Boone County CES

Title:

Horticultural Leadership Training & Volunteer Development

MAP:

Leadership Education and Volunteer Development

Agents Involved:

Gina Ligon, David Koester

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Master Gardener

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Empowering Community Leaders (general)

Situation:

The horticultural community in northern Kentucky has come to expect and really look forward to a local Master Gardener Program training series. Adult volunteers want to become involved in horticulture-related volunteer opportunities. Leadership skills, knowledge of correct parliamentary procedures, and willingness to lead a group is lacking in those volunteers. Garden club members, "Friends of Boone County Arboretum" and backyard gardeners in general have requested extensive horticultural training at a nearby location, without having to go to Lexington or Cincinnati. There is also a growing demand for volunteer help related to horticulture coming from the county parks systems, the Boone County Arboretum, community gardening and beautification projects and the 3 northern KY. Extension Offices.

Long-Term Outcomes:

*Environmental conditions (soil, air and water) will improve in the Northern Kentucky area as Master Gardeners help educate others and as they personally implement best management practices, stop applying excessive fertilizers, lime and pesticides, and put into practice more environmental conservation practices.
* The environment will become cleaner, safer and healthier as Master Gardeners and homeowners they work with are educated regarding proper pesticide selection and use on lawns and landscapes to prevent pesticide drift, soil and water contamination, and the over-use of pesticides in general.
* Communities and environment will improve as Master Gardeners and individuals and community organizations they work with adopt environmental conservation practices to conserve soil, clean air and water, such as mulching, composting, recycling, soil testing, rain gardens, rain barrels, using cover crops, organic pesticides (when effective), etc.
* A cleaner, safer, healthier environment will be the result of "going green", and less dependence on hazardous chemicals and their improper use on food crops. Less pollution of the air, water and soils will occur due to the Master Gardener educational outreach program.
* Property values and real estate values will increase as residential landscapes and communities are beautified and enhanced by Master Gardeners and the people they reach through new plantings of superior, colorful flowers, shrubs, and trees, and as lawns are improved as well. Property values will increase in response to proper tree pruning, correct lawn and landscape fertilizing, mowing, pest and disease control, mulching and planting techniques, resulting in healthier, faster-growing, longer-lived trees, shrubs and ornamental flowers in home and community landscapes.
*Master Gardener class participants and the backyard gardeners they work with will realize significant financial saving or gain, increased profits or a higher standard of living resulting from implementing Extension horticulture recommendations taught through the Master Gardener program, as individuals learn how to be more efficient, acquire specific job skills or even a better job, lower their energy consumption, conserve and become better managers of their resources. Those doing their own home landscaping, lawn care and gardening will save money by learning to better manage their plants and thereby reduce the need for some of the costly pesticides, and by not applying unnecessary lime and fertilizers, based on soil test results.
* Less of the family food budget will be spent on purchased food, as more individuals learn to grow their own fresh produce at home.
*The personal and professional lives of Master Gardeners and their communities at large will be enhanced as individuals and working teams gain decision-making skills, life skills, problem-solving skills, improved communication and leadership skills as they grow in knowledge and confidence, and as they take a more active role in addressing significant community issues and as they offer more volunteer service hours to their community.
*Volunteers trained in horticulture will step forward and become elected officers on local boards and committees, and will become leaders in their communities.
*Social gatherings for outreach, education and support will include groups of Master Gardeners who share a common interest and common bond through horticulture.
* Social and family interaction will involve more discussion and shared time relating to gardening activities as Master Gardeners promote this.
*Non-profit organizations will benefit financially and aesthetically as Master Gardeners volunteer time and leadership on horticulture related projects.
*The overall quality and beauty of parks trees, arboretum trees, school landscapes, city plantings, and Extension Office grounds will improve, and landscapes will become more attractive from well-designed plantings and maintenance provided by Master Gardener volunteers.
*More highly educated and experienced workers will enter the "Green Industry" workforce.
*Environmental protection and conservation will be enhanced as more people become aware of how they can help.
*The Cooperative Extension Service will benefit by having access to a highly trained pool of volunteers to help with horticulture-related classes, workshops, demonstrations, projects and teaching materials.
* The health and general well-being of Master Gardeners, their families and other individuals they work with will improve.
*Communities will become healthier and safer as individuals realize personal health benefits (i.e., stress relief, locally growing and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, personal weight loss when needed, better overall health, more personal satisfaction in life, etc.) due to working with plants, gardening, observing nature, enhancing and beautifying the environment, finding a fulfilling job they enjoy, and implementing safer practices relating to the use of equipment and pesticides. More people will receive health benefits such as weight loss and stress relief as they get more outdoor exercise, fresh air and sunshine from working in their own lawn, landscape and flower beds as a pleasant pastime or hobby, as they receive guidance, leadership and encouragement from the Master Gardeners.

