Virginia Tech Turf Team
Director’s Corner
Shawn D. Askew, Ph.D. Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231-5807 askew@vt.edu
PLANTING
SEEDS
Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
MY
last column focused on our outreach to elected officials and other key persons across the state. These persons pass laws and regulations that affect all of us. Distributing flowering pollinator seed packets was a critical part of last month’s outreach. Here are just a few of the positive comments sent to me by members of the General Assembly about the seeds. Happy Easter! We got the seeds today and will plant them Monday (Senator Emmett Hanger) Thank you very much (Delegate Bill Wiley) Thank you for sending them and thanks for all that you do! (Delegate Tony Wilt) Thank you for the warm offer – we look forward to receiving the information [about the VTC Environmental Institute] and planting them outside the Delegate’s home (Office of Delegate Elizabeth Guzman) Thank you for the seed packets, and I look forward to reviewing the additional details of the VTC Environmental Institute (Senator Ghazala Hashmi) Just wanted to pass along my sincere thanks for the packet of seeds. We are fortunate to live in such a lovely, temperate climate, and these [seeds] will help add to the beauty of our wonderful state. I appreciate you taking the time to send them. (Senator Bill DeSteph) Thank you so very much for the seeds! They arrived just in time for my planting of wildflowers. I really enjoy watching the honey bees go to work! (Delegate Hyland “Buddy” Fowler) Thank you so much for sending me seeds to plant. I’m not much of a green thumb but I will give them a try! Hope all’s well with you and the association. (Delegate Mark Keam) Thank you. Delegate Bulova appreciates the hard work of the VTC Environmental Institute. He knows that it is important. (Office of Delegate Bulova) Space does not allow me to include comments from the Mayor of Virginia Beach, the Virginia Butterfly Society, an elementary school principal, a high school science teacher, and many others. Your VTC Membership and your tax-free contributions to the VTC Environmental Institute enable us to continue working for you! Thank you.
Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
8 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL May/June 2021 www.vaturf.org
Alejandro Del Pozo-Valdiva, Ph.D. Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station 1444 Diamond Springs Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23455 757-363-3900 adelpozo@vt.edu Jeffrey F. Derr, Ph.D. Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station 1444 Diamond Springs Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23455 757-363-3912 jderr@vt.edu Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D. Virginia Tech 420 Smyth Hall Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231-2951 goatley@vt.edu David McCall, Ph.D. Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231-9598 dsmccall@vt.edu Dan Sandor, Ph.D. Virginia Tech 170 Drillfield Dr. 411 Price Hall Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231-9775 dsandor@vt.edu WITH SUPPORT FROM: Thomas P. Kuhar, Ph.D. Virginia Tech Dept. of Entomology 216 Price Hall 170 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231-6129 tkuhar@vt.edu
