Nov / Dec 2007
Volume 17 Number 1
Florida EPPC
Message from the Chair
The September meeting of the FLEPPC Board of Directors (BOD) was held at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel in Jacksonville, site of the 2008 Symposium. Other than the fire alarm at 1:30 am, everyone who stayed there liked the hotel and location, and the meeting room arrangements looked
very good. We are especially grateful to Mike Bodle for arranging this site for us.
Having accepted a new position in Massachusetts, Alyssa Jacobs had to submit her resignation
from the FLEPPC BOD. Although brief, we appreciate her tenure on the BOD and wish her well
with her new plans. Luckily, LeRoy Rodgers was willing to replace Alyssa as a Director (tenure
ending at the Symposium in 2009) and his appointment was unanimously approved by the BOD.
Thank you, LeRoy!
A significant proportion of our discussion time was focused on the Budget and issues raised by
the Finance Committee. We did approve an FY 2007/08 budget that had a modest positive balance. Ellen Donlan led the review of the budget with great gusto and did a wonderful job of asking the important questions about priorities and specific needs. The most significant change was
a vote to increase registration for the Symposium by $20 and the Banquet tickets by $5. Our
Symposium is still an excellent deal and much cheaper than many other conferences, but we all
know that the costs are not staying the same.
Scott Ditmarsen led
some excellent discussions related to the Finance Committee. After
much consideration of
whether FLEPPC should
pursue a “breakeven”
versus “growth” financial
strategy, it was decided
that we need to decide
longer-term mission objectives before committing to a growth financial
strategy. Thus, Dan
Clark and I will establish
and direct an ad hoc
Strategic Planning Committee to evaluate and
propose 5 and 10 year
goals for FLEPPC. Many
of us from our experi-
Page 2
Florida EPPC
Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council
OFFICERS
Alison Fox, Chair
amfox@ifas.ufl.edu
Dan Clark, Chair-Elect
daniel_clark@nps.gov
Dianne Owen, Secretary
dowen@fau.edu
Ellen Donlan
Treasurer
edonlan@sfwmd.org
Karen Brown,
Editor, Wildland Weeds
kpbrown@ifas.ufl.edu
DIRECTORS
Alison Higgins
ahiggins@tnc.org
Local Arrangements
Mike Bodle
mbodle@sfwmd.gov
Merchandise
Tony Pernas
Tony_Pernas@nps.gov
Nominations
Jim Burney
burney@avcaquatic.com
Outreach
Katy Roberts
Kroberts@ij.net
Plant List
Keith Bradley
bradley@regionalconservation.org
Research
Betsy Von Holle
vonholle@mail.ucf.edu
LeRoy Rodgers
lrodgers@sfwmd.org
Symposium Program
Bill Overholt
waoverholt@ifas.ufl.edu
Vendors
Jennifer Possley
jpossley@farichildgarden.org
Gary Nichols
gnichols@sjrwmd.com
Jonathan Taylor
jonathan_e_taylor@nps.gov
LeRoy Rogers
Todd Olson
Todd@avcaquatic.com
Webmaster
Tony Pernas
TASK FORCE CHAIRS
Australian Pine
Tony Pernas
Sandra Vardaman
smvardaman@alachua.fl.us
Donna Watkins
donna.watkins@dep.state.fl.us
Brazilian Pepper
Jim Cuda
jcuda@ifas.ufl.edu
Carrotwood
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
By-Laws
Sandra Vardaman
Biological Control
Bob Doren
Bob_doren@NPS.gov
Control and Evaluation
Chris Lockhart
ChrisLockhart
@habitatspecialists.com
Chinese Tallow
Drew Leslie
Drew.leslie@dep.state.fl.us
Bill Overholt
waoverholt@mail.ifas.ufl.edu
Education
Grasses
Jennifer Possley
Greg MacDonald
gemac.mail.ifas.ufl.edu
Donna Watkins
Finance
Scott Ditmarsen
scditmarsen@dow.com
FNGA/FLEPPC Liasons
Doria Gordon
Dgordon@tnc.org
Legislative
Matthew King
Mking@co.palm-beach.fl.us
Given this postponement in making a commitment to a long-term financial strategy, the BOD
agreed to move some funds from the checking
account to the savings account. The Finance
Committee was asked to make a proposal to the
BOD in December as to how best to divide the
funds in the savings account between a money
market account and laddered CDs, looking at
perhaps a 3-year horizon. Thus, while the longterm strategies for investment and spending are
being considered, there will be some reasonable
amount of interest being accrued with these investments as compared to the existing bank accounts.
