Meeting+2015+Jan+8

//**WakeNature Preserves Partnership Meeting**//
Thursday 8:30-10 Training Lodge at Durant Nature Park, Raleigh, NC The Training Lodge is adjacent to the main parking lot, if you enter the park from Durant Road. It is labeled on this trail map:

Tweet about this meeting ... media type="custom" key="9797796"


 * Attendance Notes**

Connors (Chariman), Shouse, Hess (notes), Amy Corbally (Durant), Bryan England (Wilkerson), Salter, Pohlman, Rutledge


 * Introductions as needed**


 * NOTES**

Amy Corbally talked about Durant Nature Park 237 Ac Nature Preserve
 * owned by CoR since 1979 - former Boy Scott Camp.
 * Environmental education focus, for people of all ages
 * Nature Adventures camps starting in 2015 - small groups of children immersed in nature

// **Steering** // ** Committee ** (TBA, chairman) GOAL: ** Increase momentum ** by growing active signatory membership.


 * Announcement of Chairman: John Connors was selected by the steering committee (Connors, Hess, Shouse)
 * We need people on the promotions committee and possibly new leadership (Connors will discuss with Kaytee)
 * Southern Conservation Partners, Inc (Connors)

//**Promotion Committee**// (Kaytee Smith, chairwoman) GOAL: ** Tell the story ** of the highest quality natural areas in Wake County and the stewardship they have and need.
 * Bus tour
 * Marketing / branding


 * NOTES**

WakeNature Wonders Designation & Bus Tour
 * Bus tour - maybe targeted to people who can make a difference - commissioner, city council ,etc
 * Need list of WakeNatural Wonders
 * Melissa Salter created preliminary set of criteria and a list of potential places.
 * Committee - Melissa, reach out to Chris about County person, Hess
 * Pend further action until February

Website Upgrade
 * Would like to get some grant money
 * What are the goals?
 * Can Kaytee add a quick survey to our website about how we could improve our services

//**Inventory Committee**// (Scott Pohlman, chairman) GOAL: ** Places on the ground ** - designate publicly accessible WakeNature Preserves.
 * Need selection of places to highlight in Wake Wonders campaign

//**Capacity Committee**// (Gary Blank, chairman) GOAL: ** Bring resource managers together ** to carry out appropriate stewardship of the highest quality natural areas in Wake County.


 * Discussion of BioBlitz organization and schedule - Connors and Shouse leading scheduling and organizational effort
 * need to market WakeNature during this workshop - branding opportunity
 * Turnipseed Service Raleigh - Connors will be there; new Open Space Manager at Wake County will be involved


 * NOTES**

BioBlitz at Durant
 * Connors presented basic concept of bioblitz as a 24-hour inventory
 * What are our goals?
 * Inventory data
 * Training, to build capacity amongst parks system staff
 * classroom training
 * field training in combination with the actual bioblitz occurring
 * interpretive programming for the public - but targeted to people who want to be involved in this kind of work or who can have a positive affect on policy and natural areas
 * need Continuing Ed credits


 * Durant has already been surveyed a lot through time - so maybe comparison with old inventory data?


 * Corbally: Existing inventory data are on little scraps of paper here and there - slowly working toward putting in a database. Would like to have information available to the public online.
 * Is interested in current inventory data, which are critical for development management and master plans.
 * There is the possibility of a stormwater project that would affect the lakes in DNP.
 * Have bird and herp data from "the old days"
 * What about delineating (potential) habitat?


 * Logistics
 * lodge sleeps 38 people; tents allowed
 * food needed


 * TLC has been approached by NatureServe to do bioblitzes, so they are interested in this training
 * Pohlman, Salter, Corbally, Connors; Pohlman will ask Ed Corey (State Parks) who has experience with bioblitzes
 * Will read out to Massa, Alvin Braswell
 * Hess will reach out to University people once we have a structure
 * Hess to reach out to Arielle for training and actual use of cameras

//**Other Business**//

 * NOTES**

Southern Conservation Partners (Connors discussed)
 * Hub and umbrella for initiatives to preserve and restore natural heritage and environments of southern US
 * bringing on board retired naturalists to protect natural resources south-wide
 * low-cost, grant driven
 * will do stewardship plans
 * group has just formed