Meeting+2008+March+6

Thurs 2008 Mar 6 8:30-9:30 1214 Jordan Hall, NCSU Campus


 * Attending**: Reis, Ramsey, Snow, Cienek, Shumate, Alexander, Sinclair, Hess


 * Introductions (old and new members)** (5 minutes - Hess facilitating)


 * Approval of Mission and Goals** (5 minutes - Hess facilitating)

Unless there are objections, the following is our Mission and Goals statement.


 * The mission of the Wake County Nature Preserves Partnership is to organize and provide resources to identify ecologically valuable protected open spaces within Wake County and to build capacity for appropriate, long-term stewardship of those areas.**

Goals
 * To identify and designate as “Nature and Wildlife Preserves” protected open spaces in Wake County that contain important ecological or geological resources or meet other criteria that qualify them for this distinction;
 * To create more public awareness and appreciation of our highest quality natural areas in Wake County;
 * To develop the organizational capacity to conduct natural resource inventories on and develop management plans for Preserves;
 * To develop an organized, volunteer base of citizen-scientists to monitor Preserves.

Mission and goals approved by those present.
 * NOTES**


 * Mayors Association Presentation** (25 min - Hess facilitating)

Toddi 3/7/08: the presentation looks really good. i am eager to return and get back to work on this! good work everyone. i think that in explaining service learning to the mayors we have an opportunity to raise the profile of NCSU as a service organization for the mayors. this way we let them know that if they had a project, we could be enlisted to help them. at the very minimum, it offers them something that they might not have considered before. i don't think it takes you too far off message and demonstrates that we are not just there to ask for something, but are also willing to give.

Okay, with some OS images and revised slides based on the review last week, here is another version. The assembled reviewers decided to scratch the Wake County map with NHP elements on it because it might generate the wrong messages about our aims and focus. Added slides came out of the step by step review through what we saw as the key questions and likely reactions to what was in the first draft. Comments and reactions welcomed. Gary Blank


 * Issues**
 * Louise, will you have a map of the Exceptional Natural Areas for Wake County's jurisdiction? It would be great if we could have an example for the presentation.
 * Can we come up with an example of a protected OS that contains an Exceptional Natural Area that is under threat because no management / inappropriate management is being performed? Without making anyone angry? "Can you give me an example?" seems an obvious question.

Further revisions made by George Hess - here is latest copy.

(4Mb)

- We reviewed and reorganized the presentation. - We will **//not//** use PowerPoint at the meeting, but will bring printed copies of the presentation to talk from and distribute to the mayors - We also reviewed the one-page summary that Hess and Ramsey have been crafting - comments will be emailed to Ramsey. Please review the draft on the Mission and Goals page and make any comments on the discussion tab of that page.
 * NOTES**

- Hess will modify as requested. - Sinclair, Shumate, Cienek will provide 4-5 examples of publicly-owned parks and open spaces with high-quality natural heritage elements. Examples will be spread around Wake munis (not just from one). They will provide examples of where appropriate management is being carried out, and where it is not. - Shumate will send Hess better pictures from the recent visit to Marks Creek - Ramsey will e-mail Mayor Meeker (who suggested this presentation) to remind him of our presentation and ask for his support. - ALL HANDS, please review the draft on the Mission and Goals page and make any comments on the discussion tab of that page.
 * ACTION ITEMS**


 * Potential Grant Source** (5 min - Ramsey facilitating)

There are potential grant sources that may be helpful to assist with the database or interns if necessary. Is funding already available via Wake County PROS for these purposes, or should we begin seeking other sources such as the Countywide Community Partnership Funding Program administered by Wake County? See this link -- application deadline approaching (March 20) Application would have to be submitted by a non-profit (TLC?) http://www.wakegov.com/NR/rdonlyres/EDA484B8-0921-4F3F-A289-C59ED3F85441/0/08012ApplicationCPFunding.doc http://www.wakegov.com/bids/default.htm

- TLC is the appropriate organization to apply for this - Focus will be on database development and several interns
 * NOTES**

- Cienek will look into and determine whether TLC can pull something together by 20 Mar deadline - Shumate will check with Snow as to whether Wake already intends to put this in the budget.
 * ACTION ITEMS**


 * Task for Spring GIS class** (10 min - Hess facilitating)

Heather Cheshire's class is going to take on a first step of GIS analysis. I've (George Hess) talked with her and with Stacy Nelson about this and we're cooking up a class project to begin in late March. The essence of what I've asked for is a GIS map of parks owned by all jurisdictions within Wake County, State park land, plus Triangle Land Conservancy land, to be overlayed with the Natural Heritage database. The product is a map showing where Exceptional Natural Areas occur.

Discussion questions Kim- Wake County has a shapefile of all the public open space within Wake County. It contains all municipal and County parks, state parks, US Army Corps of Engineers property, etc. I don't know if it contains TLC land? The file needs some clean up but I will share this with anyone who needs it.
 * Adjustments to the task and product?
 * Are there lands of any other organizations that should be included in this?
 * Jacquelyn, are there any GIS data for wildlife habitat priority areas that would help us begin to identify Outstanding Natural Areas ?
 * Who can help with getting data together?
 * Anyone else want to go to class?

- Task is appropriate, as is product - No other lands to be included - There are no GIS data for wildlife habitat priority areas - The data Sumate mentioned above are incomplete - We should determine how to filter out "marginal" overlaps - where only a sliver of a natural heritage area overlaps with a park
 * NOTES**

- Hess & Sinclair will work with Cheshire to design lesson - Shumate will identify county data
 * ACTION ITEMS**


 * Reports & Updates**


 * Sinclair will provide update on Marks Creek site visit of Feb 28. Notes are on Marks Creek Assessment page.

- See Marks Creek Assessment page. - Team was on site all day and recorded many species
 * NOTES**


 * New Business**

Ramsey asked is we wanted to present at the Wake County Open Space Advisory Committee meeting on Mon 24 Mar 11AM at Wake County Library Building (off Carya Drive). Hess agreed to do this and will try to draft Blank to help.

Ramsey noted that Jacki Trickle (Crowder District Park) is in the Natural Resources Leadership Institute program and interested in working on development / organization of volunteer groups for this project. We all agreed that this would be wonderful. Ramsey will follow up.