Metro-area Master Gardeners Shine!
The volunteer log sheets were rolling in during the month of September and some impressive stats are surfacing. Weston shared these remarkable numbers at our Saturday, October 28th, Recertification Training. Over 500 Master Gardeners reported volunteering a total of 38,422 hours of community service in the metro-area! Master Gardeners donated an impressive 14,500 pounds of produce from MG demonstration, personal and community gardens to local food banks. Thank you for your dedication and generosity!
You dug deep, generously sharing your knowledge and time at our MG Farmers’ Market and phone clinics, area parks and gardens, school and community gardens and special events throughout the tri-county area.
Those figures are just a preview of the overall stats for metro-area MGs. Look to be wowed by more volunteer service statistics in Weston’s annual program report in the coming months.
In the meantime, know the significant contributions and difference you make to our community. You are fantastic community-focused garden-educator stars. Thank you for making the metro-area MG program shine so bright!
Hearty Congrats Class of 2017 Master Gardeners!
Hearty congratulations to the 2017 class of Master Gardener trainees who have successfully completed their core training requirements and earned their Veteran Master Gardener badges! Woo-hoo! Combined, the 2017 trainees averaged over 67 hours of volunteer service in a little over six months.
Class of 2017 Master Gardeners, we hope you have been enriched by your training and service as a community garden-educator. We know the Master Gardener program has been enhanced and inspired by your energy and passion. Thank you for your volunteer service and welcome to the Master Gardener family! We look forward to having you as part of our garden-educator team!
Completing Core MG Training Requirements
For those of you who are still working towards your requirements, please keep us updated by filling out a Volunteer Log Sheet with your volunteer service (to date) and a signed 2017_2018 Conditions of Volunteer Service. We want to support you as you complete your journey to earning your Veteran Master Gardener badge. Please let us know if you have any questions or need our assistance.
Stylin’ Blue 2018 MG Sticker For those who have fulfilled the requirements to maintain their status as a “current” Master Gardener, you will have received (at Recertification Training) or will receive (via the mail) a blue 2018 Recertification sticker to proudly display on your MG badge. The sticker is a designation that you are current and up-to-date, having completed all required volunteer service hours, continuing education opportunities, and completed forms. For MGs still needing information about how to remain current, please refer to the Volunteer Portal’s ‘Nuts and Bolts for maintaining Volunteer Status’.
Take Part! 4 Question Master Gardener Training Survey
Please refer to the letter below from our State Master Gardener coordinator Gail Langellotto and share your insight and impressions of our annual Master Gardener training by taking part in the survey link provided below.
Dear Master Gardeners,
For the 2017-2018 Master Gardener year (November 1, 2017 – October 31, 2018), the Community Horticulture Advisory Panel has been asked to work on ‘re-envisioning Master Gardener training’ with the goal of making trainings (1) more accessible, (2) more interactive, and (3) more fun.
You can learn more about our work at http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/mgcoordinators/chap/http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/mgcoordinators/chap/
We would greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out this very short, 4-question survey about your impressions of annual Master Gardener trainings. Your responses will greatly help to inform our process.
You may access the survey at: http://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9GM4fJ1ffbovX9j
Take care,
Gail Langellotto
Associate Professor, Horticulture
Statewide Coordinator, Extension Master Gardener Program
4017 ALS Building, Corvallis OR 97331
Oregon State University
Tel.: 541-737-5175, Fax: 541-737-3479
gail.langellotto@oregonstate.edu
Spread the Word! 2018 MG Training Registration Open!
One of the most common ways people learn about the Master Gardener training is through word of mouth from other Master Gardeners. Now is your chance to let others know about the great opportunities available for serving as a Master Gardener volunteer. Registration is now open for the 2018 Master Gardener Training! Share the word with your friends, family and fellow community members. Direct those interested to our Metro-area Master Gardener website for easy online registration.
Note: this year there are two reduced-priced application options. A limited number of fellowship and scholarships will be offered to selected, qualified applicants. If you know someone who would be interested in serving the community as a garden-educator and would qualify for a reduced-price option, please direct them to our MG Training registration page for an application and qualifications. The MG Training Fellowship and Scholarships are being offered thanks to the generosity and guidance of the metro-area Chapters.
Exciting New Additions to 2018 MG Training
Our Master Gardener training continues to evolve through the years. We have had much success with our hybrid-training model, but we continue to strive to improve. This year we have some exciting new changes to our in-class presentations. In support of the goals of the state Master Gardener program, our instructors will be adding more interactive and hands-on activities to their presentations.
In addition to more interactive presentations, we are also adding two training subjects back to our in-class schedule. We are pleased to have fellow MG Jane Collier, offering her expertise in the care and growing of Berries, and we look forward to welcoming Jen Gorski, from the Clackamas Extension Forestry Department, who will be teaching Plant ID. So be sure to check out all the classes in our 2018 Training.
Seeking Plant Gatherers
As mentioned above, we are excited to have Jen Gorski, Clackamas County Extension Service, present Plant ID during the 2018 MG Training. Keeping with the goal of having hands-on learning opportunities, Jen would like to provide plant samples for all class attendees. This will require some major specimen gathering, and we are seeking a few dedicated MGs to serve as Plant Gatherers to assist with the project.
Jen will coach and educate the team on what plant samples are needed and how she would like the specimens gathered. Ideally, we would like to have teams of two or three MGs collect plant samples for each of the three training classes. Volunteers must commit to meeting with Jen in January prior to collecting and to collect the specimens, per Jen’s specifications, the week of February 19th, come rain, sun, snow or sleet. This will be a great learning opportunity to work with Jen and a lot of fun plant gathering with other plant enthusiasts. If interested, contact Marcia McIntyre marcia.mcintyre@oregonstate.edu
Special Shout-out of Appreciation!
Our Recertification Training, October 28th was an opportunity to give a special thanks to the following Master Gardeners for their generous and significant contributions to the metro-area Master Gardeners. We are grateful to all of them. Thank you!
David Butt – Washington County phone coordinator
Rob Kappa – Clackamas County Phone Clinic volunteer (375 hours in 2017), Co-coordinates the Milwaukie Farmers Market, and the Oregon Zoo Education Center.
Kris LaMar – Coordinator Speakers Bureau Clackamas County, Phone Clinic and Ask an Expert volunteer
Cindy Manselle – Master Gardener Training Coordinator – Oregon City
Susan Marcus – Multnomah County Phone Clinic Coordinator
Beven Peters – Master Gardener Training Coordinator – Portland
Trina Studebaker – Master Gardener Training Coordinator – Beaverton
Shawn Van Doren – Dedicated Clackamas County Phone Clinic Volunteer (over 140 hours this past year), Coordinator Oregon Zoo Education Center, Coordinator Blue Lake Park Discovery Garden, Coordinator Oregon City Farmers Market
Janet Weber – Previous long-time coordinator for the Oregon City Farmer’s Market MG Clinic, dedicated MG Liaison member.
Frank Wille – Dedicated Hopkins Demonstration Forest, school garden and Oregon City Farmers Market volunteer.
We Keep the Public In-the-Know with Great Garden Tips for the Fall
Weston and Monica Maggio with timely fall garden tips:
ENTHUSIASTIC CONGRATS TO THE 2017 CLASS OF OSU METRO-AREA MASTER GARDENERS!
Photos courtesy of Eddie Rosen. Thanks Eddie!
