Welcome to all our new members. Not so long ago, Silvia and I were new members, too, and the key reasons we kept coming back were the warmth, generosity, and passionate interest in cacti and succulents exhibited by the members of the Society. We want you to have that same experience, so we have a great year planned for you.

Welcome back to our continuing membership. As you may know, our By-Laws mandate that, “the Executive Board shall periodically review the By-laws and formulate changes as deemed necessary.” (Article XIII, Sec 1). What a drudge, right? Well yes, to some extent. But, and now I want to make clear that what I am about to say is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the executive board or its officers, for me, reviewing the By-Laws turned out to be a positive, energizing experience.

It gave me a chance to tune-in to the objectives and purposes of the Society, just as they were envisioned by its founding members. It also caused me to dream a little about how we might grow in the future. Let me give you just one quick example: I was struck by the phrase, “…to favor the protection of endangered and threatened species of cacti and other succulent plants.” (Article III, Section 2, Objectives) And it got me to thinking about just what that could mean for us. So, I hope, as the board presents proposals for changes to the By-Laws to the general membership, you will find it both a positive and energizing experience as well and that you will dream some, too.

See you at the meeting!!

Matt Ekegren