Master Gardeners Graduates 26 New Members

Applications for 2012 course now available; deadline to enroll is Jan. 2 (Link to more info)

COLTS NECK, NJ – Twenty-six Monmouth County residents became certified Master Gardeners at a graduation ceremony Nov. 18 at Hominy Hill Golf Center.

The 2011 graduates are: Fran Ambio, Millstone; Lou Ambio, Millstone; John Connors, Ocean; Lucille Coviello, Spring Lake Heights; Kristen (K) Dasenbrock, Marlboro; Lee Deedmeyer, Freehold; Frank DiBella, Howell; Luba Durnya, Middletown; Pat Eisemann, Manalapan; Denise Fredericks, Tinton Falls; Carolyn Giovanniello, Marlboro; Cheryl Grant, Rumson; Barb Hindin, Colts Neck; Linda Honymar, Long Branch; Alka Lothe, Little Silver; Jennifer Marston, Atlantic Highlands; Jill Niehaus, Shrewsbury; Paula Padavano, Long Branch; Luisa Paster, Asbury Park; Maureen Puricelli, Morganville; Barbara Schinkel, Eatontown; Jackie Sharpe, Asbury Park; Cyndi Skove, Eatontown; Greg Sturgis, Freehold; Maria Veit, Cream Ridge, and Brenda Wilson, Aberdeen.

The Master Gardeners are now certified gardening experts because they have completed a course of classroom and hands-on training in plant biology, propagation, soil science and disease and pest control. The trainees then began sharing their knowledge with others by conducting garden lectures, demonstrations, school and community gardening projects, and answering calls on the county’s “horticulture helpline.”

The Master Gardener program, conducted throughout the United States and Canada, is a two-part educational effort in which avid gardeners are provided many hours of intense home horticulture training. In return, they “pay back” local university extension agents through volunteerism.

In New Jersey, the program is a cooperative effort of Rutgers University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the county Boards of Chosen Freeholders. Monmouth County’s program involves the county office of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Brookdale Community College and the county Park System.

The program is accepting applications for 2012. There is a $250 fee to cover material and program costs. Applications can be downloaded from the county Web site at www.visitmonmouth.com and are also available from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service at 4000 Kozloski Rd. in Freehold Township, or by calling 732-431-7260.  The deadline to apply is Jan. 2, 2012.

Link to full press release: Atlanta Highlands Herald

Volunteers needed for Food Bank's garden project

The Food Bank of Central Louisiana's Good Food Project, established earlier this year after a $1.1 million donation from Keller Enterprises, focuses on promoting and supporting local gardening efforts in Cenla through classes, models and outreach, said Lori Garton, director of the project.

Earlier this year, the project has already established a demonstration garden using land adjacent to the Food Bank's 3223 Baldwin Ave. headquarters in Alexandria.

The plan for the Good Food Project is to establish and support gardens within Cenla Food Bank's entire 11-parish service area, composed of Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, Vernon and Winn parishes, Wright-Velez said.

The project also will host a series of classes and workshops at the beginning of the year, officials said. The gardens and gardeners that spring up as a result of the project are not required to donate a portion of their yields to the Food Bank, though officials certainly would not discourage donations.

The Rapides Soil & Water Conservation District has offered $100 donation to as many as 20 participating Rapides Parish schools as a garden start-up grant.

For information about the Good Food Project, call (318) 445-2773. Those interested in volunteering with the project can email Garton at lgarton@fbcenla.org.

Link to more information: TheTownTalk.com

2012 Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Training

A few slots are open for the 2012 Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener volunteer training.

Beginning Feb. 7, training will be offered for Licking County residents. The Master Gardener Volunteer Program provides an extensive course in horticulture in exchange for a donation of volunteer hours to share gardening knowledge with others through OSU Extension-sponsored activities.

Training will be 10 consecutive Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Information is available at licking.osu. edu under the Master Gardener Volunteers tab. You can print an application and mail it or drop it off.

The address is: Lori Swihart, Licking County Master Gardener Coordinator, Ohio State University Extension, 771 E. Main St., Suite 103, Newark, OH 43055.

Morris Arboretum is seekig volunteers

Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is seeking volunteers to help educate and guide their new visitors.

If you're interested in learning more about the Arboretum and would like to encourage interactive and experiential learning among its visitors, they invite you to register for their volunteer training course.

The courses will be held on Thursdays (10, 17, 24); Sundays (13, 20), and Tuesdays in September (15, 22). Attendees will learn a little botany, some history, and partake in some fun activities. Both Sundays will include a walk around the Arboretum garden, so please dress appropriately.

All volunteers must be current Morris Arboretum members. If you are not a member, a one-year individual membership is $55.

For more information about the program call 215- 247-5777 ext. 128, or visit the Morris Arboretum’s Web site.

Horticulture volunteers needed

Horticulture volunteers known as Dirt Devils are needed to support the gardens at Larimer County's Fossil Creek Reservoir Regional Open Space (between Loveland and Fort Collins) and at the Bison Visitor Center (near Carter Lake, southwest of Loveland). Volunteers should love to garden. For more information, call (970) 679-4552

CSU RESEARCHERS LOOKING FOR CITIZEN SCIENCE VOLUNTEERS JULY 11-12

FORT COLLINS - Researchers from Colorado State University are looking for members of the public to participate in a citizen science experiment, July 11-12 at CSU. As part of the experiment, volunteers will participate in a free workshop and online training where they will learn citizen scientist skills such as invasive species and plant identification, GPS use and monitoring protocols. Following the training, the new citizen scientists will test their skills against professionals in the field.

In this National Science Foundation-funded research experiment, CSU scientists from the university's Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory are studying the effectiveness of different training approaches - in-person and hands-on, online training, and online multimedia presentations.

Volunteers are needed to participate in the online or in-person trainings and then will be tested in the field about these same subjects. CSU researchers are aiming to ensure that all volunteer participants, whether trained online or in-person, are equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities to become successful citizen scientists.

"Effectively trained citizen scientists provide valuable location information and improve our ability to map invasive plant distributions," said Greg Newman, project leader and Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory research associate.

There are three ways that members of the public can volunteer and participate in the training and experiment.

People can join the in-person training 7 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 11 at CSU's Lory Student Center and will be asked to participate in the field test to demonstrate what was learned through the training from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 12 at CSU's Environmental Learning Center.

Other volunteers can participate by joining the online training and complete the study tutorials from their personal computers anytime from July 4-10. The online users will then demonstrate their learned skills in the field from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. July 11 at CSU's Environmental Learning Center.

Food and beverages will be provided to participants on July 11 and 12.

The third way volunteers can participate in the experiment is by completing a mail-in survey that will help CSU researchers determine what people know about these topics that the other volunteers will be trained on including information on invasive species and GPS use.

Beyond members of the public volunteering for this experiment, researchers are also looking for professional botanists who could volunteer and help out with the field testing.

To register for any of the volunteer opportunities, visit http://tinyurl.com/ColoradoInvasivePlantEvent.

For more information, contact Greg Newman at (970) 491-0410 or newmang@nrel.colostate.edu or visit www.citsci.org.