I addressed this a couple of years ago, thinking that the Website maintainers would fix this problem, but maybe none of them saw that message. Or maybe they don't agree with it. In any case, the Panel still says:

Welcome to the MidWest Gardening forum.

The Midwest Forum is intended for information regarding areas where people have called themselves "the MidWest". This includes MN, WI, the Dakota's, WY, MT, IL, IN, IA, and so many states in "middle" America.

The wording "where people have called themselves "the MidWest" " is not proper. We are in the MidWest because that's where we are, not because we called ourselves something.

And I don't think that phrase "and so many states in "middle" America" is proper or appropriate. As a resident of Kansas I am apparently in one of those "so many states in "middle" America" that are so numerous that there isn't really room to list them all by name. Come on, there aren't so many Midwest states that we can't list them all.

And let's not put "middle" in quotes, as if there is something a little embarrassing about being in a "middle" state, that as we all know, sarcasm underlined, the airplanes fly over on the way from a state that matters to another state that matters. Airplanes do use the Airports in the "middle" states.

The Census Bureau's definition of MidWest America consists of 12 states in the north central United States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Let's use the Census Bureau's definition, and not say "and so many states in "middle" America." After all, there aren't really so many states in "middle" America that we can't somehow list them all.

Hello everybody,

I originally left this message in the Midwest Gardening forum, and someone moved it here because nobody in the Midwest Gardening forum had the authority or inclination to make any changes to the forum. Presumably someone here does have such authority, but chose not to do anything about it. I live in Kansas and apparently it is one of those "so many states in "middle" America" that are apparently too numerous to have actual names on this website.

I think Dave will address this situation, so I will now appeal directly to him. @dave

ZM

Hi ZenMan,

The Midwest Gardening forum does not appear to have a moderator, so it will be up to Dave to consider those changes.

Where a forum has a moderator, the mod can modify the forum info box.

@Jon may be able to help with your request for a change to the information box on the Midwest Gardening forum page, at least I think it was Jon who helped with my request on the Florida Gardening Forum a few years ago.

Hello Joshua,

I was under the impression that the Midwest Gardening forum moderator was the one with the power to move my message from that forum to this forum. At least, someone with that power did that, and it wasn't me. In any case, I will leave this matter up to Dave. Whatever he says goes on this issue, and I will be happy with his decision, whatever it may be.

ZM

The Midwest Gardening Forum doesn't appear to have a moderator. There may have been one in the past but I think the consensus is that with members coming and going, relocating, etc., some forums will no longer have moderators and someone in administration will take care of any requested changes.

Hello Lin,

I will take your word for it, that the Midwest Gardening Forum doesn't appear to have a moderator. I guess that is another reason why I shouldn't post any more messages there, in addition to my being a resident of an unmentionable State.

ZM

ZM, I'm not sure I'm understanding. The Midwest Gardening Forum: https://garden.org/forums/view... appears to still be an active forum where members are chatting and sharing information. There are lots of forums without moderators but members are still actively posting/chatting and sharing photos, etc.

ZenMan said:Hello Joshua,

I was under the impression that the Midwest Gardening forum moderator was the one with the power to move my message from that forum to this forum. At least, someone with that power did that, and it wasn't me. In any case, I will leave this matter up to Dave. Whatever he says goes on this issue, and I will be happy with his decision, whatever it may be.

ZM

Hi ZenMan,

Actually, any member can propose the move of a thread from one forum to another. However, only the forum moderator (or, in the absence of a moderator, like in this case), a Site Admin (Dave, Jon, etc.) can approve a thread move.

If a particular forum has a moderator, it will be noted in the search box on the right; e.g.

https://garden.org/forums/view...

Hello Joshua,

" If a particular forum has a moderator, it will be noted in the search box on the right; e.g. "

Thank you for that information.
ZM

Hailing from a state that doesn't even warrant a regional forum on a site that has too many forums, in general, for me to navigate, I find it primarily hard to care...

However, now that I have seen this, I do find it comical that the National Gardening Association appears so very incompetent in welcoming folks to discussions in the forum specific for the agricultural mecca of the Nation's Heartland
Please fix it
Midwest not MidWest
I suggest consider defining it geographically if it's too hard to figure out which states are in the Midwest, or, don't define it at all rather than defining it so offensively and incorrectly.

At some point in the past there was likely a moderator of the Midwest Gardening Forum who added that descriptive information on the main forum page and it just never got changed.

@Dave, @Jon, @Trish - perhaps the text in the informational box on the Midwest Gardening Forum main page https://garden.org/forums/view... can be deleted, or if someone can decide on an accurate description, maybe it can be amended so that our Midwest forum members are not offended?

Thanks. It's always helpful to have things brought to our attention that could be updated.

All of the info boxes were created by their own moderators. Interestingly, this one came all the way from Cubits (10 or so years ago!!). They were not created, approved, or edited by NGA's staff, and the volunteers who did contribute to this area are long since gone.

Be well.

I see no need to define the term "Midwest". If someone identifies as a midwesterner, who is anyone here to say otherwise?
I'm with Plantladylin, who suggests to delete.

It has been deleted.