Posted: July 20, 2022
The Penn State Extension Master Gardener Program in Potter County will soon have a new coordinator. Leona Smith of Coudersport has accepted the position and is currently completing the on-boarding process.
She will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of the program, from recruitment of new Master Gardener candidates to organizing and scheduling educational activities for the public, managing the Master Gardener hotline, conducting meetings, developing plant sale fundraisers, helping with the new community garden and much more. In preparation, Ms. Smith completed the Master Gardener basic training course in May. She has been working with retired Extension Educator and Clinton County Master Gardener Coordinator Dr. Debra Burrows to become familiar with program operations and goals.
Ms. Smith has a long-time connection to native plants and wildflowers, going back to her time as a child growing up in Vermont near farm fields and forests. Vegetable gardening has also been a constant in her life since childhood. She says that some of her earliest memories are of wielding a hoe down a long row of corn as well as digging through overturned earth to harvest potatoes. She spent much of her adult life in southern Pennsylvania, but recently moved to Potter County, where she has plenty of room to garden.
Ms. Smith is enthusiastic about taking on the Master Gardener Coordinator responsibilities. Her priorities include the installation of a native plant demonstration garden on the grounds of the Extension Office, providing educational programming for the new community garden, a display at the Potter County Fair, expanding the services available through the Garden Hotline, and of course, recruiting trainees for the next Master Gardener Basic Training class, which will begin in October. Potter County currently has only four Master Gardener apprentices, and she would like to increase that number so that more Master Gardener programs and services can be delivered to all parts of the county. She encourages anyone interested in learning more about training to become a Master Gardener to call her at 814-274-8540, ext. 103.
The Penn State Master Gardener volunteer program supports the outreach mission of Penn State Extension by utilizing unbiased research-based information to educate the public on best practices in sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship.
