Minutes of the August
Regularly Scheduled Meeting of
The Virginia Master Gardener Association, Inc.
August 13, 2005
Manassas
Attendance
(Amherst, Campbell, City of Lynchburg) Al Thompson; (Brunswick,
Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Nottoway) Nancy Drewry; (Chesapeake) Pinky Derieux
(Fairfax) George Graine, Teri O'Brien; (Fauquier) Jim Scibek;
(Goochland/Powhatan) Chuck Miller; (Halifax) Bill McCaleb; (Hanover) Christy
Brennan, Cheri Haggerty; (James City County/Williamsburg) Angela Cingale, Ann
DeForest; (Norfolk) Don Snipes; (Northern Shenandoah Valley) Bud and Fran
Gregory; (Northern Neck) Jinny Estell, Pat Rogers; (Prince William) Lorrie
Andrew-Spear, Sharon Corbin, Leslie Paulson, Barb Peters, Frank and Pat Reilly,
Bill and Janet Scott, Paige Thacker, Betty Truax, Jane Wyman ; (Roanoke)
Kathryn Debnar, (Stafford) Don Saunders; (Suffolk) Betty Freedman; (Virginia
Beach) Paul Campbell, Fran Shelton,
Betty Villers; (Virginia Tech) Dave
Close; (York) Jackie Lohr
Call to Order
President Bill McCaleb called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m.
Introductions
Pat Reilly, representing Prince William County introduced their
extension agent, Paige Thacker, who informed us of the work of the MGs in
Prince William. They man their clinic phone line year round, answering up to
250 calls a month in the summer months.
They conduct clinics at the library weekly during the summer and at
garden centers in the spring and fall.
Water
Quality is an important goal and working with Public Works who provide funds
for some of their programs they are able to provide information to the public.
Through their Home Lawn Program they have provided the lime and fertilizer plan
to over 2 million sq.ft. of lawns in the county. They also provide Storm Water
Best Management information and recommendations to businesses to limit their
pollution.
Every
spring In April, they have a Spring Fling, a lawn and garden show, which
attracted about 2300 people this past year.
They also have a Teaching Garden, where they show low maintenance
gardening techniques. They provide performance measures to the county in order
to make sure they are meeting the needs of the citizens in the county.
Jane
Wyman, President of their unit, told us about a program, The Basics of
Gardening series, they have been running for the last three years. They target
those who want the basic information but don't have the time or want the
commitment of a MG volunteer. It is a five-week program on Saturdays, where MGs
present a different topic each week and provide a handbook with handouts and
valuable information. Averaging 25 to 28 participants. Jane presented a
certificate to the first Certified Virginia Gardener as a result of the Basics
of Gardening series and hope that other units will consider the same program. She
passed out some of their flyers and indicated their wilingness to share their
information with other units.
Introductions
around the room followed.
Treasurer's
Report
Treasurer Pat Reilly reported:
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Overall
Balance of Accounts |
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Checking
Account Balance |
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$10,439.39 |
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Money
Market (including PDR EEF of $4238.27) |
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$7,364.30 |
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CD
Balance |
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$6,494.29 |
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Total
Overall Balance of Accounts |
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$24,297.98 |
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Checking
Account |
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Balance
as of 5/31/2005 |
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$6,876.44 |
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Income |
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FY 06
dues |
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$934.00 |
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FY07-FY13
dues* |
$370.00 |
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EEF |
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$79.00 |
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Fund
Raising |
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$840.00 |
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CoordEndow |
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$5,014.00 |
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Total
income |
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$7,237.00 |
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Expenses |
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EEF |
-$500.00 |
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Fundraising |
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-$2,500.00 |
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Newsletter Membership |
-$600.05 -$74.00 |
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Total
expenses |
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-$3,674.05 |
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Balance
as of 7/31/2005 |
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$10,439.39 |
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Report was accepted pending annual audit.
Minutes
June minutes were accepted as posted.
President's Report
President
Bill McCaleb reported Mark McCann is now Director of Extension and Pat Sobero
has left for other activities at the college.
The Plant Introduction Program is still
on track. Plants should be going out to
sites by September 1st. MGs in Southside and Bedford counties are interested
and other units should check with their Extension Agent about
participating. This is an opportunity
to help the Green Industry and ourselves. Once the evaluation is complete, you
will know what plants grow best in VA and your particular area. Will include
introduction of native species, native cultivars, and some foreign species from
groundcovers to trees for the landscape.
