Southern Nye County Programs
Master Gardeners in Nevada

Program trains local gardeners to provide research-based horticulture information to Nevadans
Relevance/Issue
The results of Nevada’s Washoe County 2012 Horticulture Needs Assessment identified the following issues: home food production and edible landscaping, diagnosis and management of plant pests (insects, disease, weeds), local food production and urban agriculture, sustainable landscaping practices (including native plant landscaping), and landscape water conservation. In addition, the Mojave Desert’s unique conditions require special training. Both the Clark County and Washoe County Cooperative Extension offices receive thousands of phone calls and emails, as well as visits to the office, from people requesting assistance, which can easily overwhelm faculty and staff resources.
Response/What’s Been Done
Across Nevada, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners volunteered 44,913 hours in 2017. Some Master Gardener volunteer activities are consistent throughout the state, including teaching classes, offering garden tours, staffing information booths at community events, and answering questions in person at Extension offices and through email and telephone. In addition, Master Gardeners in each county performed activities and events specific to the county. Master Gardeners also presented for the Southern Utah Green conference.
Results/Impact and Partners
According to eXtension in 2009, Master Gardeners average helping five community members for each hour of volunteer time. Using this formula, Master Gardeners in Washoe County have helped 352,550 community members since 2010. Also since 2010, Clark County Master Gardeners have had 289,609 face-to-face interactions with community members and volunteered 277,803 hours.
In 2017, in Washoe County, 32 students completed the coursework required to become Master Gardeners. As of July 2018, over half have completed the volunteer time required to become certified Master Gardeners. The 32 students rated their confidence on topics from 1 (low) to 5 (high) before and after the program, reporting the following average confidence increases:
- 96 percent for native plants in the landscape
- 51 percent for potting media and container gardening
- 42 percent for water efficiency in the landscape
- 46 percent for plant problem diagnosis
In Clark County, a Master Gardener earned second place at the 2017 International Master Gardener Conference in Oregon for her work with milkweeds to promote pollinators in southern Nevada. 35 Master Gardeners were certified and asked to rate their knowledge on topics from 1 (little) to 5 (a lot) before and after the program, reporting the following average knowledge increases:
- 2.8 in fertilizers
- 1.8 in edible landscapes
- 1.2 in how to teach adults
- 2.1 in plant diseases
- 2.0 in weeds
- 2.2 in botany
- 2.2 in soil amendments
- 1.4 in soils
- 1.8 in vegetables
- 1.8 in gardening smarter
Partners included Washoe County; Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space; Carson City Parks and Recreation; Clark County; Nevada Department of Agriculture; Nevada Department of Wildlife; College of Southern Nevada; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Schilling Horticulture Group; National Audubon Society; Great Basin Water Company; Nevada Hemp Association; Town of Gardnerville; Douglas County Parks; local nurseries; home stores; irrigation companies; businesses and organizations.
IMPACTS
352,550
community members helped since 2010
277,803
hours volunteered in Clark County since 2010
“I know the whole Cooperative Extension program funding has been decimated over the last 15 years. Kudos to all involved keeping the Cooperative Extension and especially the Master Gardeners Program going through creativeness and tenacity. While my interests lie outside the horticulture arena, I fully appreciate the great people I’ve met along the way and their willingness to pass on their special knowledge which has helped make my little piece of Southern Nevada a really special place to live.”
— Brian Woodward, Las Vegas, in an email
Contacts:
Southern Area: Clark County, Las Vegas
Angela O`Callaghan, Social Horticulture Specialist, 702-222-3130
Lori Leas, Community Based Instructor, 702-257-5501
Northern Area: Washoe, Storey, Pershing, Humboldt, Lander, Elko, Douglas and Carson
Heidi Kratsch, State Horticulture Specialist, 775-784-4848
Wendy Hanson Mazet, Master Gardener Coordinator, 775-784-4848
Central Area:
Lyon County: Marcia Moffitt, 775- 463-6541
Mineral County: Kellie Zuniga, 775-945-3444
No. Nye County: Debby Woodland, 775-727-5532
Programs | Program Information |
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4-H Youth Development 4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. | |
Desert Green, Commercial Water Conservation Training Desert Green is in its eleventh year and is designed to educate commercial clientele in the Green Industry as well as others who have an interest in water conservation issues. A committee representing the industry implements the training. Desert Green is chaired by one industry representative and one UNCE representative. The program is presented once a year, with 36 classes taught in a two-day period. A committee of industry representative reviews evaluations from the previous year to decide future educational direction and topics. During the evaluation process, the program is reviewed, modified and revised according to the needs of the clientele. As part of the marketing of this program, two articles citing the importance of Desert Green appear in regional trade publications. | |
Keeping Kids Safe: Recognizing, Reporting and Responding to Child Maltreatment ![]() | |
Master Gardeners in Nevada ![]() |
Statewide Programs *Statewide programs may not be available in all counties
Programs | Program Information |
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Cattlemen’s Update | |
Food Safety Project | |
Grow Your Own, Nevada | |
Herds and Harvest | |
Integrated Riparian Management/Creeks and Communities | |
Invasive Species (Weeds) | |
Nevada Radon Education Program | |
Nevada State GEAR UP | |
Nevada Youth Range Camp | |
People of the Land | |
Pesticide Safety Education Program | |
Risk Management | |
Stronger Economies Together | |
Weed Prevention and Management | |
Youth for the Quality Care of Animals |