Volunteer News July 2026
- Jul 18
- 10 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
Ramsey County Garden Education Volunteer Program
07/18/2026
Jenny DeLaundreau is a Ramsey County Garden Education volunteer at the Arts Us Camp Teranga garden, which is located behind the Dunning Recreation Center at 1221 Marshall Avenue, St. Paul. (See story below.)
July Announcements
Congratulations!
Please congratulate these Garden Education volunteers on completing their internship requirements in the past month: Emily Autumn, Heidi Brezink, Krista Menzel, and Sheila Specker.
Jumping Worm Alert!
Jumping worms have been discovered at the Arden Hills yard waste collection site, and are suspected at the White Bear Township site. Ramsey County recommends inspecting mulch or compost from those sites for signs of jumping worms. All county yard waste sites have paused distribution of mulch and compost at this time.
Share your Stories and Inspire Everyone
If you are a project lead with important updates about your project, volunteers who are excited about activities they are doing, or anyone with something they want to share with others in RGEV, we want to hear from you! Hearing from one another is one of the best ways to learn and find new inspiration. You can share your stories easily using an online form.
Severe Weather Guidelines Reminder
If you are a project lead, remember that you may reschedule or cancel volunteer dates based on severe weather conditions. If you don’t feel it is safe for volunteers, take the initiative and follow the guidelines outlined provided.
Please Use RGEV Internally
While we wait for a new acronym for the Ramsey County Garden Education Volunteer Program, please use the acronym RGEV to replace RCMG. This should only be used for internal communication and never for external documents. Like RCMG, the general public will not understand what it stands for.
Volunteer Tools & Resources
We’ve added a new page to the Volunteers menu on the website called Tools & Resources. Please check this page to find a collection of materials that are designed to help volunteers in Ramsey County. These are intended for all volunteers in the Extension program, as well as information for volunteers taking a leadership role in volunteering activities.
Skills & Interest Survey 2026
Please take a few minutes to complete the RCMG Skills & Interest Survey. We use this information to make decisions about how RCMG operates, so every response is important! Volunteers can count time spent filling in the survey towards their 2026 volunteer hours.
GEV Name Badges
Darren Lochner has the new name badges with “Garden Education Volunteer” and he is working to mail them to volunteers in batches. If you haven’t received your badge yet, please stop by the July meeting on Tuesday 7/21 at the Roseville Oval to pick it up. Thanks for your patience! If you are wondering when to use which badge, the Extension State Leadership Team has provided guidelines.
Your Monthly Plant Pun:
How is a flower similar to the letter A?
(Search for the answer somewhere below.)
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Non-Profit News
The Ramsey County Master Gardeners is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is separate from the University of Minnesota Extension Garden Education Volunteer Program and helps raise funds for volunteer activities.
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Leadership Changes
Please plan to attend the July monthly meeting for an important update on the governance structure that supports Ramsey County Garden Education Volunteer programs. We will share changes requested by University of Minnesota Extension and discuss the transition timeline. While most volunteers will see little impact on their day-to-day activities, we encourage everyone to attend and learn more about the changes ahead.
Board Blurb
The RCMG Board of Directors Meeting was held on July 14, 2026, on Zoom. The non-profit board will hold a retreat on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Vadnais Heights. Please attend the July RGEV monthly meeting for more information on changes in leadership structure.
Grant Application Process
Are you dreaming about starting a new project or expanding an existing project but are held back because of costs? The Ramsey County Master Gardeners (RCMG) Nonprofit Corporation’s Finance Committee is pleased to announce that additional funds could be available! Julie Bechtold has outlined the Project Grants Request application process.
Intern Roadmap
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Counting Your Time
Don Muske has shared more useful tips on counting your time spent on volunteer and continuing education activities. Scroll to the end of Volunteer Tips and Tricks in the Volunteer News section of our website.
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Shared Stories
Volunteers are continually doing great work in the community. Take a moment to read about what your Garden Education Volunteer peers are doing and ask them about it when you see them at events and activities.
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Plant Swap
In May, RGEV volunteer Brianna Gohde tested a new type of community-building option for volunteers with the Plant Swap 2026 sign-up. Initially intended to help rehome extra seed starts, the sign-up is being used to announce and exchange garden and garden-adjacent items. It’s been a great success and we’ll continue to use this over the years. If you have things to share, contact Brianna Gohde (brianna.gohde@gmail.com).
