Minutes of the April Regularly Scheduled Meeting of
The Virginia Master Gardener Association, Inc.
April 9, 2005
Lexington

Attendance
(Amherst, Campbell, City of Lynchburg) Karen Sacasky, Al Thompson; (Bedford) Patty Gamache; (Brunswick, Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Nottoway) Nancy Drewry; (Chesapeake) Pinky Derieux, Pauline and Tag Price; (Chesterfield) Dawn Lerch; (Fairfax) George Graine; (Fauquier) Jim Scibek; (Goochland/Powhatan) Alexandria Haselman, Chuck Miller; (Halifax) Bill McCaleb; (Hanover) Cheri Haggerty; (James City County/Williamsburg) Angela Cingale; (Nelson) Rosemary Connelly, Bunyon Fortune, Maudie Ratliff; (Northern Shenandoah Valley) Bud and Fran Gregory; (Prince George) Cheryl Sebera; (Prince William) Frank and Pat Reilly, Bill and Janet Scott; (Roanoke) Kathryn Debnar; (Rockbridge) Sue Ellen Burton, Jim Davis, Ted Jenks, Doris Stark, Carolyn Yawars; (Virginia Beach) Paul Campbell, Liz Maurer, Fran Shelton, Betty Villers; (Virginia Tech) Dave Close; (Washington) Tommie White; (Western Tidewater) Betty Jo Hendrix; (York) Jackie Lohr

Call to Order
President Bill McCaleb called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m.

Introductions
President McCaleb expressed appreciation to all who came to this beautiful part of the state. Introductions around the room followed.

Ted Jenks, representing the Rockbridge unit introduced Jim Davis, the president of the Rockbridge area MG Association. Jim welcomed everyone and told us Rockbridge is a retirement community that owes a lot to Washington and Lee University and VMI. The MGs are most proud of their five youth projects; three are in elementary schools for fourth graders including alphabet gardens and butterfly gardens. One of these is done with a 4-H group. A fourth project is at the Buena Vista High School working with a special education class with garden related crafts and maintaining a colonial style garden. The fifth is at the Natural Bridge Correctional Center where they created a vegetable garden with excess vegetables going to the mess hall. The MG volunteers also maintain the gardens at the historic Stonewall Jackson House and Campbell House while educating the public as they visit. At the Buena Vista Visitors Center they have featured native plants in the gardens to greet those coming from others areas.

Jim presented Bill McCaleb a check from the Rockbridge MG unit for the State MG Coordinator Endowment Fund.

Treasurer's Report
Treasurer Pat Reilly reported:

Overall Balance of Accounts
	Checking Account Balance					$6,397.18
	Money Market (including PDR EEF of $4238.27)					$7,628.10
	CD Balance					$6,525.09
	Total Overall Balance of Accounts					$20,550.37
Checking Account
	Balance as of 2/12/2005					$7,333.36
		Income
			FY 06 dues		$120.00
			FY07-FY13 dues*		$168.00
			VT Endowment		$230.00
						$518.00
		Expenses
			Newsletter		-$587.62
			Secretary		-$11.56
			State Corp Comm		-$25.00
			VT Foundation		-$830.00
						-$1,454.18
	Balance as of 4/7/2005					$6,397.18
Year to Date Income & Expenses to Budget FY 05*
	Income YTD
		Committee		Budget	Income	Remaining
		Membership*		$5,000.00	$2,755.00	$2,245.00
		Education		$0.00	$216.57	$0.00
				$5,000.00	$2,971.57	$2,028.43
	Expenses YTD
		Committee		Budget	Expense	Remaining
		Comm/Unit Support		$450.00	-$414.35	$35.65
		Membership		$1,500.00	-$1,111.84	$388.16
		Newsletter		$1,875.00	-$2,784.33	-$909.33
		State Fair		$50.00	-$53.99	-$3.99
		Gifts		$600.00	$0.00	$600.00
		Marketing		$200.00	$0.00	$200.00
		Nom & Elections		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
		President (SCC)		$75.00	-$25.00	$ 50.00
		V Pres		$25.00	$0.00	$25.00
		Sec		$50.00	-$25.20	$24.80
		Treas (banking)		$175.00	-$52.35	$122.65
				$5,000.00	-$4,467.06	$532.94
*FY05 budget was set from all dues, including the entire amount of lifetime member dues.
We have changed to where life member's dues are parsed out over a period of 8 years.
Additionally, any income from dues after January 1 credits the individual for membership in the
following fiscal year. Budget expenses are tracked in the fiscal year.

Report was accepted pending annual audit.

Minutes
February minutes were accepted as posted.

Extension Liaison - reported by Dave Close, MG Coordinator

Dave had to leave early so his report was given at this time.

