Classes to train new Master Gardener volunteers will be held by Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County, but to be considered for the program, you must get all the paperwork for your application to the office by 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 20. The office is located in the Print Shop Building on the Roycroft campus at 21 South Grove St., East Aurora.
Only 30 people will be accepted for the training.
Those accepted will pay a course fee of $225. Each trainee is expected to attend all training classes with any missed sessions to be made up at the discretion of the supervising Cornell Cooperative Extension educator.
There will be six weeks of instruction, followed by testing in key areas relevant to carrying out the duties of a Cooperative Extension Master Gardener volunteer including botany, soils, composting, climate change, pest identification and management, wildlife management, plant diseases, native plants, pruning and lawn care.
Seven hands-on projects/events with site visits are also planned. Participation in at least three of the events is required.
Once the training requirements are met, the trainee becomes a Master Gardener Program apprentice and must complete 50 hours of volunteer service for each of the next two years to become an active program volunteer.
Classes will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays beginning Feb. 24 and ending April 7. There may be slight changes to this schedule to accommodate certain speakers. Most classes will be held at the Cooperative Extension offices in East Aurora, and there may be an occasional class in Buffalo.
More details are available on the Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension website.
For more information, contact Sharon Bachman at (716) 652-5400, ext. 150 or sin2@cornell.edu.
