2016 Plans & Updates

As we prepare for 2016, I wanted to express my best holiday wishes and to give you updates on a few CCMGA matters.

Revised By-Laws

During the December business meeting, the proposed revisions to the CCMGA by-laws were approved by unanimous vote of the members present.  These revisions are a result of WVMG’s increased service and education requirements for new and recertifying members.  The revised by-laws are posted to our website in the “About CCMGA” section.

MGIT Class

Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson have done a great job of putting a Master Gardener class together.  The classes will meet in the Fellowship Hall of Enslow Park Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 9:30 pm beginning on January 5.  Jane and Debbie want to welcome any member who is available for one or more classes to come to assist or to earn education hours.  This is a great opportunity to earn service or education hours,.  A copy of the class schedule is posted to our website.  Please email me (beckelhimer@gmail.com) if you would like to sign up to volunteer for one or more classes.

2016 Meeting Schedule

The meeting schedule for 2016 has been finalized with a great lineup of educational speakers. A copy of our meeting schedule is posted in the “About CCMGA” section of our website.

2016 Dues

Please remember that your 2016 dues can now be paid to our treasurer, Debbie Martin.  If you have not already done so, please send your $16 membership dues to CCMGA, PO Box 7661, Huntington, WV 25578-7661.

Website Updates

The “Recipes” section of our website has been replaced with a “Gardening Education” page for the MGITs as well as current members.  Presenters at the Master Gardener class as well as monthly Master Gardener meetings can have materials such as handouts or links posted to the site.  Please take a look at the new section of our site and let me know what you think.

The 2015 minutes, treasurer’s reports and meeting schedules will soon be moved to an “Archives” page where the documents will still be available to members but will make way for 2016’s information.

I will look forward to seeing everyone at our February 20^th meeting or better yet, at one of the upcoming MGIT classes.

Taking better photos of our gardens – November 10 meeting

We had an outstanding education session at our November 10 meeting in which local photography buffs, Tim Hardesty and Joe Browning gave us great advice on shooting our gardens.  Regardless of our photographic ability, gardening interest or the type of camera we have, we all came away inspired to take more pictures of our gardens.  Joe & Tim have given us their handouts that are available by clicking the links below:

Tips for Photographing our Gardens

Steps to Better Flower Images

In the business portion of our meeting we discussed the WVMG service and education requirements and the accompanying changes in bylaws that we will be making.  We approved the 2016 budget and learned more about the upcoming MGIT classes.  We had an update on the 2016 CCMGA meeting schedule and announced that a caravan to the Boyd County Extension Office will leave Enslow Park Presbyterian Church at 10:15 for our December 5 meeting/wreath making/Christmas party.  Meat will be provided for the Christmas party but members are asked to bring a side dish or dessert to share.  Our evening closed with an optional educational session on using the CCMGA website.

Connie will have our meeting minutes posted to the website soon.

Items for consideration at November 10 CCMGA meeting

Hello CCMGA members and friends,

As you may be aware, in compliance with the International Master Gardener Association changes, the West Virginia Master Gardener Association has increased the number of education and service hours required for renewal to 10 and 20 respectively.  Therefore, we must adjust our bylaws to reflect those changes as well.  This is a simple change of a few numbers in Articles IV and V of the bylaws to keep us in compliance.  An opportunity will be available for discussion of these changes as well as a potential motion to accept the proposed revisions to the bylaws.  A copy of the updated bylaws with changes in red is available at the link below and will be printed for the November 10 meeting of CCMGA.

We will also hold a discussion of how CCMGA can provide more and better education and service opportunities.  Pauline Tiller at the Cabell County Extension Office has asked that we send our education and service hours to her from the period September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015.  She does not need a detailed listing of dates, times and activities only the two numbers for how many education and service hours that you have accrued for the year.  Her contact information is Pauline.Tiller@mail.wvu.edu or 304-743-7131.  To assist you in recalling education and service activities, the Executive Committee has prepared a partial listing of some of the activities for the year.  This list was compiled from the calendar on our website (http://www.cabellcountymastergardeners.com) and may assist you in recalling your education and service.  The list is available on the link below and will be printed for the November 10 meeting.  Please notify Pauline of your 2014-15 hours by November 30, 2015.

A number of service opportunities will be presented for your consideration on November 10 including assisting with the MGIT class and advising gardens at Marcum Terrace, Meadows Elementary and Explorer Elementary. 

Debbie Martin will begin collecting 2016 dues ($16 per member) at the November meeting and will make plans for the December 5 Christmas Party and wreath making at Boyd County’s Extension Office.

