IMPORTANT NOTICE:  The deadline for sending in nominations for trustee positions has been extended to January 15th.  So send in your names and/or paperwork to headquarters, or directly to Sybil Carey at asdeditor@yahoo.com.  They're waiting for YOU with bated breath!

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For the latest happenings to report, we go first to the December Mixer of the Chamber of Commerce for Vermont's  Mad River Valley, home of Sugarbush.  Held just before Christmas, the mixer was attended by Cynthia Brush, Convention Committee Chair; Arvid Johnson, ASD Operations Manager; Joya Clark, Convention Committee member and Will Clark.  They were welcomed warmly by the group, and met many folks from the local business establishments. The owners of Sugarbush were there, and told the dowsers that their help would be sought in finding well sites for the next phase of their development on the mountain. Conversations with owners of some of the local inns and B & Bs indicated that special discounts for ASD members for convention stays would be available.

Thanks to all members who are continuing the Year of the 100 campaign! Donations keep coming in at a slow but steady pace, and this is indeed wonderful news for ASD, because January is historically the slowest month in terms of revenue. Another way members can help out is by sending in your membership renewal when you receive it, because sending 2nd and 3rd notices is costly, and an unnecessary expense.

You should have all received your quarterly digest by now. We are getting very positive feedback from members on the cover color, design, graphics and content. We're glad you like it, and many, many thanks to Joya Clark for her tireless efforts with layout and design. We are now accepting advertising in the Digest, so contact HQ for a media kit if you have a product or service your fellow ASD members would like to hear about.

Another decision made at the trustees' meeting in December was to extend the Lifetime Membership Raffle throughout the year, not just during convention. If you haven't attended convention before, you don't know the dedication of trustee and former chapter president Bruce Irwin, who dedicates much of his day at convention to selling raffle tickets. Tickets sell for $10, and the winner (drawn from a hat at convention) gets a Lifetime Membership in ASD!  This is worth several hundred dollars, depending on the age of the winner. From now on, raffle notices will go out in all renewals, enabling all members, and not just convention participants, to partake of this popular fundraising effort.

Take Note:  Scot at headquarters wants you to know that the ASD video library is available for sale on DVD and VHS.  Check out the bookstore catalog online for a list of what he has in stock: www.dowsers.org/books.html