- Author: Marisa Coyne
- Contributor: Melissa G. Womack
COVID-19 is having a tremendous impact on social, environmental, and economic conditions throughout the state of California and across the globe. Collectively we have endured a series of losses, from financial security to the lives of loved ones. We have had to adapt to shifts in our way-of-life, and vision a new, safe future for our communities.
Volunteerism and the many benefits of gardening have recently seen a flood of interest from local and national news media. While much about the future is still uncertain, it is clear that the UC Master Gardener Program's work to extend practical, research-based home horticulture, integrated pest management, and sustainable landscaping information is more relevant than ever before.
COVID-19 related shelter-in-place orders, social distancing requirements, and public or individual health threats have changed the way UC Master Gardener volunteers engage with community members and with each other. Most volunteers have had to limit their participation following federal, state, local, and UC system-wide guidance. Many volunteers are simultaneously balancing childcare, eldercare, work, and personal responsibilities, resulting in limited time for volunteer commitments. For some volunteers, this global crisis has led to engagement in new and innovative extension methods.
Join us over the next two weeks as we share a four-part series of stories that celebrate the innovation, creativity, and flexibility of UC Master Gardener volunteers and county staff during this unique time!
AMADOR COUNTY
“When California went into shelter-in-place, our public education team stepped up to ensure the public would still be able to connect with UC Master Gardener volunteers and receive gardening information and support,” said Tracy Celio, UC Master Gardener program coordinator in Amador County.
UC Master Gardener volunteer, Ed Bass, was especially committed, teaching himself how to use video software to create educational gardening content. Bass shared his videos about spring gardening and using compostable materials in raised beds on social media on the UC Master Gardener Program of Amador County's Facebook page. After a couple of successful videos with high engagement, Celio proposed an online public workshop via Zoom. “We chose to feature a virtual tour of the Heritage Rose Garden followed by a question and answer session with our UC Master Gardener rose experts,” said Celio.
Ed Bass shot and edited the virtual rose garden tour video, working alongside fellow volunteer and workshop instructor Judy Woods. Bass and Woods worked closely together to develop a strategy for the online tour and how to best meet its learning objectives. UC Master Gardener volunteer, Doris Mosblech, jumped aboard to help trouble-shoot and manage the Zoom waiting room and chat.
“Because of Ed's flexibility, enthusiasm, and willingness to try something new, UC Master Gardener volunteers in Amador County have been able to stay engaged with our community. We could not have done it without him,” said Celio.
Visit the UCCE Master Gardener Program of Amador County Facebook page to view more exciting videos and virtual content.
While COVID-19 has affected all communities and volunteers differently, the resilience, creativity, and flexibility of UC Master Gardener volunteers and coordinators continue to inspire and impress. The stories featured in this four-part series here are a small snapshot of the innovation and strength that this food community and garden education community has to offer. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the 4-part series on Growing Creativity in the COVID-19 Era.
Please note: Reappointment for the 2020/2021 Program Year began on June 1st and ends July 30th. The UC Master Gardener Program celebrates and appreciates all volunteers, regardless of their ability to contribute hours during this unprecedented time. Volunteers who choose to remain active and reappoint will be approved, regardless of the number of volunteer or continuing education hours completed this year. Volunteers will not be responsible for making up any incomplete volunteer and continuing education hours in the following program year. However, all volunteers must complete reappointment to remain active or limited active with the UC Master Gardener Program.
- Author: Lauren Snowden
Due to circumstances related to the worldwide pandemic, the 2020 UC Master Gardener Conference has been postponed to 2021. The decision to postpone the conference was due to current group size limitations, travel restrictions, speaker availability and cancellations, and reduced staff capacity.
We are happy to report that we were able reschedule the conference at the same location, the Granlibakken Resort in Lake Tahoe for Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 2021.
2020 Alternative Online Conference Activities
Planning is ongoing to move some immediate conference activities online. Stay up to date on the latest conference news by reading this blog and checking your email for updates from the statewide office. Stay tuned for information on online lunchtime horticulture themed webinars, photo contest and the announcement of 2020 Search for Excellence winners!
2020 Search for Excellence in Full Swing
The Search for Excellence (SFE) competition is an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the tremendous talents of UC Master Gardener volunteers from across the state. County programs were invited to submit educational and innovative projects for consideration, the application window closed on April 28 with 17 applications.
The published online SFE timeline for judging, awarding and presenting have been adjusted to accommodate a new celebration and recognition plan. Typically, SFE winners are featured on the statewide blog and in-person at the statewide conference through poster and breakout sessions. SFE winners will still be celebrated on the statewide blog as planned. New this year, we are going virtual with online webinars for all top three SFE winners to share their projects.
Thank you
We thank you for your support as we all work through this! We are grateful for the understanding of UC Master Gardener volunteers, coordinators, advisors and county directors as we continue to work hard to ensure that our future event is met with the same enthusiasm and learning opportunities. Sincere gratitude to our conference location the Granlibakken Resort and several tour providers who were able to work with us to reschedule such a large event.
