Meeting+2008+Apr+3

Wake County Nature Preserves Meeting Thurs 2008 Apr 3 8:30-9:30 1214 Jordan Hall, NCSU Campus


 * Attendance Notes:**

At meeting: Hess, Blank, Connors, Snow, Cienek, Sinclair, Alexander, Wallance, Shumate, Cheshire

Jamie -- will not be able to attend Charlynne - will not be able to attend


 * Announcements:**

Service-learning training for all partners (that includes faculty) Thursday 1 May 8:30-3:30 at NCSU and Marks Creek.


 * Annotated Agenda Items**

//Please add items you'd like to see on the agenda by Tues 1 Apr 5PM//

//Please add your pre-meeting discussion of these items under the item right here on the agenda, or on the appropriate linked page.//


 * Introductions (old and new members)** (5 minutes)


 * Notes:** none necessary


 * How to proceed with municipalities** (Hess) (25 minutes)

The mayors gave us their blessing last month - how shall we proceed? Someone from Cary (Lana, Assistant Town Manager) has already called me (Hess). Recommend that we communicate with town manager, planner and park & recreation director for each municipality to insure we touch base with all integral parties (C. Smith)

- Snow has also heard from Scott Bernard in Holly Springs, who is interested in learning more - All agreed that we should have initial discussion now, given that we've already "opened the can" with the Mayors and that people have called. - One though that came up was bringing in someone from Mecklenburg County for a workshop on how they are running their nature preserves. We agreed that this was a great idea, but premature. - We settled on having a 2-hour initial discussion with personnel from all the munis in May. Snow and Hess will organize and invite. We will send primary invite (from Snow and Hess) to all parks directors, plus anyone we've heard directly from, and indicate that they can bring / send appropriate people. - Format of discussion will be a somewhat more detailed version of the mayors presentation, and including a space for parks directors / designees to describe current management activities around natural areas as well as their view of needs. - 13 May 9A-11A at NCSU was suggested as the date for this, but ///editorializing to follow/// after the meeting Hess is having reservations about being able to meet this schedule - might it be moved closer to the end of May? - Other idea discussed was doing two meetings - eastern and western - and going to the directors instead of asking them to come to us. Most of the group preferred a single meeting at a central (NCSU location) because it is less work for us, and a good idea to get all munis together at the same time. ///editorializing to follow/// Hess (after meeting) is still having reservations about this and will talk to Snow about plus/minus of each approach and report back; basically, Hess thinks that going to them is a strong gesture of openness and partnership compared to asking everyone to come to us (not to mention wanting to get rid of that "us" and "them" thinking altogether).
 * Notes:**


 * Service-learning training** (Hess) (20 minutes)

What should we do out at Marks Creek for 1.5 hours that will benefit the partnership and provide a microcosm training experience for the partners?

Ideas suggested so far are ...
 * GPS trail locations
 * herp coverboards
 * bird identification
 * water quality measurement
 * plant ID

We need to keep this somewhat limited, doable by folks who might not have training, and so that some meaningful product can be created in 1.5hours.

- Best ideas for service - because they require minimal training and expertise - appear to be - A final announcement will go out to all partners and to other interested parties in the College of Natural Resources with an RSVP date of Fri 11 Apr. - Once we know how many are coming, we can plan how many service activities we'll need.
 * Notes:**
 * GPS trail locations (Cheshire)
 * Establish coverboards for herps (Connors)
 * Carry out stewardship activities (Cienek)


 * Other business** (10 minutes)

- Gray Blank gave some basic information about this grant proposal for the USDA Forest Service that NCSU's Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources will be submitting. - The basic idea is to establish sites akin to the National Science Foundation's Long Term Ecological Research sites, but focused on urban areas. The research focus is to be on long term changes and links between ecological structure and function, ecosystem services, and human perceptions, behaviors, and institutions - very integrative, ecological- human dimensions work. - We could have a role in this, and will explore that at future meetings - Visit []
 * Urban Long Term Research Areas grant**

- Scheduled for Wed 9 April 6PM 1214 Jordan Hall - Gary provided context for our presentation - 12 students are looking for a model process for protected species conservation and are likely to have many questions
 * Partnership presentation in Gary Blank's class**

- Snow reported that the contract for work at Lake Myra Park with Stucky and Krings (NCSU Plant Biology) is working its way through the process. - They will be inventorying this 120ish acre parcel which is being developed too fast for the partnership to deal with through students and service-learning approaches
 * Lake Myra Park**

- Snow reported that Coleen Bockham and Jackie Trickel are in the Natural Resources Leadership Institute program this year. For their practicum, they are determining how the State Parks database can be modified for use by the Partnership as a repository for inventory and other data.
 * Database**

- Snow reported that some 700 acres of new open space to be purchased is going to the County Board of Commissioners for approval next week.
 * More land in Wake County Open Space**

- Marks Creek status and planning - Finalize workshop details - Revisit meeting with parks directors
 * Agenda items for next time**


 * Reports** Add any reports to the group here - things that we don't need to spend meeting time on

Gary Blank has asked the partnership to make a presentation to his //Protected Species Conservation// class. Hess, Snow, Ramsey, Cienek, Wallace have agreed to do this on Wed 9 April 6PM in 1214 Jordan Hall. One of us will give the presentation from the Mayors Association meeting, we can each describe our roles in the partnership, we can present the genesis of the partnership, and then have a panel discussion.
 * Upcoming Presentation**

Hess talked with Ken Stolte (USDA Forest Service, RTP) about local Forest Health Monitoring ideas (2008 Mar 21). Forest Health Monitoring uses permanent field plots to monitor through time the condition of forest (and non-forest) resource on the ground. Ken has developed a "lite" version suitable for citizen-science efforts (currently being used in Florida). This could be a very useful way to begin monitoring the condition of natural areas through time. I'd like to gauge Wake County's interest in including something like this in our pilot, raise the possibility of having my measurements course focus on this next year, and consider having Ken to one of our upcoming meetings to further discuss this. I made it clear to him that it might be premature to implement this, given all of the other things we're trying to get started, but I want to let everyone know about this possibility.
 * Potential Forest Health Monitoring Link**