BLAIR, NEBRASKA (2024 November 20, Wednesday)
Don Harrold, Writer / Editor
blairtoday@mail.com – Facebook
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program is seeking new members for 2025, offering Blair residents a chance to join a growing network of community educators and gardening enthusiasts.
Throughout Blair and Washington County, Extension Master Gardener Volunteers maintain several high-impact projects. “In Blair, the Washington County Extension Office at 597 Grant St has raised beds that grow vegetables for donation each year. They are working on expanding around them to include some perennial plants such as asparagus and herbs,” says Ian Peterson, Assistant Extension Educator for Horticulture.
The program’s influence extends beyond food production. “The Veterans Tribute Plaza at the corner of 75 & 30 was turned into a Certified Pollinator Habitat that is managed by volunteers, and this past season the small beds outside of the businesses along Washington St were planted with mostly native plants that should be able to handle the adverse conditions of those kinds of spaces.”
These projects address specific local challenges. “With shifting climate conditions – largely drought – we see a lot of struggles with non-native plants that are not well-adapted to conditions that historically existed in the prairie plains,” Peterson explains. “The beds that are managed by volunteers are meant to show the drought and cold hardiness of plants that evolved in our prairies over thousands of years – that and the impact they have on native pollinator and other beneficial bug populations.”
Historical preservation is also part of their mission. “There are a few volunteers who manage beds at Fort Atkinson in Fort Calhoun – the historical vegetable garden, where they grow foods that would have been grown by fort residents, a prairie restoration area and small beds planted with natives around the First Council sculpture.”
The program structure accommodates various schedules. “Training to be an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer involves a minimum of 40 hours of education and 40 hours of volunteering, which can be done across 1 or 2 years, depending on an individual’s availability,” Peterson notes. “The training is largely self-paced, with a few in-person meetings which will be recorded and available remotely if needed.”
Looking to the future, Peterson emphasizes community involvement: “New volunteers are encouraged to think about possibilities for establishing new projects in their communities that I can then help support to get off the ground.” However, he clarifies their mission: “Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are not meant to simply be caretakers of a business’s or location’s forgotten, weedy landscapes. Their role, first and foremost is education, followed by community involvement.”
The initial training fee is $250, with scholarships available. “Returning program dues are $25 each year after that, along with the volunteer and education requirements,” Peterson adds. After the first year, volunteers complete 20 hours of service and 10 hours of continuing education annually.
Interested residents must act soon. “If any interested party reaches out by mid-December, they can still be included in the 2025 trainee cohort,” Peterson says. Contact him at ipeterson4@unl.edu or 402.727.2775 for more information.
Quick Facts: Extension Master Gardener Program
- Applications due: Mid-December 2024
- Training starts: January 2025
- Cost: $250 (scholarships available)
- Requirements: 40 hours training + 40 hours volunteering
- Current projects: Veterans Plaza, Washington St. gardens, Fort Atkinson, Blair Library
- Contact: Ian Peterson, 402.727.2775, ipeterson4@unl.edu
