President’s Message
🍅 Yesterday’s BCMGA picnic at Philomath Park was such a wonderful time, and I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended. A special thanks goes out to our incredible co-vice presidents, Lynn Trimpe and Michelle Brown, for organizing the event. My kids especially loved the addition of bocce ball and corn hole. Lynn and Michelle have also done a fantastic job throughout the year coordinating our winter association meetings, bringing in engaging speakers, and organizing summer garden tours. We truly appreciate all they do for our group.
For our trainees, I want to remind you that now is a great time to finish up your volunteer hours. You’ll find some new opportunities highlighted in this newsletter, so be sure to check them out and get involved. Every hour you contribute helps strengthen our organization and supports the mission we all care so deeply about.
BCMGA Membership Activities
The BCMGA Calendar is a new feature on the website and has more information on these activities.
🍅 September 23, 2024 12:00-1:30 PM Oak Creek Watershed Walk and Talk
OSU Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture
843 SW 35th St, Corvallis, OR 97333
This activity is approved for Continuing Education
🍅 October 14, 2024 9:00-11:00 AM BCMGA Board Meeting
Zoom meeting
🍅 October 21, 2024 6:30-8:30 PM BCMGA Membership Meeting
Doors open at 6:30, Program starts at 7:00
Takes place in the Sunset Room and via Zoom
Speaker: Kathleen Chambliss, Chair of Evening Garden Club speaking on the Homegrown National Park movement
BCMGA News
🍅 Board Position Available for 2025 - Member-at-Large board position is open for 2025. If you are interested in finding out what the BCMGA Board is all about, this is a great way to become acquainted. It is low key and has very few demands other than attending the monthly meetings and participating in discussions. This is a voting position so attendance at the monthly meetings is important. All board members are elected annually, but the member-at-large position is the only position on the board that has a term limit of 2 years.
Board meetings are the second Monday of the month from 9-11 a.m. Most meetings are on Zoom. We have been meeting in-person every 3 months (March, June, September, December). If interested, contact Paula Lupcho (plantdoc2746@gmail.com). If more than one person is interested in this position, a vote will be taken at the October membership meeting. This is considered the annual meeting for the Association at which time the officers for the coming year are elected.
🍅 Log Those Volunteer Hours - October will be here before you know it so remember to put your volunteer hours into the Volunteer Reporting System (VRS).
Note from Otillia: If you have multiple entries of the same activities in a month, like 4 different days at the Demo Garden or 3 different propagation workshops you can enter them as a batch and put a note in the description.
Volunteer Opportunities
🍅 Trainees that still need direct service hours! Two new plant clinic table opportunities are posted on the SignUp Genius.
On October 5, 2024 the Corvallis Albany Farmers Market will have its Annual Pie Contest. BCMGA volunteers and OSU Master Food Preservers will be helping with pie and apple samples. This is a great chance to chat about home orchards and fall and winter gardening with the public.
On October 12, 2024 BCMGA will host a table at the Corvallis Fire Department’s Open House. We will be talking to the public about defensible space and fire resistant landscapes
🍅 Plant Clinic Desk - Plant Clinics in Oregon have been critical this year in identifying and reporting invasive species. Come and see what questions are coming in this month and keep your horticulture knowledge fresh. There are daytime shifts for both trainees and Certified MGs available daily. Check out the Signup Genius.
🍅 School Garden Fun! Did you know that Benton County Master Gardeners are working with three school gardens this year? This is a fun and active way to complete your volunteer hours. Each school garden has a different schedule, leader and plan. Reach out soon to get the ball rolling on background checks through OSU Extension and the Corvallis School District.
Adams Elementary School
1615 SW 35th St, Corvallis
Contact: Nellie Oehler 541-868-6897, oehlershrops@gmail.com
Mountain View Elementary School
340 NE Granger Ave, Corvallis
Contact: Susan Hoffman 541-602-4504, shoff@peak.org
Kathryn Jones Harrison Elementary School
1825 NW 27th St, Corvallis
Contact: Jennifer Klammer 541-602-0431 Jennifer.klammer@comcast.net
Continuing Education Opportunities
These educational events are approved for Continuing Education Credit by OSU Extension
🍅 Growing and Belonging - Each year OSU asks that we complete one hour of continuing education related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. There are multiple online courses available through the Growing and Belonging website.
🍅 Growing Oregon Gardens: Level Up Series 2024 Get one hour of CE credit for attending free gardening webinars from OSU. Check out the website for more details. Recordings of past talks are also available for continuing education credit.
Extension News
🍅 Here are some important links to access information.
OSU Garden Ecology Lab - Continues to put out new research and information
Their newest blog was published in August 20th
If you haven’t checked out Garden Ecology Lab Brief’s which make up the core of Clackamas County MG’s 10-min University you should
Solve Pest Problems: A new tool from OSU Extension to help manage pests around your home and garden with reduced risk to people, pets, and the environment. New entries are being added regularly on the SPP Website.
Logging hours into VRS https://vrs.osumg.org/sec_Login/
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