- Author: Marisa Coyne
UC Master Gardener Volunteers are excellent teachers and community educators whether they've been with our program for one year or twenty! The two extraordinary volunteers featured in this article are early in their UC Master Gardener Volunteer involvement but have already made themselves indispensable.
Borah Lim – Los Angeles and Yolo Counties
“My biggest dream is for humans and humus to dwell in harmony and community among all living things in our ecosystem.” – Borah Lim
As a Korean-American, born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Borah reports that she was not interested in agriculture until she attended Williams College, a small liberal arts school located in rural Massachusetts. After graduating, she was inspired to reconnect youth with the soil in her home state by her friends and colleagues at the Garden School Foundation.
Borah completed the UC Master Gardener Program training in Los Angeles County, with a special interest in teaching gardening and cooking classes at Title I elementary schools. Borah's desire to connect with people and the land did not stop there. In 2019, Borah moved to Yolo County to pursue a graduate degree in International Agricultural Development at UC Davis. Upon arriving in Davis, Borah transferred to the UC Master Gardener Program in Yolo County and dreamed up a project to bring gardening and food systems education to populations with inadequate access to healthy, fresh produce.
Food access and food insecurity have recently emerged as severe and pervasive problems at college campuses across the United States. Through gardening workshops at the UC Davis Student Farm, Borah hopes to increase direct access to healthy, affordable, sustainably grown produce for the UC Davis student community. Borah's optimistic these workshops will bridge this UC Master Gardener Program with the UC student community – inspiring college students to pursue the UC Master Gardener Program training and join its volunteer network of gardeners and environmental advocates in the future.
After graduating, Borah aspires to expand the field of agricultural education and food and faith movements, working alongside communities towards sustainable solutions and agricultural justice within our local and global food system. With the First-Year Seminar she's planning to offer this fall at UC Davis, Borah's “biggest dream” is off to a healthy start!
Ted Hawkins – Stanislaus
“Do all Master Gardeners have this much fun while teaching and learning?” – Ted Hawkins
In 2019 when Stanislaus County offered its inaugural UC Master Gardener Program Training, Ted Hawkins was first in line. Ted has always been interested in gardening and sharing information with community members. The UC Master Gardener Program was a great fit!
Ted's extensive knowledge of vermicomposting and other topics, combined with his outgoing personality, and his can-do attitude immediately drew his fellow volunteers. It didn't take long for Ted to notice how his prior knowledge overlapped with the program's needs. A longtime woodworker, he built beautiful boxes that were we used at a succulent workshop. Proceeds from the workshop raised much-needed funds for the program, enabling the UC Master Gardener Program in Stanislaus to purchase a popup tent for outdoor events.
Now a First-Year Master Gardener, he arrives early on each training day to help with set up. He makes sure the coffee is ready and that all of the Trainees have the materials they need. “I personally benefit from knowing that someone I can count on will be here each week. As a new coordinator, I have been honored to have someone like Ted work with me,” says UC Master Gardener Program coordinator in Stanislaus County Anne Schellman.
While relatively new to the UC Master Gardner Program, Borah and Ted bring a rich set of skills and experiences to the communities they serve. From sustainable agriculture education to carpentry and beyond, First Year Master Gardeners are proof that the students have become the teachers!
About Gardeners with Heart
Special appreciation to UC Master Gardener Program Coordinators Stanislaus (Anne Schellman) and Los Angeles (Valerie Borel) for sharing the stories of these incredible Gardeners with Heart.
- Author: Marisa Coyne
It's no secret that UC Master Gardener volunteers wear many hats. Fortunately for the UC Master Gardener Programs in Lake, Ventura, and Contra Costa Counties, three extraordinary volunteers bring their work experience with them into their home gardening volunteer efforts!
Merry Jo Velasquez – Lake County
Merry Jo Velasquez is a busy full time medical researcher, a volunteer with her local Resource Conservation District (RCD), and member of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clearlake, in addition to being an active UC Master Gardener volunteer in Lake County.
“Merry Jo knows how to do research, because that's what she does for a living in the medical field. Applying this skill to horticultural projects comes naturally to her,” says Gabriele O'Neill, program coordinator in Lake County. Merry Jo's ability to do research and her many connections with land-based organizations have been personally and organizationally fruitful. She authored a UC Master Gardener Program in Lake County publication for local gardeners titled the Lake County Ornamental Gardening Guide.
Her community involvement and warm personality helped build a strong connection between the UC Master Gardener Program in Lake County and the RCD, leading to collaborations on local restoration projects. Merry Jo's knowledge of California native plants made her an excellent fit for fellow volunteer Jerry Marquis' rehabilitation effort on of the grounds of a historical stagecoach stop and museum.
Balancing work and volunteer commitments is innate to Merry Jo – you might say she wrote the book on it!
Harry Lee – Ventura County
Harry Lee is a lifelong vegetable gardener, full-time accountant, and a UC Master Gardener volunteer in Ventura County. Harry joined the UC Master Gardener Program because he was looking for a volunteer opportunity that aligned with his interests and provided a contrast from his professional life in finance. Fortunately for his fellow volunteers, Harry did not leave his personal and professional skills at the garden gate.
