You’re invited: MGV 2022 Applicant Meet & Greets! This is a good opportunity to meet potential trainees, learn about their interests, and share what you enjoy about volunteering as a Master Gardener. A link to meetings will be in eNews.
Tue 1/18/2022 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Wed 1/19/2022 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Thu 1/20/2022 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Sat 1/22/2022 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Shoutouts
BCMGA BOARD MEETING: JAN 10, 2022, 3:00PM – 5:00PM. In person and Zoom options – see email for details
Movie and Discussion: The Ants and the Grasshopper, and a climate change discussion for gardeners with Vivek Shandas. Join us for the 40th anniversary of OSU’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, when we will gather virtually to reflect upon environmental justice as a component to achieving social justice. We will watch the documentary that chronicles Anita Chitaya’s story, “The Ants and the Grasshopper”. Afterward, stay for a live discussion with Dr. Vivek Shandas about climate change effects on vulnerable communities, the intersection of climate change and social justice, and what role gardeners can play to promote healthier living environments for all.
When: Monday, January 17, 2022, 6pm movie, 7:15 pm discussion
Returning soon – Winter In-person plant clinic. Solo shifts at the desk and shared shifts in the conference room will soon be available. Also seeking on-call volunteers to meet clients or pick up samples at the office as needed, by appointment. Please contact elizabeth.records@oregonstate.edu to get started. An official sign up will be published soon.
Staffing the booth at the Corvallis Farmers market is a fun way to talk to the community about gardening. Volunteers needed for Farmers Market Coordination: Please contact Debbie Lauer ifinterested. Please, we need your help in 2022!!!!
Continuing education: It’s winter and most live events are on holiday. Take some ‘you time’ to learn something new in our huge library of recorded webinars.
January Association Meeting 2022 (Open to the public) Monday Jan 24 Zoom link will be provided in your email. Join us for the first Association meeting of the year with guest speaker Heather Stoven. Heather will give a presentation about “biological pesticides”. While something like rotenone has been around forever, there are new agents involving plant extracts, bacterial cultures, etc., that are becoming available to farmers and home gardeners in recent years, offering an alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides. Zoom in to learn more about these new developments and about uses and limitations.
Extension updates:
We have a full class of applicants for 2022 but are inviting people to join the wait list until 1/15.
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.)
2022 Soil Amendment Sale Now Open!
More than just soil amendments! We also offer a wide selection of propagation supplies, organic pest controls, cover crop seeds, and poultry/livestock supplies.
Order with us to get bulk pricing and save on freight charges. We’ll group your order with those of other local farmers and gardeners so we all share in the savings. Proceeds help support Ten Rivers Food Web.
Linn MGV Celebration & Recognition is set for December 8 @7PM on Zoom. See your email for directions to join. Come celebrate MGV program graduate Erin Steinke, bask in appreciation for your engagement this year, and laugh at some dreadfully wonderful gardening jokes.
Program update
OSU has an update about face coverings which doesn’t much change current MGV activities. Just note that for OSU sponsored activities held indoors, face coverings are still required even though State rules on outdoor face coverings have changed. You can read details HERE.
Volunteers needed
Things are pretty quiet right now but plant clinic is still getting regular questions. Now would be a great time to partner with Diane and Bobbye to explore how online plant clinic works.
Continuing education: It’s nearly winter and most live events are on holiday. Take a moment to learn something new in our huge library of recorded webinars.
Master Gardener applications for 2022 are open, with a new more flexible schedule and sliding scale pricing. Know someone who is ready to step up as a gardening educator or plant clinic researcher? They can find more information and apply HERE. Applications are coming in fast – folks who apply sooner have a better chance of joining us next year.
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.)
Please consider donating to the Growing Ancestral Roots fundraiser to support creating food equity and access to people of color through community gardens. You can learn more support this group HERE.
Featured Continuing Education: Nov 10, 2021 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm PST. The film “Gather” is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide. Watch the trailer for Gather. After the film screening, we will host a panel with Dr. Samantha Chisholm Hatfield and Dr. David Lewis discussing Native American resilience, plants, and the renaissance of Native food systems. Learn more and RSVP.
Shout outs
Welcome 2022 board members!
