The August 21st member’s meeting was held at the Oakland Community Life Center. A dinner consisting of pork loin, potatoes, green beans, salad and a variety of deserts was served. As usual, the cooking committee did an excellent job.
The guest speaker for the evening was Andrea Davis (pictured at left). She is the Horticultural Agent for the city of Suffolk. Angela’s presentation was on sustainable landscaping. She defined a sustainable landscape as one that is an attractive environment that is in balance with the local climate and requires minimal inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides and water. The presentation focused on several specific areas of interest. Native plants, storm water runoff, soil health, water usage and composting were all discussed in greater detail. If you are interested in more information about any of these topics a list of online resources is provided below.
Sustainable Landscapes: https://newhanover.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/06/sustainable-landscapes/
Plant Virginia Natives: https://www.plantvirginianatives.org/why-virginia-natives
Stormwater Management for Homeowners: https://www.pub.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/SPES-9/SPES-9.html
Backyard Composting: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_edu/HORT/HORT-49-PDF.pdf
For local questions or more information Angela can be contacted at awise@vt.edu or https://suffolk.ext.vt.edu/
Several board members and chapter officers were sworn in for the 2024-2025 term. Pictured left to right are Gary Brown (board member), Richard Wentz (board member), Bruce Kliche (board member), Mike Lane (board member), Darden Langston (vice president), Tim Doxey (treasurer), Eric Fjell (board member), Priscilla Taylor (secretary) and Allen Kiger (board member). Vice President Darden Langston then swore in Chris Ferguson as President.
Gary Brown reminded members of the upcoming park cleanup on the 24th of August in preparation for the annual fishing rodeo scheduled for the 7th of September. Gary is looking for volunteers for both events. He can be reached at 757-642-0008 or gtbrown213@gmail.com.
The chapter’s last fundraising event for the year is a BBQ sales scheduled for the 20th of September from 3:30pm until 6:30pm. Tickets are $14.00 per person or $15.00 at the event so get your tickets early. Tickets are available by contacting Richard Wentz at 757-635-1212 (leave voicemail message) or at rewentz@gmail.com.