WHO WE ARE 
The Oregon Garden
SPROut is housed at the Garden, which is providing staffing and financial management. Initial research will be conducted on site at the Garden. The Garden also provides and manages most of the outreach efforts of SPROut through classes, signage, brochures, workshops, volunteer programs, and events. The 240-acre site, with several distinct ecosystems, including wastewater wetlands, oak woodland, mixed conifer/deciduous forest, and upland prairie, along with numerous themed ornamental gardens, is well-poised to be the region’s outdoor laboratory for putting plants to work in environmental contexts.
www.oregongarden.org
Oregon State University and Institute for Natural Resources
Thayne Dutson, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, is the Chair of the SPROut Research Council (see below). Within the College, SPROut is cooperating closely with the Extension Service; the Horticulture Department; and the Crop and Soil Science Department.
http://oregonstate.edu/
The Institute for Natural Resources
The Institute for Natural Resources serves to link scientists at OSU with environmental management needs and policy needs. INR is serving that role for SPROut as well as providing lead support with scientific review of project proposals. Gail Achterman, INR’s Executive Director, sums up the common goals of INR and SPROut quite nicely. “We want new systems that are sustainable and solutions that will work for the long haul.”
http://inr.oregonstate.edu/index.html
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
NRCS leads a strong conservation partnership in Oregon to support stewardship on private and public lands. Bob Graham, State Conservationist, reminds us of “the intrinsic benefits that the public receives from providing landowners with assistance to care for natural resources”. NRCS has been a generous financial supporter of the Wetlands Project at the Oregon Garden and continues to be a generous supporter of SPROut development and projects.
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
Oregon Association of Nurseries
The Oregon Garden’s inception relied heavily on support from the OAN- with garden design, with plant donations, with financial contributions, and with enthusiastic marketing and outreach. The Garden is a showcase of the Oregon-grown horticultural products that collectively have become a leader in the national market. The OAN is recognizing the importance of their products in new and growing environmental markets as well, and makes valuable contributions to plant research through a portion of their nursery licensing fees.
www.oan.org
Research Council
SPROut is supported by expertise and leadership from many partners, including institutional, private, governmental, and academic organizations. The Research Council consists of representatives from the partnering organizations and meets twice per year to review on-going research, develop potential research partnerships, support grant efforts, and recommend research priorities and new partnerships for research. For more information on each of the partners, click on the link for that organization.
Initial Members:
Thayne Dutson – Oregon State University
Gail Achterman – Institute for Natural Resources,OSU
Anita Azarenko – Horticulture Dept, OSU
Lyla Houglum – OSU Extension Service
Rob Miller – Oregon Garden Foundation
Jack Long – Oregon Garden Foundation
Mark Krautmann – Oregon Association of Nurseries
Ann Murphy – Oregon Association of Nurseries
George Bear – Oregon Association of Nurseries
Bob Graham, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Dianne Guidry – Natural Resources Conservation Service
Rob Tracey – NRCS Plant Materials Center
Katy Coba – Oregon Department of Agriculture
Geoff Huntington – Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
Janet Gillaspie - Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies
Tom Liptan – City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services
John Baldwin - Institute for a Sustainable Environment, U of O
Ralph Fisher – Oregon Seed Council
Gretchen Schuette President – Chemeketa Community College
Craig Anderson – Chemeketa Community College
Pat Willis – Jackson Bottom Wetlands
Monte Graham – Marion Soil and Water Conservation District
These organizations have signed a Declaration of Cooperation attesting to their interest in supporting SPROUT. SPROUT is founded on the principle of partnership, and its future successes will continue to rely on the strengths of its partners. To become a partner and engage in the Research Council, please contact the SPROUT Coordinator (see contact info on the upper right of this page).
