The Positive Impacts of Master Gardener Training

Infographic created by Liz McGovern of Oregon State University Extension (Benton County), based upon data provided by Pami Opfer (Oregon State University Extension in Linn and Benton Counties).

This infographic does an excellent job of communicating the positive impacts of Master Gardener training in just 2 of the 29 counties where volunteers are trained in Oregon.

Way to go, Master Gardeners!  Knowledge is indeed power.

What's in a Name?

Below is a reprint of the article I wrote for the September 2013 issue of The Gardeners Pen (the newsletter of the Oregon Master Gardener Association). 

What is a Master GardenerTM?

By Gail Langellotto

Statewide Coordinator, OSU Extension Master Gardener Program

When someone asks you ‘What is a Master Gardener?’, how do you respond?

Do you say that you’re a volunteer?  Do you say that it’s an Extension Program, or an Oregon State University Program?  Do you say that it’s an educational program?

The way we describe ourselves has a critical impact on how the public views our program.  And, quite honestly, the term ‘Master Gardener’ can be confusing. 

Take, for example, the March 1, 2013 GardenRant.com blog post entitled ‘So What Do We Think of “Master Gardeners”?’.

To paraphrase the post, the word ‘Master’ in ‘Master Gardener’ can lead to problems, such as:

• People thinking it’s similar to “Master Carpenter,” or “Master Electrician”.
• Some volunteers taking the title a little too seriously, and letting it go to their heads.
• People assuming that ‘Master Gardeners’ have received a higher level of training than folks with a university degree in horticulture.

Passionate opinions were expressed, from garden writers and other professionals who believe that Master Gardener volunteers are taking work from them, to folks who have had a bad experience with Master Gardener ‘cliques’ and generalize across all.  Of course, where humans gather, there is always going to be the potential for friction. However, I have found (and many of the commenters on the blog post agree) that Master Gardeners are by and large among the most generous, fun-loving, creative and welcoming folks I have met. 

Master Gardeners (and me) enjoying Mini-College, and annual educational event of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program and the Oregon Master Gardener Association.

What can you say when someone asks you, ‘What is a Master Gardener?’  Luckily, ‘Building public understanding of the Master Gardener Program’ was identified as a high priority in the 2010 OMGA strategic planning process, and developing a common message was one specific recommendation made.  A communications committee, consisting of myself, Sherry S. (Clackamas County), Mary Jane B. (Lincoln County), Bonnie C. (Douglas County), Jan E. (Central Oregon) and advised by Eric B. (Central Gorge), Toni S. (Central Oregon), Lee Ann L. (Multnomah County), Carol O. (Jackson County) and Alan W. (Yamhill County) was tasked with developing this common message.

We came up with three messages, which can be found on page 5 of the OMGA Chapter Toolkit for Communications Toolkit. One of these messages now appears on the Master Gardener website.

“Master Gardeners are trained volunteers, educated through OSU Extension Service to offer the local community Reliable, Relevant and Reachable gardening information and education opportunities."

• We are reliable, because our gardening advice and education is science-based.
• We are relevant, because unlike information found online, our advice can be customized for each unique gardening situation.
• We are reachable, because you can call us on the phone, email us a question, or visit with us at markets or gardens in your community.

We hope that this phrase will be useful, when you’re telling friends, trainees, clients and others about the Master Gardener Program.  And remember, that their interaction with you will really influence what they think about the Program, in general.

It's National Volunteer Week!

Dear Oregon Master Gardeners,

All this week, the National Extension Master Gardener Blog will be celebrating National Volunteer Week and the great work of Master Gardener volunteers.

Here in Oregon, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of the Master Gardeners who volunteer their time and talents to make our communities a better place to live.

