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Update Archives are arranged alphabetically by topic. Archives contain significant updates from 2009 monthly email updates.

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MUD OBTAINS BEEHIVE! (7/2009)
In July, we planned to have bees on-site. Bees are a great demonstration of organic gardening and sustainable living and we are looking forward to MUD honey. Honey bees are relatively harmless, but are considered livestock by Missoula zoning regulations. As a result, our hive is now maintained off-site in partnership with other bee-keepers. Although the bees are not at MUD, workshops on bee keeping and honey harvesting were a big hit this season, and the MUD honey is delicious!

RECRUITING NEW BOARD MEMBERS (6/2009)
We will be recruiting 1-3 new board members during the next couple of months. If interested, please check www.mudproject.org, our Facebook group or call the office for details about the qualities and skills that we are seeking on our team. Please note, we are not currently recruiting board members. If you are interested in joining the MUD board, contact the office for more information.

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CHICKENS ARE BACK! (9/2009)
MUD started in the 1970s as "Wild Willy's Backyard Chicken Farm." Volunteers recently built MUD a sleek chicken coop & run, largely out of reclaimed materials donated by Home Resource. Our six new laying hens are an heirloom breed - Dominique chickens are said to be one of the first breeds developed in the United States, are friendly, and cold hardy. We're delighted with their consistent laying, and how thoroughly they are tilling the garden beds and compost piles.

CIDER PRESS (10/2009)
Considering the popularity of the cider presses at this time of year, we've decided to make some changes regarding their use. The large press is designated for on-site use ONLY. However, you may now reserve it during MUD office hours or Tool Library hours. Please call in ADVANCE to guarantee your spot (721-7513). The small press will be treated as any other tool in the library and will be available on a first come first serve basis. As a reminder, on-site use is $5 and off-site use is $10.

COFFEE-2-COMPOST NEEDS YOU! (2009)
IT’S FUN! Missoula’s coffee grows flowers and vegetables! Sign up for 1-hour shifts as frequently as you’d like. Ask our current volunteers—it’s easy, doesn’t take much time, hours are flexible, and it makes a difference for your community. MUD’s Coffee-to-Compost program helps Missoula businesses and organizations keep their coffee grounds out of the landfill. Volunteers pick-up grounds from sponsor locations and take them to local community gardens.

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MUD on FACEBOOK (2009)
Join the MUD Facebook group to stay up to date with events, workshops, and more! We’re on Facebook as “Missoula Urban Demonstration Project (MUD).”

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ANNUAL GARDEN PARTY FUNDRAISER (8/2009)
If you were at the party last year, you know how we like to do it up! Come dressed to dance the night away to some great live music, indulge with local beer and a silent auction. A delicious dinner and entertainment are included in the entrance fee. All proceeds directly benefit MUD and help ensure that next year will be as fruitful and productive as this past year.

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KETTLEHOUSE PINT NIGHT (8/2009)
Kettlehouse Pint Night Benefitting MUD - Come have a beer (or three) knowing that 50¢ of each pint is donated to MUD. We’ll also have a table where you can meet our new AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers, get a cool new MUD t-shirt or pick up your Garden Party tickets.

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OUTREACH PROJECT - NORTHSIDE/WESTSIDE (10/2009)
Help raise community awareness about Missoula’s oldest sustainability organization. MUD has been in the Northside neighborhood for nearly 30 years. We want to make sure our old neighbors, new neighbors, and friends know about us. On October 24, MUD volunteers will distribute info about MUD and its programs in the Northside and Westside neighborhoods.

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PERMEABLE PAVER PATIO (8/2009)
Come help lay our new patio in the backyard. It will be made of permeable paving stones from Mutual Materials. We cannot have too many helpers! This will take two Saturdays if we have many hands to help. You can tell people at MUD Mingles for years to come that you helped. Food will be provided. Q
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SITE RE-DEVELOPMENT BEGINS! (3/2009)
Perhaps you read in the Missoulian a couple of weeks ago that MUD is planning major renovations at the MUD Demonstration Site (629 Phillips Street). We are really excited to begin the design process and want our neighbors, members and interested Missoulians to be involved. March 7th at ZACC from 2-5 PM, we will hold a design charrette. If you are interested in the direction MUD takes in the next 5 years, have some great ideas you’d like to see implemented, or strong feelings about what you wouldn’t want to see at the site, please come to the charrette and share your thoughts.

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TRUCK SHARE FEES CHANGE (6/2009)
The $20 application fee has been eliminated. In it's place, Truck Share participants simply pay $5 extra when renewing annual MUD membership. We hope this change will encourage more people to utilize this fantastic community resource. For more information, go to the Truck Share page in the Programs section of our website.

TRUCK SHARE EXPANDED (8/2009)
We have a nice 1995 Toyota SR5 pick-up truck (with all the options) that has been serviced by MUD friend, Lance French. It is ready to be driven for those enrolled in the Truck Share. Call the MUD office to reserve Truck Share trucks for your non-commercial, non-recreational needs - think lawn and garden work, moving, etc.

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VISTAs (2009)
Thanks to great planning by the MUD board, we have benefitted from AmeriCorps VISTAs since July 2008. Kara Lawrence's service term began in July 2008, and she provided critical program and development assistance as we continued organization restructuring efforts. In July 2009, she was replaced by two new VISTAs, Adam West (Development) and Bethann Garramon (Programs). Adam and Bethann have been busy developing a new website and youth education program, improving our programs to better serve Missoulians' needs, and focusing on strategic grant applications to finance MUD's multi-year site re-development project.

VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS (10/2009)
MUD is what it is thanks to the dedicated efforts of volunteers like YOU! To make it easier for you to volunteer for MUD projects, we’re putting volunteer days on the calendar. Beginning this month, MUD will plan volunteer projects for the 1st Saturday of each month. Mark your calendar and come help MUD have fun getting lots of work done!

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NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED! (12/2009)
We are thrilled to announce the new MUD website! It is still the same web address: www.mudproject.org. It is more user-friendly, contains more information and online resources, and provides capacity for discussion forums, blogs and more. Please check out the new site, and feel free to contact us with suggestions for content, resources and more. Feel free to submit photos, videos or information for inclusion in the site. Please bear in mind that we are working on this site, and some sections require a bit more work. We’ll be updating frequently, so check back for current, seasonally appropriate how-to’s, recipes, events and more!

REGULAR WORKSHOP SCHEDULING (9/2009)
In order to make it easier for you to attend workshops, and for us to plan them, we will be standardizing the rest of our 2009 workshop schedule. All workshops will be held Saturday afternoons, at 1:00 PM at MUD, unless otherwise indicated. Register in advance to ensure you spot in upcoming workshops! $10/member; $20/non-member; scholarships available - contact MUD office a minimum of 1 week prior to workshop.

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