Past President–Deb Kern
President–Jana Tindall
President Elect–Mary Mellard
Secretary (sharing position)–Cynthia Roler & Wendi Gale
Treasurer (sharing positions) Lynne Trimpe & Paula Lupcho
VP Programs—Janet Magedanz
At Large–Alan Taylor, Fred Prahal & Frank Garcia
It is just a few days until the close of the service year, on 10/31! Everyone who would like to participate in any volunteer activities in 2022, needs to re-enroll by reviewing Guide to Volunteering 2022 and completing annual program agreements. Everyone on this list should have received a DocuSign via email, or if requested, will soon receive a hard copy. Not sure about re-enrolling? Check out some common questions and answers. If you have questions not answered here please contact Elizabeth Records.
Volunteers needed – Visit the Benton County Volunteer opportunities page to sign up for recurring events.
This week: –Plant propagation – donations and divisions. Many dates and times – drop in and sign up when you arrive. See full schedule.
Mountain View Elementary School Garden: The current emphasis is to get all students and teachers involved in the garden. A grade appropriate lesson in plant propagation is followed with the students planting in the garden. If possible, the lessons are scheduled so that the students can harvest before school is out in June. Fall crops can be harvested shortly after the September start of school, if that grade is still enrolled at the school. Please contact Glen Canning if you are interested.
Community Garden Action Team & Seed to Supper: Teaching hands-on gardening to underserved community members. Contact Judith Kenner if interested.
Continuing education (free to MGVs unless noted with $)
Coming soon($): “Gardening for Resilience”, the annual UVM Extension Master Gardener conference, will be held virtually on November 5-6, 2021, from 12-3:30 pm each day with recordings available to all registered participants. The conference is for everyone who loves to garden in Vermont and beyond. This year, an amazing lineup of speakers will teach about indigenous agricultural practices and their application in today’s gardens, how mycorrhizal fungi enhance plant health, heirloom plant cultivation, food resiliency, and how to develop community connections through gardens. For a complete description of the education sessions and speaker backgrounds, and to register, click on this LINK.
The Gardeners Pen newsletter of the Oregon Master Gardener Association is back! Huge thanks to Master Gardener volunteer, Ann Kinkley (Linn County), for stepping forward to revive the newsletter. Read the new issue.
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.)
The Evening Garden Club is holding their 2021 Fall Bulb-a-Palooza! This is to support their community gardening grants and horticulture scholarships. Many, many exciting and beautiful varieties to choose from! Go to corvalliseveninggardenclub.org to find the online ordering form. They will begin taking orders as soon as the bulbs arrive, sometime in the next few days. Note: Cash or Check will be accepted at time of pick up. Supplies are limited. To see some of the bulbs available click here.
MGVs check out the strawberry bed at the Laurs’ garden tour. Photo by Deb Kern. What’s going on your garden? Please share photos for this space.
Program updates: OSU has updated guidelines regarding event planning, as shared by Statewide program coordinator Gail Langellotto in a recent update. The takeaway: in-person non-credit educational events can currently proceed without having to card participants, so long as participants register. Things can change, so offering hybrid events and/or having a virtual plan B would still be wise. If you are planning an event, get the latest information and more details on this important topic. – Elizabeth Records, interim coordinator
Shout outs
Our office is open by appointment. Please schedule online through bookings or call our office at 541-713-5000, and sign in on arrival. Liz, Kelly and Yasmine thank you!
Need a badge? Order replacement MGV badges by 11:59 pm on 9/31/2021. To order CLICK HERE.
For the Love of Hummingbirds-Marion County Master Gardener Association Speaker Series. Be the guest of Brooke Edmunds and Marion County Master Gardener Association, Sep 30, 2021 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT. No cost, registration required. Learn more and RSVP.
What are Zoom Garden Consults? Early results from the Oregon Master Gardener Needs Assessment show that clients are very interested in personalized consultations. For this pilot volunteer opportunity they would request an appointment with a Master Gardener for a Zoom visit to trouble shoot their garden concerns. You can always do more research and follow up. Zoom, email and internet are the only tech needed. If this interests you please contact Elizabeth.
Volunteers needed – Visit the Benton County Volunteer opportunities page to sign up for recurring events.
NEW! Garden writing opportunity! The BCMGA is looking for someone to prepare a monthly posting for the Neighborhood Plant Kiosk. The posting generally relates to tasks to be completed in the garden for the following month (which can be found online) and generally takes approximately two hours to prepare. Time preparing the post qualifies for volunteer service for certification purposes. If interested, please contact Denise Saunders at vdenisesaunders@comcast.net or 541 760-0523.
