Dylan commented that online plant society presence may "help to establish and reinvigorate local clubs that are the heart >of horticultural activity." I hope this is true, since I've been very active for more than a quarter-century in our local NARGS chapter, the membership of which has declined like that of almost all garden groups. We do have a core of about 25 members who show up at almost every meeting, bring plants to show and exchange, give lectures, organize hikes and tours, and dutifully shoulder officers' responsibilities in an endless rotation. An enthusiastic new member is welcomed like an addition to a family! (And we don't even ask her to be an officer for a grace period of say three years.) This struggle takes place in one of the most garden-intensive places in North America, where almost every front yard has at least one choice plant (however neglected), and where one of our counties has more nurseries than any other US county. I'm happy to report that a number of our members are also in the PBS, and our annual pot show features many well-grown bulbs in flower. So why don't we have 50 or 75 people showing up for meetings? It may have been partly because we lacked an online presence, but that has just been provided thanks to PBS and NARGS member and specialty nursery grower Emma Elliott, who set our group up at http://www.cwnargs.org/ , which I hope any of you in the Portland Metro area will visit. Non-members of NARGS are always welcome at our meetings. Local gardens featuring bulb collections as well as rock gardens are on our spring tours. NARGS activities also can be coordinated with more specialized plant groups, such as the Primula Society, Rhododendron Society, or American Conifer Society. Several years ago I wrote a proposal for more official kinds of collaboration among plant societies, almost all of which are seeing their membership decline, but administrative factors led to the proposal sinking like a stone. I hope someday such an initiative will be possible, and it had better be soon. I'm the Membership Coordinator for PBS, and if any of our members want to organize actual meetings, I can supply a list of contacts from those in a specific area who have expressed willingness to be in the Membership Directory, including their e-mail addresses. Dues-paying members will receive the new directory later this winter. So you can see that joining the PBS, in addition to participating in this free discussion list, may give you an opportunity to visit with fellow enthusiasts face to face. The BX already helps us exchange plants worldwide, but nothing really compares to seeing them growing. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA