Board Meeting Minutes, Apalachee Audubon Society
Wednesday, January 13, 2016 6:30 - 8:15pm
at Native Nurseries, 1661 Centerville Rd., Tallahassee, FL 32308
submitted by AAS Secretary Donna Legare
Sandwich fixings, chips, grapes, carrots, cookies and hot tea were available for board
members who wanted to eat supper at the meeting for $3.00 per person.
Welcome and meeting agenda review
In attendance:
Board Members: Donna Legare, Nick Baldwin, Sean McGlynn, Rob Williams, Kathleen
Carr, Karen Willes, Harvey Goldman, Lilly Anderson-Messec
Minutes from the November 11, 2015 meeting were approved.
Treasurer's Report: approved
Program Schedule Conflicts - We have a conflict with January Audubon of Florida
board meeting and our member meeting, but it is too late for us to change the date. The
next conflict is in October when Audubon Assembly occurs. We will consider picking a
different day for our October meeting since it will require a change in venue anyway, if
we show The Messenger (see below). Rob thinks it is important for our chapter President
and others to attend Audubon Assembly. It hasn't been scheduled yet, but it will likely
conflict per Adrienne.
Programs
Operation Migration - Thursday, January 28, 2016, 7pm social, 7:30 announcements
and program - whooping crane reintroduction initiative with Colleen Chase - Karen
Willes reports that Colleen is on her way with the cranes and will be at the meeting even
if the cranes are delayed. $200 donation previously approved. Also the co-founder of
International Crane Foundation, George Archibald, will be at Cow Pond in Southwood on
January 22 at 4pm. This is not to be announced as a public program.
Rob will provide coffee and Kathleen and Karen will coordinate food. Donna will get the
program listed in Democrat Calendar.
Pollinators - Thursday, February 25, 7pm reception sponsored by Tallahassee Garden
Club, 7:30 announcements and program. Please note change in venue - meeting at FSU
King Building (FSU Department of Biological Science is one of our sponsors and is
providing the room at no charge). All publicity makes a point of letting folks know of the
change in venue and about the easy and free parking available near the King Building.
$200 honorarium previously approved.
Kathleen will let the church know that we will not be there on February 25.
The Voice of Wakulla Springs - Thursday, March 24, 7pm social, 7:30pm
announcements and program - the living history by legendary tour boat operator Don
Gavin reflects on a lifetime at Wakulla Springs. The board approved a $200 honorarium.
Swallowtail Kites - Thursday April 28, 7pm social, 7:30pm announcements and program
by Dr. Ken Meyer. $300 honorarium previously approved.
Wildflower Corridors - Thursday, May 26, 6:30pm dinner prepared by Tim Smith and
program by Eleanor Dietrich and Jeff Castor - this pragmatic initiative combines
economic development and state dollar savings with a vitally important effort to protect
needed habitat for birds and other wildlife
Conservation Committee (Rob Williams - chair)
1. Potential screening of the documentary The Messenger - could kick off our
campaign for a bird-friendly community, with booths about shade grown coffee, cats
inside, bird window strikes, wildlife friendly yard info, etc. Cost options $450 to show to
200. It could be shown at an educational institute such as FSU for $350. We could partner
with other organizations. Rob will contact US Fish and Wildlife Service since 2016
marks the centennial of the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty to see if they would like
to co-sponsor. Other possibilities are FSU Environmental Club, Tallahassee Film Society,
Tall Timbers. October might be a good time for the showing - have the first meeting in
September as usual and then at a larger venue for October.
2. The board approved the following e-mail letter to be sent by Rob for AA to the Senate
Committee on Ethics and Elections.
January 12, 2016
Chairman Richter and Honorable Committee Members
The Florida Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections
Dear Senators:
The Apalachee Audubon Society is a non-profit conservation organization consisting of more than 900
members dedicated to protecting the environment through education, appreciation and conservation.
This is in reference to the pending confirmation of Jon Steverson as secretary of the Department of
Environmental Protection. It seems apparent that his confirmation will proceed, but many citizens are
opposed to his stated plans to change the Florida State Park system.
We specifically request that his approval by your committee be based on his agreement to abandon
the implementation of multiple-use activities in state parks. He has unambiguously instructed park
central office staff to prepare all future land management plans to allow multiple-use activities.