Harry has extensive experience as an accountant and utilizes those skills as the Ventura County program's treasurer. Harry's experiential garden knowledge and commitment to research-based education materials make him an incredibly successful teacher, both for new UC Master Gardener trainees and members of the public. His impeccable home trials have also made him a great fit for helping Ventura County's farm advisors with research projects.
Harry's diverse skill set and comprehensive education, from number-crunching to bed preparation, have made him a true asset to the UC Master Gardener Program in Ventura County. “Harry wears more hats than anyone else in the program - literally and figuratively. The man owns a lot of hats! Harry's contributions to the program are innumerable and his commitment to the UC Master Gardener Program is unrivaled,” says Alexa Hendricks, program coordinator in Ventura County.
Darlene DeRose – Contra Costa County
Darlene DeRose joined the UC Master Gardener Program in Contra Costa County with a commitment of getting the program out into the community. Darlene was drawn to the UC Master Gardener Program during the same year she earned a certificate in ecotherapy, which focuses on reconnecting people with nature as a form of healing individual and collective suffering. With its focus on research-based education, the UC Master Gardener Program provided a platform and resources for Darlene to venture into the community and reconnect people with the world that surrounds them.
Under her leadership, the UC Master Gardener Program in Contra Costa County has grown to support more than twenty diverse community gardens - at residential treatment centers, sober living facilities, and affordable housing communities.
During her time as a UC Master Gardener volunteer, Darlene has assembled and inspired a dedicated group of UC Master Gardeners, inspiring them to commit to teaching their communities about growing food and empowering them to generate new ideas to accomplish this goal. “Darlene is simply amazing -- she's a great listener and innovator. She observes community needs, asks questions, and creates space for ideas to percolate, grow and evolve,” according to Dawn Kooyumjian, program coordinator in Contra Costa County. Darlene's ecotherapy training has had a positive impact on community members, fellow volunteers, and program leadership.
The UC Master Gardener Program is exceptional because volunteers like Merry Jo, Harry, and Darlene bring their unique skills and strength to the everyday work of extending home horticulture information to Californians. As we celebrate the work of volunteers during National Volunteer Week, we also celebrate the breadth and depth of knowledge brought by volunteers with careers.
Thank you!
About Gardeners with Heart
Special appreciation to UC Master Gardener program coordinators in Contra Costa (Dawn Kooyumjian), Ventura (Alexa Hendricks), and Lake (Gabriele O'Neill) for sharing the stories of these incredible Gardeners with Heart.
- Author: Marisa Coyne
A longtime elementary school teacher with a love of succulents, Jessica was attracted to the UC Master Gardener Program by a desire to share her interest in unusual plants and her experience in education. Jessica and a team of UC Master Gardener volunteers created an oasis of succulents with paths, benches, and educational signage. Jessica approaches every walk through the garden as an opportunity for a visitor to learn. As one volunteer observed, “Jessica is incredibly good at educating as she goes. Just working alongside her in the garden you learn a lot."
In addition to the original Mediterranean and succulent gardens, the ever-evolving demonstration gardens currently include a California native plant garden; a fragrant bee garden; a habitat garden with an emphasis on pollinators and beneficial insects; a diversity garden demonstrating water-wise practices and a moon garden - a quiet refuge of grey and white foliage designed to reflect the light of the moon in the dark of night. Along the way, Gail and Jessica have combined their strengths and unique skills to develop the teaching gardens, and assembled teams of enthusiastic UC Master Gardener volunteers to continue to support the project's needs.
Thanks to Gail and Jessica, the Falkirk Cultural Center demonstration gardens have become an interactive educational space where UC Master Gardeners conduct workshops and host educational events for the public. Using the seven gardens as an outdoor classroom, UC Master Gardener volunteers teach Marin residents about a wide variety of sustainable gardening practices.
Even though Gail and Jessica and their team have built seven demonstration gardens, they are not finished. Gail is currently designing an eighth garden at the Falkirk Cultural Center to demonstrate landscapes that help reduce the risks presented by wildfires. Jessica continues to educate new volunteers about succulent propagation and care – feeding a sense of wonder and curiosity that these volunteers will, in turn, share with Marin residents. Gail and Jessica's story of collaboration is further proof of Gail's sentiment -- that making something together IS more fun!
About Gardeners with Heart
During National Volunteer Week (April 19 – 25), the UC Master Gardener Program celebrates the contributions of its 6,000 incredible volunteers. The UC Master Gardener Program is excited to share stories of special volunteers Gardeners with Heart from across the state. Gardener's with Heart volunteers were nominated by their local county leadership for their creativity, strategic thinking, passion for the program's mission and commitment to program delivery. To nominate a Gardener with Heart in your program or county complete this online survey.
Gardeners with Heart will be celebrated throughout the year on social media, in blog posts, on our website, and in the 2019 annual report!
Thank you to UC Master Gardener Program in Marin County Co-Presidents Kathy Hunting and Rod Kerr for submitting Gail and Jessica for Gardeners with Heart recognition. Look out for more great stories of Gardeners with Heart throughout National Volunteer Week (April 19 – 25, 2020).