Meeting+2016+Apr+7

//**WakeNature Preserves Partnership Meeting**//
Thursday 8:30-10 Location: Bass Lake Park ... 900 Bass Lake Rd, Holly Springs, NC 27540 - building is on the lake right near the entrance.
 * Followed by an approximately 1-hour visit to Triangle Land Conservancy's site adjacent to Bass Lake Park, led by TLC's Leigh Ann Hammerbacher [ Tour canceled - sorry ] **

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 * Attendance Notes**

Shouse (presiding), Jeffries, Steve McElhaney (Bass Lake Park), Fowler, Trickel, Teten, Hess (notes), Blank, K Smith, Connors


 * Introductions as needed**

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


 * Follow-ups
 * Chris Snow to contact Doug McRainey re: MOU - Mark Johns forwarded a copy up the chain after our last meeting
 * Amy MacIntosh, Native Plant Society - also sent an MOU to them after our last meeting
 * Looking at NCSU for May, June, July meeting.


 * NOTES**
 * We've not heard from any of these parties. Snow has been trying to get in touch with Doug McCrainey (Cary)
 * Comments from Steve McElhaney
 * Lots of different events at Bass Lake - everything from shitake mushrooms growing to hunter education
 * Sugg Farm property adjacent is 117 acres with a TLC easement on it
 * Lots of outdoor education and nature programming; turtle festival
 * Facility rentals, including boats
 * Parking is extremely limited
 * 8ft wide mulch trail around the lake
 * If we wish to develop an MOU with Holly Springs, Hess will send to McElhaney who will review and forward as appropriate

//**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.


 * Follow-ups and lessons learned
 * Review of Hemlock Bluffs event
 * Review of TLC Swift Creek Bluffs event
 * Review of event at Frontier Center, RTP
 * Finalize plan for Long-leaf festival at Harris Park in May
 * Begin thinking about the next WakeWonder roll-out for the fall
 * What sites should we select?
 * What worked well this time?
 * What can we do better?


 * NOTES**
 * TLC Swift Creek Bluffs
 * Well-attended - about 20 people
 * Mike Shafale led the tour
 * TLC registration worked really well
 * Hammerbacher talked briefly about the WakeNature Partnership
 * Frontier Center Expo
 * Smith - more of a marketing event for companies
 * WakeNature did not participate
 * Hemlock Bluffs
 * low attendance - 4 people, including Shouse and Fowler. 2 people from Native Plant Society
 * Friends of Hemlock Bluffs group never got invited
 * We need a better communication channel for events - there was a lot of miscommunication about how to handle this and a communication plan was never put in place
 * Discussion of how to promote WakeWonders and WakeNature
 * Smith noted that our logo is too complex, especially for small things
 * She will work on some rebranding ideas to create a simpler identity
 * Harris event in May
 * Perlmutter will do a lichen hike
 * Blank will man a WakeNature table - will have WakeNature stuff and some historical artifacts

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


 * Continued discussion of Walnut Hill bioblitz in June - need solid date and plan


 * NOTES**
 * Looks like 3-4 June (Fri/Sat) are the dates (Connors)
 * Inventory takes place 3-4 June and on Saturday afternoon we will have a 1.5-hour public hike
 * Cancel 2 June meeting and consider having a publicity gathering on Friday or Saturday with agency people
 * Might this be a press event as well
 * We might also want to invite land managers out to observe and see what they do - Friday afternoon could work really well to get people out of their offices
 * Jeffries will get the Native Plant Society list for Connors
 * Connors and Hammerbacher will continue to organize the event. During our May meeting we will decide on opportunities to invite people.

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


 * What are strategic locations we can hold our meeting during the following months in a way that can entice other potential partners to attend?


 * NOTES**
 * Initial idea for NCSU will not work - construction at Bragaw that we were considering
 * Harris Lake on 5 May
 * McElhaney suggested possibility of Jordan Lake
 * Some discussion of NW area in future
 * Lobsinger will look at another possible NC State location for June / July / August
 * Connors - slip June meeting from 2 June to 3 June in the field

//**Other Business**//
Big issues for May meeting
 * Firming up June event and publicity
 * Firming up July / August meeting locations
 * Talk about longer range issues - fall campaign for next 7 WakeWonders and which part of county we'd like to work in

Citizen Science Festival & BioBlitzOff at Prairie Ridge 16 April (Saturday)