Master Gardener Program

One Sheet

How does our garden grow?

The Context

The Master Gardener program is primarily composed of retired and elderly people who share a love for gardening. They also share a distaste for remote learning, online events, and the internet in general. When the pandemic hit, many members became convinced that their program was no longer able to operate in a way that had any community impact, and were considering leaving the program because of the Covid-19 restrictions placed upon them. 

The Work

I focused the annual newsletter on a story that highlighted the resiliency of the program in the big picture. An in-person event with the local Girl Scouts reminded readers that the familiar aspects of the Master Gardeners were still happening whenever possible. I also highlighted the efforts of individual Master Gardeners to connect youth with an online app devoted to citizen science, demonstrating that old dogs not only can learn new tricks, they can teach them. 

This report was shared out to area Master Gardeners and community partners to reflect back to them the important work they continued to do under adverse circumstances. It was also used in an outreach campaign designed to reinvigorate the program. Enrollment in the Tillamook Master Gardeners training program hit an all-time high in 2022.