DRAFT MINUTESFriends of the State Line Serpentine Barrens
Board Meeting |
Friends of the State Line Serpentine Barrens Attending: Ruth Gallantino, Bob Gray, Anna Hull, David Ross, Henry Whitesel; Mike Bertram and Kent Wagner by phone convened at 3:30. A) Key Dates 1. Our next board meeting will be 2. Grassland Restoration Days (conditions permitting)
3. Hikes, Talks and Other Commitments
B) Action Items Going Forward Mike Bertram: Point person for our history initiatives Bob Gray: Pressing: Will contact Trish Hannum a) to find out if they have been contacted by Williams pipleline representatives and b) to propose a meeting to discuss options. Re: Jane Dorchester presentation in 2015. Will contact Molly about moving forward with January/February landowner meeting at NCP. As opportunity arises: Will review scanned map files on the CD provided by BoF and identify those that should be stored on Dropbox (estimated time, 1 hour). Will talk with Marci/Jen about managing membership (PPFF bylaws require that Board be elected by members during annual meeting). Will talk with Marci about finding systematic way for PPFF to share networking opportunities with chapters (so Anna isn’t responsible for bugging Jen). Will remind Jay that we are waiting for feedback on draft MOU for shared equipment cost, maintenance expense and permanent storage. Will will remind Jay that MOU about shared equipment acquisition cost, maintenance expense and permanent storage is in his lap. Will renew request to Molly and Liz to draft a shared agreement (based on similar agreements we assume exist at other TNC sites) between TNC and BoF granting Friends access. Will schedule follow up phone sessions with Henry to update Site Tracker for Goat Hill and New Texas for winter Break. David will place reminder on November agenda. Will send reminder to Temple University 4th year master planning exercise instructor. Will ask Joe to suggest some dates when he is coming down here and could meet with us to discuss updating Goat Hill master plan (reassemble 2008 team?) to reflect our planning initiatives and to discuss the interest and potential timing of a controlled burn at Goat Hill (probably using BoF burn boss?) in relation to the updated management plan exercise Point person for monitoring our strategic plan. Anna Hull: Will update poster for fall workdays and distribute. As opportunity arises: For accessing PA Heritage gateway
Postpone to winter break. Add to November agenda. Will invite Carol to visit Chrome to see if glade spurge is present in wetter sites Area 8 and 14. Shift this to March or April Board meeting to set something up at end of spring semester. Schedule late spring 2015 search for hairy chickweed at Pilot Point person for science, education and membership/outreach initiatives. David Ross: Will work with Anna and Henry to make sure our scientists are included on our contact list – folks like Chris Hoess. Will contact Jim Subach for background on TNC conversations with Hannums over New Texas. Will be in touch with WCU Geography Club about fall workday field trip. Will put on November Board agenda need to prepare Dockstader Foundation grant application. Will follow up with WCU faculty on mapping initiatives. Will research parcels between Camp Horseshoe and Goat Hill. Keep track of future agenda items:
Point person for administrative initiatives. Kent Wagner: Will mention possible Goat Hill to NCP trail initiative to Ingrid Cantarella of Chester County Trails Club. Point person for recreational uses and trail planning initiatives. Henry Whitesel: Will send out a save the date email to our membership list. Draft one-line description/purpose statements for our remaining fall workdays. Will follow up with Patrick Hurley at about Ursinus workday field trip. Will obtain estimate for cost of stone for floor of Goat Hill pole shed. Point person for our conservation/maintenance activities C) Agenda Items Considered 1. Approved Minutes from Board Meeting of 07/18/2014. 2. Approved agenda with modifications 3. October board meeting date, time and location: 4. Review Action Items from 07/18/2014 Board Meeting Minutes (not elsewhere addressed on Agenda) Mike Bertram: Point person for our history initiatives Bob Gray: Will review scanned map files on the CD provided by BoF and identify those that should be stored on Dropbox. In progress; estimates will take about 1 hour Will follow up after 8/22 with Ken Woodward (OHA) on date/time for Jane Dorchester presentation in 2015 OHA fine with any Tuesday in March or April; can contribute $75. Bob will call Jane this Monday or Tuesday to identify dates that could work for her. David can’t do March 10. Bob will request $25 from Marci as support from PPFF. Will discuss our preservation goals in general and for New Texas specifically with Natural Lands Trust. Spoke with Mike Coll and exchanged emails with Trust president. Organization is supportive, could play a role, but likely would make sense for Lancaster County Conservancy to take the lead here. Will talk with Marci/Jen about managing membership (PPFF bylaws require that Board be elected by members during annual meeting). In progress Will contact Jay to reserve a pavilion for Sunday, October 26 volunteer picnic/thank you. Pavilion by NCP office has been reserved. Henry will send out a save the date email to our membership list. We want to emphasize this as a thank you/appreciation event. But, it also serves as our annual meeting as PPFF chapter. Review what we have done; initiatives going forward. [David will] work with Anna and Henry to make sure our scientists are included on our contact list – folks like Chris Hoess. Will look for activity reports sent by Kent Wagner for workdays he led. Done Will draft MOU for Jay to review about shared equipment acquisition cost, maintenance expense and permanent storage. (C8) In Jay’s hand (needs feedback from County). Bob will remind.
