Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.
Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture (Bernalillo County)
Plan Goals
To improve public's satisfaction with landscape plant issues by teaching proper plant selection and management, including pest, disease and weed control; soil conditioning and fertilization; and appropriate, efficient irrigation.
- Owner
- Related Plans
-
Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture
Impact Reports
C. A demonstration xeriscape garden has for several years been a very visible and effective means of landscape water conservation. It has been highly regarded locally and nationally. In 2009 the Sandoval County Master Gardeners received the 2009 Search for Excellence Award at the International Master Gardeners Conference in Las Vegas, NV for this demonstration xeriscape garden they have maintained for many years . The demonstration garden was also featured on the “Gardening by the Yard” television program hosted by Paul James and broadcast nationally by the Home and Gardening Network.
Long-term successes
A. In a conversation with Jim Brooks, proprietor of Soilutions (a composting and landscape waste recycling firm in Albuquerque), I was told that his $ ¾ million business was the result of Extension an NMSU Extension project begun in the early 1990’s. In response to a request from the City of Albuquerque Waste Management Department, as Bernalillo County Extension Horticulture Agent I began a Master Composter Program attended by Jim Brooks. Although he was already composting, the course taught by NMSU Specialists, local experts, and me provided new information at a depth that improved his knowledge of composting. In addition to knowledge he gained in the classes, he told me that a person to whom I introduced him became his partner in the formation of Soilutions. In addition to the direct economic benefits of job creation and income to the company, the company economically and environmentally benefits the City of Albuquerque by recycling landscape wastes (under contract to the City). These waste materials are used to produce valuable soil amendment rather than contributing to the filling and eventual moving of the municipal landfill to a location farther from the city (increasing costs to city taxpayers and rate payers). These citizens have access to an economical soil amendment to improve their garden soil and reduce irrigation needs. Jim Brooks continues to be a local resource teaching composting and other environmentally wise activities to people in the Albuquerque area and all New Mexico, to work with state and municipal agencies. This continuation of information dissemination was the reason Master Composters were formed. Jim still remembers and discusses the importance of NMSU Extension Programs in this area. (Master Composter education has been incorporated into Master Gardener training since I left Bernalillo County, but in the past year there has been a citizen based effort to reestablish the program and Bernalillo County Extension has been a partner in this process.)
B. John Bulton, director of East Central Ministries (a non-profit faith-based organization), recently told me that the olla production facility that his ministry operates supports 1/3 of his ministry to a disadvantaged community within Albuquerque. This ministry was established in a multi-cultural community with gang violence, drug problems, and chronic unemployment/underemployment. John established the ministry and olla production facility to teach employment skills, provide food support (food pantry) and a clothing closet for the community. This has grown to include a low cost apartment living facility in which life skills are taught, a community garden, an affordable middle school, and a health clinic. All this is supported by donations and the olla production facility. A related consequence is that the production of ollas has improved landscape water use efficiency in numerous residential landscapes in New Mexico and many other state in which East Central Ministry sells ollas. To date I am not aware of any other major producers of ollas, although I have spoken to people who expressed an interest in starting production.
A. In a conversation with Jim Brooks, proprietor of Soilutions (a composting and landscape waste recycling firm in Albuquerque), I was told that his $ ¾ million business was the result of Extension an NMSU Extension project begun in the early 1990’s. In response to a request from the City of Albuquerque Waste Management Department, as Bernalillo County Extension Horticulture Agent I began a Master Composter Program attended by Jim Brooks. Although he was already composting, the course taught by NMSU Specialists, local experts, and me provided new information at a depth that improved his knowledge of composting. In addition to knowledge he gained in the classes, he told me that a person to whom I introduced him became his partner in the formation of Soilutions. In addition to the direct economic benefits of job creation and income to the company, the company economically and environmentally benefits the City of Albuquerque by recycling landscape wastes (under contract to the City). These waste materials are used to produce valuable soil amendment rather than contributing to the filling and eventual moving of the municipal landfill to a location farther from the city (increasing costs to city taxpayers and rate payers). These citizens have access to an economical soil amendment to improve their garden soil and reduce irrigation needs. Jim Brooks continues to be a local resource teaching composting and other environmentally wise activities to people in the Albuquerque area and all New Mexico, to work with state and municipal agencies. This continuation of information dissemination was the reason Master Composters were formed. Jim still remembers and discusses the importance of NMSU Extension Programs in this area. (Master Composter education has been incorporated into Master Gardener training since I left Bernalillo County, but in the past year there has been a citizen based effort to reestablish the program and Bernalillo County Extension has been a partner in this process.)
B. John Bulton, director of East Central Ministries (a non-profit faith-based organization), recently told me that the olla production facility that his ministry operates supports 1/3 of his ministry to a disadvantaged community within Albuquerque. This ministry was established in a multi-cultural community with gang violence, drug problems, and chronic unemployment/underemployment. John established the ministry and olla production facility to teach employment skills, provide food support (food pantry) and a clothing closet for the community. This has grown to include a low cost apartment living facility in which life skills are taught, a community garden, an affordable middle school, and a health clinic. All this is supported by donations and the olla production facility. A related consequence is that the production of ollas has improved landscape water use efficiency in numerous residential landscapes in New Mexico and many other state in which East Central Ministry sells ollas. To date I am not aware of any other major producers of ollas, although I have spoken to people who expressed an interest in starting production.
