Check out what Extension Services have been up to below!
Serving Lee County through Education & Training
The Extension Services is a partnership between Lee County government, the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (UF/IFAS) to provide Lee County residents with Our mission is to respond to Lee County issues and needs through customized education and training in agriculture/natural resources, horticulture, 4-H youth development, marine education, family nutrition, and family and consumer sciences.
For more information visit the UF/IFAS Lee County E xtension Services website or call 239-533-IFAS (4327).
Want to Join a Proven Leadership Programs for Kids?
Florida 4-H Youth Development in Lee County is an informal, practical education program for youth ages 5 through 18. It uses an integrated learn-by-doing approach to enable youth to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to become competent, caring, and contributing citizens. This mission is accomplished by using the knowledge and resources of the Florida Extension Service, the University of Florida, and the involvement of caring adult volunteers.
Learn more on the Lee County Extension 4H website. To get your kids involved, please contact 4H Agent Arielle Pierce, ari.pierce@ufl.edu.
Want to Grow your Own Food-Related Business?
If you are thinking about starting a food-related business in Florida, it is important to know that Florida has three different food regulatory agencies and offers a Cottage Food Exemption. Whether you're interested in starting a food business and understanding its regulations or you're a beekeeper looking to sell your honey, you can contact our Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Jenn Hagen, jhagen@ufl.edu.
Want to Know more about Healthy Eating and Lifestyle Choices?
The UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program (FNP) teaches children and teens in Florida how to make more nutritious food choices and adopt healthier eating and physical activity habits to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic disease. FNP also offers free training, technical assistance, and resources for community partners interested in making healthy changes in their organization or community. FNP is funded by the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Check out the website describing the statewide FNP program (familynutritionprogram.org), and like FNP on Facebook.
Want to Become a Master Gardener?
The UF/IFAS Extension Service in Lee County trains Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) every year. The training starts with a 12-week comprehensive course and finishes with one year's commitment of 75 hours (or less than 1.5 hours per week) of volunteer work within the Lee County communities and UF/IFAS Extension. The course covers foundational concepts in basic botany, horticulture, pest management, landscaping, environmental chemistry, and the principles of Southwest Florida's unique environment and ecology. The first half of the course content is presented through an online learning platform. The second half consists of engaging hands-on projects, site visits, and field trips. Opportunities to complete volunteer hours abound in parks, gardens, community organizations, and schools around the county. For more information, contact Residential Horticulture Agent and MGV Coordinator, Sheryl van der Heiden, svanderheiden@ufl.edu.
Check out the statewide Florida Master Gardener Volunteer program on its website.
To apply, follow the link to the next Master Gardener Volunteer Training Application.
Want to learn about Florida-Friendly Landscaping?
Learn the principles of UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) using low-maintenance plants and environmentally sustainable practices in free classes presented at County Libraries and Rec Centers. Lee County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers provide information and free UF/IFAS publications on the nine principles of creating and maintaining a Florida-friendly garden and yard. This program teaches you the principles by which you can save water, time, energy, and money, and work with the Florida climate and soil to cultivate a beautiful landscape.
To find the next Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ class in Lee County, check out the Lee County Extension Eventbrite page.
Want to Find Answers to Garden, Landscape, Soil, Plant, or Insect Questions?
Answering yard-and-garden related questions is one of the principal services provided to Lee County residents by the horticulture extension agents. Master Gardener Volunteers, trained by the agents in pest and plant management of ornamental, lawn, or edible landscapes, deliver solutions based on UF/IFAS research. With understanding gained through experience in growing their own gardens and landscaping their own yards in Southwest Florida, MGVs can communicate research-based solutions with personal experience in a relatable setting. For questions that require additional research, MGVs and agents tap into UF/IFAS's extensive knowledge base.
The MGVs at the Yard and Garden Helpline currently provide answers in person and/or by email. You can bring your questions and samples to Terry Park's offices, send us an email with your question and any relevant pictures, or complete our online question in-take form that leads you through describing the issue and submitting pictures if necessary.
In addition, MGVs provide in-person services, including plant and insect identifications and basic soil and water tests for acidity (pH) and electrical conductivity (EC), a measure of dissolved salts, representing salinity or nutrient content.
Main Location:
| Address | UF/IFAS Extension Lee County |
| | Terry Park |
| | 3410 Palm Beach Blvd |
| | Fort Myers, FL 33916 |
| In-Person Hours | In-person: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Mon - Thurs |
| In-Take Form | Yard and Garden Helpline |
| In-Take Email | fynlee@ifas.ufl.edu |
| Phone No. | 239-533-7505 (Leave a message for MGVs) |
Want to Become a Landscape Professional?
Find out more about the state-wide requirement of Green Industries Best Management Practices (GIBMP) and Pesticide Applicator Education. Pesticide exam preparation classes and GIBMP trainings are offered several times a year and listed on our Eventbrite page. If you would like more information, please contact our commercial horticultural agent Stephen Brown, browsh@ufl.edu or access the GIBMP Website and Pesticide Information Website.
If you have any questions related to commercial landscaping, feel free to come in person to the address above or call us on the phone at 239-533-7504.
Want to learn more about Natural Resources, Sustainable Food Systems, Agriculture and Livestock?
UF/IFAS Extension also provides research and education on food-systems for agricultural producers, natural resource professionals, and the public. These classes range from professional qualifications, in-depth education of science-based practices, and general informational classes to increase knowledge. There is a wide variety of areas and expertise ranging from small farm production and business management, disease, and pest management, to mushroom, wildlife, and edible landscape design/ community food systems classes. Please see our Eventbrite page for current classes. Feel free to enquire about qualifications, research, and information in your areas of interest with our Natural Resources and Sustainable Food Systems Agent David Outerbridge, douterbridge@ufl.edu.
Want help with Community discussions, Group deliberation, Facilitation and Community Resource Development?
UF/IFAS Extension also offers facilitation, strategic planning, and deliberative discussion training and implementation. Several agents in our office are members of the statewide CIVIC and Facilitation groups and work with colleagues in Land Use Natural Resources/Conservation Management, Food Policy, hazard/risk mitigation, climate change and organizational strategic planning to help guide organizations and communities to consensus, inform policy makers, and increase capacity to enable long term community resilience. We also offer training in facilitation and deliberative discussion to support professional development. For more information, please reach out to David Outerbridge, douterbridge@ufl.edu.