OMGA 
Mini-College scholarships available

By Patrice Kaska

Master Gardener 2016

The Oregon Master Gardener Association’s (OMGA) 2021 Mini-College is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, July 16-17. It will be all- virtual and the cost of registration is $49. JCMGA has set aside funds to provide scholarships for six JCMGA members.

On Friday, Keynote Speaker Robert Michael Pyle, a writer and Yale-trained ecologist, Guggenheim Fellow, and founder of the Xerces Society, will discuss “People, Plants and Pollinators in the PNW.” Following his talk, there will be concurrent sessions including wide-ranging topics such as the Oregon Bee Atlas, mason bees, native garden plant considerations for pollinators, insect pests, microbes, and workshops on hydroponics and the OSU plant identification program. Since the Mini-College is virtual, all sessions and workshops will be recorded and posted online so that registered participants may watch any of the classes or workshops at a personally-convenient time!

On Saturday, the Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Gail Langellotto, the Oregon Master Gardener State Coordinator, who will discuss the “Oregon Master Gardener Program – Successes, Challenges and Opportunities.” The concurrent sessions will include talks on agricultural adaptations for the urban environment, organic vegetable gardening, the Japanese beetle, biochar, and year-round pollinator plants. Workshops include designing a pollinator garden with native plants and using I-Naturalist for insect identification.

Additional information and registration for Mini-College is here.

The six JCMGA scholarships will be offered on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please send an email to Patrice Kaska using the subject heading “Mini-College Scholarship” indicating your interest.