Every three years, we look forward to connecting UC Master Gardener volunteers, staff, academics, and friends to network, learn, and share their projects and stories. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, all large-gatherings have not been possible to help slow the spread of the virus. After much thought, we have decided to postpone the triennial UC Master Gardener Conference from its originally planned 2020 dates to 2023.
The decision to further postpone the conference date was made after a careful review of the resort contract, current state and federal rules for group sizes, UC travel restrictions, and restricted activities related to COVID-19. The health and well-being of our speakers, staff, and UC Master Gardener volunteers is our top priority.
While we are sad we cannot meet in person in the upcoming year, the good news is that we were able to reschedule the conference at the same beautiful location, the Granlibakken Resort in Lake Tahoe, Calif. Oct. 2 – Oct. 6, 2023.
Mini-Conference
While postponing meeting in person was a tough decision, it has opened the doors to other virtual learning opportunities. This year, the statewide office hosted an online mini-conference, held on Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2020. The mini-conference highlighted Search for Excellence winners, Gardeners with Heart nominees, and covered several home gardening topics as well as home food preservation. The mini-conference was well received by volunteers and the public at large. Although not as robust as a full in-person conference, this proved to be a great alternative that supported both learning and engagement.
Looking forward
With the conference rescheduled, efforts can now shift to more emergent online training needs and projects to support new UC Master Gardener trainings and continuing education. We thank you for your support as we all work through this together! We are incredibly grateful for the understanding of UC Master Gardener volunteers, coordinators, advisors, and county directors as we continue to work hard to ensure that our future event is met with the same enthusiasm and learning opportunities as previous conferences.
Until 2023, we look forward to continuing to provide live and recorded training opportunities for UC Master Gardener volunteers and the public. Follow us on social media for live event notifications and check out our library of recorded webinars online.