TEXAS MASTER GARDENERS – A HISTORY

                        The term “Master Gardener” was first used in the early 1970’s to describe a new Extension program in Washington State.  At that time, few could or would have predicted it would spread into Texas and blossom into one of the most effective volunteer organizations in the state.  In 2006, there were 115 counties in the state with Master Gardener programs, and 1,075 individuals were trained as Master Gardener interns.

                        The Texas Master Gardener program was incepted in 1978 in an Extension horticulture training at Texas A&M University when Dr. Sam Cotner (Extension vegetable specialist) described the success of the movement in Washington.  This program occurred at a time when county agents in Texas Cooperative Extension were experiencing overwhelming demands for horticulture information, much like their colleagues in the Pacific Northwest.

                        The first Master Gardener class in Texas was held in 1979 in Montgomery County with a class of 25.  The 50 hour course was held in the evenings and taught by Extension agents and specialists from Texas A&M using a manual which was compiled from Extension publications and news articles.  Although volunteer service was optional, class members (not yet referred to as “Interns”), were encouraged to support Extension projects.

                        1981 saw increased interest in the Master Gardener program, with Galveston and El Paso counties coming on board.  By the end of the decade, five more counties had implemented Master Gardener programs:  Harris and Dallas (1986), Tarrant (1987), Bexar and Denton (1989).  Texas Cooperative Extension made an official commitment to the Master Gardener program when they hired a statewide coordinator in l987.  This was when guidelines for the program requirements were established and developed; a minimum of 50 hours of formal training and 50 hours of volunteer service to become a certified Texas Master Gardener.  The goal of completing the 500 page training handbook was accomplished during this time frame.  In 1991, a statewide organization called The Texas Master Gardener Association was formed.

                        The initial training program of the Walker County Master Gardener Association was held in the spring of 2001 and 14 Interns began the course.  Since the charter class of 2001 through the 2007 class, there have been 165 Interns participate in the Master Gardener course of training in Walker County.  The WCMGA currently has 72 active certified Master Gardener members.  Interns participating in the Master Gardener program in Walker County are required to participate in a minimum of 50 training hours in order to complete the course work as well as returning 50 volunteer service hours to the program in order to receive certification as a Walker County Master Gardener.  The WCMGA requires each certified Master Gardener to participate in 6 hours of educational training and return a minimum of 12 hours of volunteer work each year in order to maintain their certification.

                        Since the inception in 2001 of this dynamic volunteer development program in Walker County, members have been creating an Outdoor Learning Center which includes a Greenhouse, Demonstration Gardens, and a Composting Demonstration Center.   What was originally a blackland prairie pasture has been transformed into numerous gardens which include Herb, Rain, Butterfly, Shade, Bulb and Rose gardens.  One of the earliest projects of the WCMGA was a rainwater harvesting collection system.  This was an innovative project which is now showcased on Page eighty-two (82) of the Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting (http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/RainwaterHarvestingManual 3rdedition.pdf).   The second project undertaken by this group was a handicapped accessible raised bed demonstration garden which was soon followed by herb and composting demonstration gardens. 

Since 2002, the WCMGA has received two solid waste grants from H-GAC (Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments) in cooperation with TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) which have enabled the group to develop an Outdoor Learning Center.  The grants have funded a Composting Demonstration Center, a Greenhouse and the LEAF-PRO Outdoor Learning Center.  The grants have been sponsored by the City of Huntsville and the Walker County Commissioners Court, and the support received from officials at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville ISD, the Walker County Sheriff’s Department, the Walker County Historical Society, the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce and other key organizations in the community has been overwhelming. The WCMGA’s LEAF-PRO (Landscape Environmental Awareness Facility) project which includes the Greenhouse, Demonstration Gardens and Outdoor Learning Center and whose objectives are to educate the general public on topics which include Protection of our environment, Reduction of solid waste and  Outreach education.  This project has enabled the WCMGA to offer multiple programs to the general public on a variety of topics which include butterfly gardening, herb gardening, rainwater harvesting, water conservation and vegetable gardening. 

                        Projects undertaken during 2006 include the installation of a storage building constructed from recycled materials, construction of ADA-compliant walkways in the Demonstration Gardens made from TREX® material (recycled plastic shopping bags and reclaimed wood scraps), the addition of a chipper-shredder which supports the composting demonstration and educational programs as well as the audio-visual equipment used for horticulture workshops and speaking engagements.  All labor on this LEAF-PRO project was completed by certified Walker County Master Gardeners and Program Interns.

