In remembrance: One of our fellow Master Gardeners, David Dowrie passed away on June 4, 2021. Dave became a Master Gardener in 2016. He was an active member involved in various
committees, serving on the BCMGA Board and a regular attendee of our association
meetings and programs. There will be a Celebration of Life at Our Lady Perpetual Help St.
Mary’s Catholic Church on July 9th, 2021. For more details or to leave a message to the
family go to Fisher Funeral Home.

• Program updates: Most activities can resume, with a bit of planning. Get the latest information. 
• Shout outs
  • eNews is running an extra issue this week and will take a pause July 12-20 for staff vacation. Please send items that need sharing during this time to Deb Kern.
  • Last chance for Master Gardener Mini College (July 16 & 17)! Enroll HERE.

• Volunteers needed – Visit the Benton County Volunteer opportunities page to sign up.
  • Plant clinic online – help desperately needed. Explore questions like, “Why does my plum tree have no fruit this year?” and more. New flexible shifts – pick a day and check questions anytime.
  • Interview partner organizations for the Oregon MGV Program Needs Assessment. We still need folks to interview tribes, and the local school district, non-profit or government entity of your choice!
• Continuing education (free to MGVs unless noted with “$”)
  • 7/13/2021 @3pm: Fire-wise Landscaping | Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series.
  • 9/9-9/17/2021, ($): International Master Gardener Conference 2021.
  • Anytime: Elevated MGV courses. Grow skills for successful volunteering in 2021 and beyond.
    • Learn the ECCO database/diagnostic tool for solving gardeners problems. Join Deb K, Fred P, Ann S, Tessa H and others in using a tool that is a major upgrade to other question tracking tools.
  • Anytime: Portland Metro Master Gardener webinar series.
  • What is marginalization? Learn why it is a problem for Extension and find out some things you can do to respond in Creating Safe Spaces Within Extension Programs. To earn one hour of CE, read the article and when completing your reporting, describe in 500 words or so how suggestions in this article could apply to your volunteer service.
• Extension updates.
  • Popular this week: Growing Blueberries in Your Home Garden. Learn to grow your own sweet, juicy blueberries in your Oregon home garden!
  • Q: “I am a current Master Gardener volunteer but have not been able to recertify during COVID. What do I need to do?” A: Master Gardeners who were certified for the 2020 calendar year (including folks whose certification rolled over from 2019) will maintain their certification in the 2021/2022 service year. Please report any volunteer service hours and/or continuing education you did.

• Community news (Please note that anything in this section is not eligible for MGV volunteer service nor endorsed by Extension, but is mentioned as a courtesy to our community.)
  • County Line Flowers DIY bouquet day on the farm. Stop by anytime between 10 and 2 for some coffee, conversation, and of course flowers! Bouquets will be priced per stem.