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Ogden Botanical Gardens director details volunteer boost, grants and public programs
Summary
Nate Staker updated the Ogden City Council on horticulture programs at the Ogden Botanical Gardens, reporting increased volunteer hours, grant funding and community outreach including Master Gardener training and donated produce.
Nate Staker, who runs the Ogden Botanical Gardens, told the Ogden City Council on March 18 that the site has expanded volunteer, grant and outreach work and is hosting year-round public programs.
Staker said the gardens now draw about 35 Master Gardeners each year and run a 15-week Master Gardener course taught in part by Utah State University faculty. "We bring in $14,000 into the botanical garden annually," he said, and the garden donated "over a thousand pounds of produce" last year to Catholic Community Services.
The presentation outlined grants and private donations that Staker said have supported garden improvements. He cited a $5,000 pollinator grant and recurring in-kind donations from High Country Gardens valued, he estimated, at $200,000 to $250,000 per year that enabled large-scale spring plantings. Staker said volunteers recorded a recent annual total of 5,113 hours; using the national volunteer-hour valuation he cited, that was roughly $177,000 of volunteer labor.
Staker described program and facility improvements since he began managing the site roughly four years ago: new pergolas, raised vegetable beds added via a ramp grant, about 170 new trees planted across recent years and an expansion from roughly four classes per year to as many as 40. He also highlighted an education program called "Park in a Pack," which lends backpacks with STEM activities to visiting students and homeschool groups.
Council members asked about Master Gardener scheduling and diagnostic clinics. Staker said the weekly diagnostic clinics run Wednesdays from May through September at 1750 Monroe Boulevard and that the public can bring plant or pest questions. He said the Master Gardener classroom instruction meets once a week for about three hours over 15 weeks, with hands-on training at the gardens.
Staker invited the council and public to sponsor a demonstration turf area featuring 12 water-efficient grasses and asked for potential sponsors to support installation costs. He closed by thanking volunteer groups and partners and encouraged more collaboration.
The council did not take action on the presentation; members and staff asked follow-up questions and expressed appreciation for the gardens' community services.
