The Arizona Orchidist Newsletter 

I am getting so excited about the field trip to Santa Barbara.  I can hardly believe it is just a couple of weeks away by the time you get this newsletter.  I now have in my possession the airline tickets and Willie has made the arrangements for the bus transportation.  All we need is for everyone who is participating in the trip to NOT sleep past their alarm clock that day!  I know it is a VERY early day, but the whole experience will be worth it.  Look for the itinerary and additional information regarding the field trip in this newsletter.  I will also have copies of the itinerary available at the July 6th regular meeting.
OSA's membership is very grateful for two cash donations received at the June meeting.  Gardener's World gave us a cash donation, and so did one of our members, Kelly Thomas.   Kelly has just embarked on a new venture.  Her own business named Picasso Dreams.  Kelly specializes in decorative painting and garden design and has graciously offered to donate 5% of her commission when the job is for an OSA member or if the job was obtained through a referral from an OSA member.  Kelly does some spectacular faux painting, and she described to me a wonderful fireplace that she helped dress up with her artistic talent.  Keep Kelly in mind for those home improvements you have always wanted but have never found the time to do.    Thank you Kelly and thanks to Gary Peterson of Gardener's World for your generosity!
I know it sounds a bit premature to mention, however at the last Board Meeting a unanimous decision was made to setup a sales table during the Encanto Homeowner's Tour.  This event is scheduled for March 25, 2001.
There will be additional information in future newsletters and at the meetings as this event is finalized.
The Arizona Federation of Garden Clubs has also announced their fund raiser is scheduled for March 17th, 2001.  It looks like the calendar for 2001 is starting to fill up!  We even have Community Service Programs booked for next year!  Anyway, I digress.  AFGC's fund raiser will be $25.00 for the dinner and featured guest speaker.  There will also be a regular sales table, a silent auction and a live auction during this event.  More information will be forthcoming in the future.
The Board of Directors also discussed and approved the Question and Answer period that will be conducted during each monthly meeting.  It was decided not to set the Q&A session on a set schedule at each meeting, as there are  times when our guest speakers may need to make their presentation and leave. 
At times such as this, we will conduct the Q&A period after the speaker's presentation.  The Board and I received a lot of  positive feedback from the Q&A segment  which we had at the last two meetings and some good questions were put forth.  It is very beneficial for you, as members and guests, to not be shy and ask pertinent questions and provide feedback by answering these questions with your suggestions or experiences.   We all have the same goal - achieving success in our orchid growing endeavors.
Did anyone see Anne Connor in the newspaper (Arizona Republic) on Saturday, June 10th?  Anne, it was a great photo of you and the roses!  The article that accompanied the photo focused on the Valley Garden Center and the attempts being made to keep the center alive and available for garden clubs like ours.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting on July 6th, and hope you all have a safe and wonderful Fourth of July holiday.  Fly the flag proudly! 
Happy Growing -
Lou Ann

Thank you the donations to the Raffle Table from:  
Aaron Hicks (May and June), Pam Albright, Shirley Engberg, Keith Mead, Julie Rathbun, Bob MacLeod, Willie Stimmell, and OSA.

Congratulations 
to Kelly Thomas for 
for starting her new business.
We wish you luck!

OSA COMMUNITY SERVICE REPORT
by Wilella Stimmell, CSP Coordinator
At midday on Thursday, May 18, in a van rented by OSA, school program team members SHIRLEY ENGBERG, NORMA KAFER, JULIE RATHBUN, and I began our journey to Joseph City. The traveling time from Phoenix to Joseph City is approximately 4 hours. Since we needed to be at JOSEPH CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 8:30 a.m. on the 19th, we decided that it was prudent to drive up the previous day.
Since we were driving in daylight hours, we decided to take the scenic route - through Winslow from Camp Verde. Julie served as our navigator. Dark clouds gathered and rain fell as we traveled through forested areas. Steam arose from the highway. Julie assured us that we need not be concerned about the "watch for deer" sign because deer emerge from the woods at dusk - feeding time - and it was only 3 p.m. As we rounded a bend in the road, 4 deer that apparently could not tell time, were standing in the roadway. Luckily they were fleet of foot; otherwise, we would have had LOTS of venison for supper!
We spent the night in Holbrook and continued on to Joseph City, a 10  minute drive, the next morning. BOB MACLEOD, one of our program team members, had arrived (unbeknownst to us until he arrived at the school) in Holbrook at 2 a.m. and slept in the cab of his truck. PAM ALBRIGHT, another program team member, had business to conduct in Flagstaff before she drove to Joseph City. Our van, Bob's truck, and Pam's SUV all converged at the same time on the school. 
Our programs were conducted in the gymnasium where the children sat at long work tables. The principal  divided the 100 students in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades into 3 groups, and during the last class, she helped our program team members, parents, and other teachers fashion the mini-greenhouses out of the milk jugs that the children had saved and brought to school. 
This was the first time a principal helped us during a program. Another "first" happened when students found two slugs lurking in the sphagnum moss in which the Phalaenopsis seedlings had been potted. One of the teachers placed the slugs in a jar and passed the jar around so that all the children could see the slugs. It surprised us that the students were fascinated by the slugs. (Based on our experience, at least one "city" student would have been repulsed by the very sight of the slugs.) Alec, a 1st grade student, greatly admired the algae covering the outside of a pot of one of the display plants. He thought it was "so cool"! Students in rural areas  appear to be more in tune with nature than students in urban areas. 
Boys and girls alike eagerly unpotted their orchid seedlings, washed the roots of their plants, and patiently waited until a program team member could assist them in the repotting of their seedlings.  Chance, a 3rd grade boy, made no attempt to contain his enthusiasm. As he thrust his hands into the pile of fir bark close to him, he repeated several times, "This is such fun! I love this! THANK you for coming to our school!"
By the time we had concluded the last program in the afternoon, the students from the 3rd grade morning class had already composed their "Thank You" notes and presented them to us. A few days after we arrived back in Phoenix, we received a large envelope containing more notes of thanks. We will display some of the artwork done by the students at Joseph City Elementary, at our November orchid show. 
Thanks to BOB MACLEOD for purchasing and donating several huge bags of lava rocks and for hauling them to Joseph City and also for donating pots. Thanks Bob! 

