Sedgwick County Master Gardeners to receive international award for tree project

Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

WICHITA — A hands-on, science-based program led by volunteers in Sedgwick County to teach youth and adults about the vital role trees play in Kansas communities has been named one of the top Master Gardener programs in the world.

Matthew McKernan, a horticulture agent with K-State Extension’s office in Sedgwick County, said the project – titled, ‘How Trees Drink, Breathe and Grow’ – will be recognized as a 2025 David Gibby Search for Excellence award winner during the International Master Gardener conference Aug. 25-28.

The innovative class won first place in the youth program category, beating out 36 applications from 17 states. It is led by the Kansas Extension Master Gardener’s volunteer program.

“Through this program, students discover why trees matter, how they function and how we can collectively work together to help keep them healthy in our Kansas communities,” McKernan said.

He adds: “This project is unique in the way that it communicates complex physiological processes happening within the tree into simple and hands-on activities that audiences of all ages can understand and learn from.”

In the class, students begin with a simple tree ‘cookie,’ or a small cross-section of a tree trunk that can be placed on a necklace string. They are then led through three stations to learn about which parts of the trees are used in drinking and transporting water, breathing and exchanging gases, and how to determine the tree’s age and growth patterns.

“A portion of the activity that I personally enjoy seeing is the fascination and wonder of the kids as they look at tree needles and twigs under a microscope,” McKernan said.

That particular activity, he notes, allows youth to see the tiny openings that regulate gas exchange in tree needles and twigs.

“They tend to watch intently for several minutes, with the same level of attention you’d expect them to give their favorite TV show, video game or YouTube video,” he said. “You can see their love of science and appreciate for nature growing in front of you in that moment.”

The program launched at the 2024 Society of Women Engineers Engineering Expo in Wichita, attracting nearly 1,000 participants. By the start of 2025, interest in the program had grown by more than 300%, with over 3,000 participants at additional shows at the Wichita Public Library, Sedgwick County Zoo and classrooms in the Wichita Public School District, according to McKernan.

“Our goal is to continue to use the ‘How Trees Drink, Breathe and Grow’ program as a way to connect with the community, educate people about trees, and instill in them skills for a greener, more beautiful tomorrow,” he said. “We intend to take this program to more and more audiences in order to spread that message and inspire more community members to love and support trees.”

Extension Master Gardeners is a program in which volunteers receive 40-50 hours of training in many aspects of horticulture. After training is completed, volunteers donate an equivalent numbers of hours of service to their community. The program is administered through local extension offices in Kansas.

The International Master Gardener conference is a four-day event to celebrate gardening, innovation and sustainability. It is held every two years at locations around the United States and world. Its membership includes more than 96,000 Extension Master Gardeners from 50 states, 9 Canadian provinces and South Korea.

This year’s event is being held virtually only, and hosted by Texas A&M University. The previous conference, in 2023, was held in Kansas City, hosted by K-State’s Johnson County Extension office.

In addition to McKernan, members of the K-State project team that will be recognized with the David Gibby award are Sedgwick County Master Gardener volunteer coordinator Debra Harries; Sedgwick County food crops horticulture agent Abbey Draut; and Extension Master Gardener volunteers Susan Monette, Jean Nance and Randy Hall.

 

Source

Matthew McKernan
316-660-0140
mckernan@ksu.edu