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 (Roosevelt County)
Plan Goals
Increase, enhance, and sustain Roosevelt County urban and rural lifestyles by assisting with improved management and selection, diagnostics, and efficient water use.
- Owner
- Patrick Kircher
- Related Plans
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Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture
Impact Reports
This agent was contacted by the City of Portales in 2008 to provide an educational training series to parks and maintenance employees on the Public Applicator Exam. A Public Applicator license is required by municipality employees in order to apply restricted use pesticides. This agent acquired training materials from the NMSU training group that hosts the training workshops across the state. Seventeen employees from the city of Portales attended the two lectures. Following the lectures 75% percent of the employees felt they were better equipped to take the exam. This agent was complemented on the lecture and information provided to employees.
Numerous calls and personal contacts are made throughout a given year on various home horticulture issues. Clientele are often seeking an answer to various diseases, insect, or weed problems. Many have exasperated all other means to find an answer to their given situation. Diagnostic reports and specialist inputs are relayed to clientele in hopes of mitigating their problems. When surveyed, 80% of the people that have used recommendations on horticulture related issues indicated that they will be incorporated into their home garden management strategies. Because of these recommendations clientele feel they have improved peace of mind and quality of life.
Africanized Bees moved into the county three years ago and have established themselves as part of the landscape. Due to their dangerous nature when agitated and the concentration at which they are found in the county this agent wanted to provide programming efforts about Africanized Bees for emergency responders in the county. This agent sought council in the spring of 2008 from the fire, police and sheriff’s departments about the interest and need for such a training. All agencies agreed that it would be beneficial. This agent recruited the help of a local pest control agency that does most of the bee removal work in the area to share their experiences and knowledge of bee management. The state entomologist was also in attendance to offer the expertise of bee anatomy and history. Twenty-five participants from five different agencies were present. Over 80% of those in attendance said that they had learned something new that they didn’t know before and they would change their habits of how they approach a potentially dangerous situation. This program served as a great refresher course on bee safety and even led to a newspaper article which provided general knowledge to the public.
Patrick Kircher has signed on to support Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture within Roosevelt County.
Ollas
For several years I have taught use of ollas (buried, unglazed clay jars) as means of efficient irrigation and adding interest to landscapes. This information was presented in newspaper articles, news releases, and various publications, presentations to county agents, Master Gardeners, and various gardening/civic groups. The result has been the development of a new small industry in a disadvantaged sector of Albuquerque society.
East Central Ministry in Southeast Albuquerque has developed a growing market for ollas, providing employment and work-skills training to low income and underemployed residents of the area of Albuquerque known as the “war zone”. John Bulten, director of East Central Ministries, told me that this project provides 4 part-time jobs in which workers are trained to hold jobs. The ollas are being sold in California, Colorado, and by several New Mexico Nurseries (many are then shipped out of state), and Whole Foods is negotiating to sell the ollas in 20 stores.
The concept was taken by a friend on a trip to South Africa. Her purpose on this trip was to plant gardens and teaches gardening in poor villages of South Africa. She took information I had written about ollas. Later additional information was requested by organizers of the project for expanded implementation in arid regions of Africa.
John Bulten said that another person has taken ollas to teach container gardening to low income people in Mexico.
In addition to newspaper articles and news releases, this information was published in the Proceeding of the Desert Green Conference and in a quarterly publication of the Colorado Xeriscape organization.
I continue to receive requests for olla information and for public presentations to teach use of ollas in landscape water conservation.
Gardening public and Professionals
When I overheard my name mentioned during a break at the Eddy County Master Gardener classes, I asked what was being discussed. A man, now seeking to be a Master Gardener, said that he had previously attended a xeriscape workshop that I presented. As a result, he xeriscaped his front yard and was now expending the xeriscape to his back yard. He attributed his change in gardening practices and resulting great savings in water (over $100 each month in the growing season) to the earlier xeriscape workshop. He also said that he was now growing plants more successfully as a result of selecting appropriate plants as recommended in the workshop.
