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Impact Report

For plan Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture (Los Alamos County)
Date November 2, 2011, 6:30 pm
For Objective Medium-term Show medium-term objectives
Impact Report Los Alamos Master Gardeners Association The Los Alamos Master Gardeners Association (LAMGA) was organized by the agent in 1996 and has continued to be an integral part of horticulture programming within the county. Sustainable membership is at approximately 50 volunteers. The goals of the association include the promotion of knowledgeable, effective, and safe horticultural and gardening practices in furtherance of NMSU; and promotion of goodwill in our community by participating in horticultural and educational service projects. Although the primary function for the Association is to provide knowledgeable, research based information to the public, there are limits to what can be expected of volunteers to master, therefore there is continued reliance by the community on the agent. Twenty one participants are enrolled in the Master Gardener training program [21(W); (19(F), 2(M)]. Participants receive 45 hours of college level training in the area of urban horticulture. Classes are taught by the horticulture agent and NMSU specialists from the Extension Plant Sciences Department. Topics included in the training were: Soils, Basic Botany, Fruit Trees and Small Fruits, Vegetables, The Plant Environment, Composting, Water Harvesting, Roses, Houseplants and Container Gardening, Wildlife Damage Control, Turf, Evergreens, Defensible space, Roses, Ornamental Plants, lant Diseases, Weed Identification & Control and Insect Identification and Control. All twenty one participants passed the minimum criteria for certification which included attendance of 80% of classes and the achievement of 80% accuracy on all quizzes following each of the 14 classes. The major emphasis for the Association continues to be the development and maintenance of the Los Alamos Demonstration Garden, one of the largest demonstration gardens in New Mexico. This educational garden started in 1990 by the Los Alamos County Cooperative Extension Service and PRIDE Committee. It was adopted by the Los Alamos Master Gardeners’ Club(LAMG) in 1995. LAMGA maintains the Garden with support from Los Alamos County Parks Division, grants and memorial donations. Under the supervision of the agent, Master Gardeners contributed 745 hours to the LA Demonstration Garden and other programs during the reporting period with the approximate value of $13,075.00. The agent also dedicated time to projects which included the continued development of a dry shade garden, addition of a vertical rock garden and expansion of the herb garden. There was also continued development of the xeric, transition and oasis gardens. Under agent supervision, the Los Alamos Master Gardeners Association hosted its first biennial Garden Fair in June at the Demonstration Garden as part of Chamber Fest, a community-wide festival. A wide variety of gardening activities and seminars were provided for the general public. Tours of the garden, seminars on defensible space, gopher management, automatic irrigation and plant selection were included. In addition there was a plant sale and activities for children. Los Alamos became the first county in New Mexico to offer the Junior Master Gardener Program. The program engages children in novel, “hands-on” group and individual learning experiences that promote a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and cultivate the mind. JMG encourages youths to be of service to others through service learning and leadership development projects and rewards them with certification. Twelve members completed the program where they participated in hands-on activities and projects which included: • Plant Growth and Development • Soils and Water • Ecology and Environmental Horticulture • Insects and Diseases • Landscape Horticulture • Fruits and Nuts • Vegetables and Herbs • Life Skills and Career Exploration Participants were certified and awarded pins based on their completion of the interactive youth handbook. Additionally volunteers were involved in offering a joint public program with the Los Alamos Photography Club which featured famed author and photographer Charles Mann who lectured on “Art Gardening and Photography” There were 37 participants. Three volunteers judged at the Science Fair. Volunteers were also involved in adding the Los Alamos Demonstration Garden to the “Walking Tour” brochure which is published by the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce. Approximately 2600 of these brochures are distributed to Los Alamos visitors each year. Green Industry The County is also home to many landscape professionals. Several of these businesses take advantage of the services provided by the Los Alamos Cooperative Extension Service, not least among these consultations on problems they are not able to solve to their own, or their clients, satisfaction. The agent provided 57 such consultations over the course of the year. Other Activities The horticulture agent attended five Landscape Review Committee meetings to review and approve landscapes for the KRSN tower, White Rock Visitors Center, Bechtel Corporation Site, County Judicial Site and LA County Golf Course Clubhouse. The approvals are part of the planning and zoning approval process within the Los Alamos Community Development Department for all commercial and County building projects.