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A call to action for gardeners: Dirt! The Movie screening! As part of OSU’s 41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration 2023, the OSU Extension Master Gardener program is proud to host an online movie screening of Dirt! The Movie.
When: Monday, January 16th at 3:00 pm
Where: online at https://kosmi.app/bllb9i
We’ll be screening the movie online with an opportunity to chat with other attendees throughout the movie. No registration required. Free. Report this experience for continuing education – when you log your time, include your reflections on the three questions found HERE.
- Shout outs
- From Gail Langelotto, Statewide Program Coordinator: “July 2023 will mark my 16-year anniversary at Oregon State University (OSU). I’ve loved my time working in the Master Gardener Program. But, it is time to move on to new opportunities. I will be staying at OSU, where I will be transitioning to a research/teaching position on July 1st. The change will give me time to focus on my research with the OSU Garden Ecology Lab, and to pursue some novel opportunities in supporting native plant producers, hydroponics, insect husbandry, urban agriculture, and environmental microbiomes . . . all of which are super interesting, but not directly germane to the work of the Master Gardener program… As I look back on my time in the Master Gardener Program, I am both proud of the work that I have done, and excited for what is yet to come.” Read the post.
- Local newspapers published a great article on the Public Seed Library! Nice work Jill Farrow!
- Insights into Gardening – February 11, 2023! Online registration and a full class schedule is now available HERE.
- Extension News
- Coffee chats are back for 2023! If you are a board member, committee chair, or engaged volunteer, this is a chance to visit informally with program staff (Elza). Learn more and sign up HERE.
- BCMGA News
- Membership Meeting: The first membership meeting of the new year will be held on Monday, January 30 in the Sunset Room of the Sunset Building. It will also be available via Zoom. Please enter by the east side door rather than the front entrance if you attend in person. The speaker will be Stephanie Hazen who will discuss Monarch Butterflies and plants that support them beyond Milkweed. Doors open at 6:30, the program begins at 7:00.
- OMGA would like to invite you to join in to help with the planning of our Joy of Gardening Conference 2023. Our first meeting is set for Friday, December 16 at 3 PM. Check the email newsletter for a link to join.
- Volunteer opportunities
- Plant Problem Scenarios 2023 – Calling all certified Master Gardeners! Join the fun! Meet and get to know the 2023 Master Gardeners Trainees and help prepare them for the help desk and clinic tables. Are you a recent graduate? Participating as a facilitator in Plant Problem Scenarios will be an excellent way to get acquainted with experienced facilitators. And our introduction/refresher sessions for facilitating the scenarios will not only sharpen up your skills but also be a fantastic time for new and experienced MGs to socialize.
- We will be holding the group leader training sessions on Wed Jan 11, 2023, at the Benton County Extension office conference room (1:30 pm – 3:30 pm).
- For the 2023 trainees, we will be conducting four scenario sessions in February (Feb 2, 9, 16, 23) from (10:30 to 11:45 ) in the Benton County Extension Sunset room. Each session will end with a presentation by 2-3 committee chairs and a brown bag meet and greet. The facilitators will work in teams of 2. Don’t worry if you are new to PPS, we will pair you up with someone who is experienced. Note: You do not have to attend all four sessions! (Although we would love it if you did!)
- Learn more and sign up HERE.
- Contact Deb Kern (NewfandCardi@gmail.com) or Ann Brodie (annbrodie143@comcast.net) for more details.
- NEW! Volunteer for Insights into Gardening: Saturday, February 11, 2023. Insights into Gardening is coming and we need your skills, and you need volunteer hours for 2023! Registration opens on January 2nd for the classes. As you are thinking about the classes you want to take at Insights, you can also sign up for a needed task. Many of the tasks allow you to attend classes but you must register in advance. Any questions about volunteering for a specific task, contact Susan Hoffman, shoff@peak.org.
- SIGN UP HERE. Note there are two tabs with different jobs on each.
- Learn About the Oregon Season Tracker Program! Are you interested in how the seasons change throughout Oregon? The OSU Extension Oregon Season Tracker program engages volunteer observers across the state who report their local precipitation patterns and plant phenology by monitoring rain gauges and observing native plants in their backyards, farms, woodlands, and schools. Join us to learn more about the Oregon Season Tracker community science program – including how the data contributions help climate science researchers in Oregon and beyond and how you can volunteer! Webinars will be hosted on January 24, 2-3 pm, and January 26, 6-7 pm. Learn more and register at: https://beav.es/5BV. A recording will be sent out to those who register but are unable to attend, for any questions please contact Sarah at sarah.cameron@oregonstate.edu. Report service as Citizen Science: indirect.
- Help kids learn cultural connection and conservation at dual immersion schools in Corvallis! The Willamette-Laja Twinning Partnership needs Master Gardener expertise for planning bird/pollinator and food gardens, and leading school volunteers and students in successfully installing the gardens. To learn more please contact Elza.
- Community science – Contribute data to research on gardens, plants, and wildlife. Explore and sign up. Many projects are remote and on your own schedule. Report the time as “citizen science: indirect”.
- Continuing Education
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- Free Wildlife & Water Friendly Garden Series The Environmental Learning Center (Clackamas Community College)
Who: Anyone interested in home gardening for wildlife and water quality
When: Thursdays, January 26-March 9
Time: Noon – 1 p.m.
Where: Zoom (virtual)
Cost: FREE
RSVP and Session Descriptions: Event Details
- Growing Oregon Gardeners – Level Up 2022: watch movies HERE.
- Save the date – 9th Annual BEEvent Pollinator Conference- March 4, 2023, Linn Expo Center, Albany, Oregon. “Adapting Your Garden to the Coming Changes”. This in-person conference is back after a 2 year on-line only presence. Focus on Home Gardens and Small Farms. 9:00am – 3:30pm Registration will open in February: www.LinnMasterGardeners.com
- 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.)
- Soil Amendment Sale: Order soil amendments and feed the microbes, fungi, and other members of the soil micro-herd, who will in turn help feed your plants and give you a bountiful harvest! 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.
- Order online: Through January 31st.
- The Public Seed Library is a new collaborative project of the Benton County Master Gardeners and the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, with the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library serving as the host partner. The free, volunteer-run Public Seed Library is expected to open at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library downtown by March ’23. Learn more and donate seeds.
- Jan 14 Community Seed Swap – Albany Library 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Albany, OR
- Continuing education opportunity: The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration recognizes the legacy of Dr. King and allows the Oregon State community to reflect on his work. The 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration keynote speaker is Jelani Cobb. Learn more and reserve a seat, or find out how to watch online