A Valencia County apple grower, beekeeper, Master Gardener, community leader, president of the NM Beekeepers Association, president of a local Growers Market annually hosts a tree care workshop because “Extension programs have improved everything I do and I want my neighbors to share in this information.” (Quote from Ken Hays, Bosque Farms, NM)
Master Gardener Program.
In 1995 (when I assumed responsibilities as Horticulture Specialist) there were 4 Master Gardener training programs in New Mexico. One of these was only classes and did not involve the students as Master Gardener Volunteers. In 2007 there were 15 counties with Master Gardeners, 13 counties teaching the classes. I also assist the Navajo Tri-State Extension Master Gardener Program as well. In 2006 a survey of the 15 Master Gardener counties resulted in 9 responses. From the responding counties it was determined that there were 560 active Master Gardeners. These Master Gardeners provided at least 22,808 volunteer hours of service to their counties (10.92 FTE). This benefit which accrued to the 9 reporting counties is valued at $411,456 (based on value for trained volunteers from Bureau of Labor Statistics).
For several years I have taught use of ollas (buried, unglazed clay jars) as means of efficient irrigation and adding interest to landscapes. This information was presented in newspaper articles, news releases, and various publications, presentations to county agents, Master Gardeners, and various gardening/civic groups. The result has been the development of a new small industry in a disadvantaged sector of Albuquerque society.
East Central Ministry in Southeast Albuquerque has developed a growing market for ollas, providing employment and work-skills training to low income and underemployed residents of the area of Albuquerque known as the “war zone”. John Bulten, director of East Central Ministries, told me that this project provides 4 part-time jobs in which workers are trained to hold jobs. The ollas are being sold in California, Colorado, and by several New Mexico Nurseries (many are then shipped out of state), and Whole Foods is negotiating to sell the ollas in 20 stores.
The concept was taken by a friend on a trip to South Africa. Her purpose on this trip was to plant gardens and teaches gardening in poor villages of South Africa. She took information I had written about ollas. Later additional information was requested by organizers of the project for expanded implementation in arid regions of Africa.
John Bulten said that another person has taken ollas to teach container gardening to low income people in Mexico.
In addition to newspaper articles and news releases, this information was published in the Proceeding of the Desert Green Conference and in a quarterly publication of the Colorado Xeriscape organization.
I continue to receive requests for olla information and for public presentations to teach use of ollas in landscape water conservation.
Gardening public and Professionals
When I overheard my name mentioned during a break at the Eddy County Master Gardener classes, I asked what was being discussed. A man, now seeking to be a Master Gardener, said that he had previously attended a xeriscape workshop that I presented. As a result, he xeriscaped his front yard and was now expending the xeriscape to his back yard. He attributed his change in gardening practices and resulting great savings in water (over $100 each month in the growing season) to the earlier xeriscape workshop. He also said that he was now growing plants more successfully as a result of selecting appropriate plants as recommended in the workshop.
A Valencia County apple grower, beekeeper, Master Gardener, community leader, president of the NM Beekeepers Association, president of a local Growers Market annually hosts a tree care workshop because “Extension programs have improved everything I do and I want my neighbors to share in this information.” (Quote from Ken Hays, Bosque Farms, NM)
Master Gardener Program.
In 1995 (when I assumed responsibilities as Horticulture Specialist) there were 4 Master Gardener training programs in New Mexico. One of these was only classes and did not involve the students as Master Gardener Volunteers. In 2007 there were 15 counties with Master Gardeners, 13 counties teaching the classes. I also assist the Navajo Tri-State Extension Master Gardener Program as well. In 2006 a survey of the 15 Master Gardener counties resulted in 9 responses. From the responding counties it was determined that there were 560 active Master Gardeners. These Master Gardeners provided at least 22,808 volunteer hours of service to their counties (10.92 FTE). This benefit which accrued to the 9 reporting counties is valued at $411,456 (based on value for trained volunteers from Bureau of Labor Statistics).