                        In 2007, “Phase II” of the LEAF-PRO project, fifteen (15) projects were planned and completed in the Demonstration Gardens/Outdoor Learning Center.  They include the Herb Garden with pergola, the Raised Pot Garden, the trellis in the Butterfly Garden,  an automatic irrigation system in the Demonstration Gardens, the Water Feature with Waterfall and the fencing project, the Daylily Garden, two trellises in the Rose Garden, Material Storage Bins, Pot Storage Center with a walkway, an overhead irrigation system for the East Trellis, a Composting Shed, a Split Rail Fence, Shade House, an irrigation system in the beds in front of the Extension Office and raising of the Star Bed.  All labor on this project was also completed by certified Walker County Master Gardeners and Program Interns; these projects involved 945 volunteer hours recorded by 40 Master Gardeners.

                        Certified Master Gardeners offer programs free of charge to the general public through the WCMGA Speakers’ Bureau as well as through the quarterly Educational Seminars on a variety of topics.  The WCMGA has on-going gardening programs in the Huntsville ISD, they work closely with the Girl Scouts and the Huntsville YMCA, as well as other organizations in the community.  The programs offered range from Rainwater Harvesting to Butterfly Gardening and all emphasize the LEAF-PRO concept of environmentally responsible gardening practices and solid waste management.  WCMGA members plant flower beds each year on the grounds of the Walker County Courthouse, they landscaped the historic Joshua Houston Home, they planted an herb garden at the homestead site of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and a vegetable garden at the local Senior Center.  In October of 2004, the WCMGA provided the landscaping for the Vietnam Wall Experience in Huntsville.  The WCMGA has sponsored numerous JMG (Junior Master Gardener) programs as well as presenting a horticulture workshop in San Jacinto County and Master Gardener Propagation training in Leon County. 

                        The WCMGA is visible and active in the community; members serve as judges for the Horticulture program at the Walker County Fair,  sit on the boards of the City of Huntsville Parks and Recreation and City Beautification Advisory Committees and the Walker County Historical Commission.  Members represent the WCMGA at various community activities such as Fair on the Square, July 4^th on the Square and the Walker County Fair where they offer numerous educational materials to the public.  Several members are graduates of the Huntsville Leadership Institute and are active in the Huntsville/Walker County Chamber of Commerce.  The CEO of Huntsville Memorial Hospital is a Master Gardener.  The Huntsville item runs a weekly series written by Master Gardeners which is targeted at educating the general public on environmentally responsible landscape practices based on the LEAF-PRO concept.

                        At the 2007 Texas Master Gardeners Association convention held in Kerrville, the WCMGA was honored with two first-place awards.  One was for the LEAF-PRO project which was an expansion of the Demonstration Gardens, Greenhouse and Outdoor Learning Center.  This award was in the “Project” category and was particularly gratifying as all work on the project was done by WCMGA members.  The second award was for the continuing LEAF-PRO educational outreach series in the “Mass Media” category.  The WCMGA has applied for five awards in the award year 2007 in the following categories:  Association, Publication, Mass Media, Project and Individual.  The WCMGA has been asked to serve in a consulting capacity for the Huntsville Memorial Hospital’s Landscape Revitalization Project, will present a program at the 2008 Texas Master Gardener Conference on Grant Availability and Writing and the WCMGA Demonstration Gardens, Greenhouse and Outdoor learning Center will be featured as a tour for the 2008 TMG Conference.  The Association has applied for a grant from H-GAC/TCEQ which will allow us to enhance the current Rainwater Harvesting program, build an Outdoor Classroom and bathroom facilities.

Specific goals which will further enhance the Walker County Master Gardener program include:

· Certification of an increasing number of program Interns.

· Maintaining a high standard for Master Gardener training.

· Supporting Extension educational efforts.

· Encouraging members to become active in the TMG program.

· Increased participation in state and regional training opportunities and meetings.

· Development of leadership skills in the WCMGA.

· Presentation of educational programs, demonstrations and horticulture workshops on a community-wide basis.

· Expansion of the Walker County LEAF-PRO project and its educational outreach capabilities.

· Encouraging more members to participate in the WCMGA Speakers’ Bureau.

· Encouraging members to become more active in community service projects and to develop projects to benefit the communities in which they reside.

· Encouraging members to participate in advanced specialist training.

· Setting a standard for other small to mid-size county programs in the state of Texas.

Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.  The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.  A member of The Texas A&M University System and its statewide Agriculture Program.