Karen Brown and Dan Clark have developed a
Management Plan Template which will be made
available online for helping guide the authors of
future management plans. In December, we will
discuss and develop a policy (especially in relation to budgeting) for the distribution of these
plans. I will also discuss with the Task Force
Chairs how we might distinguish between Task
Forces that are in a pro-active planning phase
and those that serve more of a reactive, point-ofcontact role.
Dioscorea
Michael Meisenberg
mjmeisenberg@ifas.ufl.edu
Field Trips
ences elsewhere can find the idea of strategic
planning painful but I really think that FLEPPC is
at a cross-roads where the choice between
“business as usual” or “redirection and/or
growth” is important. This choice has not yet
been made so people with either preference
should be represented in this relatively small but,
I hope, enthusiastic committee.
Lygodium
LeRoy Rodgers/
Kris Serbesoff-King
Kserbesoffking@tnc.org
Skunkvine
Brian Nelson
Brian.Nelson@swfwmd.state.fl.us
Jennifer Possley generously offered to host the
next FLEPPC BOD meeting at the Fairchild
Tropical Botanic Garden. This meeting will be at
9 am on December 18th to help facilitate getting
Symposium matters organized early. If you are
in the area and are not desperately trying to get
ready for the holidays…feel free to join us! Otherwise, please enjoy happy and safe holidays
and accept our best wishes for 2008.
Alison Fox Stocker
Melaleuca
FrancoisLaroche
Flaroche@sfwmd.gov
Page 3
Florida EPPC
Call for Abstracts for the 2008
Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC)
23rd Annual Symposium, Jacksonville, Florida
April 21st – 24th 2008
We invite abstract submissions for contributed oral or poster presentations at the 2008
FLEPPC Annual Symposium. The meeting will be held Monday, April 21st through
Thursday, April 24th in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the Jacksonville Riverfront.
Deadline for Abstract Submissions: January 20th 2008
Program Topics: Submissions are welcome for any area of invasive species investiEcology
Management
Risk Assessment
Policy and Regulation
Evolutionary Biology
Interdisciplinary Projects
Abstracts must include the following information:
• Title of the proposed paper
• Full name and professional title of the author, organization to which s/he belongs, mailing
address, phone number(s), and email address.
• If there are multiple authors, please provide the above information for each.
• Text of the abstract (limit of 400 words).
General rules regarding abstracts: Please do not include figures, tables or mathematical equations in the abstract. Use standard abbreviations for units of measure. Other abbreviations and acronyms should be spelled out in full at first mention, followed by the abbreviation/acronym in parentheses. If you use references, provide the journal, volume, year and page numbers.
SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT ONLINE!
www.fleppc.org/Symposium/2008/Abstract_submission.htm
A letter or notification of acceptance or rejection will be emailed to the author(s) no later than February 12th, 2008. Online submission of abstracts is strongly encouraged. If web access is not available, please submit abstracts to:
LeRoy Rodgers, FLEPPC Program Chair
South Florida Water Management District
3301 Gun Club Road, MS#5650
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
561-682-2773 voice; 561-682-5044 fax
lrodgers@sfwmd.gov
Page 4
Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting
September 25, 2007
Jacksonville, FL
These minutes will be submitted to the Board of Directors for
approval at the meeting scheduled for Dec 18, 2007.
