Extension Provides Value to Municipal Funding Partners through Collaborative Programs
Early Career Development
Yvette Goodiel
Sustainability & Comm. Hort. Extension Agent III
UF/IFAS
Stuart
Abstract
Extension can provide value to municipal funding partners by offering training and CEUs to meet their needs. In Martin County, for many years our Extension office has offered a program, “Protecting Florida’s Resources Best Management Practices Summer CEU Series”. The series typically consists of six to eight weekly two-hour sessions held during June and July each year. Though the trainings are intended primarily for municipal employees, we also make it open to Master Gardener volunteers and commercial clientele. An average of 64 people have attended annually since 2018. Most attendees are responsible for maintaining the grounds of county and city parks and facilities. Sessions typically offer CEUs and cover topics requested by an advisory team of county and city staff. In 2018, as an example, we offered 106 FDACS CEUs to licensed pesticide/fertilizer applicators attending the program. Topics covered over the years have included pesticide safety, spill prevention, pruning, plant identification, harmful algal blooms, shoreline restoration, gang awareness, active shooter safety, maintenance of palm trees, and much more. Though it is a large class, instructors incorporate hands-on and interactive learning, such as botanical terminology review activity sheets, Zoom-based polls reviewing common landscape issues, pesticide label activity sheets, equipment demonstrations, stations discussing different pruning cuts in the field, etc. In 2021, we measured knowledge gain and behavior change for the Equipment Maintenance & Safety session (IRB202101319). I worked with County Parks Supervisor Scott Modlin and UF Specialist Dr. Serap Gorucu to plan for the session, including developing evaluation tools and co-teaching. The average knowledge gain was 10.6% across all modules, which covered best practices for safety/maintenance with power tools, PTO equipment, skid steer loaders, and ladders. To quantify behavior change, participants were surveyed via Qualtrics four months after the 2021 training. All respondents (n=11) stated they had made changes in the way they maintain or use equipment as a result of the program. Some of the best practices respondents said they now more frequently follow include: checking surroundings for hazards before using equipment, placing extension ladders the correct distance from structures, and using a seatbelt when you have rollover protection in the cab. The equipment safety practice adoption we documented represents one example of the best management practices we have promoted over the years. By helping county staff obtain CEUs and learn best practices, Extension demonstrates our value to funding partners.
Authors: Yvette Goodiel, Serap Gorucu, Scott Modlin
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Yvette Goodiel Sustainability & Comm. Hort. Extension Agent III, UF/IFAS Extension Martin County, Florida, 34996-4007
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Serap Gorucu Assistant Professor, Risk Analysis, Safety, and Health of Agricultural Systems, UF Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Florida, 32611
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Scott Modlin Parks Supervisor, Martin County Parks and Recreation Dept., Florida, 34996