Board Meeting Minutes
Attendees:
Board members: Lorrie Stromme, Gary R. Johnson, Jim Hermann, Ken Holman,
Kathy Widin, Michael Max, Robert Slater. Guests: Ken Simons, Judy Slater (Shade Tree Advocate newsletter editor),
and Kirk Brown.
Call to Order. Lorrie Stromme, MnSTAC President, called
the board meeting to order at
Approval of Minutes. The Minutes of the previous board
meeting (
Announcements:
Ken Holman announced a planning forum on carbon credits hosted by the DNR on
December 17th at
Ken Holman
provided a list of the 2003 Pre-proposals for Forest Service Tech Transfer
Grants, including 5 from
Old Business
Executive
Secretary.
The board recommends contracting with Tree Trust to provide clerical
support to MnSTAC up to $5,000 per year ($5,000 is the threshold for the public
bidding process for the DNR). Kirk Brown
said that he would check with his staff about the hourly rate for providing
these services. Ken Holman and Michael
Max distributed the list of administrative tasks prepared by Lorrie Stromme and
the time needed to perform them, based on her experience in doing them the past
3 years. This recommendation
will be presented to MnSTAC members for a vote at the December 18th
meeting.
2004 Budget for Awards Programs.
Ken Holman confirmed that $2,500 to $5,000
would be available to MnSTAC for 2004 recognition events, including the annual
awards program (
New Business.
Tree House Project at
the Arboretum. Lorrie Stromme explained the Tree House
project taking place at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum during the summer of
2004. It is called “Tree Houses and
Tree Places: A Celebration of Trees.” In
a juried process, tree house designs will be selected and installed, with goal
ofdelighting and educating Arboretum visitors about the benefits of trees. Lorrie reviewed the design criteria, which
strictly prohibit any damage to or negative impact on the trees. The Arboretum has asked MnSTAC to endorse the
project and lend its logo to news releases about the project.
M/S: Gary R. Johnson/Ken
Holman: to endorse the project. Motion carried. Gary R. Johnson suggested that an article
on building sensitively around trees could be included in a future issue of the
Shade Tree Advocate newsletter.
Ken Simons’ ideas for his tenure as
President of MnSTAC. Ken Simons
enthusiastically presented his ideas for MnSTAC, if he is elected to serve as
President. (The election will take place at the December 18th MnSTAC
membership meeting.) Ken’s ideas
include: revamping the Constitution; quarterly meetings, one of which could be
an annual meeting, held at the time of the Shade Tree Short Course; four
meetings in greater Minnesota, to encourage greater participation by regional
STAC’s; 3 workshops, field exercises, or tours; simplify the membership
process; encourage each MnSTAC member to pledge to provide 1 hour per year as a
volunteer to MnSTAC-related activities.
Ken is hoping to tap into the “hidden talent” among MnSTAC members and
to get them more involved. Ken is also
hoping that by revamping the membership process (which would require an
amendment to the MnSTAC Constitution), more grassroots-level members and tree
advocates could be recruited. The board
members were receptive to Ken’s ideas.
Legislative Directory.
Mark Schnobrich, chair of the Legislative Committee, requested that
MnSTAC pay $42.35 for a copy of the 2003-2004 Politics in Minnesota Directory.
M/S: Michael Max/Gary R. Johnson: to approve the payment from the
funds held in trust for MnSTAC by Tree Trust. Motion carried.
Michael Max’s concerns about MnSTAC.
Michael Max distributed a list of his concerns about MnSTAC, including
inactive committees, the need to recruit younger and more diverse members, DNR
accountability, and strategic partnerships and mentoring. Discussion ensued.
Adjournment. Motion/Second/Carried: