Heitstuman,* M.D. Washington State University Asotin County Extension, PO Box 9, Asotin, WA 99402,

2. 71% increased their understanding of pest life cycles.

3. 62% increased their ability to choose plants that thrive in local environmental conditions.

4. 58% increased their ability to diagnose insect pests and plant diseases.

5. Based on a 5.0 scale, class participants self-rated their overall horticultural knowledge at a 2.67 before taking the class, and a 3.93 after taking the course.

6. 70% indicated that they are or plan to become Master Gardeners in their local counties.By combining resources and utilizing a joint approach to training, County Extension Offices have been able to offer a high quality class that meets the needs of their local clientele. 2. 1. 3. 4. Background and Need Surveys and feedback from local advisory committees indicated a need for Master Gardener and horticulture training in Southeastern Washington and Northern Idaho. However, there is a limited number of Extension faculty in the region with the expertise, time and resources available to train Master Gardener volunteers. A regional training class for individuals within a 60-mile radius of the Lewis-Clark Valley has been offered in even-numbered years since 2002. In 2008, 60-hours of intensive training were provided to 65 participants from 6 different counties. Over 250 individuals have taken the course since 2002. 1. Hands-on plant diagnostic practice is an important part of any Master Gardener class. 2. WSU Soil scientist Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs discusses soil health with class participants. 3. One of the long-term impacts of the regional training program has been the establishment of 2 new Master Gardener programs in adjacent counties. 4. A tour of a local organic farm led by UI Extension educator Mike Bauer provided additional hands-on learning opportunities. Teaching Methods A Sustainable Gardening curriculum written by WSU and Oregon State University was used as the primary text for the course. The weekly 4-hour classes were held from mid January through April. In order to meet the diverse learning needs of the trainees, instructors used a combination of lectures, small group activities, demonstrations, and question and answer sessions to discuss the course topics. Washington Course Topics Individuals from 6 counties in Southeastern Washington and Northern Idaho participated in the 2008 course. Quote from participant… “We have capable devoted Master Gardeners who spend many hours enriching our community through projects, individual help, plant clinics, and youth programs.” Idaho Oregon Class breaks were used to ask more in-depth questions of the class instructors and to network with the other course participants. An interactive website was used to post PowerPoints lectures, and to access additional handouts and the open-book quizzes. Tours of the WSU and UI campuses enforced key learning concepts and provided additional experiential learning. Ten on-campus faculty from WSU and the UI taught classes during 2008, in addition to 4 county-based Extension faculty, county weed coordinators, the Lewiston City Urban Forester, nursery owners, and veteran MGs. Each person that planned to become a certified Master Gardener was required to pass the weekly open-book quizzes on the 22 topics discussed in the Sustainable Gardening Handbook. Individuals are considered certified Master Gardeners after they have completed the course and given back 40-hours of service to their local Extension Office. The primary objective of this course is to train new Master Gardeners (MGs) volunteers for Washington State University (WSU) and University of Idaho (UI) Extension Offices in the region. A secondary objective is to provide affordable training to a limited number of local nursery workers and homeowners that want to expand their horticultural knowledge without the payback commitment of becoming a Master Gardener. Cost of the 2008 course was $125; with $65 returned to all individuals that became MGs and gave back 40-hours of service to their local Extension Offices.