Message from the President
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Summer 2006 -- By Susan Prechtl

There are some exciting announcements in this newsletter!

There were only three openings on the board of directors. However, there were only three very qualified applicants who submitted their applications by the deadline. Since the outcome is certain, and to save the cost of an election, these folks are being appointed to the open positions, allowing us to bypass an election. Please find the information on the applicants (now appointees!) elsewhere in this newsletter. Should you have an opportunity, please offer congratulations to Terri Naumann, Aaron Esterline, and Fran Bishop. We are very grateful and appreciate having these people join the board of directors.

As I’ve said in previous communications, PBA is blessed with many quality volunteers. These are people who generously give of their time and personal resources, and sometimes even their money, to support PBA and its members in a way that benefits all members. It is not always an easy task because as in the case in most organizations, there a few members that might not agree with decisions or changes that are made in how the organization operates. The board members and committee chairs always appreciate feedback and ideas, and careful consideration is given to these suggestions. When possible and where it makes sense, these ideas are developed and used. But there are times after the analysis is complete, the group determines that it is not something that can be used.

Our goal has always been to maintain open and honest communications, and to be as helpful and responsive as possible. However, should you not agree with the decisions made by the board, please remember that it was a group decision made with the entire membership in mind. It is expected that all board members and the general membership will conduct themselves in a civil and respectful manner at all times and, should there be a disagreement, after a decision has been made, that we leave that subject and move forward.

The first responsibility of a breed association is to maintain the herd book, the registration information, and the pedigrees of all registered Pygora goats. Anything else that is offered after that is an “extra” benefit. A breed registry/association really does not have to offer anything in the way of training, show sanctioning and tracking, a newsletter, fancy websites or anything else for that matter. If any of you happen to breed Angora goats and register your animals through the AAGBA you know what I’m talking about! However, long before I became involved with PBA, there were some very astute individuals who had the foresight, the desire and the vision to want to offer more to those people who wanted to breed and develop Pygora goats. As a result PBA has been able to offer services that many other associations cannot.

With the number of quality volunteers in this organization, we think the membership should be confident that PBA is well organized and running smoothly. Is it perfect? No, of course not – there’s always room for improvement. But through the dedicated efforts of its members, PBA can expect to progress well into the future.

We had a new volunteer for the newsletter editor step forward and we thought we had everything in place. However, due to a personal development the new editor was not able to follow through on the commitment, so we’re looking for a new volunteer for the position of newsletter editor. Please give this open position some careful thought and consideration, and please contact me if you have any questions about this position. Or contact Theresa Esterline, our most recent newsletter editor, for information and what is involved with this position. Theresa has graciously stepped in to do just this one last brief newsletter and won’t be able to do any more for us. Thanks, again Theresa for bailing us out!

We have a new editor for the annual Breeders Directory – Peggy Emrey from California! Peggy has past publishing experience and has a very interesting background, and appears to be the perfect person for publishing this very important annual document for our members. THANKS PEGGY!!

My own goat kids are growing quickly and I can see their fiber beginning to grow already! Most of you are probably finishing up your kidding season for this year and can now begin to prepare for the summer show season. If you live in an area where there is no organized Pygora show, consider looking into other fiber goat or fiber animal shows that might be in your area. Many county and state fairs offer fiber animal shows and these can be a great way to showcase your goats.

Have a happy summer!

Susan Prechtl
Hidden Meadow Farm
pygora@clatskanie.com