The meeting was called to order at 9:15 am by Alison Fox/
Stocker, Chair. Minutes were taken by Dianne Owen, Secretary.
The following Officers and Directors, constituting a
quorum of the Board of Directors, were present:
Karen Brown, Jim Burney, Dan Clark, Ellen Donlan,
Dianne Owen, Jennifer Possley, LeRoy Rodgers, Alison Fox/Stocker, Jonathan Taylor, Sandra Vardaman, Donna Watkins. Also attending were: Mike
Bodle (proxy for Gary Nichols), Scott Ditmarsen
(proxy for Alison Higgins), Todd Olson.
ADMINSTRATIVE AGENDA
Approval of Previous Minutes
Minutes of the previous Board of Directors
Meeting of July 11, 2007 were distributed to the
Board. Upon motion made by Jonathan Taylor and
seconded by Jennifer Possley, the previous minutes
were unanimously approved as written.
Correspondence and Announcements – Alison
Fox/Stocker
Alison announced that Alyssa Jacobs has accepted a new position in Massachusetts and has submitted her resignation from the FLEPPC board.
LeRoy Rodgers has been appointed by Alison to replace Alyssa as a Director, with his tenure on the
Board ending at the 2009 Symposium. A motion
made by Dianne Owen and seconded by Sandra Vardaman, to approve LeRoy’s appointment, was approved unanimously.
There has been no further correspondence
about the use of Arundo donax as a biofuel. The
Biomass Investment Group is applying for permits
with the South Florida Water Management District
to grow A. donax on 20,000 acres. Alison will continue to follow this issue closely.
A query was received from Brian Hopper
about the FLEPPC giving an award to recognize
agencies or local governments for exotic removal
efforts, through nominations or a competition. Jen-
Florida EPPC
nifer Possley, chair of the Education Committee,
will look into this possibility.
Alison will be contacting early members of
the FLEPPC to get historical information. Karen
will be the archivist for the historical documents.
Committee Appointments – Alison Fox/Stocker
Sandra Vardaman has been appointed to
serve as Chair of the Bylaws and Standard Operating Procedures Committee. Upon motion by
Karen Brown and second by Mike Bodle, Sandra's
appointment was approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report – Ellen Donlan
Ellen distributed the proposed budget for
FY 2007-2008, showing anticipated expenses and
income. Following discussion by the Board, the
final budget, which projects a net income of
$3,741, was approved by unanimous decision.
(Motion by Donna Watkins, Dianne Owen seconding.)
To reduce costs for credit card transactions,
Ellen Donlan is looking into alternatives to the existing contracts. A motion to give Ellen the authority to negotiate credit card contracts for the
FLEPPC was approved unanimously by the Board
(Moved by Dianne Owen, seconded by Mike
Bodle).
Other issues related to the Treasurer's report were covered during the Finance Committee
report. The approved budget is included as an attachment to the minutes.
Editor' Report - Karen Brown
The fall issue of Wildland Weeds,
mailed out during the first week of September, was
a 28-page issue. It included a centerfold spread of
the 2007 List of Invasive Plant Species, and 1,500
copies of the full-size list were printed while the
magazine was on the press. Income from supporters totaled $6,869, approximately $3,000 less than
usual. All of the expenses are not yet in, but Karen
predicts that FLEPPC will lose some money on
this issue, partly due to the printing of the extra
centerfold plant lists and partly due to a decrease in
financial support. Karen will attempt to restrict future issues to 28 pages or less, and/or not count on
making a profit. She will also start contacting state
contractors for possible ads, as time permits. Any
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Page25
other suggestions are welcome.
Secretary's Report - Dianne Owen
The next newsletter will be distributed in late November or early December and will
include information about the 2008 Symposium:
theme, date, location, call for papers. The registration form, which will include registration for
field trips, will be printed in the January newsletter. As of 8/31/07, the current FLEPPC membership is 339.
