CMGA Meeting Minutes 10/11/12

Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 10/11/2012

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

                                          Introduction of speaker

6:40pm-7:45pm                Continuing Education

                                          Northern Arizona Native, Invasive and Ornamental Grasses

                                          Jan Busco

Grasses don’t have petals and they are wind pollinated. Jan talked about Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes native to the Flagstaff area. She brought many samples so that the audience could begin to identify grasses, which is more difficult than flowers.  Grasses are beneficial for holding soil, food for animals, breaking up soil, holding down dust, and soaking up excess water. Some tricks to help with identification were that grasses come with two edges and have nodes, sedges have edges (3), and rushes are round. Annuals have short roots and can easily be pulled out of the ground; perennials have deeper and more complicated roots. Grasses can be sod or grow in bunches. Grasses can be cool or warm season and Jan covered several of each.

Cool Season/Spring to early summer – Mutton Grass (similar to Kentucky Bluegrass), June Grass (shines), Indian Rice Grass (very draught tolerant), AZ Fescue (cooler places, needlelike bunch grass). Identification is easier with timing/succession – Mutton Grass first.

Warm Season/Monsoon to autumn – Blue Grama (turf grass), Side Oats Grama (one side inflorescence), Deer Grass/Spike Muhly and Mt. Muhly (bunch grasses with a spike), Pinedrop Seed (red color in stem), other drop seeds (black, Alkali sacaton, sand), Purple 3-awn, Little bluestem (red in the fall). Jan also discussed sedges which do well in shade, and invasive such as cheatgrass which does not do well in shade and pampas grasses which can colonize.

Growing is easy from seed. It is similar to planting wildflowers. Just loosen soil with a rake, mix seed with a little soil or sand and spread, tamp down and water until seed established.

Jim Mast presented Jan with a calendar and some liquid fertilizer from the conference.

               

7:45pm-8:00pm                Refreshments

Thanks to the conference committee for bringing leftover cookies and lemonade.

8:00pm - 8:25pm              Business Meeting – Debi Stalvey

Need a slate of officers for elections in Nov. – and committee chairs for 2013.  Debi reviewed the slate of candidates for 2013 officers. Others are welcome to add to the candidates for voting next month.

Debi Stalvey – President

Charlotte Dodgson – Vice President

Linda Guarino & Crys Wells – Treasurers

Ann Eagan – Secretary

Each current chair of our committees reviewed their duties and volunteers were solicited but nothing confirmed. We need volunteers for Education, MG Projects, Community Programs (Home Show ?, Summer Markets, and Speakers Bureau). Crys Wells and Hattie Braun will continue to do Volunteer Support. These are not elected positions but appointed by the President.
Plant and Garden Sale 
We will not do a joint Plant & Garden Sale with the Arboretum. The executive committee felt that the logistics would be too difficult. The new officers and committee chairs will decide on whether to do another fundraiser next year. We may need to add another committee chair – Fundraising – next year. Monies for AV equipment were the reason for adding an additional fund raising 

Financial report – Ed Skiba

Ed reported $392.70 is the current status (see report for details). He also received money from calenders,
memberships and donations (totals $620, $10, and $38) which has not been deposited as yet yet.
.                                       
MG Program Happenings (Conference update - class) – Hattie Braun/Ann Eagan 
Hattie and Ann Eagan talked about the very successful conference. It was a sellout as well as the
garden tours. Many scholarships were given out, the speakers were well received, and the
conference ran smoothly. Hattie is thinking of doing a mini-conference in 2014 (taking a year off), 
similar to what we did several years ago.

Calendar Update - Bea Cooley
Bea reports that 62 calendars were sold at the conference and she has about 80 left. She and debi will be 
selling calendars at Warners events on the 20th and 27th. Please contact them if you can help. Laura Parker 
volunteered at the meeting.

Committee reports;
Continuing Education: Loni Shapiro

Loni reminded people that Make a Difference day is on Oct. 27^th. Watch the blog for
opportunities to volunteer. Several are already on the blog.     

Community Programs:
   Community Markets - Molly Larsen
   Speakers Bureau - Bea Cooley

Need new chairs for both committees

Hattie thinks that Faith Brittain will chair the Home Show again.

MG Projects: Linda Guarino
Nothing new.

Volunteer Support/Social - Hattie Braun and Crys Wells

     Upcoming Christmas party December 13 – Molly Larsen

This will be a potluck with Molly doing the main course and others to bring the sides and desserts. 
Watch for details and start thinking about a White Elephant Gift for the party.
Volunteer/Education hours                                                                                        

Hours reported in September (remember, reported in September NOT worked in September!) :

679.25 volunteer hours

34 continuing education hours  

8:25pm-8:30pm                Gardening Questions?

No garden questions but we had a drawing for some donations. The gifts were fall asters and liquid
 fertilizer from the conference.

                                               

Next meeting:                  Fire, Flood, and Forest Recovery: The Science of Habitat Restoration

                                          Schultz Fire

                                          Dr. Kris Haskins, the Arboretum at Flagstaff

Future meetings:             Christmas Party

                                          December 13, 2012

                                          Molly Larsen's home

                       

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