Meeting+2013+Feb+7

//**WakeNature Preserves Partnership Meeting**//
Thursday 8:30-10 Map to building Park in the Wake County public parking deck (entrances on Cabarrus and Davie Streets) and walk a block up Davie Street.
 * Wake County Parks, Recreation, & Open Space - Wake County Office Building, 337 S. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, 10th Floor **

Tweet about this meeting ... media type="custom" key="9797796"

Gary Blank will be teaching but has entered news about the Capacity Building Committee, Schenck Forest, and SCBA designation.
 * Attendance Notes**

Present: Pohlman (presiding), Connors, Snow, A. Miller, K. Smith, Beedle, Ander, Salter, Lobsinger, Hess (notes)


 * Annotated Agenda Items**

//Please add items you'd like to see on the agenda by 5PM Tues before the meeting.//

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


 * Introductions as needed**

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


 * Who is on the capacity committee? Anna Miller and Meghan Lobsinger are assumed to still be members of the committee. Could use more.
 * Management plan workshop for spring: conversation with Charlynne indicated that parks managers thought this was a good idea but were not specific about when would be best. They suggested if we set a date within reason they would put it on their calendars. Charlynne and I agreed march is not reasonable lead time at this point. My suggestion is early May, before public schools let out for summer and staffs get over-booked. April might be better for them but probably unworkable for us. Yates Mill may be the best site for this event--provides varied habitat and landscape features for plan consideration as well as good indoor space and parking availability. Need to check schedule there.
 * Proposal ... Week of 13 May - any day particularly good or bad that week?
 * Service Raleigh day at Turnipseed - status and update
 * Workday at Mitchell Mill State Natural Area - status and update
 * Volunteer Needs Assessment: [[file:WakeNature Capacity Committee 02.07.2013.docx]]
 * Larger stewardship assets and needs inventory: Currently looking for a graduate or advanced undergraduate student to take this on


 * NOTES**
 * John Connors is a member of this committee. Membership list updated on committee page.
 * Service Raleigh is 23 March. Anna Miller will coordinate this event. Meghan Lobsinger has already applied through Service Raleigh, so that is taken care of. The activity will be a major trash removal.
 * John Connors noted that he is coordinating an invasive plant removal at Durant Nature Park that he will also affiliate with WakeNature. This can help get our name and mission out there!
 * Melissa Salter noted that Wake Audubon is coordinating a program at Anderson Point Park as well; WakeNature will not affiliate with this as it is a longstanding Wake Audubon efort.
 * Melissa Salter noted that Raleigh Parks have hired a new position, Stewardship and Natural Resources Management, to work at the Annie Louise Wilkerson Nature Preserve and Durant Nature Park. Kristin Loomis has been hired and will begin by focusing on invasive plants in these places. This could help establish a focal point for WakeNature efforts at coordinated conservation activities across the County.
 * Week of 13 May is good for the management plan workshop - we need to see if Yates Mill Historic Park is available on Tuesday or Wednesday that week. Hess will communicate with Blank.
 * Jen Beedle will help connect the person we select for the stewardship and needs inventory with park managers across the county.
 * John Connors and Scott Pohlman are visiting Mitchell Mill State Natural Area today and will discuss stewardship issues. John Connors has talked with Sarah Slover (NC State) and is scheduling an NCSU College of Natural Resources work day at Mitchell Mill for the week of 4 March (NCSU Spring Break).

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


 * Discussion and vote on John Connor's - Wake Audubon or at-large member - depending on what he learns about Wake Audubon's involvement
 * Update on Mitchell Mill State Natural Area (Pohlman)
 * Need to get our committee membership in order. The three committees (see side bar) are the workhorses of our organization and we sense that there might not be enough committee support to conduct our work. We'll discuss this during each committee session.


 * NOTES**
 * John Connors was at the Wake Audubon Board meeting this week and Wake Audubon is interested in signing the MOU. At that point, they would designate John as their representative. After asking Connors to leave the room, those present voted to accept Wake Audubon (Raleigh, Natural Heritage, Wake County, NCSU). Hess will solicit votes from the remaining members and provide Connors with an MOU for Wake Audubon to sign.
 * Follow-up: UNC herbarium & WRC voted yes on 2013 Feb 11, which gives a majority 6/9 organizations. Motion approved.
 * Mitchell Mill update occurred during Capacity session.
 * Committee membership updated on committee pages (see left navigation bar).

//**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.


 * Who is on the promotion committee?
 * Update on Anderson Point signs (Salter) - [[file:AndersonPointParkFinalDraftSmall.pdf]]

Potential Layout of brochure idea
 * Any discussion of information brochures, etc.


 * NOTES**
 * Members are K. Smith (chairwoman), G. Hess, J. Beedle.
 * Committee needs help with writing news articles to keep the web site active. Hess will write a short article about his measurements class working with Raleigh.
 * Kaytee Smith showed a draft of a trifold brochure and rack cards to contain basic information about WakeNature. She will draft the first cut and send it out for comment.
 * Meghan Lobsinger would like to see news about the County's Natural Resource Inventory Database on WakeNature's website, as well as a link to the database.
 * John Connors suggested that we create a short promotional paragraph to send to other NR-related organizations for publication as news on their sites - something like an "Introducing WakeNature" blurb. Nobody volunteered for this.
 * Meghan Lobsinger suggested we make T-Shirts that can be used when WakeNature is sponsoring events. The shirts would contain the WakeNature logo on the front and back, and a list of signatories on the back - kind of like a concert tour list. Nobody volunteered for this.

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


 * Who is on the inventory committee?
 * Update on Swift Creek Bluffs designation: Review suggested only SCB, not Futrell and NCDOT Wetland, can really be designated because of all the remaining questions over their management. Revisions to SCBA document needed when an MS Word file is available for track changes.
 * Schenck Forest progress? (Blank/Hess): Blank has drafted a request to the CNR Forest Committee and talked to Doug Frederick about presenting the request at the next committee meeting (TBD). Sweat, Dobson and Frederick all agreed this idea is quite feasible, a study by NR300 would be welcome, and the designation should not be problematic if study determines the site qualifies. A plan would need to be written.
 * Barwell Road? (Lobsinger) - also, should we pursue as the first WakeWonder?
 * Update on mapper (linked to promo committee) - need to get up content for featured places


 * NOTES**
 * Committee is Scott Pohlman, George Hess, Melissa Salter, John Connors. Scott Pohlman will ask Brooke Massa
 * Melissa Salter related Swift Creek Bluffs Assemblage status. The recommendation will be to make Triangle Land Conservancy's Swift Creek Bluffs property a WakeNature Preserve, but not the Wake County and Department of Transportation portions, for which ownership complications make doing so impractical at the moment. The recommendation will include managing the adjacent tracts (Futrell and the NCDOT lands) to support viability of the natural features at Swift Creek Bluffs. [ The Wake County portion is jointly owned with Cary and Raleigh, with Cary officially in charge of management and not ready to commit. NCDOT is also not ready. We should, however, be able to work out some kind of management agreement. ]
 * Meghan Lobsinger reported that a small team will work at the Barwell Road site in April or May when the sumac is leafed out. Notion of this site being a WakeWonder was received favorably, but tabled until inquiries can be made with the Utilities Division, which owns the land.

//**Other Business**//

 * K.Smith noted that the NC Museum of Science is working to choose a WakeNature representative to replace John Connors.