Some will go on sale for the Jamestown 2007 celebration. There is a two year grant from
the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission but the
grant will be extended. Sites include:
Northern VA (Prince William County), Tidewater (Norfolk Botanical Garden), Lewis Ginter, Halifax, Bedford, Martinsville
(propagation site) and Southwest (evaluation site). The goal is 232 different
plants. It will involve MGs and school
students. Goal for training is mid-September.
More information at VNLA website, vnla.org.
Committee Reports
Education - Fran
Shelton and Pinky Derieux, Co-Chairs
Fran Shelton reported they are moving forward with the fall education
program at AREC in Virginia Beach, on September 10. Information is on our
website
Working with President McCaleb at getting the spring program
at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research in Danville. Barbara Geer will have her annual symposium
next year and we help sponsor that. The
committee is looking for MGs to replace the three Education committee members
they have lost. Please contact Pinky or
Fran if interested. Committee meetings are usually held in Charlottesville or
Fredericksburg, which is central for everyone.
Newsletter -
Florace Arnold, Editor
Florace was not present but President McCaleb reported
Florace was very appreciative of everyone getting the reports to her on time.
Keep the unit reports brief. Pat Reilly
reminded everyone when the News across the State section was set up a couple of
years ago; it was to talk about something that would help other units. It should be news, something that would
improve our Master Gardener efforts.
Pauline was not present but President McCaleb
read her report. As of August 12, we have 608 members. On August 31, those non-renewing memberships
of 224 will be purged resulting in a September 1, membership roster of 384. Contact
Pauline and she will provide your unit with a list of those non-renewing
members. The mailing label on your
newsletter indicates your membership expiration date.
Communication/Unit Support - Frank Reilly, Chair
Unit Support
Members: Pat Reilly, Karen Sacasky, Kerry Goldmeyer, Cheri
Haggery and Frank Reilly and whoever else we need.
We have
no activity to report since the last meeting.
Members: Cheri
Haggerty, Pinky Derieux, Shelby Snyder, Kathryn Debnar, Betty Truax and Chair
Frank Reilly and whomever else we can get.
1.
Since the June regularly scheduled meeting there have been
18,673 visitors to VMGA.net. That is about 3000 more visitors than the same
period last year.
2.
Nearly all of our visitors visit the front page during their
stay. This makes it a very productive
place to make announcements, and is why most new stuff gets mentioned there.
3.
62 visitors have viewed the educational events page since
the notice was put up about our September educational event. Applications for the Continuing Ed event are
available at the web site.
4.
We have made it to the blogger community. Xanga has sent 426 visitors our way;
Google’s blog site and several other independent bloggers have sent us more
than 300 visitors.
5.
Since the June regularly scheduled meeting, the web page has
been updated on 45 separate occasions.
6. I am pleased
that many of our external visitors arrive using search terms like river birch
and ladybugs, or euonymus and lace bugs or immunox and mites. Most of these searches lead them to the Hort
Updates pages.
7.
The most popular pages in the last three months have been
Hort Updates, Minutes, Unit Reports, MGPW, College, Stewards and News.
8.
We sponsored an Essentials of Web Authoring class in
association with MG College, and 12 attended.
They all constructed their own web site before they left the room. We also answered some questions from Norfolk
MGs about them setting up a website.
9.
Loudoun County has opened up their web site www.loudouncountymastergardeners.org.
10.
Kathryn Debnar is currently accepting changes to the
calendar. Cheri Haggerty maintains the
links page. Our newest committee member
Betty Truax, has undertaken a special project to organize the backside of the
website. She will also become the point
of contact for everyone wishing to post on the website. Her contact information will appear soon on
all the appropriate pages.
11.
I am interested in getting pictures from MG College so that
we can begin to produce the MG College recruiting CD for next year in time for
a December delivery.
It was suggested that units who have websites to list them
at the bottom of their unit report.
State Fair -
Christy Brennan, Chair
Christy showed us some of the handouts they will pass out to
the children at State Fair. Handouts
and demonstrations are geared to different ages. Units that are participating don't have to provide projects, they
will be provided. Expecting 2000
kids. Focus of booth will be starting
and maintaining your yard. Will have
available the Jamestown 2007 Plant List. Still need volunteers for evening
hours.
Finance
Committee – Bill Scott, Chair
The finance committee has had no formal activity since the annual
meeting. Over the next couple of months they will be reviewing the investment
returns.