Urban horticulture continues to be this agent’s most active POW field, encompassing all home-owner interactions, most commercial operation interactions, most site visits and phone calls, most committee and conference work. Topics covered under this broad heading include home vegetable gardening, urban tree care, lawn and landscape care, xeriscape issues, insect identifications, and related subjects.
The Master Gardener program assists the agent considerably in this area. We have about 200 active Master Gardeners in the county. This volunteer group has a well-developed governance structure and long-term momentum. Agent acts as Faculty Advisor, and lead instructor for the training classes, but much of the credit for the success of the program is due directly to the wonderful volunteers we have. Many put in way more than the 40 hours of volunteer time we require. They enjoy the learning, the educating of others, and the camaraderie of the corps.
In a typical year, our Master Gardeners report about 10,000 hours of volunteer time in service to our County office. Many of those hours are logged on the Hotline, every call of which is one the agent doesn’t have to take (though a good number get referred on for further elucidation). Other volunteer activities include staffing tables at various libraries on certain weekends, an information table at the Downtown Growers Market, 4-H Seeds Program, ARCA greenhouse and gardens, Organic Demo Garden, Tomato Fiesta, Fall Plant Sale, Spring Plant Sale, and various others. The Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners are also the largest and most active member group within the broad umbrella organization known as the Albuquerque Council of Garden Clubs. This organization maintains a building, which the Master Gardeners use for training purposes, and provides a second hotline phone site for our volunteers.
In 2009, we enrolled 60 new students in our county Master Gardener classes. Of these, 6 paid extra to take the classes without becoming volunteers. Over the 13 weeks of the class, we lost 2 students. A simple evaluation tool was administered on the last day of classes; 78% of the class submitted evaluations. Of these, 100% indicated they learned new information and/or skills; 100% indicated they would use this new information/skill set; 34% felt the new information would be "quite" useful to them, while 66% indicated the information would be "very" useful to them. 100% indicated they would recommend the program and the presenters to other people. Agent solicited commentary on his direct role as one of the instructors (agent teaches approximately 25% of the classes in this county). Comments received are represented by the following direct quotes:
“He is very knowledgeable and transmits info in a pleasant and easy way. Is very approachable.”; “Thank you. Great job. Joran is always extremely polite and very knowledgeable. This is an outstanding program. He is always prepared to back up if an instructor doesn't show.”; “He is an excellent representative for NMSU. Well spoken, well educated and very pleasant.”
Urban arboriculture continues to be a mainstay of agent’s activities. As an International Society of Arborists (ISA) certified arborist, agent is frequently consulted by commercial plant care companies for assistance with diagnosis and treatment suggestions. More than 50% of agent’s public phone calls are tree related, as well. Agent has instructed dozens of people on proper tree planting, pruning, watering, fertilization, and selection. Some of this is through hands-on workshops (National Hispanic Cultural Center, early March; no attendance taken or evaluations sought, but agent estimates attendance at this 4-hour workshop at 30 people; several local arborists including Nick Kuhn (City of Albuquerque), Bryan Shur (UNM Physical Plant) , and George Duda (recently retired from State Forestry) assisted in working with the attendees.) Much of agent’s arboriculture consultation was through one-on-one interactions. During the summer, it is a rare day that does not bring a few more branches and bags of leaves into agent’s office.
The agent also presented a lecture on urban arboriculture to both the Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners (AAEMG), as part of their regular training schedule, to San Juan County Master Gardeners, to Valencia County Master Gardeners, and at the Santa Fe Master Gardener’s Garden Fair. Of AAEMG interns who heard the presentation, 13 (22%) returned evaluations. One person felt the information would be “somewhat” useful, two felt it would be “quite a bit” useful and the ten felt it would be “very much” useful.
Nine AAEMG members and threeo non-members also attended a day-long Tree Tour, organized in conjunction with Ms. Judy Nickel (ISA certified arborist, member of Think Trees, and an AAEMG member). This driving tour of notable Albuquerque trees is something we try to do once or twice a year, and provides a hands-on venue to learn tree identification, cultural issues, and pest problems. All participants expressed having learned valuable new information.
The agent continues to be active in the New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf Tree Planting Advisory Committee, operating under the State Forestry Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. This committee reviews grant requests made by NM cities, towns and other public entities, and awards funds for tree planting projects on public lands with a strong community benefit factor. Agent is incoming vice-chair of the committee.
Much of the work agent does is with area greens industry members, whether that is in identifying insect and disease problems brought in, or meeting with industry professionals on-site to diagnose problems. This industry is in great need of good information and accurate identification of issues that may, or may not, be problems. Agent doesn’t have an formal evaluation process for this part of the clientele, but many are “repeat customers”, suggesting they benefit from the interaction.
Agent is also a member of the Xeriscape Council, which puts on a top-notch water-conservation conference every year, a conference of national and international stature. The main conference aims mostly at the design professional, which is appropriate in that many landscape problems are due to a lack of understanding by the designer about the horticultural constraints at play in a given site. There is also a series of free workshops (known as the expo) that immediately follow the conference, and these are aimed at the homeowner who wants more hands-on information on a variety of topics. In his role with the Xeriscape Council, agent helps set the agendas for the conference and expo, and does presentations at the Expo each year. Given the tremendous water issues facing us today in the Southwest, this work with xeriscaping is very important. Proper water management continues to elude many irrigators. Agent finds most tree and shrub issues have at least a partial cause in a lack of sufficient water, and/or an inappropriate irrigation schedule. Many commercial operators continue to put in systems that may work as plumbing but not as a horticulturally appropriate watering system. Agent tries to suggest to homeowners that they spend a bit more up front for an irrigation system that will actually supply the amount of water needed to the correct volume of soil in a timely manner; then he tries to explain, with examples, what this might look like.
