2026-04-16T12:17:29-07:00 2025-12-31 990EZ 2025-07-01 933653838 EXTENSION MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION OF ROWAN COUNTY EXTE 7042168970 1959 JAKE ALEXANDER BLVD W STE 1400 SALISBURY NC 28147 Audrey Knall Treasurer 7042168970 2026-04-16 2025 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z X X ROWANMASTERGARDENERS.ORG X X 10248 X 8068 2058 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 92 0 92 0 10248 0 0 0 0 0 362 3598 3960 6288 29573 0 35861 29573 35861 0 0 0 0 29573 35861 0 0 29573 35861 The mission of the Extension Master Gardener Association of Rowan County is to partner with the NC Cooperative Extension to deliver education and technology that enriches the lives, land and economy of Rowan Count. The purpose of the Association is to educate its members and the public in the area of horticulture and promote and foster community enrichment through education and experiential learning opportunities. Rowan Master Gardener volunteers support education programs and outreach in consumer horticulture. We develop our horticultural expertise through participation in educational training classes conducted by the NC Cooperative Extension staff. The Healthy Living Demonstration Gardens - A Community Space for Urban Agriculture: An expected ten-year project in conjunction with the City of Salisbury NC and the Rowan County Cooperative Extension Service, commenced in 2025 to convert an asphalt parking lot into a demonstration and teaching garden to benefit the surrounding communities and the citizens of Rowan County. The two acres of demonstration and educational gardens will provide new green space that replaces a former vast expanse of asphalt parking lot, providing new access to information on how to grow healthy food. It will incorporate fruit trees, shrubs, vegetable gardens, and perennials. Plans include a rain garden that will filter pollutants out of runoff and improve the health of Grants Creek Watershed, the watershed that flows through the heart of Rowan County before emptying into High Rock Lake, and declared impaired by the NC Division of Environmental Quality. The Healthy Living Demonstration Garden has been professionally designed to educate visitors about the interrelationships between families of vegetables, fruits and other edibles such as herbs. To help visitors understand these relationships, the Master Gardener team plans to offer a self-guided tour booklet with pages of evidence-based information about plants in the various sections of the garden. The gardens will also include a 24'x48' greenhouse which will become an educational center for urban agriculture, designed for hands-on learning and experiential understanding of growing healthy food while protecting our environment. The greenhouse is scheduled for installation in 2026. To date, all utilities are in place. The engineering plans have been purchased and approved by the city of Salisbury and a deposit has been made on the greenhouse kit as of 2026. Getting into urban farming educates citizens on the effort that goes into producing our food and gives people some perspective on where their food comes from before they purchase it in their grocery store. In summary, the gardens will offer 1) Fresh produce and fruit to sample and learn how each grows, 2) Educational programs for children, adults and aspiring gardeners, 3) A teaching greenhouse to experience plants growing from seed and propagation, 4) A demonstration pergola area for shaded hands-on learning, and 5) Accessible paths and gathering spaces for all to enjoy. The Extension Master Gardener Association of Rowan County is currently in the process of soliciting grants and donations to fund this massive endeavor which will be an ongoing effort. Expenses will accelerate starting in 2026 as the project ramps up. The project is expected to impact primarily the 36,000+ citizens of Salisbury NC and more directly, the Franklin area of Salisbury with its immediately surrounding neighborhoods of Milford Terrace, Milford Hills, Milford Knoll, and Holly Park which are mix of single family and multi-unit apartment complexes. 7430 1191 Extension Master Gardener Association public educational workshops and events. Throughout the year, the Rowan Master Gardeners host public events that enhance the efforts of the Rowan County Extension program through continuous educational opportunities and service projects. Events may take the form of lecture style talks with appropriate time for discussion of horticultural or related nature issues by outside speakers. The largest of these lectures was Save the Bees, All the Bees! A free event open to the public featuring a presentation by Spriggly's Beescaping, hosted by The Extension Master Gardener Association of Rowan County. Beginning with a brief history of humans and bees, participants explore why honeybees have taken the forefront of our attention for so long, while the bees that need our help are the 4,000 species of wild native bees in North America. Participants learned about the lives of these pollinators through and exploration of common North American species and the habitat each requires for nesting and survival. 68 citizens attended this presentation. Alternatively a hands-on experience such as The Plant Propagation Workshop can provide a more tactile experience for the general public who may have had limited prior experience growing plants. For a nominal fee, the public is invited to participate in learning how to propagate their own plants using cuttings from plants on display throughout the Extension's gardens. They are provided a growing tray with appropriate soil and instructions and guidance on the steps from taking the cuttings to getting them to root. These trays are then maintained in the Master Gardener's greenhouse at the proper temperatures and irrigation for several weeks. When the time is right, the workshop participants are invited back to pick up their tray to take them home and plant the now rooted individual plants in their yards. 27 citizens participated in this hands-on workshop and learned how to propagate a plant from a cutting. 0 1091 Regular community involvement is a hallmark of the Rowan County Master Gardeners. Throughout the year, we participate in other community groups' events to bring relevant horticultural information to the citizens of our county where they congregate. Volunteers provide seasonally appropriate gardening information through public interaction on a one-on-one basis and through written handouts with volunteer-staffed booths at places such as the County Fair, October Tour and the community Farmer's Market. Additionally, participating in events such as the Scarecrow Stroll and the Festival of Trees allow relevant themed displays to provide a visual representation of a particular horticultural element. At the October Historic Tour alone, Master Gardener volunteers interacted with over 600 citizens and provided answers to their questions and directions on how to incorporate different plants into their unique gardens. The Salisbury Farmer's Market allowed our volunteers to meet and interact with over 300 individuals, providing information on plants, plus encouragement to children to stimulate an interest in plants through hands-on kids' activities each month. 0 908 3190 SALLIE STEELE PRESIDENT 10 0 0 0 PAULA TROXLER VICE PRESIDENT 10 0 0 0 DEBORAH LUCAS SECRETARY 10 0 0 0 AUDREY KNALL TREASURER 15 0 0 0 FAITH PARSONS HISTORIAN 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NC AUDREY KNALL 1959 JAKE ALEXANDER BLVD W STE 1400 SALISBURY NC 28147 7042168970 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NONE NONE 1 X 8098 8098 419 419 1731 1731 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10248 10248 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10248 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10248 10248 X Form 990-EZ, Part I, Line 16 Description;Amount^EDUCATIONAL SPEAKERS;700|COMMUNITY EVENT FEES AND REGISTRATION;336|BANK AND PAYMENT PLATFORM FEES;132|INVENTORY SUPPLIES AND PURCHASES COGS;497|GARDEN GREENHOUSE MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES;206|STORAGE SMALL EQUIPMENT;360|MEMBERSHIPS;25|PERMITS;25|INSURANCE;191|SIGNAGE;1016|WEBSITE SUPPORT;39|MEMBER APPRECIATION;71|No description;0^Total;3598^ Form 990-EZ, Part I, Line 20 SHORT RETURN DUE TO CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PERIOD FROM FISCAL JULY TO JUNE TO CALENDAR YEAR. PRIOR YEAR (JULY 2024 THROUGH JUNE 2025) WAS FILED ON A 990N.