating native plant habitats and designing with nature and Long Island Sound in mind. Led by Judy Preston, Long Island Sound outreach coordinator for Connecticut Sea Grant, the program will feature multiple guest speakers giving presentations about how home gardens can help connect and restore vital pathways used by countless wildlife species, from the inlands to the Sound. Students do not have to be Master Gardeners to take the class.
Students of the program are encouraged to become ambassadors of alternatives to nutrient and chemically intensive landscaping practices for Connecticut coastal and watershed residents, through an outreach component designed to spread the word through projects, educational materials and other activities.
The classes will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. on March 9, 11, 23 and 25 in Room 101 of New London Hall at the college, 270 Mohegan Ave. The class is limited to 35 students.
The program is sponsored by Connecticut Sea Grant, the Long Island Sound Study, the UConn Master Gardener Program, the UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources and the Connecticut College Arboretum. Now in its ninth year, the Coastal Certificate Program is the subject of an article titled “Gardening for the bees, butterflies and birds” is featured in the Fall-Winter 2019-20 issue of Wrack Lines magazine. The article can be found here.
Registration is available by visiting: https://mastergardener.uconn.edu and going to the Garden Master Course Catalog.
Registration is also available by visiting: https://uconnmastergardeners.gosignmeup.com/Public/Course/Browse
A pdf of the course flyer can be downloaded here.
For information, contact: Paul Armond at: Paul.Armond@uconn.edu; or Judy Preston at: Judy.Preston@uconn.edu or at: (860) 395-0465.