Approximately 75% of agent’s phone calls, office visits, and site visits are with private citizens. Topics they need information on vary widely, from home vegetable gardening and fruit growing to plant identification and care advice. The following quote from a homeowner is illustrative of typical responses from contacts: “…He spent over an hour with me, discussing the problems with my tree…solving problems that I have had with other plants…He is obviously intelligent and knowledgeable. He listened to me carefully and answered my questions with great patience, kindness and completeness. Moreover, he took pains to make certain that I understood his explanations…Those who consult him will painlessly learn much, improve their skills, and thereby improve the Albuquerque landscape.”
Agent also provides presentations to groups, such as garden clubs and homeowners’ associations. In the 2008-2009 reporting year, agent made such presentations to various groups, on topics ranging from xeriscaping to home vegetable gardening, tree care to edible weeds. Eleven such presentations were made, mostly on weekends. Evaluations were not done for these presentations.
The Master Gardener program assists the agent considerably in this area. We have about 200 active Master Gardeners in the county. This volunteer group has a well-developed governance structure and long-term momentum. Agent acts as Faculty Advisor, and lead instructor for the training classes, but much of the credit for the success of the program is due directly to the wonderful volunteers we have. Many put in way more than the 40 hours of volunteer time we require. They enjoy the learning, the educating of others, and the camaraderie of the corps.
In a typical year, our Master Gardeners report about 10,000 hours of volunteer time in service to our County office. Many of those hours are logged on the Hotline, every call of which is one the agent doesn’t have to take (though a good number get referred on for further elucidation). Other volunteer activities include staffing tables at various libraries on certain weekends, an information table at the Downtown Growers Market, 4-H Seeds Program, ARCA greenhouse and gardens, Organic Demo Garden, Tomato Fiesta, Fall Plant Sale, Spring Plant Sale, and various others. The Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners are also the largest and most active member group within the broad umbrella organization known as the Albuquerque Council of Garden Clubs. This organization maintains a building, which the Master Gardeners use for training purposes, and provides a second hotline phone site for our volunteers.
In 2009, we enrolled 60 new students in our county Master Gardener classes. Of these, 6 paid extra to take the classes without becoming volunteers. Over the 13 weeks of the class, we lost 2 students. A simple evaluation tool was administered on the last day of classes; 78% of the class submitted evaluations. Of these, 100% indicated they learned new information and/or skills; 100% indicated they would use this new information/skill set; 34% felt the new information would be "quite" useful to them, while 66% indicated the information would be "very" useful to them. 100% indicated they would recommend the program and the presenters to other people. Agent solicited commentary on his direct role as one of the instructors (agent teaches approximately 25% of the classes in this county). Comments received are represented by the following direct quotes:
“He is very knowledgeable and transmits info in a pleasant and easy way. Is very approachable.”; “Thank you. Great job. Joran is always extremely polite and very knowledgeable. This is an outstanding program. He is always prepared to back up if an instructor doesn't show.”; “He is an excellent representative for NMSU. Well spoken, well educated and very pleasant.”
Urban arboriculture continues to be a mainstay of agent’s activities. As an International Society of Arborists (ISA) certified arborist, agent is frequently consulted by commercial plant care companies for assistance with diagnosis and treatment suggestions. More than 50% of agent’s public phone calls are tree related, as well. Agent has instructed dozens of people on proper tree planting, pruning, watering, fertilization, and selection. Some of this is through hands-on workshops (National Hispanic Cultural Center, early March; no attendance taken or evaluations sought, but agent estimates attendance at this 4-hour workshop at 30 people; several local arborists including Nick Kuhn (City of Albuquerque), Bryan Shur (UNM Physical Plant) , and George Duda (recently retired from State Forestry) assisted in working with the attendees.) Much of agent’s arboriculture consultation was through one-on-one interactions. During the summer, it is a rare day that does not bring a few more branches and bags of leaves into agent’s office.
The agent also presented a lecture on urban arboriculture to both the Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners (AAEMG), as part of their regular training schedule, to San Juan County Master Gardeners, to Valencia County Master Gardeners, and at the Santa Fe Master Gardener’s Garden Fair. Of AAEMG interns who heard the presentation, 13 (22%) returned evaluations. One person felt the information would be “somewhat” useful, two felt it would be “quite a bit” useful and the ten felt it would be “very much” useful.
Nine AAEMG members and threeo non-members also attended a day-long Tree Tour, organized in conjunction with Ms. Judy Nickel (ISA certified arborist, member of Think Trees, and an AAEMG member). This driving tour of notable Albuquerque trees is something we try to do once or twice a year, and provides a hands-on venue to learn tree identification, cultural issues, and pest problems. All participants expressed having learned valuable new information.
The agent continues to be active in the New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf Tree Planting Advisory Committee, operating under the State Forestry Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. This committee reviews grant requests made by NM cities, towns and other public entities, and awards funds for tree planting projects on public lands with a strong community benefit factor. Agent is incoming vice-chair of the committee.
