Report of 2008 accomplishments
In 2008,
We
registered fewer sanctioned projects for 2008: 35 compared to 52 in 2007.
The project sanctioning form was streamlined this year, which will help members decide more easily if their projects qualify, and/or whether or not hours worked can be counted towards recertification.
This year I
am saddened to report that we lost one of our charter members, Bill Polley. He
was very knowledgeable and so willing to teach. Despite his illness he attended
the majority of our meetings, and always had a few pointed, well thought-out
comments or questions to add to the discussions. A plaque has been placed in
the
Despite gas
prices, our events have been well attended. We sent out a member interest
survey at the end of 2007 and incorporated this into our monthly meetings,
which has been well-received. During the summer months we take advantage of the
weather to visit local MG gardens. The water and prairie gardens we saw were of
great interest to our members, and much enjoyed. Photographs can be seen on the
Web site.
The annual
expo, “Garden Expectations” had 118 attendees, who spoke most highly of the
quality and content of the speakers. Likewise, our plant sale was busy all day,
and this year had the least amount of plants remaining compared to other years.
Some interesting new varieties were included. A little rain doesn't stop an
avid gardener from plant shopping!
Our plans
for our own greenhouse did not materialize, due to unforeseen planning issues.
Our efforts were then redirected into the teaching gardens at the UW-Extension
center. Some general re-landscaping was undertaken, and a brand new Rose Garden
Teaching Project started. This is a very exciting addition to the front display
garden and the water feature.
For the
first time we held a small public seminar on the UW-Extension grounds. The
subject was “Water Wise” and featured our advisor, Kevin Jarek, with Kathy Baum
demonstrating a water garden and Rod Sternhagen with his ever-popular rain barrel
making. More than 30 people showed up and we plan on making this an annual
occurrence.
One of the
goals we attained this year was to update the Outagamie County Master Gardener
Volunteers Web site. Many hours and suggestions went into the effort, which was
well worth it. Our newsletter has also been streamlined and is available on
line. Please visit us at www/ocmga.net.
In the area
of community support, we have become involved with several landscaping projects
for Habitat for Humanity. We were able also to make contributions in hours,
teaching and money to the local
All together,
it was a very exciting year for us, and my thanks to all of you for making it a
success.
Respectfully
submitted
Mary
Learman, president