We hope OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers are enjoying our beautiful Oregon summer and are having excellent experiences in your volunteerism and gardens. Here are some updates about the people and work of the program.
Did you make it to the annual Master Gardener conference this month in Corvallis? Congratulations to the Joy of Gardening planning committee, the OMGA and the more than 200 attendees for an excellent two days of digging deep into gardening and Master Gardener education, camaraderie and connections.
We gave a sneak peek on the climate change projects currently in development, and we received excellent feedback from the Master Gardener volunteers who attended the session. Reminder: If you feel passionate about climate change and would like to connect that to your Master Gardener volunteerism, please sign up for our email list for future news and actions to take to be involved. We are seeking Master Gardener climate change advocates!
Congratulations to all of the winners of 2024 Master Gardener awards! Need some inspiration? Read about their accomplishments and work as volunteers in this digital booklet featuring all statewide and county award winners. You can learn more about the three winners of the Statewide Master Gardener of the Year award in this news release.
Seed to Supper is up and running again in 2024! We reprinted the course book, and thus far this year we have distributed 500 books throughout Oregon—with nearly 20% of those in Spanish. We also completely updated the facilitator support materials, and initial feedback on both the program and the support materials has been enthusiastically positive.
As of July 2024, facilitators in 15 Oregon counties and four other states have signed up to offer Seed to Supper and to use the updated materials. We debuted a new facilitator interest form to better document the distribution of Seed to Supper in Oregon and beyond. If you’ve offered the course this year and haven’t yet filled out the form, please do so, as we want to be sure to capture your thoughts on the course and materials, as it’s undergoing major revisions for 2025.
Thank you to the many donors who supported this progress by donating during last year’s Dam Proud Day!
A special welcome to our newest Master Gardener program all the way in Eastern Oregon, Malheur County! Read about what the new Master Gardener trainees are up to under the leadership of Russell Smith-Ollivierre, and how the program in Malheur was started.
Welcome to new Master Gardener coordinators in Curry, Columbia and Tillamook counties.
- Paul Maree (he/him), Curry County, began in April.
- Dr. Janhvi Pandey (she/her), Columbia County, begins in August.
- Samikshya (Sami) Budhathoki (she/her), Tillamook County, begins this month.
We are excited for the skills and expertise our new coordinators bring and hope you’ll join us in giving them a warm welcome.
Goodbye to all of our Extension faculty, staff and volunteers in Josephine County. In June, the Josephine County Commissioners voted to stop county funding for OSU Extension. This is very disappointing and comes after a year of tremendous effort by Extension’s team in Josephine County and many colleagues at OSU to engage with commissioners and the community to address concerns, share progress and answer questions. This outcome does not reflect what we know to be true about our work and the value of Extension programs and services to the county. Read our full statement on this decision and our operational plan for the county.
In memoriam: Dr. Ivory Lyles. In April, very recently retired Vice Provost for Extension and Engagement and Director of the OSU Extension Service Dr. Ivory Lyles suddenly passed away. We remember him as a visionary leader and as a vibrant and forceful advocate for OSU’s mission and the communities we serve. His career of service transformed thousands of lives he touched through extension and engagement. Dr. Kristopher M. Elliott is serving as interim vice provost and director while the university conducts a national search.
Many of us are experiencing summer heat waves and impacts from wildfires. We encourage all volunteers to carefully consider your personal safety and local conditions when making decisions about your ability to volunteer during hazardous conditions. If you feel you cannot fill a volunteer shift due to heat, smoke,or other emergencies, it’s okay to decline attending Master Gardener gatherings; just let your coordinator know. OSU’s wildfire smoke/air quality page has resources to help you learn more. OSU Extension has many resources for managing in heat waves, including people, plants and gardens.
Please help inform our strategic plan! OSU Extension & Engagement is undertaking a strategic planning process and we invite you to complete this survey by July 31 to share your thoughts, input and priorities to inform our strategic plan.
