CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener Program and the nonprofit Oregon Master Gardener Association recognized five Oregon gardeners with statewide awards that reflect their dedication and service.

The honorees received their awards at the Joy of Gardening Conference, an annual event sponsored by the Oregon Master Gardener Association, at the CH2M HILL Alumni Center on the Corvallis campus. Nearly 2,800 Master Gardeners work with Extension to share sustainable gardening practices across 27 Oregon counties and 103 educational gardens. In 2022, volunteers contributed more than 108,000 hours.

Statewide honorees

• Statewide Master Gardener of the Year: Lynn Kunstman (Jackson County) and Marilyn Berti (Washington County)
• Growing and Belonging Award (inaugural): Dennis Brown (Multnomah County)
• Behind the Scenes Award: Deb Schmidt (Lane County) and Linda Coakley (Yamhill County)

Champion for native plants

Kunstman’s passion is native plants. Through presentations and one-on-one coaching, she introduces gardeners to the benefits of incorporating natives. She propagates plants in the native plant nursery she operates at the Oregon State University Extension office at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point.

Her plants support classes and reach the community through the Spring Garden Fair plant sale.

Kunstman also fields gardening questions on her weekly Jefferson Exchange radio segment, contributes to the Jackson County Master Gardener Association Garden Beet newsletter and teaches at the Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Symposium and the Joy of Gardening Conference.

15 years of education and outreach

Berti has focused her service on sharing sustainable gardening knowledge. From the start, she has volunteered on the Master Gardener helpline and at community events. She leads educational programs at the Jenkins Estate Learning Garden and through the in-person In the Garden series. In leadership roles, she has helped expand Master Gardener volunteers’ reach and impact throughout Washington County and beyond.

Advancing growing and belonging

Brown has shown how the Metro Master Gardener program serves community needs while advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. He coordinated volunteers and community partners to renovate aging vegetable beds at the June Key Delta Community Center in North Portland, operated by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, a historically Black sorority dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the Black community.

Brown helped secure a grant from the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, then organized sorority members, community volunteers and Master Gardener volunteers to construct new raised beds over two days.

At the same time, he taught a six-week Seed to Supper series for veterans and houseless community members at the Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project, a worker-led organization that empowers diverse day laborers and immigrants to improve working conditions and protect civil rights. He combined the projects by holding the final class at the community center and planting the renewed garden with participants. In 2020, Voz received a $51,000 Partners in Conservation grant to expand green workforce skills in sustainable landscaping and gardening.

Compost educator and clinic mentor

Schmidt supports the program’s educational mission through weekly plant-clinic shifts, mentoring new trainees, working mobile clinic events and organizing public workshops. She co-chairs Compost Specialists, a partnership between the Extension Master Gardener Program and the city of Eugene.

She organizes annual trainings for new compost specialists with updated, research-based information on building and using compost to improve soil health and fertility. She helps plan 12 public compost classes, two worm-bin classes and multiple school and community activities. She also expanded outreach to Florence and Oakridge, strengthening community connections across the county.

Greenhouse leader and fundraiser

Since 2014, Coakley has chaired the Yamhill County Master Gardener Association greenhouse, where vegetable starts and annual flower seedlings are grown for the plant sale. For several years, she also chaired the association’s sole fundraiser — the annual plant sale — which generates more than $20,000 a year. She organizes and coordinates the subcommittees required for both projects.

Coakley is a regular at clinic events and has served as secretary for the Oregon Master Gardener Association, as well as alternate representative and historian. In addition, Coakley has been a remarkable presence at the YCMGA greenhouse and plays an active role in the plant sale.

Previously titled Five Oregon gardeners recognized with statewide awards