TPRA is pleased to announce that our restoration work is now a part of the URI Master Gardener Demonstration Program. This program includes 36 demonstration projects throughout Rhode Island including the Norman Bird Sanctuary, Slater Mill, Canonchet Farm Habitat Restoration, and the Roger Williams Park Garden and Produce Demonstration Program, among others. The mission of URI’s Master Gardener Program is to educate people in environmentally sound horticulture practices, thus encouraging citizens to adopt these methods in their own home gardens. The Master Gardener Program estimates that in 2016, with its team of more than 600 trained volunteer educators, the program reached out to between 15,000 and 20,000 Rhode Island residents! Now Jamestowners can be a part of this learning experience right at Taylor Point!
Jamestown’s Master Gardeners Kitty Wineberg, Nadine Mendelsohn, and Rosemary Smith are leading the Taylor Point Master Gardener Demonstration Project. They devise and deliver training and guidance in partnership with TPRA at our work parties, and lead discussions during and after those events to address best practices and principles of habitat restoration. As a recipient of the top prize in the International Master Gardener Search for Excellence for its School Garden Mentor Program, the URI program is a recognized leader in using gardens and preserves creatively as outdoor classrooms to promote science-based environmental learning among school children. Perhaps the Lawn Avenue and Melrose Schools will soon take the Taylor Point tour, and bring the lessons home to their family gardens!