By Delisi                                              H.R. No. 854
         76R13774 BE-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, For more than a decade, the Texas Master Gardener
 1-2     program has served as a valuable and reliable source of
 1-3     horticultural and environmental information for Lone Star
 1-4     gardeners, and the program's many contributions indeed merit
 1-5     special legislative recognition; and
 1-6           WHEREAS, The Texas Master Gardener program had its beginnings
 1-7     in 1978, in Texas A&M University extension service training; based
 1-8     on a Washington State project, the program was designed to provide
 1-9     busy county extension agents with expert volunteer service; and
1-10           WHEREAS, In 1987, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service
1-11     made a commitment to the Texas Master Gardener program with the
1-12     hiring of a statewide coordinator, and the program's growth and
1-13     success have since been exponential; and
1-14           WHEREAS, Today, there are more than 4,235 certified Master
1-15     Gardeners in the program, and together these individuals
1-16     volunteered 204,666 hours of service to the citizens of Texas in
1-17     1998; this volunteer service represents a $2.8 million contribution
1-18     to the State of Texas, the equivalent of 98 full-time employees;
1-19     and
1-20           WHEREAS, A love of both gardening and knowledge is the
1-21     catalyst by which Texans from all walks of life enter the Master
1-22     Gardener program; with an initial requirement of 50 hours of
1-23     training and 50 hours of service to the community, Master Gardeners
1-24     are a learned and capable force within the county extension
 2-1     network; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, Yearly education requirements ensure continuing
 2-3     ability, and Master Gardeners perform a variety of services, from
 2-4     taking phone calls from frustrated home gardeners to making
 2-5     presentations to garden clubs, civic groups, and community
 2-6     organizations; and
 2-7           WHEREAS, One of their most important functions has evolved
 2-8     into the Junior Master Gardener program, an outreach effort
 2-9     bringing positive change to the lives of the state's youth; whether
2-10     through information booths on vermicomposting or butterfly gardens,
2-11     coordinating wetlands reclamation or state park landscaping, or
2-12     simply helping local residents grow bigger chile peppers and roses,
2-13     Texas Master Gardeners have established themselves as a premier
2-14     corps of volunteers, and it is truly appropriate to honor them at
2-15     this time; now, therefore, be it
2-16           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
2-17     Legislature hereby commend all those involved with the Texas Master
2-18     Gardener program and extend to them warmest best wishes for
2-19     continued success with this worthy endeavor.