Master Gardener Volunteer community grows in Sarasota, Manatee counties

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
MGVs Tom and Karen Eckert on duty recently at the Lakewood Ranch Farmers Market. The Master Gardener Volunteer program is administered by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
MGVs Tom and Karen Eckert on duty recently at the Lakewood Ranch Farmers Market. The Master Gardener Volunteer program is administered by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

The Master Gardener Volunteer community recently welcomed a special combined “Class of 2022” graduates who spent 12 weeks in training with the UF/IFAS Extension offices in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

More than 30 new MGVs graduated on May 20 after participating in online and in-person classes focused on everything from plant identification and pathology to botany, soils, entomology, and more.

“We are so excited to welcome these new, knowledgeable volunteers, and grateful to Manatee County Extension team members for adapting their approach to welcome our trainees into their class,” said Lee Hayes Byron, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County director. “Due to a staff vacancy, we would not otherwise have been able to offer the course this year.”

The Master Gardener Volunteer program, launched in Florida in 1979 and administered by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), offers a route for individuals interested in gardening, landscaping and community service to help Extension agents deliver outreach, education and projects.

The 15th annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale in October sponsored by UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County raised more than $23,000 – a record for the event.
The 15th annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale in October sponsored by UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County raised more than $23,000 – a record for the event.

“The Master Gardener Volunteer training program is intense yet rewarding," said Crystal Snodgrass, director of UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County. "This class of graduates was able to experience both traditional and online education, equipping them with the tools needed to serve clientele in Manatee and Sarasota counties.”

The MGV program involves university-designed training on a range of locally focused issues, including sustainable growing, Florida-friendly landscaping, and leadership skills. The program offers myriad volunteer services, from working with homeowners on irrigation and landscape issues to dispensing plant and pest advice.

A salute to new MGVs

Roughly 5,000 Floridians have joined the Master Gardener Volunteer program, including about 100 volunteers in the Manatee County Extension program and 160 in Sarasota County.

The Class of 2022 graduates from Sarasota County include Janis Alberti, Randi Broida, Tracie Cady, Linda Collins, Bryn Durgin, Wilma Holley, Marla M. Hough, Marsha Jordan, Diana Loch, Pat Marchesano, Maggie Richardson, Krystyna Sznurkowski, Christina Tucker, and Ilona Vrba.

Manatee County grads include Lillian Bonet-Mui, Catherine Charles, Lucinda-Jane Chastain, Vincent DeVivo, Terry Fisher, Kyle Hunter Keating, Elizabeth Ann King, Frances Kurlinski, Brigitte McCarthy, Kaylie McCarthy, Julie L. McKamey, Nancy Porter, Connie Scribner, Lisa Smith, and Kristine DelVecchio.

Residents interested in joining the Master Gardener Volunteer program should contact the Extension office. In Sarasota County, call 941-861-5000 or email sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu. In Manatee County, call 941-722-4524 or email manatee@ifas.ufl.edu.

Submitted by Sarasota County and Manatee County Extension Services

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Master Gardener Volunteer community grows in Sarasota-Manatee