By:
Tom Nordlie (352) 392-0400Source(s):
Tom Wichman twichman@ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-1831 ext. 331
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — April showers might bring May flowers, but in Florida the raindrops get a little help from volunteers with the University of Florida’s statewide Master Gardener Program – who provided almost $7 million in services last year.
April 23-29 marks National Volunteer Week, and UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is saluting the state’s 3,900 active Florida Master Gardeners, who help residents keep their lawns green and gardens flourishing in 52 counties.
“Volunteers are the backbone of our program, and many other UF extension efforts,” said Tom Wichman, state Master Gardener coordinator. “Training Floridians to help their neighbors and communities is a great investment, and the numbers tell us it’s paying off.”
Recently released statistics show Florida Master Gardeners contributed more than 387,000 hours of volunteer time in 2005, doing everything from training youth groups and staffing plant clinics to identifying pests and testing soil, Wichman said.
To become a Florida Master Gardener, applicants must complete a minimum of 50 hours’ training in horticulture, plant pathology, entomology and other topics, then provide at least 50 hours of volunteer work their first year. Some counties have more rigorous requirements, he said.
“The main prerequisites for our program are the desire to learn and the desire to share knowledge with others,” Wichman said. “A background in horticulture is nice, but it’s not necessary. We’re more interested in commitment than experience.”
Becky Wern knows about commitment. The Jacksonville resident has been with Duval County’s program since it began in 1983. Florida’s statewide Master Gardener Program began in 1979 and is conducted in cooperation with county governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture; nationally, the program originated in Washington in 1972.
Her early volunteer work with the program included answering plant questions by phone and giving educational presentations, but today Wern supervises other volunteers and co-authors a gardening column for The Florida Times-Union newspaper.
The biggest dividends from volunteering with Master Gardener are new friends and a sense of well-being that comes from helping others, she said.
Volunteers often provide some extra dividends to the program by contributing their expertise in other fields, said Terry DelValle, Duval County Master Gardener coordinator.
“Many of our Master Gardeners have professional degrees and they find ways to apply their knowledge here,” said DelValle, who works with about 140 volunteers. “Some are doctors or engineers, others have expertise in growing roses or cultivating Japanese bonsai trees, and become our resident experts on those topics.”
Volunteers also help raise awareness of UF extension, said Faith Alley, president of the Columbia County Master Gardener Program. A Master Gardener for four years, Alley said she was initially surprised that many residents were unaware of the services their extension office provides.
We make it a big priority to promote our extension alongside the Master Gardener Program,” said Alley, whose Lake City-based group was founded in 2000 and has already grown to about 100 volunteers. “They’re both fantastic resources.”
Extension horticulture agents work closely with Master Gardeners, providing them with training and research-based information from UF experts. And though Master Gardeners work with homeowners, extension agents handle a broader clientele, including homeowners, commercial enterprises and professional growers.
For newcomers to the state, the Florida Master Gardener Program can make the adjustment to Florida’s climate and growing conditions a little easier, said Jennifer Welshans, Master Gardener coordinator for Osceola County.
“This is one of the fastest-growing parts of the state, and new residents often try using the same plant-care methods that worked for them elsewhere, with disappointing results,” said Welshans, whose program has about 80 members and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. “Our volunteers can help people learn the best growing methods for Florida and show them plants that thrive here.”
Florida’s Master Gardeners can even reach people contemplating a move to Florida, thanks to the Internet. The Osceola County program’s Web site received almost a quarter-million hits in 2005, many of them from other states, said St. Cloud resident Patrick Lamond, webmaster for the site and a Master Gardener since 2000.
“Internet support is absolutely vital to the Master Gardener Program,” said Lamond, whose wife Carolyn has been a Master Gardener since 1998. “It helps us communicate with clients, and access electronic resources UF makes available to the public.”
A retired chemical engineer, Lamond devotes more than 500 hours a year to volunteer work with the UF extension; besides the Master Gardener Program he is also webmaster for the Osceola County Cooperative Extension office and participates in natural-resources projects.
In 2005, UF extension programs such as Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists and 4-H were assisted by more than 66,000 volunteers, who contributed more than 1.5 million hours of time, and logged almost 5 million client contacts, said Larry Arrington, UF dean for extension.
“Extension volunteers enable us to offer more services, reach more people and provide more help than we could otherwise,” Arrington said. “We’re grateful to them, and we’re glad to have an opportunity to say thanks.”
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