Much of the work agent does is with area greens industry members, whether that is in identifying insect and disease problems brought in, or meeting with industry professionals on-site to diagnose problems. This industry is in great need of good information and accurate identification of issues that may, or may not, be problems. Agent doesn’t have an formal evaluation process for this part of the clientele, but many are “repeat customers”, suggesting they benefit from the interaction.
Agent is also a member of the Xeriscape Council, which puts on a top-notch water-conservation conference every year, a conference of national and international stature. The main conference aims mostly at the design professional, which is appropriate in that many landscape problems are due to a lack of understanding by the designer about the horticultural constraints at play in a given site. There is also a series of free workshops (known as the expo) that immediately follow the conference, and these are aimed at the homeowner who wants more hands-on information on a variety of topics. In his role with the Xeriscape Council, agent helps set the agendas for the conference and expo, and does presentations at the Expo each year. Given the tremendous water issues facing us today in the Southwest, this work with xeriscaping is very important. Proper water management continues to elude many irrigators. Agent finds most tree and shrub issues have at least a partial cause in a lack of sufficient water, and/or an inappropriate irrigation schedule. Many commercial operators continue to put in systems that may work as plumbing but not as a horticulturally appropriate watering system. Agent tries to suggest to homeowners that they spend a bit more up front for an irrigation system that will actually supply the amount of water needed to the correct volume of soil in a timely manner; then he tries to explain, with examples, what this might look like.
Approximately 75% of agent’s phone calls, office visits, and site visits are with private citizens. Topics they need information on vary widely, from home vegetable gardening and fruit growing to plant identification and care advice. The following quote from a homeowner is illustrative of typical responses from contacts: “…He spent over an hour with me, discussing the problems with my tree…solving problems that I have had with other plants…He is obviously intelligent and knowledgeable. He listened to me carefully and answered my questions with great patience, kindness and completeness. Moreover, he took pains to make certain that I understood his explanations…Those who consult him will painlessly learn much, improve their skills, and thereby improve the Albuquerque landscape.”
Agent also provides presentations to groups, such as garden clubs and homeowners’ associations. In the 2008-2009 reporting year, agent made such presentations to various groups, on topics ranging from xeriscaping to home vegetable gardening, tree care to edible weeds. Eleven such presentations were made, mostly on weekends. Evaluations were not done for these presentations.
1. Media
TV and newspaper: Numerous readers and viewers have approached me personally at various events and a.)stated that they have learned much about gardening in the Southwest from Southwest Yard and Garden (both print and tv), b.) people attending Extension Programs state that one reason they attend is that they learned from Southwest Yard and Garden (print and tv) that the Extension Service has information that benefits them and they want more Extension information, c.)many questions for the print Yard and Garden are prefaced with a thank you regarding what they have already learned, d.)viewers of tv SW Y&G have requested more shows and some potential underwriters have expressed willingness to help fund production o f new shows.
I have received messages on my office answering machine that just said “Thank you for all you do to help us garden in New Mexico.”
2. Master Gardeners
With specialist assistance Master Gardener programs in the counties are growing and providing increased assistance to the Extension Service agents as stated in the Agents’ impact statements.
Some Master Gardener programs have resulted in significant teaching opportunities for county residents:
Lea Co. – Waite House – the oldest residence in Lovington was donated to the Historical Society and Museum. The museum then gave access to this house to Lea County Master Gardeners to develop a demonstration garden and access to the house as a classroom.
NM Jr. College in Hobbs has been impressed by the Lea County Master Gardener program and has offered to provide classroom space for teaching Master Gardeners, advertising for the Master Gardener classes, and willingness to offer Junior College continuing education credits to people who take the Master Gardener classes.
Santa Fe - Habitat for Humanity has been using Santa Fe County Master Gardeners to design and install water efficient landscapes at the homes they build. The Master Gardeners then teach the new homeowners how to garden appropriately and conserve water.
El Rancho de los Golondrinos has worked with Master Gardeners maintaining a heritage apple orchard to demonstrate historical gardening practices to visitors.
Master Gardeners have maintained demonstration gardens and collaboration with NMSU Extension faculty (George Dickerson’s herb garden and Curtis Smith’s olla garden). This provides hands-on experience for the Master Gardeners who then teach this to their fellow citizens and to visitors to the demonstration garden site adjacent to the County Extension Service office.
Otero - An Otero County Master Gardener has become a regular landscape and garden columnist for the local newspaper providing appropriate information to the citizens of her county.
Sandoval - A demonstration garden in developed in cooperation with city of Rio Rancho, Sandoval Extension Service, and Master Gardener has been highly regarded locally and nationally.
3. Partnerships with other institutions:
CNM (formerly TV-I) – as chairman of the advisory committee for the Landscape Horticulture training program at CNM the Horticulture Specialist was in a position to encourage cooperation between NMSU and CNM. Dr. St. Hilaire on the NMSU end and Paul Zalesak at CNM have developed articulation agreements between NMSU and CNM. Distance learning venues were developed so that NMSU professors could teach some of the classes at CNM and some CNM teaching could be made available to NMSU students as desired by the faculty.
Northern NM Jr. College requested advice regarding landscape problems on the campus in Espanola, NM. A visit by the Horticulture Specialist and County Agent resulted in several solutions to the problems that the Physical Plant director and Grounds supervisor stated that they would implement. They were very thankful for the help and want to increase cooperation with NMSU.
