Submitted Photo Faith Carlson, Kathy Rooney, Irene Culpepper, absent from picture is Dani McMay, Bert Rappole awarded 100 hour pins also absent from picture Mary Maxwell awarded 300 hour pin.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County announceed the Master Gardeners Program awards which were presented during the yearly service dinner on Nov. 8. Volunteers were given their 100 and 300 hour service pins. These awards are presented once gardening volunteers complete various benchmarks in service to the community.

Some of the projects include community gardening, training of public on sustainable gardening practice, and education of plants, wildlife and composting. The awards this year were presented by Susanne Bloom, president to Irene Culpepper, Kathy Rooney, Faith Carlson, Dani McMay, Bert Rappole for 100 hours and Mary Maxwell for 300 hours of service.

The Master Gardener Volunteers are members of Cornell Cooperative Extension program. The Cooperative Extension makes agriculture and horticulture knowledge work in pursuit of economic viability, ecological sustainability and social wellbeing for a rapidly changing world.

The Master Gardener Program is looking for new volunteers to enroll in the MG Core Training this spring at JCC, please contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension at 664-9502 or email Emily Reynolds at eck47@cornell.edu. The program enrollment is open to residents of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Erie counties.

he Master Gardener Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under a form of organization and administration approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. Each Cornell Cooperative Extension association is an independent employer that is governed by an elected Board of Directors with general oversight from Cornell. All associations work to meet the needs of the counties in which they are located as well as state and national goals. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.