Meeting+2013+Nov+7

//**WakeNature Preserves Partnership Meeting**//
Thursday 8:30-10 Department of Environment & Natural Resources 217 W. Jones Street Green Square Conference Room 4001 (aka Cardinal Room)

See October Meeting agenda for location and parking details. Easiest is to park in front of the building and pay the $2 meter.

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 * Attendance Notes**

Emily Ander, Melissa Salter, Gary Blank, John Connors, Hillay Morris, Kaytee Smith, Scott Pohlman, Chris Snow attending. Hess unable to attend.


 * Introductions as needed **

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


 * Elections are upon us ...
 * Hess is leaving the steering committee; Pohlman and Snow have another year.
 * Steering committee will propose a replacement for Hess.
 * Members will have until Thanksgiving to nominate others; please ensure nominees agree to serve.
 * Vote at December meeting.
 * December will be our annual review and planning meeting
 * Goals for the past year were outlined on our 2013 January meeting page and have been posted on the December meeting page
 * We would like each committee chair to review these and prepare goals for 2014 to be presented at the December meeting
 * Please post work December meeting page
 * 2014 meeting schedule posted

//**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. Th
 * Documenting special places event - will this be our spring workshop? How shall we proceed and coordinate?
 * Kaytee notes that people are "liking" us, including bloggers. So we can do more, but Kaytee needs **content**. The content could be personal (e.g. "I saw this bird at..."), professional (e.g. upcoming events), or even pictures. __Please send content (text, photo, video) to Kaytee at her gmail account.__ Also, please send your calendar items, or if anything else is on the schedule.
 * Kaytee found an online printer for the brochure, and will print some brochures. We will send it out one more time before priniting. Can also set up a spot on the website with all the materials for people to print up a packet.
 * Kaytee thinks we need a mailing address. Gary Blank suggest using Box 8008, NCSU. Both he and George can check for mail.
 * Video -- Kaytee thinking about setting up a Youtube channel, highlighting Wake County natural history (both the way it was historically, and the things that are great now, to help build appreciation). Kaytee and Jon will set a timeline, choose a place for the first few. (John is thinking marbled salamanders for the first). After that, it might include asking some naturalists (sush as Tom Howard, Dave Stefin, Jim Hardin, Jesse Perry, Tom Wentworth) to take the video crew out to their favorite places.

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


 * Swift Creek Bluffs status
 * We are going to look at the list of potential special places on parks land that Pohlman has compiled and be prepared to present next month as part of our 2014 plans
 * John Connors and Leigh Ann will be doing some inventory work at Wake Forest, and will write up a paragraph (or more).

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


 * Review of open lands workshop - what worked? what didn't?
 * Thanks to Melissa Salter and Leigh Ann Hammerbacher for lining up the speakers and setting the agenda; and to Melissa for setting up the venue
 * Short news article on our website … @http://wakenature.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/wakenature-workshop-provides-perspectives-on-prairies-and-open-lands/
 * mix of speakers - Gary noted that the speakers did a great job, and complemented each other
 * facilities/set up - learned to double-check projectors, screens, cords
 * Activities - John recommends more hands-on field trips; Kaytee thinks we should also experiment with a Twitter feed
 * What's our next workshop (see Promo Committee)?
 * projected number of participants (invited, targeted, etc.)
 * location ideas for easy access and workable venue
 * mode of interaction/physical layout/equipment needs/facilitators and support staff
 * George and Gary are leaning to the "Naturalist Brain Dump" of special places in Wake COunty, and making it interactive with an audience. John thinks upwards of 30 guests, including botanists, herpetologists, birders, aquatic folks, other biologists
 * Can we make it an NRC event? A lot of foks at the museum would be invitees, plus State Parks, Natural Heritage Program.
 * We would provide some (or a lot of) guidance beforehand (e.g. "What are your recollections of the best of Wake County?") Gary liked the idea of starting with big maps, and being in a venue where people could move around a lot, then some time where only one person talks at a time. John proposed breaking the groups out by taxa, allowing people who know about gems to let others learn about them. We should look at dates, and maybe reserve the bi conference room on the NRC 4th floor. John Connors will think through list of invitees, which will also inform whether it is a weekday or weekend event. Gary looked at the week of May 12th, since it is the week after NCSU is out. Gary noted that he is on Gary Perlmutter's committee, along with Meg Lowman.
 * Should we do follow-up surveys 6 months to a year after each workshop to assess their effectiveness - essential question is how the workshop changed the way people are doing things, if at all. (Hess is willing to do this, if there's enough interest - will need some help formulating questions)
 * Follow-up - Do the week-after review, including solicitation for future topics; also let them know we will follow-up in six months
 * Meghan Lobsinger's thesis is on worshop response (i.e. did it make a change?). She would be a great resource to ask about following up.

//**Other Business**//

 * Wake County Board of Commissioners recently voted to authorize spending some Open Space money to facilitate public access at Proctor, Robertson Millpond, and Turnipseed
 * // Michaux suma // c reintroduction at Turnipseed (Blank)
 * Roots are in pots. Some will be planted next Spring, and others next Fall. Students will do the work, including monitoring.
 * Ross Sullivan finished project on Lake Raleigh Woods Elaeagnus control; results are ready