4. As reported in County Agents’ impact statements, specialist support of county agents and county Master Gardeners has enabled them to meet the changing needs of the nursery industry and home gardeners in their counties, to develop educational programs in schools and among the public.
Specialist support of county Extension programs have enhanced agent respect within the counties to the point that they are often the source of information that cities, counties, and other organizations use for referrals.
TV and newspaper: Numerous readers and viewers have approached me personally at various events and a.)stated that they have learned much about gardening in the Southwest from Southwest Yard and Garden (both print and tv), b.) people attending Extension Programs state that one reason they attend is that they learned from Southwest Yard and Garden (print and tv) that the Extension Service has information that benefits them and they want more Extension information, c.)many questions for the print Yard and Garden are prefaced with a thank you regarding what they have already learned, d.)viewers of tv SW Y&G have requested more shows and some potential underwriters have expressed willingness to help fund production o f new shows.
I have received messages on my office answering machine that just said “Thank you for all you do to help us garden in New Mexico.”
2. Master Gardeners
With specialist assistance Master Gardener programs in the counties are growing and providing increased assistance to the Extension Service agents as stated in the Agents’ impact statements.
Some Master Gardener programs have resulted in significant teaching opportunities for county residents:
Lea Co. – Waite House – the oldest residence in Lovington was donated to the Historical Society and Museum. The museum then gave access to this house to Lea County Master Gardeners to develop a demonstration garden and access to the house as a classroom.
NM Jr. College in Hobbs has been impressed by the Lea County Master Gardener program and has offered to provide classroom space for teaching Master Gardeners, advertising for the Master Gardener classes, and willingness to offer Junior College continuing education credits to people who take the Master Gardener classes.
Santa Fe - Habitat for Humanity has been using Santa Fe County Master Gardeners to design and install water efficient landscapes at the homes they build. The Master Gardeners then teach the new homeowners how to garden appropriately and conserve water.
El Rancho de los Golondrinos has worked with Master Gardeners maintaining a heritage apple orchard to demonstrate historical gardening practices to visitors.
Master Gardeners have maintained demonstration gardens and collaboration with NMSU Extension faculty (George Dickerson’s herb garden and Curtis Smith’s olla garden). This provides hands-on experience for the Master Gardeners who then teach this to their fellow citizens and to visitors to the demonstration garden site adjacent to the County Extension Service office.
Otero - An Otero County Master Gardener has become a regular landscape and garden columnist for the local newspaper providing appropriate information to the citizens of her county.
Sandoval - A demonstration garden in developed in cooperation with city of Rio Rancho, Sandoval Extension Service, and Master Gardener has been highly regarded locally and nationally.
3. Partnerships with other institutions:
CNM (formerly TV-I) – as chairman of the advisory committee for the Landscape Horticulture training program at CNM the Horticulture Specialist was in a position to encourage cooperation between NMSU and CNM. Dr. St. Hilaire on the NMSU end and Paul Zalesak at CNM have developed articulation agreements between NMSU and CNM. Distance learning venues were developed so that NMSU professors could teach some of the classes at CNM and some CNM teaching could be made available to NMSU students as desired by the faculty.
Northern NM Jr. College requested advice regarding landscape problems on the campus in Espanola, NM. A visit by the Horticulture Specialist and County Agent resulted in several solutions to the problems that the Physical Plant director and Grounds supervisor stated that they would implement. They were very thankful for the help and want to increase cooperation with NMSU.
4. As reported in County Agents’ impact statements, specialist support of county agents and county Master Gardeners has enabled them to meet the changing needs of the nursery industry and home gardeners in their counties, to develop educational programs in schools and among the public.
Specialist support of county Extension programs have enhanced agent respect within the counties to the point that they are often the source of information that cities, counties, and other organizations use for referrals.
Urban horticulture is an extremely broad topic, which in some ways could also cover the work done by this agent under other Plans of Work. It is this agent’s most active POW field, encompassing all home-owner interactions, most commercial operation interactions, most site visits and phone calls, most committee and conference work. Topics covered under this broad heading include home vegetable gardening, urban tree care, lawn and landscape care, xeriscape issues, insect identifications, and related subjects. The Master Gardener program assists the agent considerably in this area, though not without some cost of agent’s time.
We have about 200 active Master Gardeners in the county. Due to the large size of the program, and the many and varied other duties of the agent, this group has developed its own governance structure and momentum. Agent acts as Faculty Advisor, and reigns in the wild ideas as needed, but much of the credit for the success of the program is due directly to the wonderful volunteers we have. Many put in way more than the 40 hours of volunteer time we require. They enjoy the learning, the educating of others, and the camaraderie of the corps. While acknowledging the very positive feedback the members give me, I feel that the program would benefit from a bit more active involvement on my part.
In a typical year, our Master Gardeners report about 10,000 hours of volunteer time in service to our County office. I do not have final numbers for 2008 yet, but those numbers will be comparable. Many of those hours are logged on the Hotline, every call of which is one that I don’t have to take (though a good number get referred on to me for further elucidation). Other volunteer activities include staffing tables at various libraries on certain weekends, 4-H Seeds Program, ARCA group home garden projects, Organic Demo Garden, and various others.
