Meeting+2012+Dec+6

//**Wake County Nature Preserves Meeting**//
Thursday 8:30-10

** Walnut Creek Wetland Center **
Raleigh's web page Google map location (center building is at corner of Peterson & State)
 * Little Rock Creek Room **
 * 950 Peterson Street, Raleigh NC. **

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 * Attendance Notes**

Present: Massa, Hammerbacher, C.Smith, Butts, K.Smith, Hess (presiding, notes), Pohlman, Salter, Lobsinger, Brice, Miller, Ander


 * Introductions as needed**


 * Kevin Brice** is the new Executive Director of the City of Oaks Foundation, which has an interest in open space and nature preserves.
 * NOTES:** Kevin spent 5 minutes telling us a little about the Foundation.


 * Sherry Graham** will introduce the Walnut Creek Wetland Center during the last 5-10 minutes, and can talk further after 10A.
 * NOTES:** Sherry was called away to another meeting and did not speak with us.

//**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 update**
 * Ander / Connors / Hess / Pohlman / Salter met on 2012 Nov 14 to discuss the signs for Anderson Point Park.
 * They spent some time talking through the history of the earlier Raleigh Parks-Wake Audubon which happened some 5-6 years ago. Wake Audubon applied for and received a Raleigh Parks grant to develop interpretive signage for the meadow at Anderson Point Park. They used that to leverage additional Wake Audubon funds and created the content and layout for three signs. However, no money was ever made available to produce and install the signs, and the material has since disappeared to varying degrees.
 * We reviewed the two signs Salter has been creating for the NC Forest Service Grant funding awarded to WakeNature through TLC. Salter explained how they fit into Raleigh Park's larger vision for system-wide, consistent signage. Connors explained his perspective on interpretive signage and noted that the 3 signs created by Wake Audubon have a very different tone than those drafted by Salter. In the end, we agreed that the signs being drafted now should be consistent with Raleigh Park's larger vision.
 * We reviewed the content of the two signs and agreed on an overall concept that included (1) a habitat sign that provides an overview of the three habitat types in the park (bottomland forest, meadow, shrubland) and highlights each on a map, with a photograph, and with some text; (2) a piedmont prairie woodland sign that highlights the successional stages from meadow to woodland and focuses on the rare birds that use the different habitat. These are the two signs that will be produced with the current NC Forest Service grant. Salter took notes on suggested wording changes, species to highlight, and graphic elements to incorporate.
 * We envisioned two additional signs in the future for the other two habitat types; we should seek funding for them.
 * Salter is working on revised versions
 * **No action required today**


 * NOTES** - none

//**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.


 * WakeNature Mapper** - Chris Butts will present the WakeNature Mapper that he has been creating with us as his semester-long project in Geospatial Information Science course, under the direction of Charlynne Smith. Chris has a 10-minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of questions.
 * Desired action - any simple changes we might like to see; how does this get turned over to us and integrated into our web site?


 * NOTES**
 * Chris had a powerpoint and demonstrated the mapper as well as the administrative interface
 * Everyone was pleased and there were no items anyone wanted changed right away
 * Do we want to add to the disclaimer, which currently is the standard 1-line NCSU disclaimer
 * Discussion with C.Smith about next semester's class having a student work with us to create a GPS-active, mobile version
 * Also discussion of linking our volunteer needs and citizen science applications to the mapper, down the road
 * K.Smith is working on integrating the mapper into our WordPress site

//**Capacity Committee**//
Organizing a Service Raleigh volunteer workday for March 2013 (Anna Miller)
 * Focus volunteer effort on trash removal in Turnipseed as we tried last year? Or is there a different area which needs more attention now?


 * NOTES -** none - this item will be discussed in goal setting

//**Other Business**//

 * This will be our steering committee election and annual review and priority-setting meeting. **We'll review 2012 and propose some goals for 2013, to be further examined during our January 2013 meeting once the new steering committee and chair have been elected.


 * Steering Committee Nominations and Vote**

Nominees for the 3-person Steering Committee to date are ... they have agreed to serve if selected ...
 * George Hess, for a one-year term (so that we can start staggering appointments, as per the MOU)
 * Scott Pohlman, for a two-year term
 * Chris Snow, for a two-year term

Are there any additional nominees? If not, will move to accept the Steering Committee as nominated. If there are additional nominees, each signatory will be asked to write down their choice of 3 on a piece of paper that includes the name of their organization. The three with the most votes will be appointed. Proxy votes will be solicited by email from signatories who are not present, with a deadline of 14 December.


