Queen Anne's County

Queen Anne’s County MG Annual Report 2006

1. Basic Information
# of active MGs    57
# of interns    14 (+ 13 who completed 40 hours by Dec and are included in active mg #)
# of volunteer hours    4,480+

2. Plant Clinics
# of active plant clinic sites    2
# of plant clinics    9 (Kent Co)+12 (Oxford)=21
# of residents served at plant clinics    376+50=435

3. Bay-Wise
# of new yards certified as Bay-Wise (MGs and other residents)     6 homeowners, 2 public gardens
# of total Bay-Wise certified yards (all years combined)     51 (estimated)

4. Composting
# of composting demonstration sites    none
# of residents who received a compost bin    none

5. Classes taught
# of classes/workshops taught by MGs    Approx: 62
# of residents educated    Approx 1,339

6. Awards/recognition

Carol Jelich – Volunteer of the Year for Adkins Arboretum.

<> Millstream Group Recognized by Town Parks Board as helpful in park management.

7. Grants:

$3,369 Received from Chesapeake Bay Trust to implement a Rain Garden at Sudlersville Elementary School.

8. Partners:

Adkins Arboretum, MDE, DNR, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Corsica River Conservancy, Soil Conservation Service & others from the Corsica Watershed Restoration Implementation Group, Kennard Elementary School, Sudlersville Elementary School, Greensboro Elementary School, Ruthsburg Community Center, Chesapeake College, Queen Anne’s County Parks and Recreation, Pickering Creek Audobon Center, Upper Eastern Shore Tributary Team

8. Highlights from past year:

Two Master Gardener interns organized a bi-weekly plant clinic at the Chestertown farmers market. The booth provided education about the MG program, IPM and environmental horticulture as well as offering identification of plant and insect species. 376 residents were interacted with.

The first statewide Master Gardener Booth was organized for Ag Day at College Park. 8 county programs participated. A tri-fold display, Ask a Master Gardener, was created to demonstrate common horticultural problems and show how they might be solved in an environmentally sound way. Approximately 300 people visited the display and learned how to reduce their environmental impact in their yard.

In conjunction with enrichment teacher Alison Vooris and community members, Master Gardeners created a 1,100 sq. ft Rain Garden at Sudlersville Elementary. 2 hour long sessions of supplementary after school education were delivered to integrate the garden into the curriculum. 60 elementary school students and the Middle school ecology corps were involved excavating, planting, mulching and maintaining the garden for stormwater management, beautification and education. Students learned plant identification, the need for pollinators, and principles of stormwater runoff and management.

A new Master Gardener intern and her mentor worked to revise and teach a 6 week Jr. Master Gardener after school program at Kennard Elementary. 12 children received hands on experience in soils, ecology, plant propagation, hydrology, insects and integrated pest management, plant identification and vegetables, herbs and fruits. Children were able to relay key concepts that they had learned throughout the course during the final session. Parents, teachers, school administrators and students have commended the program and requested to have it held again.

For more information, contact Robin Hessey

Last updated: 07/2/2007