Local community needs and facilities help to determine the most effective teaching methods. The first Alaska Master Gardener training was conducted in 1978 in Anchorage. There were 13 students trained as Master Gardeners that year. Our mission is to promote availability of gardening information to Alaska citizens as a result of University study and experimentation. The members of the Anchorage Chapter perform special tasks and activities related to the Master Gardener program.
Members actively foster, promote and disseminate gardening information in Alaska.
Volunteerism is the basis of the Master Gardener program and Chapter members are dedicated volunteers. Members also help staff ACE telephones to answer gardening questions. Members are also active in organizing and leading gardening activities in local elementary schools. Many adult gardening classes and seminars are taught by members at Community Schools and conferences around Alaska, and many community organizations rely upon members of the AMGA for speakers and presentations. For several years, members have been participating in Chapter projects by planting and maintaining flower beds at the Alaska Pioneers Home in Anchorage and the entrance garden at the Alaska Botanical Garden.