BROWARD COUNTY COMMISSION
NEWS RELEASE
Parks and Recreation Division ▪ 950 N.W. 38th St., Oakland Park, FL 33309
Phone: 954-357-8100 ▪ Fax: 954-561-5359 ▪ www.broward.org/parks
For Immediate Release
Date: December 30, 2008 Phone: 954-357-8115
From: Michael Mills E-mail: mmills@broward.org
New Master Gardener Class Graduates:
24 More Volunteers From 12 Municipalities Are Ready To Serve the Community
As a result of passing an intensive, five-hour lecture and laboratory exam, 24 more Florida Master Gardeners have graduated from the Master Gardener Training Course, bringing our total to 179 actively working volunteers. Each Master Gardener trainee will now begin to schedule 75 hours of volunteer work to assist with the more than 8,300 telephone calls, 3,600 office visits, and 7,000 e-mails answered at the Extension Offices each year. The new Master Gardeners will be assigned mentors, who will work with a Local Master Gardener coordinator to introduce them to their respective communities, which include Coral Springs, Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Pompano Beach, Sunrise, Tamarac, and Weston. It will not be long before we see them delivering customized, research-based educational programs in sustainable, Florida-Friendly® landscaping and integrated pest management principles for their communities. Last year, Master Gardeners presented 375 educational programs to more than 20,000 participants in 28 Broward County cities. Given that our county now faces an average of one new plant disease or pest per month, we are truly grateful to these volunteers who unselfishly give their time and expertise to help their fellow citizens.
The Master Gardener training course comprises 102 hours in sustainable, Florida-Friendly® landscaping, integrated pest management, and conservation of water, soil, and plant resources. Master Gardeners receive lectures from Dr. John Pipoly, Urban Horticulture Extension Agent, his program staff, and preeminent research scientists from the UF-IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead; UF Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Davie; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Invasive Species Laboratory, Davie. The course also has a new section on irritant and poisonous plants and animals taught by Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein, Director of the Greater Miami Poison Information Center, headquartered at the University of Miami Medical School. As regional plant identification experts, participants in the Urban Horticulture Program were asked to provide eight emergency identifications through photos or specimens of suspected poisonous plants, through several of Broward hospitals’ connections to the Poison Information Center, supervised by Dr. Bernstein.
For further information, contact Urban Horticulture Extension Agent Dr. John Pipoly, jpipoly@broward.org, call UF-IFAS/Broward County Extension Education at 954-370-3725, or visit www.broward.org/extension.
# # #
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in County programs, services, and activities must contact the Special Populations Section at 954-357-8170 or TTY 954-537-2844 at least ten (10) business days prior to the scheduled meeting or event to request an accommodation.