Intermediate Outcomes:

Practices:
*Our horticulture volunteers will gain personal confidence as they learn about leadership skills and parliamentary procedures, and will begin to consider stepping into community leadership roles.
*Those involved in the Master Gardener program and the Arboretum "Friends" group will change how they select plants, and how they prune, fertilize, mulch, water, and control pests. As they change these practices, they will become more environmentally responsible.
*Participants will start to choose and plant varieties that are known to be resistant to pests and adapted to the local site conditions (soil, moisture, sunlight, drainage, etc.). This will lead to plant longevity and success in the landscape with minimal pesticide application.

Initial Outcomes:

KOSA:
*Students will learn skills in pruning and plant and insect identification through hands-on activities. They will learn plant diagnostic skills.
*Students' opinions will change as they learn that many of their current beliefs have now been disproven through research... i.e., the use of "wound dressing" on tree wounds has been proven to be harmful to the plant.
*Students will acquire basic background knowledge of biology, soils, plant pathology, entomology, fruit science, olericulture (vegetables), landscape horticulture, turfgrass science, and floriculture. This basic knowledge will help them make correct diagnoses and make wise choices as volunteers and as professionals in the horticultural world.
*Students in schools will become more knowledgeable about and interested in trees, shrubs, flowers, fruits and vegetables as Master Gardeners get involved in school projects.
*The Northern KY. Master Gardener Association and the Arboretum "Friends" group will get stronger leadership as volunteers learn parliamentary procedure and gain leadership skills.

Evaluation:

EVALUATION:

Outcome: More volunteers will serve in leadership roles in their community.

Indicator: Local groups, boards and associations will be led by Master Gardeners and Arboretum "Friends" volunteers as they assume a more involved role in leadership activities.

Method: Observation of volunteer involvement in the Northern Kentucky Master Gardener Association, the "Friends of Boone Co. Arboretum", and other community groups.

Timeline: on-going, over the next 5-10 years (long-term)

Outcome: Improve the overall health and beauty of landscapes in parks, schools, city projects, and other non-profit enterprises.

Indicator: Appearance of landscapes, comments from observers and school teachers involved with Master Gardener projects.

Method: Students will be asked to provide Extension with a written record of what horticultural beautification projects and educational activities they are involved in each year.

Timeline: On-going, as Master Gardener projects are completed.

Outcome: Master Gardeners will get involved in social interaction groups for support on horticulture related projects. A No. KY. Master Gardener Association was formed, and now meets regularly and puts on educational programs and fundraisers, now serving all master gardeners, not just board members as in the past.

Indicator: The number of people joining garden clubs and the Master Gardener Association.

Method: Annual survey of master gardeners.

Timeline: At end of calendar year.

Outcome: Students will learn new skills relating to pruning and plant identification and proper use in the landscape.

Indicator: A midterm exam and a final exam are indicators of on-going learning during the class. Attendance of Master Gardeners at other (voluntary) horticulture-related classes will help indicate their continued interest and desire to learn. Follow-up surveys from those classes will indicate what new skills were learned and put into practice.

Method: Tests and exams during class; written follow-up surveys.

Timeline: March 23, 2017 is next N. KY. Master Gardener class, with graduation in May, 2017, then on-going with each class survey.

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Master Gardener candidates often come from garden clubs, civic organizations, or "green industry" stores. They are individuals who have a keen interest in gardening as a hobby, or who grew up on a farm, or have had previous courses related to horticulture. We often get retired people, although others take off work or take vacation to attend the class. We get more females than males; especially housewives.

