OSU Extension Master Gardeners, July 8

CORVALLIS, Ore. – More than 40 dedicated Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener volunteers have been recognized for service to their counties and communities. The awardees are among the nearly 3,000 Master Gardeners who work with Extension to share their knowledge of sustainable gardening practices across 27 Oregon counties. In 2019, volunteers put in 221,423 hours. The OSU Master Gardener program and the Oregon Master Gardener Association, a nonprofit that supports the program, sponsor the annual awards, which are decided on by a committee of Gail Langellotto, statewide Master Gardener coordinator, the OMGA president-elect and past winners of the Statewide Behind the Scenes award. Coos: Dorothy ‘Dottie’ Tucker is the backbone behind the Coos County Master Gardener plant sale, hosting seed-starting classes for trainees, growing hundreds of plants, serving on the plant sale committee and working at the sale. She’s also been the alternate Oregon Master Gardener Association representative for three years. Curry: The Dig Your Library garden series for young people at the Brookings Library is the result of the good work of Julia Bott. In addition, she’s worked with the library to integrate gardening into their formal story time, complete with garden beds for kids to plant milkweed for the monarchs, seeds and vegetables. She has held the board position of vice president and collaborated to start the Chetco Seed Library.  County Behind the Scenes Awards – Coos: Jessie Milligan’s love of writing and gardening has tripled the reach of the Coos County Master Gardener Facebook page over the past year. In addition, she started a newsletter for the gardeners of her local community garden, featuring stories and tips from the Master Gardeners. As a steady presence at the plant clinic, Milligan supports new trainees with encouragement and support. Curry: You can find Ruth Patton every week at the greenhouse helping propagate and care for the plants of the annual plant sale. As board treasurer, she streamlined financial systems and stepped up to co-lead the ABC Preschool Garden Program when the program was left without staff. She staffs and attends many chapter events and even recruited her neighbor to become a Master Gardener in 2020.