Society Annual Meeting

-from the Curator

Yesterday 25 members of the Museum's Society attended the IVDM Society's Annual Meeting.  It was a busy day and great to see so many museum friends gathered together. The Society recognized four of its members with special certificates this year: William Pape was recognized for his exemplary support of the museum, its mission, and the Endowment Fund; George and Kathleen Willis were recognized for their exemplary support of the museum, its mission, and the Endowment Fund; and Neil Zinn, retiring from the Society's Board, was recognized for his years of service, support, and volunteering.

William Pape receiving a certificate of recognition for Exemplary Support of the Museum

After a brief business meeting the Museum's Director, Dr. Neal Hitch, took us back in time through a retrospective of how far the museum has come: from the beginning of building the Ocotillo museum to today when we have a brand-new, state of the art exhibit- the biggest goal of the Society since he was hired back in 2011.

All of this leads to the question of where the museum goes from here. What do its members want to see happen over the next 5, 10, 50 years? This meeting began the strategic planning that will occur over the next 6-8 months to answer those questions. It started with three tables set out at this meeting, each with one question on it. Everyone was encouraged to write their thoughts
 If you come through the museum over the next few weeks the tables will be up and we'd love to have your additions to this first brainstorming session. Or post a comment through this blog or Facebook and we'll add it to the table!

 Here's where the tables stand so far:

Question 1: If we focused on one program, what would it be?
-"Field trips for schools"
-"Field trips for students"

Question 2: Potential uses of new property?
-"Hiking trails with info signs"
-"Hiking with no signs (wilderness experience)"
-"Truck/Jeep display"
-"Show case drought tolerant/native plants for landscaping to transition to more sustainable, less water usage while simultaneously propagating and selling plants to visitors"

Question 3: What is the most important thing the museum will do . . . 
 . . . In the next year?
-"Get money for gardens"
-"6th grade hiking field trip"
-"Skype with a scientist"
-"Youth hike (conjunction with Jacumba hikers?)"
-"Connect/stay connected to local Kumeyaay tribes/leaders/entities, host Kumeyaay related events"
-"Become institutionalized with the Imperial Valley and Jacumba schools so that all students get a chance to come out"

 . . . In the next 5 years?
-"Plant gardens"
-"Internships with local colleges"
-"A desert oasis- palms, pools, plants, shade"
-"Southern CA colleges need to hear about IVDM for field trips/seminars/workshops"
-"Partner with San Diego universities to bring grad students out"
-"Bring more closely together Native American, Hispanic, and European cultures through the museum experience"

 . . . In the next 50 years?
-"Maintain gardens"