• Draft agenda for November 10 CCMGA meeting
• Proposed updated CCMGA bylaws
• Partial list of 2014-15 CCMGA education and service opportunities

I will send a reminder out as the date for our November 10 meeting draws near but I wanted to send the above information for your consideration well in advance of the meeting.

Steve

Ritter Park Rose Clipping Give-Away

Ritter Park Rose Garden in Huntington will be doing their annual rose clipping give away from 8 am to noon on Monday November 2, 2015 .  You may call 304-696-5954 for more information.

Volunteer Service and Education Hours Changing

A recent note from Mira Blutatovic-Danalovich, State Extension Master Gardener Program Coordinator reports:

The International MG has been working on standardizing the Program and part of that effort is establishing new guidelines for the Initial certification and re-certification…

FYI ... the International MG (IMG) also establishes guidelines for Volunteer & Educational Hours for MG to remain active. As of December 2014, the IMG raised the National Standard for state extension MG to strive to meet to:

• "requires volunteer service hour; 40-hour volunteer service minimum in the initial training year and 20-hour volunteer service minimum in subsequent years
•  requires annual continuing education and professional development hours; 10 hours minimum annually in years following initial training"

For more information on the change click the image below to read the full report:

2015 CCMGA Picnic

Thanks to the outstanding CCMGA cooks, the 2015 picnic at Barboursville Park on August 29 was a huge success.  While R. L. Mallory and Tom Bell manned the grill, we held our August business meeting.  Members who earned Master Gardener certification since our last meeting were recognized with the presentation of certificates and name badges by Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson representing the education committee.  We learned that our advisor and former WVU Extension Agent for Cabell County, Rich Sherman, has accepted a position as agriculture science teacher in Minford, Ohio.  The group expressed concern that WVU place an agent in Cabell County to replace Rich as soon as possible.

A number of our members and guest took home garden related door prizes.  Steve Beckelhimer donated 25 mason bee nests that he built this summer.  The membership can decide whether to sell these houses as a fund raiser or to give them away as door prizes at future meetings. 

After our meal, geocachers, Brian Cordle and Austin Mullins, introduced our group to geocaching in Barboursville Park.  Our group worked in teams to use GPS receivers to find hints in hidden containers to solve a gardening puzzle.  Everyone had a great time.  Many thanks to Brian and Austin for giving our group a great learning experience.

Plans continue for the 2016 MGIT classes.  All classes will be held at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church on Tuesdays from 6:30 – 9:00 pm beginning January 5, 2016.  At the October meeting a list will be available for members to sign up to assist with one or more classes.  Members can earn either education or volunteer service hours by assisting with a class.  

WVU Extension Office

Our adviser, Cabell County’s WVU Extension Agent, Rich Sherman, has asked that our members contact the members of the Cabell County Commission regarding the location of the Extension Office.  The letter below has been prepared for us by our recording secretary, Connie Berk.  A copy of the letter will be at the CCMGA picnic on August 29 for any member who would like to sign.  In addition, any member is invited to prepare an individual letter to the Commission.  All letters will be given to Extension Agent, Nila Cobb, who will present the letters to the Commissioners as a packet. Connie's letter is included below for your review and comment.  Please use the comment link at the bottom of the post to indicate any revisions that you would like to suggest.

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August 29, 2015

Dear Cabell County Commission Members,

The membership of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. would like to express our support for the acquisition of the FOP property on 4-H Camp Road near Barboursville, WV to become the new location for the Cabell County WVU Extension Office. 

The current location on Howell’s Mill Road is at the site of the old county farm and is not only inadequate but is also becoming a dangerous building.  The ceilings are falling in and the floors are sagging to the point of near collapse.  In addition, with the increased utilization of courthouse services at the adjacent building, parking for the Extension Office is limited at best.

We believe that the building near the 4-H Camp will provide plenty of space, allowing the Extension Office to hold courses and to serve the agriculture needs of the citizens of Cabell County, WV.  The building has a great deal of usable space, adequate parking and is a much safer site for both Extension Office employees and visitors alike.  This will be a much more inviting space to work in and to visit.

It is our understanding that the WVU Extension Service would provide the funding to remodel and finish the building, to make the space meet the specific needs of the Service.  The membership of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. is very supportive of the WVU Extension Service and are willing to assist with the transition in any way.  Many Association members with trucks have even volunteered to transport items from the existing office to the new location, if approved.

In summary, the following members of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. urge the Cabell County Commission to please consider approval of the purchase of the FOP building near the 4-H Camp in Barboursville, WV for use by the WVU Extension Service.

Thank you for considering our request.