Master Gardener State Advisory Board
June 8, 2012 Meeting Minutes
The Meeting was called to order by the Chair Mary Zeug at 10:00 AM.
The attendees were:
Mary Zeug – Chair, SAB / Dave Knapp - MemberTom Voigt – Vice Chair, SAB / Bob Azman - Member
Patty Citrowski - Member / Kit Sitter- Member
Nancy Hall- Member / Gwen Stadstad - Member
Paul Wood - Member / Terry Straub – Coord. Hennepin County
Julie Weisenhorn – State Director, MG Program / Dave Moen – Program Manager, MG Program
Attached is an updated roster for the 2012-2013 MGSAB.
Housekeeping –
Agenda – Agenda was adopted.
Approval of Minutes – The April 20, 2012 Minutes were approved as corrected.
State Director Report – Julie Weisenhorn.-
· Core Courses
o The 2013 Core Courses will be held at the Arboretum from January 11th through February 2nd
· Cohorts
o Julie and Dave continue to work on the Cohort model as a approach to widening the reach of the Master Gardener Program
· 35th Anniversary
o Plans are moving forward to establish an official day to honor Master Gardeners statewide.
o Julie shared the Master Gardener article in “The Source.”
o The request to establish July 19th as the official day to honor Master Gardeners statewide was submitted to the Governors Office.
o A tree with a plaque will be dedicated at the Thursday night banquet during the conference. U First Lady Karen Kaler has been invited to attend.
· Upper Midwest Master Gardener Conference
o The preparations for the conference are going well
o The Silent Auction to benefit the JMG would like to see more items. The Extension as donated many items. Contact Kara Nelson to contribute.
o There are still openings for moderators for the conference sessions. Register on line.
· Annual Seed Trials
o Seed Trials are underway for the 30th year
o There are 110 participants this year
o An online reporting data base has been created.
o They are considering authoring a book on the best plants based on the seed trials
o They are also considering a “best practices” document as an educational component for the trials
· BioChar Grant
o Julie showed pictures of the three sites. All have been planted.
o Goal is to plant biomass plants where they can’t be farmed
o Biochar has been used on agriculture, but not in consumer gardens.
· Gopher Adventures
o Julie discussed the Gopher Adventures Program whose goal is to get kids into the garden
o The attendees participate in not only gardening but phrenology and observations
o There are two ten week sessions
o Dave Knapp described a similar program in Anoka County sponsored by the Master Gardeners
o Kit suggested the need for a recourse to create such a program at a local level
o Dave Moen noted that a”Resources for Youth” capability should be created (a Webinar?). He will look into it.
· Julie’s Charts are in Attachment I
AAMG Ask a Master Gardener – Patti Citrowski
· Patti reported on the National Site of Ask a Master Gardener
o Minnesota is a leader in AAMG
o Implemented in Minnesota by Mary Meyer
o In MN, AAMG is supported by 71 MGs,; average response time is 13 hours
o Patti, Julie, and Karen Jeanette are AAMG instructors in MN
o She showed examples of the site mecahanics, how to access, how to ask questions, how to answer, what the responses looked like.
o Patti’s presentation is contained in Attachment III.
U Foundation – Matt Musel
· Matt reported on the Master Gardener account at the Foundation
o There were 600 Master Gardener donations
o Donations were made by Master Gardeners, Organizations and non Master Gardeners
o The Foundation account supports office space and supplies
Program Manager Report – Dave Moen
· Civil Rights Compliance Review
o Dave participated in a Civil Rights Compliance Review
o The review is standard procedure because of Federal dollars involved in the MG Program
o There were questions around the “inclusiveness” of the MG Program
§ The program was able to cite the outreach in Ramsey County
§ Dave provided the Carlton County statistics on the work with the Reservation
· Travels
o Dave visited the MG Programs in Northern Minnesota
§ He found a diversity of efforts and programs
§ Lake County has no educator/coordinator and is losing MGs, there are only five remaining
· Reinstatement Program
o The Program is looking into a Reinstatement Program allowing MGs who have left the program within five years to rejoin.
o An idea is that a candidate would have to buy the text, pass a background check, but would not have to retake the Core Course.
