Program updates regarding COVID-19, 
and a new Josephine County appointment

Dear Gardeners,

As I write this column in mid-March, the hellebore and daffodils have been in full bloom, the days are longer, and that spring-time quality is in the air!
Here are some quick updates regarding returning to the Demonstration Gardens at SOREC, and a request from OSU for me to serve as a part-time interim coordinator for the Josephine County Master Gardeners.

Returning to the Demonstration Gardens

I’ll get straight to the point – as long as Jackson County is in ‘High Risk’ or lower, working in the Demonstration Gardens at SOREC is an approved activity. County risk levels can change week to week, so please be sure to stay tuned in to your email, since that is where you will get the most up-to-date information about in-person activities at SOREC (for now, that means the Demo Gardens). Make sure your mailbox is set up to receive the JCMGA Mailchimp messages and messages from me (Erika.szonntag@oregonstate.edu). The submission deadline for this article was March 15, at which point I had not formally opened the gardens (I’m hoping to do that in April if our risk levels stay appropriate.). Again, please refer to the OSU Risk Level and Activities Matrix to see what we might be able to do depending on our county risk status.

Interim coordinator 
in Josephine County

OSU has asked me to serve as a part-time interim coordinator for the Josephine County Master Gardeners beginning on March 15. I am spending one quarter of my time (0.25 FTE/10 hours per week) as the interim coordinator until the vacant assistant professor of practice position is filled (previously held by Sarah Runkel). While there are some promising candidates for the position so far, OSU does not anticipate a start date for the chosen candidate until June at the earliest. The position has been vacant since late November, 2020. With 0.75 FTE remaining, I will stay engaged with and supportive of the JCMGA, but please understand that my time will be a bit more limited compared to previously.

Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have comments or questions please reach out to me.

– Erika