ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605160126
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
The Master Gardener program in the Roanoke Valley and throughout Virginia will need to dig a little deeper for some of its funding.
There may have to be more volunteer time, and local governments may have to increase their share to the program.
These possible changes will be brought about because of a shift in state policy that will prohibit use of state funds for Master Gardener training.
Diane Relf of Blacksburg, a Virginia Tech Extension Service specialist, said the Master Gardener program is not in danger, but there will be many changes. From July 1 on, she said, the program can no longer use state funds to train people to become Master Gardeners.
If the lost funds are not made up on the local level, she said, extension service agents will have to provide the training on a volunteer basis. Or not provide it at all.
However, Relf said she thinks the funds will be made up by most localities.
"The Master Gardener program will continue," Relf said, "but local funding will become more critical."
Relf said the amount of money involved is "very small." She could not be specific because the amount depends on an agent's salary and the number of hours spent training people to become Master Gardeners.
Agents' salaries come from three sources - local, state and federal funds - and Relf said what has been lost is the state portion for time spent training Master Gardeners. Extension agents spend an average of 15 to 20 hours a year conducting these sessions, she said.
People becoming Master Gardeners receive an average of 45 to 50 hours of training per year. The remainder of the training is given by guest lecturers, some of them Master Gardeners themselves.
Replacements for the lost funds will be sought from several sources on the local level, Relf said, including local governments or grants from clubs and organizations with an interest in horticulture.
John Arbogast, Virginia Tech extension agent in Roanoke, said the possibility of agents providing the training on a volunteer basis "is a workable idea."
The Master Gardener program has become a valuable part of the extension service, Arbogast said, adding he believes most agents would make the sacrifice to keep the program healthy.
Master Gardeners - all volunteers - take the extension service program into the community in many different ways, such as answering telephone queries in the office, conducting training programs for schools, clubs or other groups or taking care of beautification projects on public property.
The program began in the Roanoke Valley in 1987 when 14 volunteers were trained as Master Gardeners. Last year 38 completed the course, and today there are about 75 active master gardeners throughout the Roanoke Valley.
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