· Reciprocity
o The idea of reciprocity with adjoining states is being investigated
o This allows outstate MGs to volunteer in neighboring states (e.g. North Dakota)
· County Blogs
o The MG Website will support blogs for all counties.
o The data is in one site, but is tagged by county
o The current plan does not support a password protected blog for intra-county communication.
· Dave noted that the West Central Collaborative developed a Fair Exhibit that is shared between the ten counties.
State Advisory Board Business
· By-Laws
o Tom Voigt presented a draft of the draft of new By-laws (Attachment II)
o The motivation to modify existing by-laws was simplification and to reflect the new State MG Management Structure.
o Specific changes that were made against the draft
§ Membership Section: the elected members will elected from a “candidate pool of applicants”
§ Membership Section: The appointed members will have a two year term
§ Terms of Assignment: Appointed members will have a one year term.
§ Terms of Assignment: Members who miss two consecutive meeting without the approval from the State Director may be removed from the Board
§ Credit Hours: The phrase “subject to county approval” was removed.
§ A Board Position was added: Secretary.
o The By-laws were adopted with the proviso that they will be reviewed and amended at the next meeting
· Elections
o Secretary – Paul Wood was elected by acclamation.
· Meeting Dates
o 21 September 2012
o 1 February 2013
o 19 April 2013
o 14 June 2013
Attachment I
Director’s Update
Attachment II
STATE MASTER GARDENER ADVISORY BOARD
Operating Guidelines and Procedures
Mission Statement:
The Mission of the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Program is to support county Master Gardener (MG) programs by providing horticulturally trained volunteers to educate the public with research based information on the best practices in consumer horticulture and environmental stewardship.
The Master Gardener Program will provide an environment for its volunteers that is friendly and supportive so their training, experience and enthusiasm will produce maximum benefits to their communities.
Purpose:
The purpose of the State Master Gardener Advisory Board (SAB) is to provide consensual advice and constructive input to the State Master Gardener Office in order that the State Master Gardener Office can formulate governing policies for the Master Gardener Program. These policies should conform to those of the University of Minnesota Extension.
Each member of the State Master Gardener Advisory Board shall act as an ambassador or the Master Gardener Program by promoting its mission whenever possible. Particular attention should be directed toward communicating this mission to local, county, district, snd state officials in order to assure the continuance and effectiveness of the Master Gardener Program throughout the entire state.
Membership:
The State Master Gardener Advisory Board shall be comprised of the following members:
a.) Elected: 14 members will be elected from the membership of active Master Gardeners from the state. Six (6) members shall be elected from the Central Region, and two (2) each from the remaining four outstate regions.
b.) Appointed: 2 (two) members will be appointed by the board from University of Minnesota Extension Staff. This is to include one technical advisor/educator and one program coordinator.
c.) Ex-officio: The State Master Gardener Coordinator and the State Program Manager shall serve as members of the board.
Application for Elected Membership:
Master Gardeners who wish to be considered for election to the State Master Gardener Advisory Board must submit a written application, including a history of their MG volunteer work, why they want to be on the SAB, and their vision for the MG program. Only individuals will be considered for membership, couples, co-members or alternates will not be considered. Each application must also include a letter recommendation from the Extension Staff or representative responsible for the Master Gardener program in the county in which the applicant is an active member. This may be a County, Regional or District staff member, or a local MG president/chair.
Applications for elected membership are to be solicited in a manner to ensure all qualified Master Gardeners have an opportunity to respond.
Applications and recommendations should be sent to the Board Vice-Chair.
Terms of Assignment (Elected and Appointed members):
Members shall serve for a three (3) year term, unless specifically elected for a shorter duration.
Members shall not be elected for consecutive terms.
Members shall be elected in a manner consistent that ensures appropriate board continuity, striving to replace and co-terminate board terms on a three year cycle.
Members who miss two consecutive meetings (except in the event of inclement weather) may be removed from the Board.
Inclement Weather:
If an Advisory Board meeting will be cancelled due to inclement weather, the decision to do so will be made by 3:00pm of the day prior to the meeting. Notification will be made in a manner consistent with other internal board communications.
