Santa Rosa Master Gardener Program
History | Service Hours | Awards| Projects
All Florida Master Gardeners are volunteers, trained and certified by the University of Florida Institute of Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Cooperative Extension Service, to assist Extension Agents in disseminating residential horticultural information to the residents of Florida.
History
The Santa Rosa County Master Gardener Program began in 1987. Beth Phelps was the Santa Rosa County Extension Agent. In 1989, Daniel Mullins became the Horticultural Agent.
From 1987 to 1993 Master Gardener training classes were taught in Escambia County as a joint effort between the two counties. In 1994, Dan held the first Santa Rosa County MG class in Milton. In 2004, Theresa Friday became the Environmental Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator.
In 1994 the first bylaws were written and adopted and the first officers were elected.
In 1995 the “Earthworm” newsletter was developed by Barbara Robinson and has become an established form of communication of information to its members.
Volunteer Service
Since its' inception, the Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners Association (SRCMGA) has contributed more than 77,000 volunteer hours to the people of this county.
Year |
Number of volunteer hours |
Number of continuing education hours |
Cumulative Hours |
2002 |
4625.75 |
642.75 |
30064 |
2003 |
8500.1 |
537.55 |
38564.15 |
2004 |
7026.4 |
608.5 |
45590.55 |
2005 |
5207.45 |
1070.25 |
51091 |
2006 |
7933.9 |
1164.5 |
59024.9 |
2007 |
8243.3 |
1250.5 |
67268.2 |
2008 |
10466 |
1339 |
77767 |
In 2008, two Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners, Johanne Fleming and Sally Menk, were honored for their 20 years of service to the program.
Sally Menk (left) receives a plaque from Dr. Joan Dusky (right) honoring her 20 years of service to the Master Gardener program.
Awards
The Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners have won many State of Florida Master Gardener Awards of Excellence. Please note that only one Award of Excellence is presented each year, in each of a dozen or so categories, so the competition for these awards is very keen.
In 1997, they received the Award of Excellence for Extension Awareness for their work at the South County Extension Office.
In 1998, they won the Award of Excellence for Beautification for the Navarre Nature Walk Wildflower Garden. A Santa Rosa County Master Gardener, Hank Hannum, received a national award, The Alice W Burlingame Award, for his work at the Milton Avalon Center.
In 2000, they received the Award of Excellence for Service to 4-H and other youth for the Growing Gardeners Program Instructional Book.
In 2004, the Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners won three Award of Excellence. The Gulf Coast Gardening from the Ground UP educational series won in the General Achievement category. Marge Hiller's Adaptive Gardening Program won in the Special Audiences category. The Panhandle Butterfly House won the Demonstration Garden award.
In 2007, the Award of Excellence for County Displays/Exhibits was presented to Carol Morgan for her Landscaping for Wildlife educational display.
The "Landscaping for Wildlife" exhibit teaches people how to attract wildlife to their backyards.
In 2008, Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners won three State of Florida Master Gardener Awards of Excellence
- General Achievement for the 2007 TREEmendous Give Away Field Day
- Service to 4-H and other youth for the Panhandle Butterfly's House "Kiderpillar School".
- County Displays/Exhibits for the Pest-a-Hut created by the 2007 Master Gardener Class
The "Pest-a-Hut" exhibit teaches about beneficial insects and the pests they eat
Projects
The Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners currently work on many diverse projects, which includes staffing walk-in plant diagnostic clinics and answering clinic questions over the telephone. They work with youth through the Growing Gardeners Program and Garden Mosaics. The Master Gardeners assist in maintaining the Teaching and Demonstration Gardens at the Milton Extension Office and gardens at the University of Florida Milton campus. Master Gardeners are active in speaking to garden clubs and other groups through our Speaker's Bureau. Many of our Master Gardeners help clients at the ARC in Milton. Others prepare displays for the Pensacola and Santa Rosa County Fairs. Santa Rosa, Escambia and Okaloosa County Master Gardeners jointly operate the Panhandle Butterfly House at the Nature Walk in Navarre.
For more information about the services of the Santa Rosa County Horticulturist and/or the Master Gardeners, call the Santa Rosa County Extension Office at 850-623-3868 or the Jay Extension Office number is 850-675-3107.