In 2008, we enrolled 60 new students in our county Master Gardener classes. Of these, 10 paid extra to take the classes without becoming volunteers. Over the 13 weeks of the class, we lost 5 students. A simple evaluation tool administered on the last day of classes yielded the following information: 47 people responded. Of these, 100% indicated they learned new information and/or skills; 100% indicated they would use this new information/skill set; 25.5% felt the new information would be "quite" useful to them, while 74.5% indicated the information would be "very" useful to them. 100% indicated they would recommend the program and the presenters to other people. I also asked for commentary on my direct role as one of the instructors (I teach approximately 25% of the classes in this county). Comments received tended to sound like the following direct quotes:
"One of our better speakers, most interesting"; "Has always been available and extremely helpful. Very approachable. Excellent interpersonal skills."; "He is very knowledgeable, entertaining and makes lectures more interesting - he should present more often."; "Joran is as good as it gets - an excellent presenter, enormous knowledge in the field, personable and entertaining as well as informative - a true expert whose enthusiasm shows - inspirational! 5 stars"; "Very practical, down to earth information and relaxed knowledgeable presentation style."
2008 was a good year for urban tree care in Bernalillo County. This agent is currently the only International Society of Arborists (ISA) certified arborist working in Cooperative Extension in New Mexico. Over 50% of calls, walk-ins and site visits are tree-care related. Information requested by the public ranges from selection and planting, through pest/disease identification and old-tree-health/hazard assessment. Given the large amount of mis-information available to the general public, agent feels he makes a huge difference not only to the trees’ owners, but for the trees’ health as well.
Agent arranged and led two tree pruning workshops early in the year. One focused on young fruit trees, and was attended by about 8 Master Gardeners, as well as two people who worked with the hosting institution, the Center for Action and Contemplation. No formal evaluation was done; however, the participants all reported having learned new information. The second workshop was hosted by the National Hispanic Cultural Center. For this workshop, I enlisted the aid of a number of local arborists, including: Bryan Suhr (UNM Physical Plant), Nick Kuhn (City of Albuquerque), George Duda (recently retired from State Forestry), and Lance Davisson (Duda’s replacement as State Urban Forester). We had about 40 people in attendance, including Master Gardeners, employees of some landscape care companies, grounds crew from the NHCC, and interested area residents. The workshop was publicized with the help of University Communications. The workshop format was instructional/hands-on: the first part of the day was spent with the various experts discussing pruning practices (why prune, where to prune, etc.) and addressing specific trees on site; the latter part of the workshop involved having the participants actually pruning the trees. These were all small trees that did not require safety rigging, and all pruning was done with hand tools. No formal evaluation was done, but several people remarked how much they appreciated the experience, and the NHCC has contacted me recently to set up another such workshop next year.
The agent also presented a lecture on urban arboriculture to both the Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners (AAEMG), as part of their regular training schedule, and to some Santa Fe County Master Gardeners, as a special presentation followed by a hands-on pruning demonstration. Of that latter group, 12 filled out evaluation forms. 100% stated they had learned new information; 58% felt the new information would be “quite a bit” useful to them, while 42% felt it would be “very much” useful to them. Some of the written observations included: “Very specific, down to earth presentation. The speaker is very clear.”; “Very dynamic speaker. New info presented that he just got from a professional conference. Also older info presented in a new light.”; “Joran Viers is an excellent speaker – enjoyed his pruning session as well.”.
Eleven AAEMG members and two non-members also attended a day-long Tree Tour, organized in conjunction with Ms. Judy Nickel (ISA certified arborist, member of Think Trees, and an AAEMG member). This driving tour of notable Albuquerque trees is something we try to do once or twice a year, and provides a hands-on venue to learn tree identification, cultural issues, and pest problems. All participants expressed having learned valuable new information.
The agent has recently been appointed to the New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf Tree Planting Advisory Committee, operating under the State Forestry Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. This committee reviews grant requests made by NM cities, towns and other public entities, and awards funds for tree planting projects on public lands with a strong community benefit factor.
Much of the work I do is with area greens industry members, whether that is in identifying insect and disease problems brought to me, or meeting with industry professionals on-site to diagnose problems. This industry is in great need of good information and accurate identification of issues that may, or may not, be problems. I’ve not introduced a way for them to formally evaluate these interactions, but based on the large number that keep coming back for assistance, they must be benefiting.
Agent is also a member of the Xeriscape Council, which puts on a top-notch water-conservation conference every year, a conference of national and international stature. The main conference aims mostly at the design professional, which is appropriate in that many landscape problems are due to a lack of understanding by the designer about the horticultural constraints at play in a given site. There is also a series of free workshops (known as the expo) that immediately follow the conference, and these are aimed at the homeowner who wants more hands-on information on a variety of topics. In my role with the Xeriscape Council, I help set the agendas for the conference and expo, and do presentations at one or both each year. Given the tremendous water issues facing us today in the Southwest, this work with xeriscaping is very important. I do find, however, that out in community, many of the ideas are poorly, or only partially, employed. Often I advise homeowners and landscape care professionals on the pros and cons of different irrigation and mulching schemes, as those two aspects are often inappropriate.
