President Carlos Lucero presided.
Carlos Lucero led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Carlos Lucero gave the invocation.
Carlos Lucero led the Four-Way Test
Guests: Chala Werber (our speaker),Susan Thompson, Joe Wolsinski,(representing AARP), Glenn Ouzts, Wendy Raven Phillips, Laurie Belk, Drew Bergen, and Lora Arrington
Announcements:
Carlos: Please put your cell phones on silent. Carlos then introduced the guests.
Art: Volunteers needed for next Wednesday, Dec. 20. 1 p.m. at the Commons to pack food to go to Bayard.
Dorothy: passing thank you cards for people who assisted with the
Gala, before and during preparations.
Carlos: "Please everyone give the Silver Bowling Center a thank you for all they did for us the past several months."
Happy Dollars:
Peter F.: "A thank you and happy dollars to corporate America.
Our water softener blew up and flooded our garage. Past the warranty date, but taking a chance I wrote to Whirlpool, which sent us a brand new tank."
"Another surprise--the Rotary canopy developed a broken handle (strap) and we couldn't find a shoe repair shop to fix it. Wrote to Coleman who said they didn't have any cover that would work, but they sent a brand new canopy!"
Joe Wols
inski, a volunteer with AARP--"looking for volunteers either for Tax-Aide, or the Literacy Leamos project.
Program: 
Carlos introduced Chala Werber, WNMU Horticultural Coordinator.
Chala admits to loving plants and loving her job. The original greenhouse is a tropical botanical garden of plants, some of which are bearing fruit. Pre covid plantings were more plentiful. Then after covid, the water was somehow shut off for a week during the summer heat and a lot of plants were in bad shape or died. They are now rebounding. The greenhouse is not open to the public but we do give tours to student groups from local schools. Students come through on field trips-learning about plants and admiring the Koi fish named Leviathan.
The new greenhouse will support the science department and has received a USDA grant. Students will do research projects. We're establishing a lavender field, and also working with NM Forestry to test plant trees that would do well here.
Chala said she has been working with the Urban and Community Forestry Program and Arbor Day to get funding and we are now qualified to become an actual tree campus, and eventually establish a campus arboretum. A $5 million grant was obtained from Urban Forestry and the USDA to plant trees throughout local communities. It involves GRIP, Silver City, Santa Clara and Deming, but is being administered by WNMU in conjunction with a certificate program in urban forestry. Also, $500,000.00 was received from a donor to establish a food security program. A site is prepped and big enough to hold two greenhouses. The purpose is to teach students how to grow nutritious foods and then eat them! Chala gave a very educational and interesting presentation.
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