NEW! Mountain View Elementary School Garden: The current emphasis is to get all students and teachers involved in the garden. A grade appropriate lesson in plant propagation is followed with the students planting in the garden. If possible, the lessons are scheduled so that the students can harvest before school is out in June. Fall crops can be harvested shortly after the September start of school, if that grade is still enrolled at the school. Please contact Glen Canning if you are interested.
NEW! Liaison to Sustainability Coalition: Attend Corvallis Sustainability Coalition Meetings, Quarterly meetings, Annual Town Hall meeting. Share information and activities related to sustainability between MG and Sustainability Coalition. Please contact Judith Kenner or Jennifer Klammer if interested.
NEW! Community Garden Action Team & Seed to Supper: Teaching hands-on gardening to underserved community members. Contact Judith Kenner if interested.
Central Park Committee Chair needed. The chairperson is responsible for coordinating work parties, recruiting new committee members at committee fairs, interfacing with Corvallis Parks and Recreation, reporting committee activities to the BCMGA board, submitting an annual budget to BCMGA and approving expenditures from that budget, as well as storing committee owned tools. Please contact Kathi Tucker if you are interested.
Continuing education (free to MGVs)
New: The Introduction to Inclusive Excellence in Extension course supports members of the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension community in understanding OSU’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as Extension’s federal Civil Rights responsibilities, so they can be equipped to act in a manner that is consistent with OSU’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence. To register for this anytime course CLICK HERE.
It is just about six weeks until the close of the service year!
Continuing volunteer? There are no official service targets to remain certified at this time, but please log your service and continuing education hours so we can show stakeholders how much volunteers are still doing. Also, take advantage of the great continuing education options.
2nd year trainee? Please aim to complete 40 service hours, counting from winter 2020, by 10/31/21 if you would like to earn your first certification this year. Please aim for 50% plant clinic or direct service. Having challenges? Let’s talk – we can figure something out!
Everyone who would like to participate in any volunteer activities in 2022, needs to re-enroll by reviewing the soon-forthcoming Guide to Volunteering 2022 and completing annual program paperwork. This will be sent by DocuSign in early October, or can be completed as a hard copy and sent to the office. Look out for a post with full directions coming soon.
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.)
OSU is currently recruiting candidates for two positions, with responsibilities to the Extension Master Gardener Program. Both positions are located on the Oregon Coast. The first is a Professional Faculty / Program Coordinator position in Newport, Oregon, serving the Lincoln County Small Farms and Master Gardener Programs. The second is a Staff / Educational Program Assistant Position in Gold Beach, Oregon, serving the Curry County Master Gardener Program. Anyone interested should contact Gail Langellotto.
Program updates: Oregon is experiencing a significant increase in COVID-19 due to the more virulent Delta variant. Your safety and health, as well as that of those we serve, is of utmost importance. In addition to following the university’s updated face covering policy, we can take additional actions to help slow the transmission of COVID-19 in our communities while we continue to serve. Get the latest information.
Shout outs
Recertification question
Q: Are the direct and indirect public outreach hours still being waved for recertification?
A: Master Gardeners who were certified for the 2020 calendar year will maintain their certification in 2021. Service expectations will continue to be responsive to the public health situation that emerges in 2022. Please continue to report any volunteer hours completed. Every hour reported for this service year shows stakeholders that the Master Gardener program is worth supporting.
The Culture of Gardening: Today we’re publicly launching a storytelling initiative of the Master Gardener Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce. This initiative, called The Culture of Gardening, explores and shares the voices of gardeners growing plants to connect with their heritage, culture, and identity. Read the stories and share them.
Volunteers needed – Visit the Benton County Volunteer opportunities page to sign up.
In-person plant clinic is back with a new outdoor option! Now – even more shifts available.
Board meeting information is now found in the President’s mailings.
Extension updates.
Featured plant clinic question: Black spots on pinot noir grape vines. The fruit is developing normally – does the gardener need to manage the spots?
Featured publication:Managing Diseases and Insects in Home Orchards. As gardeners harvest insect-riddled or diseased fruit and wonder what went wrong, this guide can help them plan ahead for better crops in future.
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.)
Produce donations needed: Growing Ancestral Roots serves our community by working together to produce food in our backyards. They also grow at a local small farm focused on favorite veggies of international communities. To donate produce, please contact: sandie.cheung (at) gmail.com
