(Pictured l-r): Monica Nelson, Rinda Harper, Tom Dinwoodie, Ron Allen, Jeanne-Ann Pine, Michele Minniear, Martine Buntman, Nevada Moore, Marcia Herrick, Kathi Whitson, Miami Yang, Debbie Brickley, PJ Wichas, Cathy Dunn, Melanie Lui, Nancy Johnson, and Laura Peterson.
May 31, 2019 - The UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County would like to welcome 13 new Mariposa graduates to our Master Gardener program. UC Master Gardener volunteers are trained representatives of the University of California Cooperative Extension. Trainees complete an 18-week course and pass a written examination to become ambassadors for the statewide UC Master Gardener program. They also complete annual volunteer hours and continuing education to keep abreast of local horticulture issues.
The 2019 graduates from Mariposa include Ron Allen, Martine Buntman, Rinda Harper, Marcia Herrick, Nancy Johnson, Melanie Lui, Michele Minniear, Nevada Moore, Monica Nelson, Laura Peterson, Jeanne-Ann Pine, Kathi Whitson and PJ Wichas. These graduates join 55 veteran UC Master Gardeners to serve Mariposa County residents as liaisons between the University of California and the public. Merced County sent five additional trainees to Mariposa to be certified. Debbie Brickley, Tom Dinwoodie, Cathy Dunn, Becky Ingels and Miami Yang will take what they learned to volunteer with the UC Master Gardeners of Merced County.
The Master Gardener program began at Washington State University in 1972 to assist local farm advisors with home horticulture, pest management and sustainable landscaping questions from home gardeners. The program spread quickly and, in 1979, Riverside and Sacramento initiated programs. Mariposa added a UC Master Gardener program in 1995 with two UC-trained Master Gardeners, Marilou Ellis and Joe Higuera. Marilou is still a Master Gardener in Mariposa today, nearly 25 years later.
UC Master Gardeners are residents of the local community and volunteer to provide home gardeners with research-based answers to their home gardening and landscaping questions. We offer regular workshops, attend local events, and man a Helpline. Look for us at the fair, at one of our demo gardens and in our local schools. For a list of our upcoming events, visit our website or give us a call. We would love to talk to you!
UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County are located in Mariposa at 5009 Fairgrounds Rd. Visit our website at http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener/ and Facebook page (UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County) for more gardening information and events. UC Master Gardeners staff a Helpline serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville, and Lake Don Pedro (209-966-7078 or mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu).
Source: UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County