Will ask Molly and Liz to draft a shared agreement (based on similar agreements we assume exist at other TNC sites) between TNC and BoF granting Friends access. (C8) Liz has not stepped up to draft agreement. Will schedule follow up phone sessions with Henry to update Site Tracker for Goat Hill and New Texas. (C9) Mike updated New Texas. Bob and Henry will schedule this for winter Break. David will place reminder on November agenda. Will follow up with Temple University on possible fall class visits and 4th year undergraduate master planning exercise. Alison Brown class visiting Goat Hill on October 25. Plan is to have class take soil samples along a transect. Bob will send reminder to instructor of 4th year master planning exercise. Henry noted that it will have been two years since our last landowner meeting. We agreed to move forward with one in January/February – try to get a date pinned down soon. It might also be an occasion for scientists working in the the Barrens to share perspectives. Bob will contact Molly about moving this forward. Will ask Joe to suggest some dates when he is coming down here and could meet with us to discuss updating Goat Hill master plan (reassemble 2008 team?) to reflect our planning initiatives and to discuss the interest and potential timing of a controlled burn at Goat Hill (probably using BoF burn boss?) in relation to the updated management plan exercise Pinning Joe down is a challenge. This agenda item prompted Bob, Anna and David to report on TNC conference call of 9/17 which resulted in
Point person for monitoring our strategic plan. Anna Hull: Will send reminder to Jen Rehill for list of networking opportunities. No response from Jen. Bob agreed to raise this when he next talks with Marci For accessing PA Heritage gateway (C9)
Postpone to winter break. Add to November agenda. Will resend latest email exchange with Chester County Community Foundation on funding opportunities. Will invite Carol to visit Chrome to see if glade spurge is present in wetter sites Area 8 and 14. Shift this to March or April Board meeting to set something up at end of spring semester. Schedule late spring 2015 search for hairy chickweed at Pilot Posts workday schedules Will update fall workdays. David will check with Pal about getting schedule on Chrome bulletin board. Point person for science, education and membership/outreach initiatives. David Ross: In progress. Will be in touch with WCU about fall workday field trip. (C7) Will follow up with Geography Club Will look up Dockstader Foundation grant application process. Done. Prepare grant application over winter break Will follow up with WCU faculty on mapping initiatives. In progress Will follow up with Chester County Planning Commission staff for meeting. Scheduled for October 2 Will coordinate a meeting between John and Bertha Kinnaird and John Goodall of Brandywine Conservancy over application to preserve land that could host a Goat Hill-NCP connector trail. Scheduled for September 25. Ruth mentioned that she led a hike from Goat Hill to NCP across Kinnaird land for Chester County Trails Club. Kent will mention to Ingrid Cantarella possibility that a permanent link might be proposed. If grant application moves forward, we will try to set up a meeting with Ingrid who lives in Chesterbrook. Will contact Liz if we haven’t heard back from her by August 21/22 about dates for Chrome site assessment and 2015 NCP burn planning session. Done Will research parcels between Camp Horseshoe and Goat Hill. In progress Keep track of future agenda items:
Point person for administrative initiatives. Kent Wagner: Provide activity reports for workdays led. Point person for recreational uses and trail planning initiatives. Henry Whitesel: Will circulate workday reports for New Texas and Goat Hill. And follow up to make sure he has reports for workdays led by Bob and Kent. Done Will follow up with Patrick Hurley at about Ursinus workday field trip. (C7) In progress. Will request reimbursement from Molly for equipment sharpening and service. Henry has permission to have the work done and submit receipts. Will devote some of September 19 Goat Hill workday to clearing path along tree line to shed. Done. Need to pursue purchase of stone. Will keep in mind the need for deer fencing in areas where glade spurge is present. Point person for our conservation/maintenance activities 5. Monthly reports from board member “Leads” as applicable: As part of September 19 workday, we trimmed the tree line creating an alternative path to the Goat Hill shed. Next step is to bring stone in for the floor to allow us to make better use of the building. Henry raised the issue of the low level of volunteers we have been getting for workdays. He has had to cancel several workdays because he has not met the 3-person minimum. Days at Goat Hill and NCP have gone forward because Joe and Jay have assigned one or two rangers to join us. Why are we not attracting the volunteers Horseshoe Trails Conservancy gathers: That organization is older,larger active membership base, covers a wider geography (so more members live close to particular stretches); clearing trail feels more satisfying; feels less burdensome to schedule workday once a month. Asking folks to maintain grasslands feels less rewarding than opening up new areas. Other ideas: Include more discussion of the ultimate purpose of our work; show folks some successfully protecter areas (this is what we are trying to achieve); build in time to pursue plant identification, bird watching and recreational hiking as part of the work day; send thank you notes. Consider cutting back to the highest quality locations. Because the fall workday schedule has already been published, we stick to it, but Henry will include short descriptions of the goals for individual sessions. b. Science (AH) 6. Upcoming events: 8. Status of agreement with (a) NCP about “shared” equipment acquisition cost and maintenance expense, and permanent storage location and (b) TNC for storage of BoF equipment in TNC barn (DR and BG) 9. Rare barrens species protection –Internal list, Site Tracker spreadsheet and map of probable / known locations (using site observations and PA Heritage Program info access per Rocky Gleason), (BG, AH, MB) 10. Master Plan status: (BG)– Immediate Action Items: 11. Admin – Master Plan documents folder; (DR) 12. Volunteer “standards” (Bd) 13. Scaling Board roles, responsibilities and activity level to available resources. 14. Other business Lancaster County natural gas pipelines: Although precise details are a bit unclear, it appears that comments by Maryland Department of Natural Resources have suggested a revised pipepline route that would cross both Rock Springs and New Texas. We are unclear whether this would be a bad thing (disruption and encroachment on protected grasslands; need for continuing monitoring) or a good thing (concomitant creation of scraped areas as with the electric power lines at Goat Hill; allowing for greater overall protection of regional natural resources). We agreed that we want to act in concert with the wishes of the Hannums at New Texas. Bob agreed to contact Trish Hannum a) to find out if they have been contacted by Williams and b) to propose a meeting to discuss options. Meeting would also touch on preservation options. Could include representatives from TNC and LCC. 15. Adjourned at 5:40 |