 * NOTES**
 * There were no further nominations
 * Hess called for a vote from organizations present. 6 of the 9 were present and voted: Natural Heritage, NC State, Raleigh Parks, Triangle Land Conservancy, Wake Parks Rec & Open Space, Wildlife Resources. All voted in favor, so Hess, Pohlman, & Snow are the steering committee (majority vote).
 * Hess will solicit votes from UNC Herbarium (Perlmutter), NC Museum of Sciences (Connors), and Wake Soil & Water (Threatt-Taylor) just in case someone wants to go on the record with a "no" vote. [ Email sent 6 Dec ]
 * Proxy votes received: Herbarium YES (6 Dec)
 * Wake Soil & Water; NC Museum have not recorded any vote (as of 7 Dec)

>
 * Accomplishments for 2012**
 * **Conducted invasive plants workshop** in September - 40 registrants; approx 35 attended; Continuing Ed units from 4 organizations.
 * **WakeNature Interactive Mapper.** Chris Butts created a first-cut interactive mapper for WakeNature that highlights some of the high-quality natural areas in Wake County, including information about what makes them high quality, rudimentary search capabilities, and the ability to generate directions to the natural areas. This was Chris' capstone project, conducted as a service-learning activity under the direction of Charlynne Smith. Kaytee Smith created the basic information pages for each highlighted property; this was under contract through the NC Forest Service grant to WakeNature through Triangle Land Conservancy.
 * **Raleigh Parks & Recreation signed the WakeNature Memorandum of Understanding!!** This brings our total number to 9 signatory organizations.
 * **NC Forest Service grant received**through TLC, approx $12K
 * Two signs under development for Anderson Point Park (almost done)
 * 6 basic WNPP signs for preserves that come on line (almost done)
 * Further development of website to provide informational pages for the WakeNature Interactive Mapper (under contract to Kaytee Smith, for completion in 2013)
 * Two NC State undergraduate interns worked with TLC during the summer on ... planning for invasive plants workshop ... create management plan for Swift Creek Bluffs Assemblage to be submitted for WNP status
 * Inventory of Williams & West Tracted in Marks Creek area (contracted to Bruce White, for completion in 2013)
 * Create trifold brochure (under contract to Kaytee Smith, for completion in 2013)
 * Develop ecosystem services information for several Wake County open spaces (under contract to Emily Schieffer, for completion in 2013)
 * Planned a Service Raleigh event for Turnipseed that was cancelled by rain
 * **Completed management plan for the Swift Creek Bluffs Assemblage and submitted by TLC for WNP status** - now in review. The draft plan was created by NCState graduate students as a service-learning activity with Gary Blank and completed for submission by a TLC intern.
 * Blank, Cook, Hess, Perlmutter, Salter, Snow **conducted a workshop about what WakeNature is and how it works** at the conference for the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals
 * **Nominated for Gulf-South Summit Award** for Outstanding Service-Learnig Collaboration (by Patti Clayton)
 * NOTES** - add the following accomplishments
 * **WakeNature paper by Blank & Hess:** Blank, G.B & G.R. Hess. 2010. WakeNature Preserves Partnership promotes stewardship of the new commons. Landscape Archaeology and Ecology, 8(2): 38-43. Available online at @http://ukeconet.co.uk/images/stories/end%20of%20tradition%20lae%20vol%208%20part%202%20.pdf
 * **Thesis examining WakeNature as a case study of democratic engagment.** Dostillio, Lina. 2012. Democratically Engaged Community-University Partnerships: REciprocal Determinants of Democratically Oriented Roles and Processes. PhD Thesis, School of Education, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA. Available at http://www.duq.edu/Documents/education/_pdf/DEFL/dissertations/20120309-dostillio.pdf
 * **Perlmutter poster:** Perlmutter, Gary. 2012. Lichens, Lichenicolous Fungi and Allied Fungi of Turnipseed WakeNature Preserve, North Carolina, USA. Seventh International Association of Lichenologists Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand.


 * Potential Goals for 2013**

Pohlman and Hess met 26 November to draft a preliminary list. These are mostly things that we've talked about at some point that have not been done. We broke them down by committee, plus some overall organizational items. Today's goal is to settle on what we actually want to accomplish in 2013 - at least in a preliminary fashion. We might let committees come back in January with their prioritized lists - need to discuss how to approach this.