SOD User Manual – will be printed next week and distributed to agents initially on April 18 at the VESA/VCE

meeting in Roanoke. Remaining manuals will be mailed to the VCE offices. It will be up to the agents and MG

coordinators to train the MGs. It is designed for those on the Help Line/Hort Line to use when the homeowner

calls and thinks their plant may have Phytophthora ramorum. You can use the decision key to determine

whether or not the homeowner should send a sample through the extension office to the diagnostic lab at

VaTech. This should decrease the number of false samples sent to state lab. Contrary to the SOD name, it is

not sudden and it hasn't affected oaks in VA, that was a west coast phenomenon. Are having 150 copies made

and It will be available on the intranet for download, not advertised to the public.

MG Handbook modifications – started the process and not sure when it will be ready. Chapter on wildlife will be developed within the next 12 months; working with Carol Heiser with DGIF (Department of Game and Inland Fisheries) to develop this and some other material on wildlife (advanced training module and wildlife nuisance publication). Should be online by June of 2006. Those who have already had training will receive the wildlife chapter. The intent is to have a special wildlife workshop at MG College 2006 for veteran MGs who have not had the wildlife training. Nuisance wildlife publication should be completed by fall or winter of this year. Will be producing an Advance Training module in the area of Wildlife Stewardship. Time frame for this is two years, 2007.

Found out that MD is revising their material as is WV, may see if they want to combine efforts in this process as other extensions are doing across the country to collaborate across state lines for budgetary and personnel reasons.

Endowment – brochure for donations approved by Development Office, will be ready for the silent auction. Beginning to receive a few donations.

MG College 2005 - MG College 2005 – June 21 -26; Leadership development training days are 21st and 22nd for agents, coordinators, and want to be coordinators. Dave has a special treat for Wednesday night after dinner. $125 registration fee; $55/night for a private room (includes meals), $44/night for a room with a roommate (includes meals); block of rooms reserved at DBHCC at $78/night (extra $19.96 a day for meals); registration will begin May 1; coupons will be available for milestone hours discount through local agent and/or coordinator. If you can't register online get applications from agent or coordinator and mail. Remember conference registration and housing registration are separate. When registering by email, screen will indicate you have registered.

There are some new events for Thursday afternoon; special treat on Wednesday night for those that go through the leadership development training; will be looking for volunteers to assist with some things, Dave will send out a notice through the listservs on this; invited a colleague from Nova Scotia to attend, will present how they adapted our curriculum to a web-based program; will also be inviting neighboring MGs from MD, WV, KY, TN, NC; awards night has been moved to Thursday to encourage more VCE agents to be present; still have brag night on Thursday – don’t forget to request your table through Bill McCaleb; silent auction (includes a wine tasting) is still Saturday night in Torgeson museum room and will be run by VMGA; still have VMGA meeting and announce brag night winners on Saturday night; picnic, plant sale, and plant swap will all be at the Hort Gardens on Sunday.

Dave will post MG College program on his public website at www.HORT.VT.EDU/mastergardener, click on MG College button. Remember you can't register until May 1.

Dave has a special treat in store for us in Torgeson Hall where there is a facility, a lab called the cave that is a virtual reality room, 10x10 with projection screens on three walls and on the floor. A project was done through the USDA several years ago where someone digitized insects and they have created some applications that we will be able to experience.

Miscellaneous information –

* Will be unavailable - will be out of the country May 16-26 so plan accordingly if you need certificates or other resources during or immediately after that time.

President's Report

President, McCaleb stressed the importance of attending the Leadership Development Training at MG College on the 21st and 22nd. Training will help you understand more of how volunteers fit in with the whole picture with VCE. Encourage agent and leaders in your units to attend.

At Meeting with Dean Quesenberry there was discussion about different terminology used by the units for their telephone answer line such as Hort Line, Growline, or Help Line. Dave feels there should be a consistent term for all MGs to use. He will be sending email to agents for their input looking for consistent terms for as many programs as possible for standardization and consistent recognition.

Committee Reports

Education - Fran Shelton and Pinky Derieux, Co-Chairs

Fran Shelton reminded everyone that VMGA is backing the Lewis Ginter program sponsored by Chesterfield MGs, Thursday, April 21. Information is on the website under calendar of events.

Fall event is Saturday, September 10^th at the Hampton Roads AREC in Virginia Beach. Speakers will include Mark Weathington (Norfolk Botanical Garden), three Extension Agents: Susan French, Traci Gilland (fire ants) and Mike Andruczyk (propagating fall plants); Laurie Fox - HRAREC (winterizing your pond), Ruth Birch (Butterfly Society), and Barbara Brawley - VBMG (Herb gardening). There will be no registrations at the door and the event will be catered by Malbon's BBQ. More information will be given at MG College.

Chuck Miller (Goochland/Powhatan) announced their Family Garden Extravaganza, April 30 with four sessions. Check their website www.gpmga.org for more details.

Fran reminded everyone the education committee is available for all units if they want help with their educational events.

Newsletter - Florace Arnold, Editor

Florace was not present but Bill reminded unit representatives to limit their unit reports so we can get them all in the newsletter. Cheri Haggerty passed around a list of units and their representative and asked for changes and additions.