CCE Gardeners resign amid leadership concerns

Master Gardeners Heather Brenner, Joyce Tomaselli and Philomena Kiernan worked the 30th annual Master Gardener plant sale in Millbrook on May 19 and 20, 2023.
Judith O’Hara Balfe
Master Gardeners Heather Brenner, Joyce Tomaselli and Philomena Kiernan worked the 30th annual Master Gardener plant sale in Millbrook on May 19 and 20, 2023.
MILLBROOK — The Dutchess County Master Gardener Program at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Ductchess County (CCEDC) experienced a mass resignation of its volunteers in late March.
This departure comprises at least half of the program’s 74 members, some of whom have been in the program for decades.
The Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a national initiative of Cornell University: trained volunteers collaborate with county Cooperative Extension offices to provide research-based guidance to home gardeners and youth.
Originating in Washington state in 1972, Dutchess County pioneered New York State’s involvement in 1975. Today, Master Gardener programs exist in 46 states, with over 23,000 participants nationwide, including more than 1,100 in New York State alone.
The primary grievances of the resigned volunteers from Dutchess County revolve around perceived poor management practices by the program’s new directors. Allegations include the creation of a hostile work environment, arbitrary dismissals and suspensions of Master Gardeners, and a lack of transparency regarding changes to volunteer commitments.
“There is something called a conflict resolution policy at the extension, and they would never let us utilize it to hear why we were upset, what we thought we could do about it, and how we could fix things and so forth. They just wouldn’t sit down with us,” said a master gardener who prefers to remain anonymous. She went on to say, “They never thought about the repercussions. Period. And quite honestly, they don’t seem to care.” This sentiment is echoed by others who feel that the current management team has failed to address their concerns and engage in meaningful dialogue.
The imposition of new rules and requirements without adequate explanation has contributed to the discontent among volunteers. Recent developments, such as what the gardeners describe as restrictive volunteer forms and disrespectful language, have also raised concerns among volunteers.
The departure of these longtime volunteers represents a significant loss for the Dutchess County Master Gardener Program and the community it serves.
Said Chris Ferrero, Master Gardener and one of the founders of the Master Gardener Speaker’s Bureau, “The Master Gardeners need to be brought back if we are going to serve the community. If we can’t, why is the county paying the extension for this service?”
Moving forward, there is a collective hope among former volunteers for a reversal of the program’s current trajectory which they perceive to be marked by inflexible and disrespectful management practices. The volunteers have voiced their concerns in an open letter about the future direction of the program and its ability to effectively serve the community.
Asked for comment, CCEDC Director Mary Lou Carolan acknowledged that a number of volunteers had left the program. She said that the movement among the Master Gardeners had started last summer, following the implementation of revised policy guidelines from Cornell’s horticulture program.
The revised guidelines required Master Gardeners to spend more hours training, so that those with the Master Gardener title would be more educated in all aspects of plant management, from propagation to soil science on down, said Carolan — the idea being that the Gardeners can then pass that information on to the public.
She said that the Master Gardeners who left had objected to new requirements of time spent in the labs and greenhouses, learning, for example, how to manage cuttings and propagate plants.
The Master Gardeners also objected to requirements to staff the CCEDC horticulture hotline, which people call with questions about gardening, Carolan said. This also required training, such as how to research the answers to questions that the volunteer might not know off the top of their heads.
The changes coincided with changes in leadership and staffing, said Carolan.
“With new leadership comes new direction, new vision,” she said. “I think they didn’t want anything to change.”
AMENIA — Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44.
On Wednesday, August 20, the crew was checking excavation lines.
Work is expected to continue for the next three to four weeks. Residents should anticipate minor traffic delays.
Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44. On Wednesday, August 20, excavation began. Project Manager Don D. was at the controls of the excavation equipment.Photo by Leila Hawken
In light of rising local interest in the centuries-old game of Backgammon, Wednesday afternoon backgammon instruction and play sessions are being offered at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon. The first such session was held on Wednesday, Aug. 13, attracting two enthusiastic participants, both of whom resolved to return for the weekly sessions.
Expert player and instructor Roger Lourie of Sharon, along with his equally expert wife, Claude, led the session, jumping right into the action of playing the game. Claude chose to pair with Janet Kaufman of Salisbury, a moderately experienced player looking to improve her skills, while Lourie teamed himself with Pam Jarvis of Sharon, who was new to the game.
In 2023, Lourie formed Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut with two objectives: to promote the game in the northwest corner of the state and to teach it to children and adults interested in learning. In addition to the Wednesday sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, an informal, casual group meets at Le Gamin in Sharon every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon.
