In the Spring of 2024 UVM Extension approved the Pierson Library and Town Hall and Gardens as an ongoing Extension Master Gardener project. The extension project will bring in volunteer Master Gardeners to help manage the library plantings while offering public educational and outreach opportunities. The gardens and landscape at the Pierson are intended as a model for sustainable planting strategies, including the use of native plants and pollinator favorites. A collaboration with the library involves extension volunteers sharing science based best practices for various landscape and gardening applications. At the Pierson this exciting collaboration includes the hosting of talks, garden tours, plant exchange days, further development and care of the gardens - including a new pollinator garden outside the town offices - and educational/informational signage.

Shelburne’s Steve Budington serves as the project leader for the effort. Steve is a Certified Extension Master Gardener, artist, and Associate Professor of Art, School of the Arts at the University of Vermont. He designs gardens and specializes in native plantings. For more information about Steve, visit stevebudington.com.