Director’s Corner
Boots on the Ground
Virginia Tech Turf Team Shawn D. Askew, Ph.D. Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231-5807 askew@vt.edu
Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
“W
hen can I get you to do in service project in [insert a Virginia city] ?” is a question I hear several times each year. Persons asking it are intrigued by the Environmental Institute’s projects in Petersburg and Virginia Beach. I answer by listing three things that made those projects successful: (1) multiple “boots on the ground”; (2) financial and material donations; and (3) the selected projects both helped the environment and were highly visible. Allow me to elaborate. Local volunteers selflessly giving their time and other resources enabled each of our service projects to succeed. Preventing erosion and saving dunes in Virginia Beach, rebuilding a bioswale at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center, keeping silt out of the James River, and planning and installing vital landscaping at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center happened because of volunteers. Here is a short list of those dedicated persons: Phil Bailey, Wes Bray, Jeff Derr, Ray Funkhouser, Gary Gittere, David Holcomb, Michael Moore, Bruce Sheppard, Harris Wheeler, Craig Zeigler, and many others. Of course nothing happens without financial and material support: plants must be bought, ground must be prepared, and labor is needed on the day of the service project. Gracious support from individuals and companies (Lawns and Gardens Plus certainly stands out!) enabled each endeavor to succeed. For obvious reasons, we prefer projects that accomplish specific goals, can be completed in one day, protect the environment, and generate goodwill. All of our past service projects check every one of those boxes. As an example of goodwill generated, here is a recent email we received from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation praising our work on their bioswale: “This week has gotten away from me, but I would be remiss if I didn’t send this email. THANK YOU for the addition of the purple Asters. They are the perfect pop of color this time of year and planting them a few days before our entire board of directors arrived was perfection. The grounds looked great and the bioswale was the perfect welcome. Thank you for this partnership and your work…I get constant text messages saying, ‘it looks great.’ I have also seen several bees, butterflies, and other pollinators around it. Kids stop and engage with it. And several photographers stop and focus on the planting. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” We hope to replicate our Environmental Institute service projects in cities throughout Virginia. Please help that hope become reality by being a “boot on the ground,” donating (remember, the Institute is a 501(c)3 corporation so your gifts are tax deductible), and finding the right project.
Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
8 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL November/December 2023 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