The preliminary numbers for our impact in 2011 (I still need to double check all entries to ensure accuracy) are:

• There were 4,009 active Master Gardener volunteers in 2011.  Of these, 765 (19%) were new trainees, and 3,245 (81%) were veterans who had been active as a Master Gardener for one year or more.
• In Oregon, Master Gardeners donated over 181,000 hours of volunteer service to Oregon State University Extension, in support of sustainable home and community gardening programs.
• Together, we made over 200,000 contacts!  That's over 200,000 people who attended a Master-gardener led class, called into the Master Gardener plant clinic hotline, talked with us at a Farmer's Market, worked with us in a school garden, or otherwise benefited from the research-based advice of a Master Gardener volunteer.
• Master Gardeners were featured on the television 170 times, interviewed on the radio over 270 times, and featured in the newspaper 407 times.  This greatly extends the outreach and education provided by Master Gardeners, well beyond the 200,000 person to person contacts in 2011.
• Nearly 11,000 pounds of produce were donated from Master Gardener demonstration, community and private gardens to local food banks and food pantries.  This value includes only documented pounds of produce, and is thus likely an underestimate of what was actually donated. 

Oregon Master Gardeners are volunteering in schools, in prisons and in hospitals.  We deliver classes in community gardens, private home orchards, farmer's markets and classrooms.  We teach people to rely less on pesticides, and more on cultural, physical and biological pest control methods.  We bear witness to kids getting excited about their first gardening success.  We re-assure adults that we all have plants that die-off, vegetables that don't bear fruit, and pests that we just can't seem to keep at bay.



Master Gardener 10 Minute University-Edible, Beautiful Plants from Clackamas County on Vimeo.  10-Minute University is an award-winning program of the Oregon State University Master Gardeners in Clackamas County.

Thus, on this day, and every day - I hope that Oregon Master Gardeners know that you make a real and positive difference in this world - as well as in my world.

A Tribute to Louise Aunspach (1913-2012)

One of the best parts of my job is that I have the opportunity to meet and work with so many amazing Master Gardener volunteers. By far the most difficult part of my job is bearing the loss of amazing and inspiring individuals who I truly admire.

Long-time Oregon Master Gardener Louise Aunspach passed away on March 27, 2012, at the age of 98. She would have celebrated her 99th birthday in June. Louise was a member of the very first Master Gardener training class that was held in Lincoln County, in 1996. For her class project, she designed and planted a garden for the Alzeheimer's Unit at Newport Rehabilitation Center, in Newport Oregon. Louise was an active Master Gardener volunteer, contributing to OSU Extension, the Lincoln County Master Gardener Association, and the Central Oregon Coast community in so many ways. Louise has been a mentor for many Lincoln County Master Gardener training classes, and served as the Lincoln County representative to the Oregon Master Gardener Association. She was honored as the Lincoln County Master Gardener of the Year in 2000, and was again honored as the Behind Scenes Awardee in Lincoln County in 2005.

What I will most remember about Louise was how much fun she always seemed to have at Mini-College. Last year, Mini-College was held in Lincoln County - and at 98 years of age - Louise was there with a huge smile on her face. It was lovely to have a visit, and to see her reconnecting with old friends on her home turf. I also remember Louise from my first Mini-College, in 2007. Little did I know that Louise was a regular at Mini-College, attending every one from 1996-2005.

Louise's friend, Sally N., was kind enough to share a profile that she had written about Louise in 2006. Reading the stories that Louise shared with Sally, it was impossible not to smile. Louise danced with Ronald Reagan! She won joined the Navy in 1941, where she was on the tennis team and earned an Expert Pistol Medal! She sang in the Navy Hour Chorus on an NBC radio show, where she was directed by Fred Waring! She taught needlepoint at Shasta College in Redding, CA for 17 years, and tended a garden of many roses, pyracanthas and oleandar for 29 years in Gerber, CA. Her secrets to longevity?: getting into all the trouble that she could, and inheriting good genes - but not often wearing them.

Louise gardened on the Oregon coast for about 28 years. Her wealth of knowledge about how to successfully garden in the challenging climate of the Oregon coast have benefited many gardeners. Calendulas, osteospermums and gallardias were among her recommendations. She also loved zinnias (me too!), but found that they didn't easily prosper in the cool climate of the coast.

A memorial service will be held on April 21, 2012 at First Presbyterian Church in Newport Oregon (227 NE 12th street).

Louise will be in my heart and on my mind at this year's Mini-College, and when my zinnias and calendulas are in full bloom in my garden.  We'll miss you, Louise.