This year I submitted grant proposals to the Rio Grande Basin Initiative, for the purposes of helping establish three school gardens. The funds were used exclusively for drip irrigation systems, but my involvement went far beyond designing and installing these relatively simple systems. One school is a charter Montessori elementary school; one a middle school program working with behaviorally challenged students, and the last a post-high school transition program for behaviorally/developmentally challenged young adults. As part of the process at all these schools, the students were involved in putting the irrigation systems in place. I asked the teachers to provide some evaluation, by way of having the students make comments. Only one teacher really followed through, at the elementary school. Some of the kids comments were, “Awesome, I like doing this work.”; “I think it will grow. This was really fun. This will give our plants a way to drink water.”; “I was so disappointed that I had to leave before we finished. I really enjoyed learning about a drip system. Now I really understand how one works.”
With the young adults group, I also took them on three field trips to see local gardens/small farms. This was both entertaining and challenging, but thankfully their teachers were there to respond to the challenges. Robert Burnett, the lead teacher for this program, writes, “Dear Joran, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all your assistance over the past few months. With your help we have been able to achieve our objectives of planting a community garden, improving our growing skills, and learning about the agriculture industry. We have enjoyed working with you and truly appreciate your flexibility and special attention. Our Garden is doing well thanks to the drip irrigation system you supplied and helped us install. Plus, the field trips we took with you this summer provided great examples of what we can do if we put in the time and effort. I look forward to working with you more in the future as we continue to pursue our gardening goals.”
Approximately 75% of agent’s phone calls, office visits, and site visits are with private citizens. Topics they need information on vary widely, from home vegetable gardening and fruit growing to plant identification and care advice. The following quote from a homeowner is illustrative of typical responses from contacts: “…He spent over an hour with me, discussing the problems with my tree…solving problems that I have had with other plants…He is obviously intelligent and knowledgeable. He listened to me carefully and answered my questions with great patience, kindness and completeness. Moreover, he took pains to make certain that I understood his explanations…Those who consult him will painlessly learn much, improve their skills, and thereby improve the Albuquerque landscape.”
Agent also provides presentations to groups of private citizens, such as garden clubs and homeowners’ associations. Over the almost-five years that agent has been in this position, approximately 90 presentations have been made to a wide variety of groups, from home-school children to senior citizen groups, and on a wide variety of topics. Some of these have been lecture style, some have been hands-on. I have been weak on doing formal evaluations, but the online evaluation system that the IT people are helping me set up should make that process much easier, both for clients and me.
We have about 200 active Master Gardeners in the county. Due to the large size of the program, and the many and varied other duties of the agent, this group has developed its own governance structure and momentum. Agent acts as Faculty Advisor, and reigns in the wild ideas as needed, but much of the credit for the success of the program is due directly to the wonderful volunteers we have. Many put in way more than the 40 hours of volunteer time we require. They enjoy the learning, the educating of others, and the camaraderie of the corps. While acknowledging the very positive feedback the members give me, I feel that the program would benefit from a bit more active involvement on my part.
In a typical year, our Master Gardeners report about 10,000 hours of volunteer time in service to our County office. I do not have final numbers for 2008 yet, but those numbers will be comparable. Many of those hours are logged on the Hotline, every call of which is one that I don’t have to take (though a good number get referred on to me for further elucidation). Other volunteer activities include staffing tables at various libraries on certain weekends, 4-H Seeds Program, ARCA group home garden projects, Organic Demo Garden, and various others.
In 2008, we enrolled 60 new students in our county Master Gardener classes. Of these, 10 paid extra to take the classes without becoming volunteers. Over the 13 weeks of the class, we lost 5 students. A simple evaluation tool administered on the last day of classes yielded the following information: 47 people responded. Of these, 100% indicated they learned new information and/or skills; 100% indicated they would use this new information/skill set; 25.5% felt the new information would be "quite" useful to them, while 74.5% indicated the information would be "very" useful to them. 100% indicated they would recommend the program and the presenters to other people. I also asked for commentary on my direct role as one of the instructors (I teach approximately 25% of the classes in this county). Comments received tended to sound like the following direct quotes:
"One of our better speakers, most interesting"; "Has always been available and extremely helpful. Very approachable. Excellent interpersonal skills."; "He is very knowledgeable, entertaining and makes lectures more interesting - he should present more often."; "Joran is as good as it gets - an excellent presenter, enormous knowledge in the field, personable and entertaining as well as informative - a true expert whose enthusiasm shows - inspirational! 5 stars"; "Very practical, down to earth information and relaxed knowledgeable presentation style."
2008 was a good year for urban tree care in Bernalillo County. This agent is currently the only International Society of Arborists (ISA) certified arborist working in Cooperative Extension in New Mexico. Over 50% of calls, walk-ins and site visits are tree-care related. Information requested by the public ranges from selection and planting, through pest/disease identification and old-tree-health/hazard assessment. Given the large amount of mis-information available to the general public, agent feels he makes a huge difference not only to the trees’ owners, but for the trees’ health as well.
Agent arranged and led two tree pruning workshops early in the year. One focused on young fruit trees, and was attended by about 8 Master Gardeners, as well as two people who worked with the hosting institution, the Center for Action and Contemplation. No formal evaluation was done; however, the participants all reported having learned new information. The second workshop was hosted by the National Hispanic Cultural Center. For this workshop, I enlisted the aid of a number of local arborists, including: Bryan Suhr (UNM Physical Plant), Nick Kuhn (City of Albuquerque), George Duda (recently retired from State Forestry), and Lance Davisson (Duda’s replacement as State Urban Forester). We had about 40 people in attendance, including Master Gardeners, employees of some landscape care companies, grounds crew from the NHCC, and interested area residents. The workshop was publicized with the help of University Communications. The workshop format was instructional/hands-on: the first part of the day was spent with the various experts discussing pruning practices (why prune, where to prune, etc.) and addressing specific trees on site; the latter part of the workshop involved having the participants actually pruning the trees. These were all small trees that did not require safety rigging, and all pruning was done with hand tools. No formal evaluation was done, but several people remarked how much they appreciated the experience, and the NHCC has contacted me recently to set up another such workshop next year.
