Hello Susan,

If you are speaking of volunteer hour reporting for MSU Extension Master Gardeners please see the email, below, that was sent out on 2/24/2021. Hourly reporting is transitioning to a new system, and you must track your hours manually for 2021 until the new system is available.

 If you are referring to some other volunteer group, please let me know.

email dated 2/24/2021:

“Dear 2021 Re-certified Extension Master Gardener:

As we look forward to the 2021 gardening season, many of you may have questions about the status of volunteering in 2021. Staff are working diligently to chart a path toward resuming in-person programming when the threat to public health caused by COVID-19 greatly diminished. Keep in mind that not everyone is experiencing the same impact from COVID-19. We appreciate your understanding that one individual’s experience may not be the same as another’s, whether it is a fellow volunteer or a member of the public.

It is premature to cite a specific date when we may meet with one another at events, associations meetings and other gatherings. Please know that we are all eager to do so. In the meantime, we need to remain vigilant to keep you and community members safe during the pandemic.

To help address questions you may have, the following guidelines are in effect as of February 23, 2021:

• Face-to-face volunteer and education activities and events need to be held on a virtual platform, cancelled, or postponed. This includes, but is not limited to, association meetings, project meetings, bus trips, plant sales, spring work bees, etc.
• If you have the opportunity to safely volunteer through meetings (using phone or webinar technology), Ask an Expert, or other pre-approved online volunteer activities, please be sure to track your hours. (This currently needs to be done manually until we launch the new online system.)
• If you choose to volunteer in 2021 for a pre-approved on-site volunteer project, you will need to follow COVID-19 Garden Safety Guidelines and obtain property owner’s permission for volunteer work to undertaken on that site in 2021. Updated guidelines will be provided in the next couple weeks.

2021 HOURS REQUIREMENT

Volunteer hours:

• Our number one priority remains your safety and the safety of other community members. Consequently, the volunteer hours requirement for 2021 will be suspended. No volunteer hours are required for 2021.

Education hours:

• The education hours requirement will remain 10 hours for 2021. This requirement can be met via the EMG free live webinars as well as the recordings posted in the VMS under “Free 2021 Educational Webinars”. Additional educational opportunities will be posted on the Gardening in Michigan website soon. We will also be providing education credit for reading the following MSU Extension Training Manual chapters: Introduction, Plant Science, Soil Science, IPM and Diagnostics. A pdf of these chapters and the associated education hours will be posted on the VMS in the near future. They will also be available on the new online system.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you.

Most Sincerely,

Mary Wilson

State Program Leader

MSU Extension Master Gardener Program”

( end of email text)