CMGA Monthly Meeting Minutes 3/8/12

Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 3/8/12
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
1601 N. San Francisco

6:30pm-6:40pm Welcome – Agenda Debi Stalvey
Brief review of agenda for the evening
Call for volunteers – Arboretum at Flagstaff/Elizabeth Vogler
Volunteer Orientation on 4/13 from 930am-1130am. The Arboretum will be open to the public this year from May 1-October 31 from Thurs.-Sunday. Volunteer opportunities are available in the Horticultural Center, Research, Gardens, or for special events. A one time clean-up day is available on April 22, Sunday, Earth Day. It is an all day event with the Arboretum providing lunch. Elizabeth left seed packets, brochures, event schedule for 2012, and a sign up sheet if you are interested in being put on the e-mail list.
Solicitation of 2012 memberships and new membership cards available. Memberships are $10 and you will receive discounts at 3 local nurseries. 42 memberships thus far.

Introduction of speaker
See article on speaker on the blog for background.

6:40pm-7:30pm Continuing Education
Gardening With Your Camera
Speaker: Tom Bean
Tom Bean showed many of his photos of local gardens including his home. He provided many tips for improving photographing your home garden. Most cameras will work if you know their features (read the manual). They don’t need to be fancy – most digital have enough options to take good photos. The most important thing to think about is lighting – time of day (Tom prefers early am or late in the afternoon). If the sun is too bright there are generally too many variables in light (shadows vs. bright light). Overcast skies usually make better photos. If you want blue skies you will need sunlight. Most cameras have an option for taking photos of individual flowers – it is a picture of a flower. Tom felt he had more luck with the general option and getting close enough to take a photo then using the telephoto lens to get closer. He showed several options of photos of the same flower or scene to show why one is better than the other. Sometimes you need to shade the bright light with a screen. Often for individual flowers you need to get closer to the ground so your background becomes less intense. Sometimes you need to use a flash in bright light to light up the shadows. Focus is important. Tom prefers off center and showed an example of that. Most cameras have the ability to move the focus from the center of the picture. Some new options available on some cameras include taking several photos (panorama) and then the camera puts them together for a panoramic shot. Secondly put your camera on a tripod and take three photos of the same scene with different light settings. The camera will combine them for the best picture.
Tom also stressed using photos of your garden to show seasonal growth, and as a record of progress – kind of like a journal of what happened. What worked and what didn’t. Photos can help you remember exactly what the garden looked like in different seasons.
Check out some of Tom’s photos of area gardens in our annual calendar. Get your great photos in to Bea Cooley for our 2013 Calendar Contest by May 1 (see below).

