This is my first effort to try to say something useful in the Master Gardener Newsletter,

so please bear with me. Thank you for your confidence in allowing me to represent you

next year. I am honored and will need your help over the year. If you need to contact me,

please call me on my cell. (309-472-5881)

Now that our gardens are wrapped in winter, we can pull out those gardening magazines,

design books and other sources of ideas for new plants and plantings and think

about what we wish to accomplish with our gardening efforts this year. Spring is just

three months away!

Unfortunately, we lost one of our long time Master Gardeners, Lois Coppernoll, in

November, and Nancy Lemieux is recuperating from a stroke. These two Master

Gardeners were dedicated members and their presence and active participation will be

missed by all of us.

- Ray Ellington

Peoria County Extension Office Auditorium. Twenty-one members attended the

November meeting. The highlights of project reports and the business meeting follow.

Roger Larson is in the process of tabulated the MG programming surveys. He expects

the data to be ready for the December meeting. Any friends with a gardening interest

should be advised of the 2008 training classes that begin the last Monday in January.

One half of the classes will be in Peoria with the other half to be held in Pekin. An

upcoming event of interest to MGs will be a bus trip sponsored by the Idea program.

This group will visit the Green City market in Chicago. This will take place December

12. Another event would be the 2nd annual Small Farms Conference that will be held

December 1 in the Extension Auditorium. Topics will include "How to Develop

Cooperatives", and "Making Equipment for your Small Farms". Pamphlets are available

in the Extension office. There will be a $25 fee, which includes materials and lunch.

MG's will be helping facilitate the event.

Volunteer Activity and State Reports

A total of 3,061.5 volunteer hours and 506 continuing education hours were recorded by

MG's this year. December 1 is the change over point when new signed agreements will

be needed, and hours will be tabulated as 2008 hours. Kathy Hasselberg introduced

Trudy Howard from Elmwood, Illinois. She has just finished her

internship requirements subsequent to transferring to Peoria

County from Stevenson County. Project Leader reports need to be

given to Kathy Hasselberg by December 1. Lynn Webb reported

that Peoria County was not selected to participate in the on-line

hours reporting program. The 2008 annual conference will be in

Lombard, Illinois.

VOLUNTEER PROJECTS:

Belwood - The gardens have been put to bed. The residents' group

will resume in January. Belwood has designated some budget

funds, which will be used to purchase new tools.

I.C.C. Demo Garden - Roger Larson reported that new direction

resulting from a recent committee meeting should help the project

in 2008. Committee meetings will be held by telephone using the

Peoria Co. 800 number. This will reduce the travel time issue.

Committee reorganization should help provide more help with the

project issues on site.

Speaker's Bureau - Programs will be given at Alpha Park and the

Pekin prison in the next few months. Program requests are

anticipated for the next few months, as this is program planning

time for organizations.

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER PROJECTS:

Greenway - Norma Ellington reported that the potential purchase

of another property for demolition fell through.

Luthy - The Tuesday morning MG group planted 2,100 tulip bulbs

in the last month!

RECURRING EVENTS/ACTIVITIES:

The MG Awards Banquet - (was cancelled due to inclament

weather...awards will be presented before the Jan. 16 mtg.)

Old Business - Proposed, revised By-laws copy have been mailed

to members last month. Discussion was opened prefacing an

anticipated motion to accept the revised copy. The following

changes were discussed.

1. The volunteer coordinator position has previously been an

elected office. The revised version has this office as an appointed

office. The issue was resolved with regard to the 2008 election

process, because, at this point in time, the election is being held

under the 2007 by-laws. The office will be added to the slate of

officers to be voted on under new business. There will need to be

an amendment to the By-laws in 2008 if this position is to be

changed to appointed.

2. The word "active" be added to ARTICLE V, Section 2, so that

the sentence reads " The President shall appoint three active

members to comprise a Nominating Committee, etc."

3. Article III, Section 1 be changed to read "There shall be four

classes of Master Gardener (MG) members: Trainee, Intern,

Active, and Emeritus.

The revised By-laws were accepted with the above points included.

New Business -

Fran Stagg, on behalf of the Nominating Committee for 2008, led

the group through the election process, resulting in these elected

officers for 2008:

President - Ray Ellington

Vice President - Bob Coppernoll;

Recording Secretary - Dixie Krisher

Corresponding Secretary - Carolann Purcell

Volunteer Coordinator - Kathy Hasselberg

Other Discussion/Announcements:

Judy Ziemba reminded the group that the Peoria Garden Club will

budget funds for MG projects, if requests are presented in a timely

manner. Judy will serve as a liaison for these requests. See Judy if

you have ideas.

A question was asked if calls to MG members could be counted as

Help-Line calls. If a Help-Line report is filled out, these calls can

be added to the tally for that project.

The meeting adjourned. The program was a slide show by Roger

Larson about the Kickapoo Council Girl Scouts Raised Bed

Garden Demonstration Plot.

- Bonnie Hunt, Recording Secretary