Since 2000, Nancy Pollard has overseen the Cook South Suburban Master Gardener Program. She has led its expansion to over 100 volunteers and enjoys helping people find creative ways to serve the greening of their communities. Her program focuses include youth programs in nature and gardening, and planning for environmentally friendly landscapes.
She instructs adult Master Gardeners in Botany, Insects, Diseases and Integrated Pest Management. Ms. Pollard has worked extensively with both youth and adults on horticulture projects helping people connect with nature in practical ways. She is on a team that created the SMART garden for the Museum of Science and Industry SMART home exhibit in 2008.
Pollard is providing leadership to a new pilot Illinois Master Naturalist Program in Cook County which will begin training volunteers in the spring of 2009. This program is a collaborative partnership with the Forest Preserve of Cook County and Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens.
From her early life on a dairy farm, and roaming the woods, ravines and creeks around Ithaca, New York, Pollard grew to love nature. Her practical experience working on a vegetable farm, formal gardens, Cornell's Liberty Hyde Bailey Conservatory, and florist shops in several states is combined with knowledge from formal training.
She earned a master's degree in horticulture from Michigan State University where her focus was education and school gardens. Pollard holds a bachelor's degree with honors from Cornell University in floriculture and ornamental horticulture. Pollard interned at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square Pennsylvania in conjunction with the University of Delaware. In addition to Illinois, she has worked in the horticulture field in New York, Michigan, Colorado, California, and Georgia giving her broad perspective.
GARDEN PLANNING
School & Community Garden Plan
Brainstorming Phase: We'll work with to you establish goals for your garden planto save you time and money, and increase the joy, beauty and educational value of your site. Adults 60–90 minutes
Optional Implementation Phase: Assists your committee in creating a plan for a youth or special interest garden. Time depends on the project size and scope.
Plan a Landscape that Works
Learn the elements of an efficient, low-maintenance garden plan. Adults 90 minutes
Optional Landscape Series: Create your own landscape design in four, 3-hour sessions spaced two weeks apart. Homework and materials fee. Maximum 16 adults.
INVASIVE SPECIES
Emerald Ash Borer: Why We Care and What We Can Do.
About twenty percent of the trees in Cook County are ash trees. Emerald Ash Borer larva likely will kill them. Find out how you can be proactive in dealing with the problem.Adults, municipal employees or greens industry employees. 60–120 minutes.
BRINGING NATURE INDOORS
Winter Evergreen Centerpiece or Door Swag
Make and take an evergreen centerpiece to bring the aroma and sights of winter inside. Learn bow making. Materials fee includes container, greens, and accessories. Max. 20 adults with enough strength in hands to use pruning shears and wire cutters. Three hours.
Houseplants
Learn to care for your houseplants. Tips on choosing the right plant for the right location. Plant solutions, maintenance, common diseases and insects will be discussed. Adults or high school students. One hour
HANDS-ON NATURE STUDY
Bare Branch Detectives
Analyze twigs, trunk slices and other tree parts for clues about a tree's identity and its history. Examine slices of stumps to see how the tree grew and how it responded to problems in its life. You will look at trees differently after this. Max. 24, 4th grade to adult, one - four hours
Bug Detectives
While most insects are beneficial, some really bug us. Are they all insects? How do you sort them out? What features are important? Safe exploration into this incredibly fascinating world. Sort-A-Bug, and more. Max. 24, 4th grade to adult, one - six hours.
Pine Tree Detectives
Not all evergreens are pine trees. Using a combination of plant material, photographs, and word descriptions, identify by specific characteristics the eleven most common needled trees in our area. Jr. High to adults, one -two hours.
Splish, Splash, Down the Street Drain
Using a model landscape, see firsthand how water is shed from yards and driveways carrying a variety of pollutants we rarely think about into our streams, rivers and lakes. This interactive, fun activity shows how people and plants can limit the impact of pollutants. People say, "This was fun!," and "I never new…"
Max. 24, 4th grade to adult 1 - 2 hours.
