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Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Course

June 22, 2023 | Clifton Martin

OSU Extension Muskingum County and the Muskingum County Park District are pleased to announce an upcoming opportunity to become an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist. The Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN) program is an environmental and natural resources outreach and service program led by OSU Extension in collaboration with parks and arboretum. The mission is to promote awareness and stewardship of Ohio’s environment and natural resources through science- based education and community service. The OCVN education course helps participants gain practical knowledge of Ohio’s diverse ecology, environmental education and interpretation techniques, and the skills needed to participate in education and outreach, community science, program support, and stewardship activities.

Our program begins August 24 and the application is currently available.

Information about this course can be found at this link: Muskingum OCVN Course Webpage

More information about the program in the State of Ohio program is available here: https://ocvn.osu.edu/

Pruning Resources For Your Landscape

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 | Clifton Martin

Basic Principles of Pruning Backyard Grapevines | Ohioline

Pruning Erect Blackberries in the Home Garden | Ohioline

Pruning Blueberry Bushes in the Home Garden | Ohioline

Raspberries for the Home Fruit Planting | Ohioline

Growing Apples in the Home Orchard | Ohioline

Growing Peaches and Nectarines in the Home Landscape | Ohioline

Pruning trees and shrubs | UMN Extension

Pruning and Care of Shade Trees | MU Extension

Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs

OSU Extension News Highlights

June 21, 2021 | Clifton Martin

Milkweed and Hemp Dogbane – Who’s Who? | Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter
Timing Pasture Mowing for Weed Control | Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter
Registration is Open for the OFGC 2021 Summer Forage Field Days | Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter
Gypsy Moth Damage Becoming Evident | BYGL
Elms with Holey Leaves | BYGL
Roughstalk Bluegrass in Cereal Grain and Forage Crops | Agronomic Crops Network

Periodical Cicadas, Brood X, Low Risk in Muskingum County in 2021

May 7, 2021 | Clifton Martin

17-year Periodical Cicadas are in the news in 2021 with the expected emergence of Brood X across a large portion of the mid-Atlantic states and a portion of the Midwest. Washington DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Cincinnati are all cities that sit in the middle of the action. In Ohio, this brood emerges in the region between Cincinnati and Columbus with a few isolated reports in other parts of the state. In Zanesville, OH, we do not expect any major impact from this brood. It is conceivable that we could experience some cicadas, particularly if you believe you experienced them in 2004, but the expectation for this is limited in our area. A map of the geographic distribution of Brood X can be found here.

The major concerns that arise with cicadas are largely nuisance issues such as noise, large divebombing fliers, messiness, superficial damage to established trees, and potential fatal damage to newly planted poorly established trees.

The last emergence in Zanesville occurred in 2016 from Brood 5, which also emerged in 1999. This is a separate population from what is emerging in 2021.

Further Reading

Brood X | Cicadas (uconn.edu)

Periodical Update: Cicada Observations and Educational Opportunities | BYGL (osu.edu)