Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 4/12/2013

Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 4/12/2013

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church

1601 N. San Francisco

                                                     

Earth Day Volunteers

The Earth Day celebration at City Hall on Saturday, April 20, 11:30-4, could still use a couple of volunteers, especially later in the afternoon.  Volunteers staff the booth and/or assist Susan Thompson with her talk on Flagstaff soils and how to amend them.

The Master Gardener Association is going to do a calendar for 2014. Please submit 4x6 inch photographs to PO Box 3923, Flagstaff, AZ 86003-3923 or drop them off at the Coconino Extension Office, 2304 N. 3^rd St., Flagstaff. Theme for calendar is Flagstaff- a horticultural perspective:  Wanting to encourage photographs of things that grow in and around Flagstaff. Pictures may also include places and things that represent Flagstaff such as the mountains in the background or the trains, etc.  The deadline for receiving photos is May 15. As an incentive, those who submit a photograph that is used in the calendar will receive a free calendar.

Dorothy Lamm announced two upcoming events that may be of particular interest to Master Gardeners.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 Presentation: Susan Lamb Bean and Dan Stewart

“Habitat Profiles - A Project Under Development for The Arboretum at Flagstaff”

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 1601 N. San Francisco St., 7 p.m.

Every site in Flagstaff offers its gardener unique opportunities and challenges. Each has its own combination of high and low temperatures, degree of slope, aspect toward the sun, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and soil. The Arboretum at Flagstaff and the National Weather Service at Bellemont are creating tools for a gardener to use in evaluating the potential of a site. Based on new climate maps illustrating microclimates in the greater Flagstaff area, Habitat Profiles will provide basic how-tos and worksheets for mapping and planning local gardens. The evening’s program will present preliminary versions of the maps and worksheets and invite suggestions to improve them.

Presenters: Susan Lamb has been gardening in the Flagstaff area for twenty years and would love to have had a resource like “Habitat Profiles” from the beginning. A local naturalist, she writes books on the natural and human history of the American West and keeps an almanac of close to 200 species of Flagstaff area wildflowers. Susan is a member of the Arizona Native Plant Society and serves on the Board of The Arboretum at Flagstaff.

Dan Stewart has held an interest in weather and climate since childhood in the wind-beaten plains of Oklahoma, making the chance to work on “Habitat Profiles” a fun (if sometimes challenging) project. He is currently interning at the National Weather Center in Bellemont and will be starting his graduate career at Northern Arizona University this fall.

Sunday, April 21, 2013 Field Trip: Susan Lamb Bean and Dan Stewart

Field trip to a recently-completed LEED gold certified home where we will test Habitat Profiles on-site. Meet in the Arizona State Credit Union parking lot, 321 South Beaver Street (corner of South Beaver and Butler) at 9:00 am to carpool to the site.  Plan on spending about two hours.  Directions to the home will be provided at that time.                   

Continuing Education

Susan Nyoka, NAU SSlug garden

Pollinators

Susan Nyoka gave an excellent presentation on how to attract pollinators to your garden.  While there are around 1,300 species of native bees in Arizona, other pollinators include butterflies, flies, beetles, hummingbirds and more.  For more information, take a look at the resources listed below:

Resources

Arizona bee identification guide:

http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/AZ_bee_guide_FINAL.pdf

Pollinator conservation:

http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/gardens/

Neonicotinoids in Your Garden:

http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/NeonicotinoidsInYourGarden_Wings-Fall2012.pdf

Forest Service publications:

– Attracting pollinators using native plants

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wildlife/plants_botany/docs/National_Pollination_v3.pdf

– Importance of pollinators

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/simpletruthbrochure.pdf

Thanks to Loni Shapiro and Betty Marcus for the refreshments.

Business Meeting – Charlotte Dodgson                 

MGA Plant and Garden Related Items Sale, June 2, 10-3

                 

The MGA Plant Sale will take place in the parking lot at the Allstate Building, 2200 E Cedar Ave.  Please be thinking what you can contribute to the sale – plant starts, divided plants, gently used garden tools, crafts, other garden-related items. Debi has space to store items for the sale at the Allstate office.  Volunteers are needed to staff the sale. Hattie will contact the Garden Tour mailing list to advertise to them and to encourage them to buy a booth.  Booths will cost $10/group.  Hattie can provide some tables, chairs though most exhibitors will need to bring their own table and chairs.

Arboretum and Plant Sale: Saturday, July 13, 10-4

The Master Gardener Association will host a table at the Arboretum Plant sale.  Volunteers are needed to staff the table 10-4.

Grants for MG Projects

The application form for Master Garden Grants is up-to-date on the blog under Master Gardener Association Documents and Forms. This year the Association has $1250 to allocate for community Master Gardener Projects. We can fund 5 projects at $250 each (minimum) or if someone wants a larger sum and can justify the need it will be considered. The deadline for applying is May 31^st. Applications can be e-mailed or posted to PO Box 3923, Flagstaff, AZ 86003-3923. The decision as to which projects will be funded will be made at the June 7 Executive Meeting. Checks will be sent following approval at that meeting. All funds must be used and accounted for (receipts required) in 2013. Photos of the completed project are optional, but would be appreciated.

Financial report – Linda Guarino/Crys Wells

The current balance of the Association checking account is: $2311.57.  It will diminish as the grants are distributed.

MG Program Happenings (class/home show) – Hattie Braun

The Home and Garden Show went well.  The talks were well attended and the event organizers have already offered us more room next year as our exhibit and talks are so popular.

There have been more than 43 people attending the last four Master Gardener Association meetings!

                 

Committee Reports:

Continuing Education – Jim Mast

Julie will have copies of her book, Farm Your Front Yard, at the May Association meeting.  The Education committee is firming up the talks for the rest of the year and working on talks for January through March of next year.

                                                     

Volunteer Support – Crys Wells

Volunteer and education totals for March:

186.75 hours volunteer
  74.50 hours education

Quarter to Date and Year to Date totals:

418.25 hours volunteer
231.50 hours education

Next meeting:                                     May 9, 2013  Julie McDonald - Farming your Front Yard

Announcements:

April 27, 2013

Knapweed Pull at St. Francis de Asis Church on McMillan Mesa

Linda Giesecke is on the Arts and Beautification Committee and they have a grant program with awards up to $2500.  The grant application is available on the blog under Master Gardener Association Documents and Forms.

A new community garden is planned at Azpire, north of the Guidance Center.