OLLI Gardening Symposium

Boone is the Galveston County Extension Horticulture Agent with Texas A&M AgriLife. He provides expert, research-based education on gardening, plant care, pest management, and sustainable horticultural practices. Through his efforts, Boone helps individuals within the community enhance landscapes, improve plant health, and promote environmentally responsible gardening.

Brandi is the Galveston County Extension Agent for Coastal & Marine Resources with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and former Harris County Horticulture Agent. Currently, she provides outreach on coastal resilience, sustainable fisheries, and responsible environmental stewardship. Brandi is also a member of the Houston Bat Team, educating on bats’ ecological role, insect control benefits and their importance to local ecosystems while promoting sustainable wildlife practices.

Keaton is deeply involved in the Galveston Farmers Market gardening program, where he works to engage young people and adults in hands-on gardening experiences. His efforts focus on teaching the basics about plant growth, sustainability, and the importance of healthy food choices. Argubright’s dedication helps foster a love for gardening and environmental awareness within the Galveston community.

Ricci joined the Galveston Bay Foundation in June 2019. Her primary interests are vegetation inventory and monitoring. Ricci works towards managing native vegetation to promote high species diversity, improving hydrologic function, and increasing wildlife habitat. Her love of gardening combined with her knowledgeable expertise makes Ricci one of the Gulf Coasts most valuable native plant authorities.

Sara is the Gulf Coast Avian Ecologist with the American Bird Conservancy working with to monitor and protect nesting shorebirds and seabirds, as well as migrating and wintering shorebirds. Sara also works closely with Bird City Texas – a community-focused certification program, created to help people protect birds and their habitats. Sara’s work is having a major impact on creating habitat, as well as reducing other harmful factors affecting our Gulf Coast bird population.

Soni is a dedicated educator at the Cockrell Butterfly Center, where she works to inspire visitors with a love for butterflies and the natural world. Through her efforts, she helps promote conservation and environmental education, sharing knowledge about native plants and butterfly species. Her passion for nature and wildlife have made her an integral part of the center's mission to connect people with the beauty of the environment.

SPLASh is a conservation and education project in partnership with the American Bird Conservancy, Black Cat GIS, and GCBO. There is an enormous amount of trash in Texas waters affecting the organisms living there as well as on the beach. The goal of the SPLASh project is to decrease the amount of trash in and entering the waters of the upper Texas coast.

The Galveston Garden Club is one of the oldest garden clubs in Texas. Our mission is to teach and inspire a love of gardening, to do good in our community, and to preserve and maintain the historic 1847 Powhatan House (located at the corner of 35th Street and Avenue O). Our theme for 2024/2025 is "Back to Our Roots." It is a renewed focus on all things gardening. Our monthly meetings feature knowledgeable and talented guest speakers and they are always free to all.

GINTC’s mission is to connect people with Galveston’s natural environment in a manner that will sustain those resources for current and future generations. GINTC volunteers take part in numerous activities including assisting with events, helping conduct research and outreach programs, and much more.

In 2008, Hurricane Ike’s destroyed over 40,000 trees. The storm greatly impacted many of the benefits that urban forests provide. GITC’s volunteer driven goal of planting 25,000 trees over five years will help restore a critical tree canopy to Galveston’s streets, neighborhoods and public spaces.

Founded in 2012, GOFM is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting the community to local foods through year-round weekly farmers markets, food access initiatives, school gardens and health & food education opportunities. GOFM’s mission is to build and sustain a local food community through a vibrant, producers-only marketplace, improved food access, and educational programming.

Galveston, known by many as the Oleander City, is home to the International Oleander Society. The mission of this non-profit organization is to aid in the development, improvement and preservation of Oleanders of all kinds. Many of these efforts are on display at the Betty Head Oleander Garden Park, 2624 Sealy Ave‎. The garden is maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers.

This group of OLLI community garden volunteers are dedicated towards developing a community garden and green space. Gardening and garden-tending improve the quality life for older adults, in addition to providing a source of fresh and nutritious food. OLLI at UTMB also has a large community garden lovingly cared for by members, students and  volunteers.

Seeding Galveston, a non-profit, urban farm project, is committed to developing sustainable agriculture on Galveston Island. Seeding Galveston's goal is to help ensure access to healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables for all Island residents. In addition, Seeding Galveston is committed to creating urban farms and gardens in previously unused or underutilized public and private spaces on Galveston Island.

The Galveston County Master Gardener (MG) and Master Naturalist (MN) Programs are volunteer development programs offered by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. MG and MN candidates receive in-depth training in a variety of subject matter areas. Participants that successfully complete the program provide volunteer support for number of area projects that benefit our community and the environment.

Because of its size and geography, Texas is one of the most biologically diverse states, with forests, deserts, mountains, hills, prairies, and coastal plains. The Native Plant Society of Texas (NPST) wants to protect our state’s native plant heritage and preserve it for future generations. NPST is a non-profit organization, run by volunteers, sponsoring educational programs, workshops, demonstration gardens and many other types of projects.