7:30pm-7:45pm Refreshments
Thank you to Andrea and Galen Guerrette

7:45pm - 8:30pm Business Meeting – Debi Stalvey

7:45pm – 8:05pm Overview of recent Executive Meeting – Debi Stalvey
Speaker guidelines
Speaker guidelines have been developed and will be put on the blog when completed. They include: information on location, times, audience, AV, handouts, publicity, and limits on association liability for information. Loni will have on the blog by the next meeting and a copy will be available for members tolook at.
Financial report – Ed Skiba & Debi Stalvey
Update on financials, taxes, memberships
Ed reported he is now using Quicken for our financial information. Balance as of 3/8/12 is 1858.96.
Income has been from memberships and calendars. Expenditures this month include Quicken and a receipt book.
Debi reviewed the information regarding filing for tax purposes now that we have a EIN. We will be filing as a 501c (7). We are tax exempt but not filing for the 501c which is more expensive (over $400) and we will not be tax exempt for those donating. We cannot earn any more than 1/3 of our membership fees unless they are donations. Calendars will be “suggested donations” in 2012. Debi has prepared an “Organizing Document” with all the officers signatures that will be kept by the secretary.
Calendar – Bea Cooley
Bea sent out a message to the listserv and the blog has a section for soliciting photos for the calendar. Deadline for submitting is 5/1 – we need landcape photos, that are 2400 pixels or more of most any kind of garden photo from Coconino County. Suggestions include: garden photos, veggies, animals in the garden, master gardener projects, etc. Contact Bea Cooley (beacooley@gmail.com) or mail to our PO Box: CMGA, PO Box 3923, Flagstaff, 86003-3923.
Snack Volunteers/Blog – Loni Shapiro
Loni circulated the volunteer snack list for 2012. It is now completed and she will remind those who signed up 1 week prior to the meeting. The blog has been busy with visitors since listserv reminders to look at it are being sent weekly. Loni will continue to send reminders as things are added.
MG Program Happenings (Class, Conference) – Hattie Braun
Hattie not present but Ann Eagan reported on the conference meetings. The next one is April 10th, at the Extension at 12pm. One keynote is confirmed and the 2nd – David Salman from High Country Gardens is almost confirmed. The conference will be on Oct. 6, at NAU DuBois Auditorium. The overall theme will be about Edible Landscaping but other topics will be part of the conference as well. Interest in fruit trees was mentioned if you know anyone doing that at high elevation. If you have any suggestions for speakers contact Ann. If you are unable to attend meetings but would like to help other jobs will be available later.
KNAU – Bea Cooley
KNAU contacted us to solicit participation in their annual fundraising. We need 6-8 volunteers to man the phones on March 27, from 9-11. You need to arrive 15 minutes early for training. Time permittingwe can publicize our organization. Contact Bea Cooley (beacooley@gmail.com) if you are able to help.

8:05pm – 8:20pm Committee Reports:
Continuing Education (see below for details) – Loni Shapiro
New volunteer/educational opportunities on the blog
Many new opportunities for education in March – Home Show, Keep Sedona Beautiful (March 24), Gardens for Humanity (last week of March), Desert Botanical Garden, Warner’s spring lectures. Check out the blog and the back table.

Community Programs
Home Show - Hattie Braun/Faith Brittain/Tess Wymore
Plans progressing for Home Show. Speakers are scheduled and plans for the booth have begun. Faith is still looking for volunteers for the booth on Saturday, March 25, from 2-4pm and 4-6pm. Contact Faith to volunteer (arsbinkygo@aol.com)
Community Markets/etc. – Julie Holmes/Molly Larsen
Julie reports 3/31, from 12-2, we will man a booth at the Caesar Chavez Food Awareness Fair at Killup School Gym. Sue Norris and Valerie Bryant will answer questions.
The Flagstaff Community Markets will be starting up in May.
Sundays – 5/27-10/14 8am-12pm
Wednesday 6/27-9/5 4pm-6pm
Julie and Molly will be looking for volunteers for the 1st 4 Sundays and the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays. They will bring a sign-up sheet to the next meeting.

Coordination of MG Projects – Linda Guarino
Two new projects have been added to the list. Both projects are listed on the blog – Foodlink CSA (planting & distributing) and Shultz Fire planting on all the Saturdays in April. All day providing lunch.

Volunteer Support/Social – Hattie Braun & Crys Wells
Volunteer hours 260.25 Continuing Education 33

8:20pm – 8:30pm Gardening Questions?
Molly mentioned that New Frontiers has a magazine called Zone 4 – Gardening in the High Mountain West. Expensive but check it out.

Next meeting: 4/12/2012
Riordan Mansion and Gardens – Lou Roe/Charlotte Dodgson

Future meetings:
*May 10 – Invasive Weeds – Scott Harger
June 14 – Pending – Hydroponics – speaker TBA
*July 12 – What to do With the Harvest – Michele Lytle (MG and caterer)
Update on County Fair Entries
Aug. 9 – Pending – Season Extenders – speaker TBA
*Oct. 11 – Growing and Forcing Bulbs – Loni Shapiro
Nov. 8 – Pending – Tam Nguyen – topic TBA
Those starred are confirmed

Educational and Volunteer Opportunities are on the Blog (coconinomgassociation.blogspot.com)