Arts Us Camp Teranga
The garden at the Arts Us Camp Teranga serves as the “classroom”
for the youth and has never looked better thanks to the weekly
dedication of Garden Education Volunteers and plants provided by
the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The garden also
serves as a source of produce for the Gardens for Good program.
The youth camp continues through the end of July while opportunities to help maintain the garden or participate in the Gardens for Good harvesting and delivery both continue through the summer and into the fall. Be like Sara Ladas, Gin Rushansky,and Kate Guiney and sign up to be part of these exciting and rewarding programs.
Buzzing with Activity at the Bee Line
The Bee Line is a multi-year effort to enhance the public right-of-way
along St Paul's Pierce Butler Route. Volunteer neighbors, students,
artists and RGEVs get together throughout the growing season to
help install and maintain a diverse mix of native vegetation, while
marveling at what an urban environment can produce. Keeping the
mower in the garage allows us to nurture the types of plants that
existed here for thousands of years and creates climate-resilient
spaces that benefit the neighborhood. Human Nature, the
organization that is responsible for the area surrounding the West
Minnehaha Recreation Center in Frogtown, has been a hub of RGEV activity for three years. Every Thursday morning from 9:00-11:00 a.m,we put our trowels to work and see dividends in the habitat created for our non-human friends.
Answer to Your Monthly Plant Pun:
(How is a flower similar to the letter A?)
A bee goes after it.
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Volunteer Activities
Sign Up Genius notices of new volunteer activities are emailed on Thursdays and Sundays. If you are not receiving them, please contact us at rcmg2@umn.edu.
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BINGO 2026
At the monthly meeting in April, Brianna Gohde and Darren Lochner
announced the new 2026 BINGO cards for volunteering. Many
volunteers find the things they love to do in the community and lose
track of the many other volunteer activities happening in RGEV.
The goal of these cards is to encourage volunteers to branch out and
try as many types of volunteer activities as they can each year.
Find a Volunteer Activity Near You
Want to help out in your neighborhood? Check out the 2026 RGEV Project Map and then visit the related Sign Up Genius pages to get involved! What an easy way to support your community!
Monthly Meeting Volunteer Roles: 7/21
Help out at the next in-person monthly meeting. Every month we need volunteers to make our meetings run smoothly. This month, we need help with: A/V support, project updates, and Zoom aide. Sign up to volunteer.
Yard and Garden Phone Line: 8/22-8/28
Sign up to answer residents’ garden questions from home through the Arboretum’s Yard & Garden hotline. These are excellent opportunities to volunteer remotely and build your garden knowledge at your own pace (and with your reference materials readily available).
Blooming St. Paul Nominations
The Blooming St Paul Showcase Nomination Form is live! Nominate a garden (or multiple gardens) that inspire you while
earning volunteer hours or join a neighborhood walk or home individual walk in July and August.
Sign up for a Shift at the Great Minnesota Get-together
JULY MEANS IT'S time to sign up for a slot at the "Ask a Master Gardener" booth. The Fair runs from August 27-September 7. Your tickets will be mailed two weeks prior to the Fair. At this time, we ask that you sign up for one shift only.
Volunteers Needed for ASK Extension
Ask Extension is an online question-answer tool hosted and supported by National Cooperative Extension and state university Extension colleges. Ask Extension is one of UMN Extension's valued assets and volunteers are needed. Citizens may submit questions on their own time and attach photos to their submission. For volunteers who enjoy (1) researching garden issues, (2) working remotely, and (3) working at their leisure, this might be a great fit. Some training is involved. At this time, volunteers currently working on their internship can't join. To learn more, visit Ask Extension. For questions or to sign up, contact Jackie Froemming.
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Education Opportunities
Find approved opportunities to learn more on the RGEV website, the State MG Volunteer website, the MN Landscape Arboretum, or through Extension. Check with the program coordinator about other local events and learning opportunities.
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June Monthly Meeting Recordings
If you missed the peer-to-peer demonstrations at the June meeting, you can check out the recordings on the Monthly Meetings page of the website. Take a peek to learn more about bare-root washing to prevent the spread of jumping worms, vermicomposting, making soil blocks, and how the RWMWD helps in our communities.