 * Organizational** (steering committee responsibility)
 * Get steering committee and officers in place; get a chair for each of our 3 committees
 * Need a meeting place - Wetland Center? Lake Johnson? Raleigh Muni Building?
 * More signatories - Cary? State Parks?
 * At large members? John Connors?


 * NOTES**
 * Steering committee now in place for 2013; chair will be selected in January
 * Asked Ander & Salter to look into getting Walnut Creek Wetland Center for 2013 meetings
 * Additional signatories might be US Army Corps of Engineers (Falls Lake), Holly Springs (Bass Lake Natural Area coming online in 2013)
 * Need to reapproach Cary and talk about "recognition" rather than "publicity" as a benefit


 * Promotion Committee** (unchaired at the moment)
 * Complete NC Forest Service grant work [ Promo ]
 * Complete and install signs at Anderson Point (already contracted, design underway) [ Promo ]
 * Create WNPP brochure for distribution to munis and other interested parties (under way, but not complete - contract in place with Kaytee Smith; part of NCFS grant) [ Promo ]
 * Develop ecosystem services fact sheets for a set of Wake County properties (under way, not not complete - contract in pace with Emily Schieffer through TLC; part of NCFS grant; Hammerbacher is leading) [ Promo ]
 * We said we were going to do an award program in concert with Raleigh's environmental awards. SHORT FUSE - due 15 Feb - Hemlock Bluffs?? [ Promo ]
 * Said we were going to get an article on N&O science pages - we need some publicity!! Possibly focus on interactive mapper. [ Promo ]

NOTES >
 * K.Smith volunteered to chair this committee
 * K.Smith noted that Chris Goforth has recently been hired to lead citizen science efforts at Prairie Ridge - might be a good link there
 * We should do a press release to roll out the mapper (K.Smith)
 * Organize an event around the installation of the signs at Anderson Point (Ander & Salter)
 * No awards for 2013; instead we should use 2013 to set up guidelines for the program (Blank & Pohlman to lead; Hess will help)


 * Capacity Committee** (Blank chairman??)
 * Develop volunteer network - talk to Jessie Perry about his efforts
 * Grant writing - to get a volunteer coordinator - ZSR??
 * Workdays
 * Said we were going to get a volunteer days program coordinated with Raleigh for their nature preserves - maybe Service Raleigh 23 March [ Capacity ]
 * Potential workday at Mitchells Millpond State Natural Area - Fall? [ Capacity ]
 * Regular workshops
 * Spring workshop on management planning (March) [ Capacity ]
 * Fall workshop (Sept) on what topic? [ Capacity ]
 * increased communication among natural areas managers in County
 * target continuing education units
 * Resource sharing
 * County-wide roaming nature preserve crews? (See Melissa Salter) (note relation to volunteer network) [ Capacity ]
 * Tools inventory (as discussed at Invasive Plants workshop)


 * NOTES**
 * 2 workshops (Blank)
 * Service Raleigh event (Miller)
 * Develop a stewardship need inventory county-wide, to position ourselves for how to recruit a volunteer network or develop a multi-jurisdictional resource-sharing position (Blank). This need was pointed out by Hammerbacher, so that we can better position ourselves to make a funding pitch to get things started.


 * Inventory Committee** (Pohlman Interim Chairman)
 * Complete Swift Creek Bluffs Assemblage review process [ Inventory ]
 * Get one or two more WNPs going through the process - possibilities - Lake Raleigh (NCSU), Hemlock BLuffs (Cary, retry), Lake Johnson (Raleigh), Anderson Point (Raleigh), others being highlighted on mapper [ Inventory ]
 * Continue work on WakeNature interactive mapper [ Inventory ]


 * NOTES**
 * Raleigh will not be ready to do a WakeNature preserve in 2013
 * Other sites to consider: Blue Jay Point, Yates Mill
 * There's a 3-acre site on Barwell Road that has lots of Michaux sumac, owned by Raleigh Public Utilities. They have $$ to help pay for management, but nobody seems to want to take it on.
 * Bass Lake in Holly Springs is getting ready to come on line with a preserve area of some kind


 * Sherry Graham** will introduce the Walnut Creek Wetland Center during the last 5-10 minutes, and can talk further after 10A.


 * NOTES** - Sherry was unable to participate.


 * OUR NEXT MEETING will be on 2013 Jan 10 (to avoid being too close to New Year's Day) in an undisclosed location. **


 * Happy Holidays to all!! **

Desired action