The Board of the Pacific Bulb Society is contemplating reorganizing the Bulb and Seed Exchange (BX) in order that it will function more efficiently. This is in response to complaints by members and the excessive demands placed on previous managers. We would like your input as we consider possible changes, particularly limiting the periods of donation and ordering, rather than continuing the current spontaneous flow of donations and order processing. We are also considering ways to ensure that orders are distributed more fairly among members, rather than by the present “first received, first served” procedure. A prominent source of complaints has been in the handling of bulbs and seeds that will not remain viable in storage for more than a week or so – seeds that germinate immediately even if not sown and watered, or bulbs that have perennial live roots even though they are considered “geophytes.” Responses to this problem could include barring such material from the BX, setting up a separate “ephemeral” system with its own manager, or having members wishing to exchange such material communicate directly among themselves through the list and avoiding the BX and its payment system. The seed exchanges operated by various plant societies include such features as giving priority to orders from donors and limiting the number of items that one person can receive. We should also consider whether these procedures are relevant to PBS. We look forward to your input! Thanks in advance! 1.1. Do you participate in the BX frequently, occasionally, or never? 2.2. If you never participate, why not? 3.3. If you do participate, what problems, if any, have you had with the BX? 4.4. Do you obtain bulbs, seeds, or both from the BX? 5.5. Do you pay your BX shipping charges promptly upon receiving the material? 6.6. If you donate to the BX, at what time(s) of year do you send items? 7.7. If the BX occurred at a few specific times of year, what times would best suit your needs? 8.8. Do you donate plant material to the BX that cannot be held in storage for more than a week or two? If so, what kind of material? 9.9. If you specialize in plants that cannot be held in storage, are you willing to exchange them directly with other members rather than going through the BX? 10.10. Do you think that donors should have priority in having their orders filled? If not, why not? _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…