Meeting+2012+Sep+6

//**Wake County Nature Preserves Meeting**//
Thursday 8:30-10 Directions and Map || Link to google map
 * TRIANGLE LAND CONSERVANCY **
 * 1101 Haynes Street, Suite 205, Raleigh NC 27604 919.833.3662 **

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 * Attendance Notes**

Present were ... Hess (presiding, notes), Blank, Pohlman, Salter, Blan, Massa, Ander, Lobsinger, Trickel, C.Smith

//**Promotion Committee**//
GOALS: Create more public awareness and appreciation of our highest quality natural areas in Wake County. In 2012 we will: 1) develop a website (completed); 2) maintain/update the website (on-going); 3) promote WakeNature through one or more Stewardship Awards (in process); 4) Promote WakeNature by holding a training session for resource managers (being planned); 5) Create promotional materials to get the message of WakeNature out to a broader audience; 6) Work on fundraising provided key fundable priorities are identified


 * Signs**
 * Progress report
 * When Hess briefed Hammerbacher about our decisions at the last meeting (Hammerbacher was away), Hammerbacher noted that as the money was from NC Forest Service it would be nice to have a forested site or somehow relate the signage to forests. This is not a hard-and-fast requirement, but we should talk about it.
 * Salter is working on a concept that would include one sign for the meadow and one sign for the bottomland forest Significant Natural Heritage Area. She should be able to show us a draft at the meeting.
 * Hess and Salter have been in touch with John Connors about cost-share from Wake Audubon. Connors passed the information to Gerry Luginbuhl, current chairwoman, and Hess emailed her with some basic information and a request to talk by phone.
 * Luginbuhl responded by email after Audubon board meeting of 4 Sept - there is interest, but they need to wait until Connors and John Gerwin (treasurer) return - that will be about two weeks. According to Luginbuhl, Wake Audubon spent some money on sign design, but the city never followed through; like us, she was not involved during that process. Nevertheless, we must approach this cost-share cautiously as there is some history, still unknown to us, of Audubon spending time and money on designing signs that never came to fruition.
 * Failing cost-share from Audubon, we have (at least) two options ...
 * Purchase a single sign, likely for the bottomland forest
 * Reprogram some of the $1,800 currently tagged for website development so that we can buy both ourselves. If we go with the low end estimate of $2,200 per sign, we'd have to reprogram $1,200 to add to the $3,200; leaving $600 for web work. How difficult is it to reprogram the budget?
 * QUESTION: Do we move ahead with the notion of 2 signs and secure the lowest cost we can from the sign company? Do we wait until Wake Audubon gets back to us? Or do we move ahead with a single sign and try to add in a second if WA comes back favorably?


 * NOTES**
 * Salter presented examples of a series of interpretive signs Raleigh Parks has developed for the Neuse River Corridor
 * Salter presented rough sketches of an idea for a "Wildlife Habitat" sign for Anderson Point Park. The sign would be at a high point in the park and overlook the varied habitat available in the park, from meadow to bottomland forest. There would be some additional focus on the bottomland forest, because of the funding source.
 * The 2nd sign would be about the early successional habitat, based on the earlier drafts of signage developed by Wake Audubon (assuming we can find it).
 * Consensus was that we should proceed with the notion of two signs. Salter will work with the sign shop to keep costs, continue with sign design, and work with Raleigh Parks for approval to proceed. Hess will continue to pursue cost-sharing with Audubon.

//**Inventory Committee**//
GOALS: 1) to compile a list of potential WakeNature preserve sites that contain examples of excellent ecological resources that either are being managed for their sustainability or are in need of management, 2) select two potential sites to focus on resource inventory building and management plan development for WakeNature Preserve designation. Focus sites for 2012 include TLC's Swift Creek Bluffs (nearly complete) and City of Raleigh's Lake Johnson Park. With Swift Creek Bluffs nearly complete, a third site for focus is an assemblage of properties in the Marks Creek watershed near Turnipseed: Beech, Williamson and West tracts.


 * Update on Swift Creek Assemblage** management plan review (Hammerbacher, Salter)


 * NOTES**
 * Ad hoc committee for reviewing the Swift Creek Assemblage application for WakeNature status is Salter (chairwoman), Pohlman, Blank, & Michael Shafale (Natural Heritage). Salter will re-check with Perlmutter, who we think had indicated interest.
 * Hammerbacher is talking with NC Department of Transportation to ensure that this submission is OK with them; we are proceeding under the assumption that it will be.
 * Lobsinger will ask Snow to send Hess a short letter or email saying that the County agrees to the submission.
 * Salter will now move the process forward and develop a timeline for completion.


 * Update on Marks Creek Properties** (Hammerbacher)


 * NOTES**
 * Hammerbacher was out, so Hess gave a brief update based on what he knows - mainly that a consultant has been engaged to do inventory work on a set of properties along Marks Creek that straddle the Wake/Johnston County line


 * Perlmutter is stepping down as chairman**, because of increased school and work commitments. We need a new Inventory Committee chair.


 * NOTES**
 * Pohlman agreed to serve as Interim Chairman of the Inventory Committee


 * Charlynne Smith's class** has a student assigned to work on our interactive mapping project (Smith, Hess)


 * NOTES**
 * Smith has identified a student to work on this project - Chris Butts.
 * Butts has been in touch with Hess to arrange a meeting to talk about project goals.
 * Hess, Salter, Pohlman, and Massa are working to arrange a meeting with Butts next week.

