š§ On Saturday, July 22, I attended a luncheon hosted by the Corvallis Oddfellows in the company of Leslie Hauser and her husband Wade. The Oddfellows annually select a group of non-profit Benton County organizations to invite so that each organization can choose a member as their Unsung Hero. The luncheon was to honor these individuals. The BCMGA board selected Leslie as our Unsung Hero to honor her extraordinary efforts as volunteer coordinator for Plant Sale. Over the last 2 years, Leslie has done this job with energy, cheerfulness, and organizational skills that would rival a military tactician. Leslie fills 190 separate work shifts in order to put on this event. Her job as volunteer coordinator has also morphed into a year-long endeavor to coordinate all of the propagation/plant sale work parties. That amounts to filling about 600 shifts annually. If you have access to the Corvallis Public Access TV channel, this event was taped and will be aired on that channel.
We also have another summer tour coming up very soon (Tuesday, Aug. 1). Details are in the BCMGA News section below.
SAVE the DATE: The BCMGA September Picnic has been scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 13 at Philomath City Park. This has been our traditional kickoff to fall activities and programs. It is also a chance to meet socially with fellow MGs who we may not have seen after a busy summer of gardening. Itās fun, relaxed, and completely social. A special invitation is extended to all trainees. Stay tuned for more information.
A Message from Brooke Edmunds
š§ Office Etiquette: Welcome to the Help Desk! Weāre so glad youāre here to help answer gardening questions.
We want you to enjoy yourself and get to know each other but please keep in mind that this is a shared office environment. There are other staff members working in this space and it is open to the public, including 4-H youth. Please make sure your personal conversations are in line with OSUās commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and that the topics are appropriate for a public office. Thanks again!
And if you ever have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Brooke Edmunds, interim Benton County horticulture faculty, brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu
Special Announcement
š§ The BCMGA Board has approved special allocation funding to other local 501(c)(3) organizations for special projects. Applications must be submitted by a continuing Master Gardener and are due by July 31 (Monday). The organizationās special project must be aligned with the goals and purposes of BCMGA. For a copy of the application and criteria, contact Jana Tindall for more information (jl.tindall@comcast.net ).
BCMGA Committees may also apply for special allocations if you missed the first round earlier this year.
Trainee News & Opportunities
š§ Congratulations to the trainees who have completed their hours for the trainee year and to those of you who are closing in on that goal! Please remember to enter your hours in the Volunteer Reporting System (VRS) https://mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu/ . This is very important. It will be a great help to mentors as they help you reach your goal. If you have questions about where to log your hours, contact your mentor or Paula Lupcho atpres.bcmga.board@gmail.com .
BCMGA News
š§ Directory Update from Marge Alig, Membership Secretary: A revised membership directory will be available on the BCMGA website next week. This will be the most accurate list available regarding contact information of members. There have been a number of changes.
Please add Ella Petersonās phone number to your printed copy (541-760-8817).
Website address: bentonmg.org. The membership list is in the Members Resources tab. The password to get into that tab is in the inside cover page of the printed directory.
š§ Summer Tours: A Message from Lynn Trimpe, Vice President.
Another interesting tour opportunity is coming up soon! Dr Sean Fleming has offered to do a walk/talk along Oak Creek for BCMGA members on August 1. Here are the details:
Water resource scientist and Master Gardener, Dr. Sean Fleming, will give a talk & walk at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture (OCCUH) at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, August 1. The address is 843 SW 35th Street on OSU campus, and there is some limited parking on-site.
DESCRIPTION: We'll cover a little background about watershed hydrology, climate, and water quality while walking along Oak Creek, to help gardeners understand the environmental context they're working in - and we'll chat about what gardeners can do around conserving water quantity and quality and improving the ecological integrity of our watersheds. The event will take about 60-90 minutes.
For your reference, Dr Fleming has provided some informative handouts. The handouts will be sent out in a separate email. He recommends that you print these out and bring them with you on the walk as you may want to refer to them during his talk.
š§ Grow This! Update: Rosalind Hutton and Tatiana Churanova have been participating in the Grow This! program and have been posting blogs about their progress. This is a statewide program being coordinated by Leann Locher, Statewide Master Gardener Outreach Coordinator. This year, there have been 77 social media posts that have reached 330,835 people! The posts appear on the Master Gardener Facebook and Instagram and Food Hero Facebook and Instagram pages.