Printing and mailing costs are expected to decrease steadily as more valid email addresses are
obtained for members. Approximately 70 newsletters are printed and mailed each quarter, except
for the issue that contains the symposium registration form, which is mailed to all members and
to the previous year’s sponsors. Better organization of symposium preparations should reduce the
need for special mailings and lower the associated
printing and mailing costs.
Upon motion made by Donna Watkins and seconded by Jonathan Taylor, the Officers' Reports
were accepted unanimously. The written officer’s
reports are attached to the minutes.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Bylaws and Standard Operating Procedures –
Alison Fox/Stocker / Sandra Vardaman
Dan Clark agreed to formulate the procedures for assigning the duties of the Chair if the
Chair-elect is not available. Sandra will incorporate these procedures into the by-laws, to be submitted to the Board for approval at the December
meeting. Revisions to the bylaws will then be
subject to approval by the membership at the annual Business Meeting at the 2008 Symposium.
Finance – Scott Ditmarsen
Discussions related to finance and budget
issues were a major focus of the meeting. Ellen
Donlan distributed the three-year expense and
income history, and emphasized the need for a
balanced budget process. She stressed that ensuring the profitability of the annual symposium, by
increasing revenues and/or reducing expenses,
should be a key goal. A motion to raise Sympo-
Florida EPPC
EPPC
Florida
sium registration fees by $20 and banquet tickets by
$5, was approved unanimously by the Board (moved
by Dianne Owen, seconded by Mike Bodle). Vendor
fees will not be raised. Donna Watkins will look into
sponsorships for field trips, such as donations of buses,
so that they do not incur a net loss. The need for increased advertising and press releases to publicize the
Symposium was also discussed, but no specific duties
were assigned.
Ellen also raised the issue of how to deal with
board-approved expenditures for non-budgeted items
during the course the fiscal year; such expenditures
contributed significantly to the net loss for the past fiscal year. Jim Burney presented the timeline for annual
budget development: budget requests will be solicited
from committee chairs in May and will be due on June
30; a tentative budget will be presented to the Board
for discussion at the 3rd quarter meeting; the finance
committee will review the proposed budget and submit
a proposed budget to the Board at the 4th quarter meeting.
The main issue raised by the Finance committee was whether FLEPPC should pursue a “breakeven”
or a “growth” financial strategy. After considerable
discussion, it was decided that longer-term mission
objectives should guide the formulation of a financial
strategy. Long-term objectives should consider issues
such as whether FLEPPC should expand its range of
activities and seek new audiences, or maximize inclusion of existing audiences. Alison Fox/Stocker will
work with Dan Clark to establish and direct an ad hoc
Strategic Planning Committee to evaluate and propose
5 and 10 year goals for FLEPPC.
The Board agreed that while the long-term
strategies for investment and spending are being considered, it is important for the FLEPPC to remain financially healthy by balancing expenses and expected
income. In this regard, Karen Brown said that since
Wildland Weeds is not currently as profitable as in past
years, a FLEPPC calendar will not be produced for
2008. In the past, profits from the magazine have been
used to pay for the calendar. She also said that SEEPPC is currently paying only $5 per member, per
year, although the gross cost is approximately $12/
member. Karen will provide more information about
the cost breakdown for the magazine so that the Board
can decide on an equitable charge to SE-EPPC.
As an additional source of income, the board
agreed that a portion of the funds currently held in the
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Page26
checking account should be moved into an account
yielding higher returns. A motion made by Dan
Clark and seconded by Sandra Vardaman, to move
$15,000 from the checking account to the savings
account, was approved unanimously. The Finance
Committee was asked to make a proposal to the
Board in December as to the best investment vehicles for these funds, such as a money market account and/or laddered CDs, with a 3 to 5-year horizon.
Nominations - Jim Burney
The call for nominees for the Board of Directors will go out in the newsletter in early December. Nominees must meet the requirements outlined
in the bylaws.
