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About Us
County Impact Statements - Marion County
Master Gardeners... A Boost To The Community
Master Gardeners are a group of people that often come from diverse
backgrounds, but have three things very much in common. They enjoy gardening and
landscaping, and want to learn more. They share their knowledge with others and
receive satisfaction by volunteering in a variety of community projects.
There is a Master Gardener organization in Marion County with about 20 active
members. They meet monthly with educational programs and to discuss upcoming
projects. Some of their projects include; landscaping and beautification
projects at the Courthouse in Yellville, local businesses downtown, city park in
Yellville, Bull Shoals park, Yard of the Month program, weekly news articles,
supervise the Horticulture Dept at the County Fair, and the Butterfly Garden
Project with 4-H’ers.
"I really enjoyed working side by side with these 4-Her’s on this project. We
all learned what plants attracted butterflies and how to identify not only the
butterflies but also them as caterpillars" - Karla Axel, Marion Co. Master
Gardener
In the spring, the Marion County Extension Service and Master Gardeners
conducted an educational seminar on vegetable production. Fifty-two attended.
Since 1994, Marion and Baxter County Extension Service together have
conducted the Master Gardener Classes. Persons enrolled in these classes receive
40 hours of training over 5 days on topics such as home vegetable and fruit
production, landscaping, soil fertility, disease and insect control, recommended
variety selection. Through the year, 314 persons have completed the classes (62
from Marion County).
Karla Axel, local Master Gardener and 4-H’ers prepared a
butterfly garden at the County Extension Office
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Impacts
- In 2001 Master Gardeners gave 800 volunteer hours back to their
community.
- 15 youth with the Butterfly Garden project learned about plants & the
life cycle of butterflies.
- A landscaping project was established at the Courthouse to help beautify
some new construction.
- Master Gardeners advised hundreds of Marion Co. residents on home
vegetable gardening and landscaping.
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