Credit Hours:
Time spent at regular and special meetings will count toward Master Gardener volunteer hours. Time spent exclusive of board meetings, on assigned projects/special assignments/research, etc. will count toward volunteer hours, subject to county approval.
Meetings:
The State Master Gardener Advisory Board will hold regular meetings a minimum of four (4) times annually, one of which will be designated the annual meeting.
Dates of regular meetings will be determined by the Board.
Additional special meetings may be called by the Advisory Board Chairperson as deemed necessary and appropriate.
A quorum is defined as 51 % or the current Board membership is necessary for conducting Board business.
A simple majority will constitute a majority to pass a motion, unless otherwise specified.
Officers:
The elected membership of the SAB will nominate and elect for the offices of Advisory Board Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary.
Advisory Board Chairperson:
The State Master Gardener Advisory Board Chairperson will be elected annually at the Annual State Master Gardener Advisory Board Meeting. The candidate must have completed their first year of their term in order to be eligible for election.
Term of assignment will be for one (1) year, not to exceed two (2) consecutive terms.
Duties/Responsibilities:
1) To announce to all board members the time, date, and location of all regular and special meetings.
2) Prepare and distribute (after consultation with State Master Gardener Coordinator) the program agenda including date/time and location.
3) Preside at all regular and special meetings of the State Master Gardener Advisory Board.
4) Be a contact spokesperson for the Master Gardener Program of the University of Minnesota Extension.
5) Appoint subcommittee/teams as necessary and maintain board functions and responsibilities.
6) Check all details ahead of scheduled/special meetings (agenda, items. projects. facilities. etc.).
7) Prepare and follow scheduled order of business.
8) Relay to the appropriate subcommittees/teams related and pertinent information as received through the Master Gardener Program Coordinator.
9) Review minutes of meetings before publication.
Advisory Board Vice-Chairperson:
The State Master Gardener Advisory Board Vice-Chair will be elected at the annual meeting of the State Master Gardener Advisory Board.
Term of assignment will be for one (1) year, not to exceed two (2) consecutive terms.
The Vice-Chair does not automatically succeed the Advisory Board Chairperson.
Duties/Responsibilities:
1) Assume the duties/responsibilities of the Advisory Board Chairperson in his/her absence.
2) Oversee the elected board member application process.
a) Coordinate communications and solicitation for applicants
b) Answer Master Gardener and Extension staff questions concerning the application process and board member duties, and explain what should be included in the application.
c) Receive applications and letters or recommendation.
d) Distribute copies of all new Board applications and recommendations to members prior to the board meeting for voting on new members.
e) Lead discussion on board applications and oversee the voting process at the first board meeting of the year.
f) Write and send letters of acceptance or regret to all who applied and notify those who wrote recommendations of the outcome.
g) Copy the State Master Gardener office on all correspondence to prospective applicants/members.
Advisory Board Secretary:
The State Master Gardener Advisory Board Secretary will be elected at the annual meeting of the State Master Gardener Advisory Board.
Term of assignment will be for one (1) year, not to exceed two (2) consecutive terms.
Duties/Responsibilities:
1) Record all activities or the scheduled/special meetings of the Advisory Board.
2) Distribute meeting minutes to all board members.
3) Other duties/responsibilities as deemed necessary and appropriate.
Sub-Committee/Teams:
Subcommittees/teams must be overseen by or lead by Minnesota Master Gardeners or staff of the University of Minnesota, but need not be members of the State Master Gardener Advisory Board and shall:
1) Assume assignment and initiate follow-through to a termination point
2) Report, periodically, to the Board at scheduled/special meetings, if requested.
3) On final completion of assignment, initiate a detailed after-action report for submission to the Advisory Board Chairperson, and State Master Gardener Coordinator.
Changes of Guidelines and Procedures:
Amendment:
These Operating Guidelines and Procedures or any portion thereof may be amended by a
vote of two-thirds (2/3) of those members present at any meeting of the SAB
provided that notice of such proposed change shall be provided each member of
the Board at least 10 days prior to the meeting.
Waiver:
These Operating Guidelines and Procedures or any portion thereof may be waived for the
purpose of proposing special action by a three-quarters (3/4) vote of those
directors present at any meeting of the Board.
Attachment III
Patti’s Presentation
(Separate File)
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