Acting as co-chairman is Ed Corey who leads the Le Gamin sessions, offering advice and instruction. Both Corey and Lourie play competitively and have distinguished themselves by winning tournaments. There are no fees for participation at either Hotchkiss or Le Gamin. Children, ages 8 and up, are welcome to come and learn the game, along with adults of any experience level.
Lourie says that he can teach a person to play competitively in three lessons.
Sessions at The Hotchkiss Library will continue until the end of the year and perhaps beyond, depending on interest. Lourie will be the instructor until mid-November, when expert player Ed Corey will assume responsibility for the sessions at the Hotchkiss Library.
“We’re hoping for more people and also to see youngsters participating and learning the game,” Lourie said.
“The beginner can be the expert with the right dice,” said Lourie, explaining that it is a game combining chance and strategy. An understanding of mathematics and probability can be helpful.
Lourie summarized the randomness of dice and the strategy of poker. “I want to know the proper etiquette,” Kaufman offered, intent on knowing more about the proper moves, although her play indicated a credible level of skill.
Stopping in to observe the Hotchkiss session, executive director of the library, Gretchen Hachmeister said, “We know that people come to library game sessions. People love games, getting together to learn something new.”
Lourie learned the game under extremely unusual circumstances — as a detainee in a Soviet prison during the1960s missile crisis, while working in Naval Engineering to decipher code for the U.S. Office of Technological Security.
Imprisonment was not terrible, he said. There was predictable questioning by day when he repeated daily the details of his cover story. But at night, the guards — many the same age as the detainees — had finished their shifts and of interrogation.They unplugged the cameras to brew tea and the backgammon games would begin. That was how Lourie learned the game and became an expert.
Board games date back 5,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. Modern backgammon goes back to 17th-century England, having evolved from a 16th-century game called “Irish.”It grew in popularity in the 1960s, leading to formation of a World Backgammon Club in Manhattan. And then in 2023, Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut came to be.
To learn more about the Backgammon sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, visit: www.hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org or contact Lourie directly at Rlourie@gmail.com.
Pantry essentials at Dugazon
You are invited to celebrate the opening of Dugazon, a home and lifestyle shop located in a clapboard cottage at 19 West Main Street, the former site of The Edward in Sharon. The opening is Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.
After careers in the world of fashion, Salisbury residents Bobby Graham and his husband, Matt Marden, have curated a collection of beautiful items that reflect their sense of design, love of hospitality, and Graham’s deep Southern roots. Dugazon is his maternal family name.
“My Louisiana roots come from my mother’s family in Baton Rouge via New Orleans where many of my memories of cooking, food, antiquing, flea markets, hospitality, entertaining, originate,” Graham said.“Being raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, enhanced the importance of community, family, friends and regional cultures, forming the essence of Dugazon.”
Graham and Marden sat on the front porch telling the story of their shop’s evolution. With its wicker loveseats and geraniums in bloom, the old porch invites visitors to linger.
Matt Marden and Bobby Graham open Dugazonat 19 West Main St.in Sharon on Aug 27. Jennifer Almquist
“Bobby has been talking about Dugazon ever since our first date 21 years ago,” Marden said smiling. “I could not be more thrilled that his dream has finally become our reality.”
Graham laughed, then shared their hope that Dugazon embodies the spirit of lagniappe, a French concept of “adding a little extra to bring unexpected kindness, generosity and delight into everyday life.”
Marden worked at Staley-Wise Gallery in New York City. “Town & Country” recruited him to cover men’s fashion. He became fashion director of “Details” magazine and later style director for “Esquire” magazine.
Graham spent 24 years at Condé Nast as a Fashion and luxury advertising sales executive for “Vogue,” “GQ,” “Vanity Fair,” “AD,” and “The New Yorker.”
Within their light-filled shop, unique antiques and vintage cookbooks mix with kitchen necessities such as wooden spoons and cutting boards. Dugazon is bursting with elegant and functional items ranging from designer John Derian treasures to Louisiana hot sauce, luxurious table linens from Milan-based La Double J, and pantry essentials including Café Du Monde beignet mix, Mam Papaul’s jambalaya fixings, and various jams.
Scandinavian 19-inch tapered candles from creators ester & erik are available in 30 colors. Other offerings include vivid naïve paintings by New Orleans-born artist Alvin Batiste, who now works out of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and paper goods designed by Marden’s first cousin, Carey Marden Shaulus.
Alvin Batiste paintings and ester& erik candles on display at Dugazon.Jeff Holt
“Dugazon becoming a reality has been a lifelong dream that comes from deep in my creative soul,” Graham said.“My experiences and memories from my roots, family and friends is what Dugazon is all about. Being able to share this with the world means everything to us.”
Dugazon opens Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.and will be open Wednesdays through Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Phone: 860-397-5196
Instagram:@dugazonshop
Website:www.dugazonshop.com