UNCE offers new master training

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension will hold an orientation class from 9-10:30 a.m. Aug. 5 in Carson City for local gardeners interested in becoming Master Gardeners.

The orientation class at the Cooperative Extension office at 2621 Northgate Lane, Suite 12 will provide an overview of the Master Gardening training.

Actual Master Gardener classes will be 9 a.m.-noon on Mondays and Tuesdays from Sept. 7 through Nov. 9. Those classes also will be held at the UNCE Carson City office with a videoconference link available at the Douglas County Cooperative Extension office at 1329 Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville.

The program has trained scores of Master Gardeners in the fields of botany, plant care, plant identification, pruning, entomology, plant pathology, turf management, fruit trees, vegetables, weeds and plant-problem diagnosis. The classes are taught by specialists from University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and Nevada Department of Agriculture.

The program will certify participants as Master Gardener volunteers. Master Gardeners are leaders in environmental stewardship who teach members of the community and answer tough gardening questions.

Participants must take the required courses, pass an open-book exam and donate 50 hours of community service in order become certified Master Gardeners. Once certified, Master Gardeners receive various volunteering opportunities throughout the year. In order to maintain certification, Master Gardeners must volunteer a minimum of 30 hours per year.

If interested, please call Wendy Hanson Mazet at (775) 784-4848 extension 120. Anyone interested in the program must attend the orientation. The fee for the full Master Gardener training and all necessary materials is $125.