- Author: Pamela M. Geisel
- Author: Janet Hartin
As a long-term UCCE environmental horticulture advisor, I would like to express my appreciation to Master Gardener Program Director Pam Geisel and her staff for providing outstanding statewide leadership.
In a mere six short years under Pam’s direction, the UC ANR Master Gardener program has received $ 300,000 in grants that provided support to the CA Garden Web; updates to the Backyard Orchard; the FAQ system; outreach materials such as posters and tips; sustainable landscape ‘train the trainer’ workshops and PowerPoint presentations; ‘Your Sustainable Backyard Training’ (in collaboration with CCUH); a SARE grant to support further sustainable landscape training; and, a recent ANR competitive grant to develop and extend...
- Author: Pamela M. Geisel
Working in concert with the California Nursery industry and PlantRight, the UCCE Master Gardeners participated in an on the ground nursery survey to track the retail market for “garden related” invasive plants in California.
This is the 2nd year in which more than 140 Master Gardener (MG) volunteers conducted the survey of over 200 randomly selected retail nurseries. The survey asks the MGs to go through assigned nurseries to evaluate the presence or absence of any of the PlantRight targeted 19 invasive species. By understanding which invasive species were still being sold through the retail markets, PlantRight can develop better strategies to target their outreach and educational efforts directed at the...
- Author: Pamela M. Geisel
Every year as the Statewide Master Gardener Coordinator, I am asked to create a report that our adminstration can share with the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA-USDA) on the work of the UC Master Gardener Program. It includes the number of volunteers, contacts and the like. I have just completed our report for FY 2010-11 and I find that I am awestruck by the volunteer efforts of Master Gardeners.
The volunteer hours they give and the quality of work they do is breathtaking. I take my hat off to the over 5,468 Certified Master Gardener Volunteers in California. In July 2010, we had 4837 volunteers. We observe a net increase of 571 Volunteers this...
- Author: Pamela M. Geisel
The passion for affecting positive change in Inyo and Mono County has earned the Master Gardeners there the honor of being named the Community Group of the Year in 2010. The Master Gardeners there are a fairly new group with their first class training held in 2009-2010. However, they are very enthusiastic group with lots of ideas that are clearly aligned with the ANR Strategic Initiatives. In a very short time and in a small community, they are up to 80 Master Gardeners. Their main projects are really focused on sustainable food systems which is especially important because of the isolation factor for many of the residents. It is a two hour or more drive to the closest Costco! They have worked extensively with Easter Sierra...
- Author: Pamela M. Geisel
(Text abridged from CDFA Alert) In October 18th, 2010 Ag officials confimred the detection of a red palm weevil (scientific name: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus and native to Southeast Asia) in Orange County. This is the first time this pest has been found in the US. The weevil is considered one of the worst pests of palm trees and the trees, once infested usually die.
According to A.J. Kwamura, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary A.G. Kawamura. “It also endangers all of the decorative palms that are so common in our landscape and so much a part of the classic California backdrop. I would like to express my gratitude to the landscape contractor who originally reported this pest. He is...