State
Coordinator Endowment Committee – Pat Reilly
Thanks to everyone for their efforts towards the Silent Auction, they
raised over $3400. Special thanks to
Angela Cingale and Ann DeForest who collected all kinds of items and created
baskets that brought a higher bid.
Northern Neck out did themselves with a number of items. Some items that did better than others were
unusual plants, the Rocking horse, signed footballs, and Extension straw
hat. Letters of acknowledgement are
being sent to those who contributed items for the auction.
Committee
has three main efforts. One is contacting individual Master Gardeners and
signing them up for 50 for 5 ($50 each year for 5 years). Pledge forms were
passed out to take back to the units.
Jim Scibek and Angela Cingale are working on the individual effort.
The
effort to get all the units to participate is headed by Carol Dixon and Dave
Close. Jane Pratt and Pat are working
for the foundations. Other committee members include Kathryn Debnar, Al
Thompson, Max Bales (office of Development) and Bill McCaleb. Looking for more people to join their
efforts. Also looking for someone to
run the Silent Auction for next year.
Jim
Scibek has signed the Virginia Master Gardener Association up with Food Lion to
raise money for the endowment by using your MVP card. Food Lion will donate up to $350 a quarter to any 501C3 group. Jim passed out cards with information how to
sign up. This same Information will be
in the next newsletter. He will be
checking with other business to see if they have a similar program.
Dave
Close mentioned that Norfolk Southern has a program for employees and retirees
that they will match any charitable donation by an employee or retiree up to
$1500 a year. If you know of any MG who is an employee or retiree tell them of
this program.
Goal
of endowment committee is 100% participation from each of the units so when we
pursue foundation donations and grants we can show that Virginia Master
Gardeners support this effort one hundred percent. Twenty of the fifty-one units have already contributed to the
endowment fund. Carol Dixon or Dave
will be contacting the other units through their local rep. Endowment contribution forms were passed out
to everyone to take back to units and make copies for distribution. Max Bales and Dave Close will be available
for travel to the units to represent the College of Agriculture and
specifically represent Master Gardener program through any fund raising
efforts.
Fund
Raising – Cheri Haggerty
Cheri Haggerty has just a little over 100 flags left from the 233 she
ordered. They sell for $15. New items suggested have been hats and
visors. The committee will explore VMGA
branded items. Will make more with
standard Master Gardener things but need to brand ourselves also. Committee will also look at tote bags,
backpacks and carry bags. Keep the
ideas coming.
Extension Liaison -
reported by Dave Close, MG Coordinator
New Interim Director
of VCE – Mark McCann assumed role end of July. Dr. Sobrero has taken on new
Responsibilities in CALS. Mark will likely be around one year
definitely and possibly two.
SOD
User Manual – Distributed at the VESA/VCE meeting in Roanoke in
mid-April and sent remaining copies to local
units via the distribution center. Every
Extension office should have a least one copy.
Mary Ann Hanson has
processed 8 samples this summer for SOD, 2
were submitted via MGs and all 8 samples proved negative.
MG
College 2005 – had 220
registered participants with speakers and special guests pushing 250+.
Leadership Development sessions attended by
45 individuals. 19th Annual
MG College scheduled for June 20-25,
2006 and includes day and a half of leadership
development training.
LCS
Training at MG College - This year we piloted the Land Care Stewardship
advanced module organized by Frank
Reilly,
that will be officially released end of September or first of October. Hanover MGs are already doing a
training.
Starting next year, every year at MG College an advanced training module will
be offered for those interested
and they
will be rotated each year. Next year it
will be Tree or Water. Anticipate in a
couple of years we will have a
wildlife
module on line. Over the course of four
or five years you would be able to be trained in any of the advanced
modules if
your local unit is not able to provide the training. All of this will go through the approval and cooperation of
the local
agent.
Online
delivery of MG training - Nova
Scotia had put some of our curriculum on an online delivery system. Dave
has spent
some time with distance learning and has come to the conclusion that portions
of our training will not be
conducive
to online delivery. Some things you
just need in your hands, need to see it face-to-face or need to be
outside to
see it. There will still be a good
opportunity and it will be pursued to make a portion of our training
available
on line. Will be working with folks in
Nova Scotia.
America’s
Anniversary Garden – Will have displays & brochures at the State Fair to
promote Jamestown 2007. Will
participate
in the Eastern Performance Trials and will have displays at 4 locations in
Virginia, three in Tidewater and
one in
Alexandria at American Hort Society headquarters. Trying to negotiate with AHS to be a partner in promoting
the
concept. Looking for ideas for logo for Jamestown 2007 brochures and once
finalized it will be trademarked and it
will be on
brochures we will have available at State Fair. Request was sent out by listserv.