Control and Evaluation – Michael Meisenburg
Possible field trips will be discussed at the
next meeting.
Education – Jennifer Possley
Jennifer reported that the RFP's for the education grants have gone out and that one enquiry
has already been received.
Legislative - Matt King
There have been no major changes in the
status of legislative issues since the last report.
Local Arrangements - Mike Bodle
Mike said that costs for the 2008 Symposium in Jacksonville will be within budgeted limits.
He will provide Ellen with the financial details for
the local arrangements. The Board will decide on
the location for the 2009 Symposium at the December 2007 meeting.
Outreach –Katy Roberts
The new plant list has been prepared for the
display. Katy should be contacted to sign up for the
display.
Plant List - Keith Bradley
The next meeting of the committee will be
held in January.
Research - Betsy Von Holle
The RFP for the research grants went out in
FloridaEPPC
EPPC
Florida
the the fall issue of Wildland Weeds. Dianne Owen
will request the academic contact list from past
Committee Chair John Volin in order to send individual notifications.
Symposium Program - LeRoy Rodgers
LeRoy will facilitate an email discussion and
vote to decide on a theme for the Symposium. Several keynote speakers are also being considered.
LeRoy will also look into options for graphics and
logo creation for the Symposium.
Field Trips - Donna Watkins
Donna recommended that no more than four
field trips should be planned. She has already made
several local contacts and will try to finalize plans
before the next meeting. Some or all of the field
trips will be eligible for CEU credit.
Vendors - Todd Olson
Todd anticipates that vendor participation in
the 2008 Symposium will be comparable to 2007,
and does not recommend any change in fees.
Website - Tony Pernas
The FLEPPC list serve is again operational.
Upon motion made by Donna Watkins and seconded by Ellen Donlan, the Committee Reports
were accepted unanimously.
TASK FORCES
Karen Brown and Dan Clark have developed a
Management Plan Template that will be made available online for helping guide the authors of future
management plans. In December the Board will
develop a policy, especially as relates to budgeting,
for the distribution of these plans. Alison will also
discuss with the Task Force Chairs how to distinguish between Task Forces that are in a pro-active,
planning phase and those currently serving a more
reactive, point-of-contact role.
Australian Pine - Tony Pernas / Jonathan Taylor
The section in the new management plan
related to "social or cultural" issues is still being developed. The case studies section is still in progress;
Jonathan is interviewing contacts and compiling in-
Page 7
formation for this section.
Lygodium – LeRoy Rodgers/Kris Serbesoff-King
A management plan for Lygodium japonicum
is targeted for completion by March 2008; case studies are still being compiled. The FLEPPC is supporting the GA-EPPC petition requesting that the Secretary of Agriculture add L. japonicum to the Georgia
list of prohibited species.
OLD BUSINESS
Memorial contributions
To comply with budgetary limits, these contributions will be paid from the Chair's discretionary
funds. "Named" scholarship or grant programs supported by FLEPPC fund-raising campaigns will be
approved by the Board.
Private Lands Committee
Creation of this committee will be discussed
at the next meeting when Allison Higgins is present.
DACS Noxious Weed List Committee
The FLEPPC is considering sending a letter
requesting that the DEP be added to the DACS Noxious Weed List Committee.
NEW BUSINESS
ISWG Continuation
LeRoy Rodgers and Matt King are drafting a
letter to the Governor's office, in support of continuation of the Invasive Species Working Group.
NEXT MEETING and ADJOURNMENT
The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be at
9:00 am on December 18, 2007 at the Fairchild
Tropical Botanic Gardens in Miami. Jennifer Possley
will provide further information about arrangements
by email.
Upon motion to adjourn made by Sandra Vardaman
and seconded by Mike Bodle, the meeting was adjourned by unanimous decision at 4:00 pm.
Attachments referenced in the minutes can be obtained by contacting the board member, committee
chair or task force chair who presented that agenda
item.
Florida EPPC