Multiple-use means a whole suite of potential activities that have never been allowed before on state
parks, despite Mr. Steverson's testimony to previous committees and the Cabinet which make it sound
like the activities have always been allowed. The state park system has been successfully managed
for single-use for compatible outdoor recreation for 80 years.
Mr. Steverson has stated to state park administrators that he intends to initiate commercial rotational
timber harvesting, recreational hunting, and grazing in natural landscapes, and that he expects these
and many other commercial activities to be allowed in the individual park management plans. Through
his singular initiative, he is poised to do great harm to the finest state park system in the nation.
We urge you to listen to the citizen and newspaper editorials that are reverberating all around the state
to oppose these specific plans that Mr. Steverson has designed and initiated. Our parks are a public
trust, not just for our current citizens, but for future generations of Floridians yet unborn; they are a
priceless heritage that must not be allowed to be squandered for short-term economic benefits. Thank
you for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Williams, Chair
Apalachee Audubon Society Conservation Committee
3. Rob
reports also that Jim Cox is working on developing project parameters for a
Citizen Science project on Bachman's Sparrow in Apalachicola National Forest.
4. Rob attended Friends of Apalachicola National Forest meeting, where they
discussed the effects of timber harvest plans on RCWs. Fran James reported that the
Friends do not agree with the Forest Service's proposed plan. Rob suggests that others in
Audubon may want to attend these meetings.
5. Rob attended the Regional Conservation Committee of Florida Audubon with Julie
Wraithmel. There are grants available for projects that we might want to look into. For
instance, Bay County Audubon got a grant for creating signage at boat ramps on how to
unhook birds caught in fishing line and hooks.
6. Rob suggests that we use remaining bluebird nest boxes at a city park, Lake Elberta
Park. He will contact Elizabeth about this. He suggested we might want to eventually
place a martin house or gourds there as well.
Newsletter - will not include images of anyone who hasn't signed a release form. Karen
will have release forms prepared from one that Suzanna sent and will use them for the
first time on this Saturday's field trip at Tall Timbers.
We did not review the draft editorial policy.
Wildlife Friendly Yard Tour - February 13, 2016, 10am - 4pm
Tammy has done a great job - everything is in order - all yards lined up, tickets being
printed and will be ready for sale this week. Kathleen has arranged to pick up the yard
signs from last year's chair, Ann Bruce. Tammy needs volunteers to meet and talk with
people who visit the yards. Contact her to arrange a shift.
Field Trips (Donna reporting for Helen)
In the future, Helen would like to conduct the birding field trips with 10 or less people.
Both the Tall Timbers trip and the Southwood trip are full (they were limited to 15). Jim
can take more people on the Tall Timbers' trip because he will have graduate students
with him who can help. I believe Karen said that we accepted another 7 people.
If the demand keeps up, we may need more bird trip leaders. We will discuss this at a
future board meeting, especially if Helen can come. Donna will continue to submit
birding field trip announcements in the Tallahassee Democrat calendar and garden page Helen will provide the info to Donna as ready.
Education (Donna reporting for Pat and Carol)
Pat and Carol will need help with WHO Festival at St. Marks on February 6 from 11am 4pm, particularly in the afternoon. They also need 50 copies of membership form. Karen
is making 50 copies of the new Apalachee Audubon birding brochure that includes a
membership form. She will drop them off for Donna to give to Pat and Carol before the
event.
Awards (Nick reporting)
Nick needs nominations for award recipients. Please see the website for qualifications.
Donna and Lilly suggested that we move away from plaques to some other more useful
award. After some discussion, Karen suggested a canvas photo - perhaps of bluebirds or
other birds....Everyone liked this idea. Nick will look into this and has already reported
on some pricing, which we can compare with the plaque pricing.
Meeting adjourned at 8:15pm.
MEMBERSHIP
Our membership from National Audubon was 925 members as of December 31, 2015
PUBLICITY
Our Google mailing list now has 309 members. Ryan Wilke was able to work some magic with Excel
and pulled together a list of NAS member emails who are not on our Google list and I am in the
process of adding them. This isn't everybody on the NAS list, however, because not everybody
provides an email address. I've added emails from the November meeting sign-up sheets. I don't have
the all the sheets from September or October. Does anybody else have them?
Our Facebook page has 424 "Likes," up from the low 300s last year.
For the last two issues of our newsletter:
282 Jan-Feb Newsletter downloads as of 1/13, pretty good for 11 days. It was uploaded on January 2.
376 Nov-Dec Newsletter downloads as of 1/13.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Carr