Volunteer Opportunities
š§ Demo Garden Plant Clinic at the Fair: There are shifts open for trainees and certified MGs on Friday, Aug. 4 (6 pm-8pm) and Saturday, Aug. 5 (6 pm-8pm). Contact Rosalind Hutton at rslnd55@gmail.com . Plant Clinic hours are direct public outreach and count toward recertification. The fair starts next week, so please contact Rosalind soon.
š§ NEW. Oregon State Fair. Multiple shifts 8/24-9/5. Come share your garden love and lore with fairgoers in Salem. Our activity and info booth will be located inside the air-conditioned lobby of the Farm & Garden/Floral Building. A fair admission ticket and parking pass is provided. Sign up here. Make sure to include your county so tickets can get to your Extension office. Record as āPlant Clinicā in VRS.
š§ Demo Garden: Volunteer at the Demonstration Garden. Every Wednesday 9:00-11:00 a.m. Come when you can, as often as you can, and help grow vegetables, herbs and fruit. The Demo Garden is on the south side of the Benton County Fairgrounds. Enter through the driveway for Benton Oak RV Park on 53rd St and go to the left. Wednesday work hours count as indirect--garden maintenance. Event staffing, which occurs through the summer on weekends and during the Benton County Fair count as direct--plant clinic. For more information, text or call Rosalind at 541 908 3991. Email rslnd55@gmail.com
š§ PLANT CLINIC at Farmers Market (Corvallis): Certified Master Gardeners are needed to work during the shifts listed below. Time of clinic table is 9:00 a.m. ā 1:00 p.m.
Contact Debbie Lauer directly by calling 541-929-7544 or texting 541-602-3138.
Available dates are:
Ā· Wed., Sep 27--1 certified Master Gardener needed
Mentors, if you would like to work at the plant clinic with your trainee, contact Debbie so that she can accommodate you.
š§ The Public Seed Library's next event will be a special event plant clinic on "Summer Crop Questions & Planting for A Fall/Winter Vegetable Garden", July 29 from 9:30 am - 1pm. Contact Jill Farrow at jillsfarrow@gmail.com if you would like to participate.
š§ Master Gardener Desk (Office Plant Clinic): The office is open and there are questions coming in from the public. Volunteers are encouraged to return to the desk, in particular certified MGs comfortable with the pH meter and the microscope are needed. Sign up for shifts to answer client questions or practice skills. You can either work at the desk or in the Extension conference room if youād like more space.
Find more opportunities on the Benton Volunteer Opportunities Page.
Continuing Education Opportunities
Each program year current Master Gardener volunteers are asked to recertify by completing 10 hours of approved continuing education and 20 hours of volunteering. This ensures that your horticultural knowledge stays current. All the opportunities in this section count towards that goal. Try to get one hour of CE on a diversity, equity, or inclusion related topic. And please make sure to record these hours in VRS!
š§ Webinars. Opportunities from across the state are listed on the OSU Master Gardener Programās event page. Record each as one hour of continuing education.
š§ New OSU Publication. Gardens are for Everyone. Read and write a summary paragraph of how you will apply this as a Master Gardener volunteer for one hour of continuing education.
š§ New OSU Publication. Grow Your Own Peppers. Read and write a summary paragraph of how you will apply this as a Master Gardener volunteer for one hour of continuing education.
š§ Anytime. Recordings of Zoom Master Gardener training from Curry County with guest lecturers from OSU and beyond, are available for any volunteer to take as continuing education. Trainees are also welcome to watch and supplement their classes. More links are being added weekly, see the current list log on to the attached website.
Community Opportunities
š§ Public Seed Library: Seed Donations to Public Seed Library: If you've started your summer crops and have left over seeds, individual donations of open and partially used vegetable, herb, and flower commercial seed packets packed for '22 and '23 are needed now to restock the Public Seed Library seed rack, and can be donated any time at the Corvallis Library Circulation Desk.
Extension News
Need help finding information from Extension? Here are some important links to access information.
Have a gardening question? Get help at:.
Interested in gardening classes and events?
Want to join Master Gardeners? Contact Benton County Extension Office, 541-713-5000
Want to partner with Master Gardeners? Please contact Brooke Edmunds to get connected: brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu
Current volunteers:
Need information about training, volunteering, or logging hours? First check the Volunteer Sourcebook and website.
Need a sign-up, promotions, or printing for an upcoming event?
First, use the Event Checklist to collect all needed information
In Benton County send to Nicole Mason Martin: nicole.mason@oregonstate.edu
In Linn County send to Laurie Gibson: laurie.gibson@oregonstate.edu
Need to update your contact information? Need a badge?
Contact Laurie Gibson: laurie.gibson@oregonstate.edu
All other questions:
Please contact Brooke Edmunds: brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu
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