Garden Gate Tours: 7/19 & 7/23
Visit a garden grown by other RGEV members! Get inspired, share gardening advice or just enjoy the view of the garden and yard they have developed. Read descriptions of these wonderful spaces and sign up. Space is limited and varies by the garden. Site visits are broken into 2 time slots to avoid having us all arrive at once, but (in general) are not strict.
July Monthly Meeting: 7/21
The July 21 meeting will be held from 6:30-8:00 p.m, both in person at the Oval or via Zoom. The featured speaker will be Rhonda Fleming Hayes. Rhonda is a local author who has written Garden for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age. In Garden for Life, Rhonda brings a lifetime of gardening experience, research-based advice, and collective wisdom to older gardeners who are looking for inspiration and practical strategies. Garden for Life reminds us that gardening is a simple way to answer the human need to connect with nature, a craving called biophilia, while highlighting its many proven health benefits. For those who are
interested, copies of her book will be available or purchase for
$25 prior to the meeting.
July Book Club: 7/28
The July 21 meeting will be held from 6:30-8:00 p.m, both in person at the Oval or via Zoom. The featured speaker will be Rhonda Fleming Hayes. Rhonda is a local author who has written Garden for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age. In Garden for Life, Rhonda brings a lifetime of gardening experience, research-based advice, and collective wisdom to older gardeners who are looking for inspiration and practical strategies. Garden for Life reminds us that gardening is a simple way to answer the human need to connect with nature, a craving called biophilia, while highlighting its many proven health benefits. For those who are interested, copies of her book will be available for purchase for $25 prior to the meeting.
Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District Week Events
Bikes and Blooms: Learn and Ride: 7/19
Tours start at 9:00 am and 9:45 am, starting from Mounds Park Academy in Saint Paul
Exceptional Landscape Ecology Tour: 7/21
Tour leaves from the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District office at 5:00 PM
Native Plant BINGO at Third Act Brewing: 7/23
Event runs 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM at 4120 Radio Dr, Woodbury, MN 55129.
For more information and registration, visit the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District site.
Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi Bioblitz: 8/08
Join us from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Wakan Tipi Center (590 4th St E Saint Paul). BioBlitz is a data collection event for all members of the community to learn from and collect data with environmental professionals and community partners as we survey pollinators, plants, dragonflies, birds, and more. All ages and backgrounds are welcome, and no prior experience is necessary! Lunch provided. Registration is now open. If you have accessibility needs, email info@wakantipi.org by 7/27/26.
Sign Up Now! Join Us for a Night Out at the Bell Museum: 8/18
The August Monthly Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Bell Museum on
August 18. Come early to see the Big Woods Garden and the Touch and See room, open from 5:30-6:30. Learn about the nationally renowned Bell Museum Herbarium at the University of Minnesota. We are extremely fortunate to be able to learn about the Herbarium from two distinguished scientists from the Bell Museum. George Weiblan is the Science Director of the Bell Museum and Curator of Plants and Professor. Tim Whitfeld is the Collections Manager of the Bell Museum's Herbarium. Space is limited and going fast. Early registration is now available.
Exciting New Book Available in the Lending Library
Published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, this first-of-its-kind book documents Hmong medicinal herbs and tells the story of Hmong herbalist May Lee and her daughters Zongxee and Mhonpaj, who now grow and sell the herbs in Minnesota. This compendium records and preserves an important oral history and knowledge for members of the Hmong community and beyond. Two copies of the book are available in the RGEV Lending Library.
Save the Date - Central Region Gathering: 10/24
This year's Central Regional Gathering will feature the "latest and greatest" research presented by a
U of M Extension Educator and a sneak peek at the 50th anniversary of the Master Gardener Volunteer Program on Saturday, October 24 from 9 am - 3pm at the Bunker Hills Activities Center, Andover in Anoka County. Watch the state newsletter from Tim Kenny for more details about the theme and topics.
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Calendar
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In-person office hours with Darren at the Maplewood Extension Office on Wednesdays (10am-2pm). Sign up here. Contact him directly to schedule additional times.
7/16 - Garden Gate Tour
7/19 - Garden Gate Tour
7/21 – Monthly Meeting
7/23 - Garden Gate Tour
7/28 – RGEV Book Club
8/11 – Board Meeting
8/22-8/28 – Yard and Garden Phone Line
8/27–9/7 – Minnesota State Fair
10/24 – Central Regional Gathering
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Quick Links
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RGEV Resources
Extension Resources
Access the MN Arboretum for free with code MG2026
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