Education:

Audience: Master Gardener Candidates

Activity: 15 weeks of in-depth classes, each lasting 4 hours, and including a mid-term exam and a Final Exam.

Content or Curriculum: Sessions on a wide range of topics, including botany, soils, plant pathology, entomology, fruits, vegetables, annual and perennial flowers, landscape trees and shrubs and their care, lawns, composting, landscape design, etc.

Date: 15 weeks, starting December 2017 and continuing through March 2018. Repeats yearly, rotating between Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties. Hosting agent and hort tech also help teach each year, regardless of location.

Activity: Hands-on Master Gardener Projects and Internships

Content or Curriculum: Various horticulture related projects, activities, demonstrations and teaching sessions conducted by the Master Gardeners to earn their required hours of service to non-profit organizations. Master Gardeners will help lead arboretum tours for school groups, will be responsible for the "Ask A Master Gardener" booth at Boone County Public Libraries and Farmers Markets and County Fair, and will be involved in many arboretum volunteer projects, plus projects at the Historic Dinsmore Home in the county.

Supervised training at volunteer work days at the Extension Office "Dig Party Thursday's" and "Dig in the Dirt" activities at the arboretum, Arboretum Children's Garden maintenance and youth activities (Fall, 2017 and Spring, 2018), the Fall Plant Sale (September, 2017), the "Arboretum Affair" (October, 2017) Plant Auction, the Spring Arboretum plant sale (May, 2018), "Arbor Day at the Arboretum" (April, 2018), the Arboretum 5K Run/Walk (April, 2018), and the Spring Tea & Educational programs (March, 2018). Most events repeat yearly.

Date: Monthly, throughout the year, especially spring and fall.

Inputs:

The N. KY. Master Gardener Program is a team effort between the horticultural agents and hort technicians in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton County Extension Offices. All are involved as Directors in planning and conducting the overall program. U.K. Extension Specialists also help teach some of the classes, especially Plant Pathology and Entomology. We use the Kentucky Master Gardener Manual, plus many supplemental handouts created and provided by the speaker of the day.

Audience: Volunteers in the "Friends of Boone County Arboretum" organization.

Education: Various learning opportunities related to increasing leadership skills and improving horticultural knowledge so the volunteers can effectively lead and teach other gardeners, as indicated by specific classes listed below.

Activity: "Wednesday Walks" Plant I.D. Skills Workshop Trainings at the Boone County Arboretum.

Content or Curriculum: These hands-on classes help volunteers learn how to identify various trees, shrubs and flowers by their unique growth habit, leaf shape and color, stem color and texture, flower size and color and bloom season, and by their fall foliage color and their ornamental or unique fruit and its persistence on the plant. Teaching skills will also be demonstrated to Arboretum Friends members who participate in the walks.

Date: July 2017 and then the first Wednesday of each month from August through October, and again in the spring of 2018 starting in April, May and June. Repeats yearly. Horticulture agent and a hort tech coordinate with the Boone County Arboretum Director and Arboretum Curator to coordinate and teach the class series.

Inputs:

The N. KY. Master Gardener Program is a team effort between the horticultural agents and hort technicians in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton County Extension Offices. All are involved as Directors in planning and conducting the overall program. U.K. Extension Specialists also help teach some of the classes, especially Plant Pathology and Entomology. We use the Kentucky Master Gardener Manual, plus many supplemental handouts created and provided by the speaker of the day.

Inputs for the Arboretum Friends Group include the Extension Horticulture Agent, all three of the Hort Technicians, the Arboretum Director, Curator, and summer interns.

Activity: Leadership and parliamentary procedure training and guidance at the meetings of the Arboretum Friends group and the N. KY. Master Gardener Association. Work one-on-one with individuals, encouraging them to become officers in the organizations, then providing them with the tools and resources they need to function effectively in a leadership role.

Inputs: Horticulture Agent and Hort Technician, plus past officers of this and other organizations. Literature on "Parliamentary Procedure & How to Conduct a Meeting" from the University of Kentucky.

Success Stories