//**Capacity Committee**//
**Invasive Plant Workshop**
 * Progress report
 * Speakers are almost all lined up
 * Site has been secured
 * Registration information is out there
 * What else do we need to do for this?
 * Final logistics
 * Follow-through on any continuing education certifications (currently pursuing Landscape Architects and Pesticides)


 * NOTES**
 * Blank reviewed agenda and status
 * So far there are only 8 registrants, including 3 people closely affiliated with WakeNature
 * We need to get word out more strongly and widely. All in the room agreed to flex their networks and that it was reasonable to reach out beyond Wake County.
 * Salter agreed to work on International Association of Arboriculture certification
 * Trickel agreed to work on NC Environmental Education certification

//**Other Business**//

 * WakeNature ULR Registration.**Hess will make a motion to renew wakenature.org and wakenature.com URL registration - currently expires 2012 Sept 16. Assuming we can make the transaction work, TLC will cover 5 years using our grant funding for $$$. Failing that, we will renew for 24 months at <=$70. We have $116.78 in available funds.


 * NOTES**
 * Agreement to proceed as outlined. Hess will follow up with Hammerbacher.

Hess moves to accord the City of Raleigh Parks & Recreation Department "at large" membership status in WakeNature. This motion is made as a gesture of good faith as Raleigh moves toward signing our Memorandum of Understanding and because it has worked so closely with WakeNature to designate Nature Preserves and Protected Natural Areas with its Park System. "At large" membership would allow Raleigh to cast a single vote for any decisions for which a vote is taken, which is the same right accorded to MOU signatories. An affirmative vote (YES) is to accord Raleigh "at large" membership. We will accept votes from those present today and solicit e-mail votes from those absent with a deadline of 14 September. Votes will be tabulated by signatory.
 * Accord Raleigh "At Large" Status**.


 * NOTES**
 * After discussion this was tabled until next meeting so that Salter and Ander can make sure this is OK with Raleigh Parks.

Hess moves to open nominations for the steering committee. According to our Memorandum of Understanding, this committee will be composed of three people chosen from among the MOU signatories and members at large. Nominations will be accepted today and solicited by e-mail with a deadline of 14 September. Anyone may nominate people for the steering committee. On 17 September, a list of nominees will be sent by e-mail and voting membership will be asked to vote their choices, or provide a written statement of their choices, at the October meeting.
 * Nominations for Steering Committee.**

From the MOU: > The steering committee is the leadership of the WakeNature. The steering committee shall be comprised of three members of the membership at large. Steering committee members will be nominated by self or others and voted on by the voting membership. The steering committee should be balanced with members representing different perspectives of the groups that comprise WakeNature (Local government, state government, non-­‐profits, universities and an at large seat). Each member shall be elected for a two year term. These terms should be staggered. Members of the steering committee agree to attend all meetings. Alternates may represent steering committee members, as needed. Members of the steering committee agree to read appropriate material and arrive prepared to work. The steering committee will prepare and distribute an agenda to the working group prior to each meeting.


 * NOTES**
 * Tabled until Raleigh's at-large status is decided.


 * Wake County Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee "7 Wonders of Wake" idea**


 * Wake County's open space committee (OSAPAC), this summer, start talking about a promotional scheme for the parks system. They arrived at the tag lines "7 Wonders of Wake" and "WOW" (for Wonders of Wake). I was absent for travel during these meetings, but was assigned to the subcommittee to pursue this idea, because Jamie Ramsey made them aware of our WakeWonders concept.
 * As a member of OSAPAC, Hess has voiced objection to the use of this term on the grounds that we've been working on this for a number of years trying to get established and concern that there will be confusion between the County campaign and our concept. For example, one of the Wonders being considered is the North Wake Landfill Park, because it's a great example of reclamation and is now the highest point in the county. This does not fit at all with our concept of WakeWonders.
 * We are at a bit of a disadvantage at the moment because we don't have any WakeWonders yet, though we have our eye on several, including some at Anderson Point that Raleigh has already declared Protected Natural Areas.
 * At a recent meeting of the OSAPAC subcommittee we agreed that this conflict was an issue and are pursuing alternate approaches and formulations. We are looking for a win-win situation in which WakeNature becomes one of the highlights of the County's promotional campaign and the County adopts a different or at least complementary tagline. I imagine this will be taken up again at the next full OSAPAC meeting, currently scheduled for 24 Sept.


 * NOTES**
 * Hess briefed the group on the situation
 * Agreement that seeking a win-win is the way to proceed.
 * We want to object forcefully if talk of "7 Wonders of Wake" continues.
 * Pohlman will develop a short list of WakeWonder candidates that we can convey to OSAPAC as part of this effort.
 * Hess will continue working with OSAPAC to move them away from the Wonders language and to find a better solution


 * Other Items - NOTES**
 * Salter asked if WakeNature had ever discussed becoming a 501c3 non-profit, because some at Raleigh reviewing the MOU asked if we were.
 * Hess related some of the history - yes, we've discussed. At the time we decided it was not worth the overhead because we didn't anticipate seeking lots of gran funding and because we had other ways to accept funding, if the need arose.
 * Might want to revisit.