Thanks to NELDA CALDWELL for the loan of her heavy-duty soil scoop (Trying to retrieve lava rocks from buckets can split fingernails. We've tried using several different methods to retrieve the rocks, and the soil scoop worked best.) Since our trek to Joseph City, Nelda purchased and donated to OSA, a soil scoop for use in our programs.
Thanks Nelda! Thanks to PAM ALBRIGHT for furnishing lunch for all program team members. We thoroughly enjoyed the food. Thanks Pam! 
SPECIAL THANKS TO JAY MULLEN, ASSISTANT BRANCH MANAGER OF ENTERPRISE RENTAL, 3230 N. SCOTTSDALE RD., SCOTTSDALE, FOR ONCE AGAIN GIVING OSA A SIZABLE REDUCTION IN THE USUAL DAILY RENTAL RATE ON THE VAN AND FOR INCLUDING UNLIMITED MILEAGE IN THE RENTAL CONTRACT. (For those of you who did not receive our June newsletter, you might not know that we mentioned that Jay gave OSA the same reduced rate and consideration when we rented a van for the trip to Alice Byrne School in Yuma). Thanks Jay!
(A report on the June 19 Camp Sunrise program will appear in our August newsletter.) 

NEWS FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
If you use DURSBAN as a pesticide control for aphids and mealybugs, you should know that the EPA intends to stop the production of and phase-out chlorpyrifos. Dursban (chlorpyrifos) "is one of the most widely used organophosphate insecticides in the United States". 
(Dursban 50 wettable powder was registered for use on orchids, and is listed in ORCHID PESTS AND  DISEASES, published by the American Orchid Society, 1995 Revised Edition, page 36.)
The agreement to eliminate Dursban was posted on the EPA's web site on June 8. According to the information on the site, the manufacture of chlorpyrifos will be halted by December this year. 
Additional information on the action taken by the EPA on June 8, can be found on the EPA web site at: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides 
For those of you who do not have access to the internet, a copy of the details of the agreement to eliminate Durbans will be available at our July meeting.
Also under discussion by the EPA: assessment of the risk factors  involved with the use of the pesticides Malathion and Diazinon.  (These two products are also registered for use on orchids.) 
It's unwise to stockpile the chemical in anticipation of its withdrawal from the market. This is because most chemicals have a shelf life, and many companies do not put a date on bottles of pesticides or at least not one that a person can decipher. Several years ago when Kelthane was withdrawn from the market, there was sufficient advance warning so that growers had time to stockpile the stuff, and they did. However, Kelthane was marketed in small bottles, and one bottle didn't last long - especially if several growers "split" a bottle. 

DID YOU KNOW? 
At the Canelo Hills Cienega Preserve in southern Arizona, the Nature Conservancy used FIRE to save the Canelo Hills ladies' tresses orchid. Thirty years ago TNC became the stewards of Canelo Hills and fenced out cattle so they could not graze on the land. Without the cattle grazing on the land, a thick mat of spikerush grew and crowded out the ladies' tresses orchid. The lesson TNC learned was that "A simple absence of cattle does not guarantee a return to Eden."  Read the article "Good Cow, Bad Cow" in the July/August issue of NATURE CONSERVANCY, pages 12-19. This publication is available to OSA members in our library.

Virtual Goodies
This month's website comes to us from              
Jennifer Hall
The site:
Bergstrom Orchids

The Address:
http://bergstromorchids.com
Bergstrom Orchids was one of the generous vendors at the Pacific Orchid Expo in San Francisco.  GO SEE THIS SITE!!  I went to view it and spent quite a while there.  It is easy to navigate, fun, and they have a question and answer forum/board, deals for under $20, a large array of plants separated by species with photos, and much more.  It is a bit graphic intensive but loads pretty fast.  Any cat lovers should check this page out too.Arizona Orchidist Newsletter January 1998
 
 
 

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