Miscellaneous
information -
Nametags - If you
have placed an order and have not received them after eight weeks, let Dave
know as soon as
possible. When placing an order and the confirm button
is hit, a new window should pop up saying "'thank you for
placing
this order". If this doesn't
happen, your order didn't make it to Tech office. Get a printout of the page, so if
there is a
problem, they can go back to that page and find out what happened. An order for nametags is being
placed at
least once a month and more often if there is great demand.
Temporary
Nametags - Reusable plastic sleeve that you slide in printed
name. Meeting with Jim Ridell and
hopefully
they will
be available very soon statewide. When
you give them out, in order for the volunteer to get their engraved
nametag,
they must turn the temporary one back in to be used again.
Garden
and Turf Tip Calendar - An idea
for a calendar that could be used as a fundraiser for the Master Gardener
program and
for the local association as a fundraiser.
Could be available by late fall.
Emeritus
Status – 1,000 hours minimum to receive designation with some latitude with
local unit to make some
decisions.
Developing
new categories - "Friend of the Master Gardener Program" and
"Honorary Master Gardener" for special
events and
occasions for special individuals who support the program.
Standardize
name of Horticulture help lines - Came from
Dean Sharon Quisenberry for consistency and brand
name
recognition as an Extension sponsored program.
Have results from each unit as to what they call it and now
need input
from agents to find most comfortable name. Will make final presentation to VCE
administration before we
go live
with standard name.
SRKS – Have
identified a couple of individuals to place on committee to work out details
and develop scoping
document.
Looking for more individuals with background in data base management to work on
committee. Looking
at a half
dozen meetings by teleconference and a least one face to face in Blacksburg.
Standard
Minimum class size – Don't have the intent to standardize this and impose
policy statewide. Had only
asked the
question at MG College for sake of discussion to see if anyone had a minimum
cut-off. There's no way to
create a
standard for the state.
Unit Reports –
Motion was made to dispense with reading of the unit reports and limit
it to announcements. Motion was seconded and carried. All reports will be posted on the website at http://www.VMGA.net and printed in the next
newsletter.
Cheri
Haggerty (Hanover) reported Hanover has started the first Landcare Steward
Program with a class of ten Master Gardeners.
Unfinished
Business
Don Snipes (Norfolk) reported only 50 requests for Master Gardener
license plates. President McCaleb
handed out application forms to take back to units and forms are also available
on the website.
New Business
The Spring Educational Program will be in Southside and
they are trying to work with the Institute for Advanced Learning Research in
Danville for a lower cost.
America's Anniversary Garden - Dave Close and Bonnie Appleton
are working on this and President McCaleb has talked to Ward Burton, NASCAR
driver, as he is a spokesman for Virginia State Parks. In 2007, we hope to see red, white and blue
gardens at the entrances to our state parks.
Dave
Close announced if any of us are working in our local communities with a Jamestown 2007 committee, or if we know people working
on these committees, to suggest developing a planting corridor following this
America's Anniversary Garden Theme.
Dave has been commissioned to encourage more community involvement and
the best way for him to do that is through us. He is contacting the extension
agents asking them to encourage MGs to position themselves with these community
groups or to talk to them about promoting this theme. To date, only about 120 communities have signed on with Jamestown
2007 as an official community partner. Looking for a lot more involvement and
adding this horticulture component to their local celebration. Jamestown 2007 website has list of
community partners.
Announcements
Paul Campbell (Virginia Beach) announced the Virginia Beach Master Gardeners
will be hosting the VMGA Educational Program at the Hampton Roads AREC
September 10th. On the 15th of September, the AREC has their annual Field Day.
It is primarily for commercial people but MGs are invited to attend for a small
nominal fee. And on the 17th, Virginia
Beach MGs will have their 6th Annual Community Gardening Festival. Information is on their website, vbmg.org.
Ann
DeForest (James City County/Williamsburg) reported that after Master Gardener
College they raised another $422 for the Endowment at their own silent auction.
Pat
Reilly reported they have a few more hypertufa kits for sale. The coordinator
endowment committee will meet following the board meeting.
Next
Board Meeting - Saturday, October 8, 2005 at 10:00a.m. in Virginia Beach.
The
meeting was adjourned at 1:38 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Betty
Villers
VMGA Secretary