Meeting+2013+Aug+1

//**WakeNature Preserves Partnership Meeting**//
Thursday 8:30-10 Location: Wildlife Resources Commission, Centennial Campus, NC State University See agenda for May meeting for detailed directions and parking instructions.

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


 * Attendance Notes**

Guests: Harry LeGrand and Chris Baransky from Wildlife Resources Present: Pohlman (presiding), Hess (notes), Massa, Ander, Trickel, Emily Jurnigen (US FWS), Connors


 * Introductions as needed**

Guests: Harry LeGrand and Chris Baransky from Wildlife Resources introduced themselves Emily Jurnigen with USFWS will be working on Green Growth Toolbox for Wake County


 * Special Partner Presentation 8:30-9:15 **

As part of our effort to increase involvement among the partners, we're having rotating quarterly presentations from our partners. This month, our hosts at the Wildlife Resources Commission will present.
 * WRC Green Growth Toolbox: Brooke Massa
 * Falls and Harris Gamelands management plans: Chris Baranski
 * Open discussion


 * NOTES**


 * Wake County Game Lands - Chris Baransky**

- WRC mission to conserve habitat is right in line with WNPP's mission - Game Land management objectives are to allow uses of the gamelands that are science based, support wildlife resources, but must NOT displace primary users (hunters, fishers, trappers, wildlife viewers) - Key habitats include upland pine, upland hardwood (oak-hickory), early successional habitat, mixed pine-hardwood, open land [might be the term we should use for our workshop in October], riparian, wetland

- Within Wake County, Falls Lake is the major area of gamelands. It extends into Durham and Granville Counties --- 100 year lease signed in 1980's --- very good duck hunting areas --- When subdivisions area built on gamelands boundaries, no-firearm-hunting zones tend to be extended. There is no buffer around the gamelands - this is a legacy of creation of Falls Lake and the purchase and condemnation of land for the lake and it's buffer. Almost all of the land underlying the gamelands is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of Falls Lake. --- New Light Bicycle trails. WRC has overall rules, but trail management is by Triangle Off-Road Cyclists club (TORC) --- Mountains to Sea Trail runs along the southwest edge of the Falls gamelands

- Jordan Lake has a small presence of gamelands in western Wake County --- much of the gameland in Wake County near Jordan has been impacted by development and no longer serves much as gamelands --- great pressure to eliminate hunting in areas near towns --- American Tobacco Trail crosses gamelands in a few places - special rules to control hunting in those areas

- Harris Gameland owned by Duke Progress for nuclear power plant --- About half is in Wake County --- Harris Lake Park managed by Wake County --- WRC posts boundaries, but Duke Progress manages it

- Early successional and open habitat is becoming rare in the area so WRC is managing for these habitat types to support sportsmen and hunting - Doing some management to create and maintain eagle nesting habitat, especially around Jordan Lake - Coordinate prescribed burns - becoming more difficult as homes are built near the boundary - only a few large blocks still exist where it's practical - Currently seeking input on Gamelands use through their website - []

- WRC is looking for input from biologists and sportsmen to balance all the demands from equestrians and other users - WakeNature could help by advocating for continued management for habitat and wildlife that is being resisted by homeowners moving in - US ACE actually has management planning responsibility over the gamelands in Wake County - they approve any work proposed by WRC - US ACE has final say


 * Brooke Massa - Green Growth Toolbox**
 * Objective - help manage growth to avoid degradation of natural resources and wildlife habitat by guiding growth to less sensitive areas
 * Handbook, conservation data and GIS maps, training workshops, technical assistance - main audience is local planners
 * Have compiled lots of available data into a single package
 * natural heritage data do not show species detail (to avoid poaching) - but data area available to planners as needed
 * other new document if interest
 * Conservation Recommendations for Priority Terrestrial Wildlife Species and Habitats in NC


 * In discussion, it came up that greenways in Wake are built on top of utilities (sewer) and that the installation of the utility destroys a lot of the habitat value - where is there control over this? How can WakeNature affect this? **


 * Also raised was the issue that natural resource areas of local (Wake County) interest often do not raise to the level of interest to be included in state-wide natural heritage maps. In the Sandhills, they have added a supplemental map to the Greengrowth Toolbox that includes areas of local interest. Should WakeNature facilitate something similar for Wake County? **

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


 * Parks Directors Meeting (Beedle, Snow)
 * a tentative agenda has been posted on the Parks Directors Meeting page
 * "Save the Date" notices have gone out
 * Formal invitations going out mid-August


 * NOTES**
 * No discussion

//**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.
 * Review of tri-fold brochure - I (Kaytee) will be unable to make it to the meeting, but I have uploaded an updated brochure draft. This is with the changes that were suggested. I also tweaked the photos. Thanks to Scott for providing the cover photo. Please take a look and get any edits back to me.




 * NOTES**
 * Please look at this and get comments to Kaytee
 * What is next step with this? Do we have money to print?

//**Inventory Committee**// (Scott Pohlman, chairman) GOAL: ** Places on the ground ** - designate publicly accessible WakeNature Preserves.


 * Swift Creek Bluffs update?
 * Committee made revisions and returned to Hammerbacher for review - she is working on it now
 * Final date unknown - should be soon


 * NOTES**
 * No discussion

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


 * Management Workshop, planned for October
 * topic is open lands / early successional lands management
 * date not set yet - targeting late October
 * will set date soon


 * NOTES**
 * No discussion