The agent also presented a lecture on urban arboriculture to both the Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners (AAEMG), as part of their regular training schedule, and to some Santa Fe County Master Gardeners, as a special presentation followed by a hands-on pruning demonstration. Of that latter group, 12 filled out evaluation forms. 100% stated they had learned new information; 58% felt the new information would be “quite a bit” useful to them, while 42% felt it would be “very much” useful to them. Some of the written observations included: “Very specific, down to earth presentation. The speaker is very clear.”; “Very dynamic speaker. New info presented that he just got from a professional conference. Also older info presented in a new light.”; “Joran Viers is an excellent speaker – enjoyed his pruning session as well.”.
Eleven AAEMG members and two non-members also attended a day-long Tree Tour, organized in conjunction with Ms. Judy Nickel (ISA certified arborist, member of Think Trees, and an AAEMG member). This driving tour of notable Albuquerque trees is something we try to do once or twice a year, and provides a hands-on venue to learn tree identification, cultural issues, and pest problems. All participants expressed having learned valuable new information.
The agent has recently been appointed to the New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf Tree Planting Advisory Committee, operating under the State Forestry Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. This committee reviews grant requests made by NM cities, towns and other public entities, and awards funds for tree planting projects on public lands with a strong community benefit factor.
Much of the work I do is with area greens industry members, whether that is in identifying insect and disease problems brought to me, or meeting with industry professionals on-site to diagnose problems. This industry is in great need of good information and accurate identification of issues that may, or may not, be problems. I’ve not introduced a way for them to formally evaluate these interactions, but based on the large number that keep coming back for assistance, they must be benefiting.
Agent is also a member of the Xeriscape Council, which puts on a top-notch water-conservation conference every year, a conference of national and international stature. The main conference aims mostly at the design professional, which is appropriate in that many landscape problems are due to a lack of understanding by the designer about the horticultural constraints at play in a given site. There is also a series of free workshops (known as the expo) that immediately follow the conference, and these are aimed at the homeowner who wants more hands-on information on a variety of topics. In my role with the Xeriscape Council, I help set the agendas for the conference and expo, and do presentations at one or both each year. Given the tremendous water issues facing us today in the Southwest, this work with xeriscaping is very important. I do find, however, that out in community, many of the ideas are poorly, or only partially, employed. Often I advise homeowners and landscape care professionals on the pros and cons of different irrigation and mulching schemes, as those two aspects are often inappropriate.
This year I submitted grant proposals to the Rio Grande Basin Initiative, for the purposes of helping establish three school gardens. The funds were used exclusively for drip irrigation systems, but my involvement went far beyond designing and installing these relatively simple systems. One school is a charter Montessori elementary school; one a middle school program working with behaviorally challenged students, and the last a post-high school transition program for behaviorally/developmentally challenged young adults. As part of the process at all these schools, the students were involved in putting the irrigation systems in place. I asked the teachers to provide some evaluation, by way of having the students make comments. Only one teacher really followed through, at the elementary school. Some of the kids comments were, “Awesome, I like doing this work.”; “I think it will grow. This was really fun. This will give our plants a way to drink water.”; “I was so disappointed that I had to leave before we finished. I really enjoyed learning about a drip system. Now I really understand how one works.”
With the young adults group, I also took them on three field trips to see local gardens/small farms. This was both entertaining and challenging, but thankfully their teachers were there to respond to the challenges. Robert Burnett, the lead teacher for this program, writes, “Dear Joran, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all your assistance over the past few months. With your help we have been able to achieve our objectives of planting a community garden, improving our growing skills, and learning about the agriculture industry. We have enjoyed working with you and truly appreciate your flexibility and special attention. Our Garden is doing well thanks to the drip irrigation system you supplied and helped us install. Plus, the field trips we took with you this summer provided great examples of what we can do if we put in the time and effort. I look forward to working with you more in the future as we continue to pursue our gardening goals.”
Approximately 75% of agent’s phone calls, office visits, and site visits are with private citizens. Topics they need information on vary widely, from home vegetable gardening and fruit growing to plant identification and care advice. The following quote from a homeowner is illustrative of typical responses from contacts: “…He spent over an hour with me, discussing the problems with my tree…solving problems that I have had with other plants…He is obviously intelligent and knowledgeable. He listened to me carefully and answered my questions with great patience, kindness and completeness. Moreover, he took pains to make certain that I understood his explanations…Those who consult him will painlessly learn much, improve their skills, and thereby improve the Albuquerque landscape.”
Agent also provides presentations to groups of private citizens, such as garden clubs and homeowners’ associations. Over the almost-five years that agent has been in this position, approximately 90 presentations have been made to a wide variety of groups, from home-school children to senior citizen groups, and on a wide variety of topics. Some of these have been lecture style, some have been hands-on. I have been weak on doing formal evaluations, but the online evaluation system that the IT people are helping me set up should make that process much easier, both for clients and me.