Call to Order

President Ken Simons called the meeting to order at 9:15 A.M. Those present were Board Members:

· Kirk Brown

· Jim Hermann

· Ken Holman

· Fletcher Johnson

· Michael Max

· Bob Slater

Those absent were:

· Gary Johnson

· Kimberly Thielen-Cremers

Guests present were:

· Lara Newberger, Chairperson, 30^th Anniversary Celebration

Approval of Minutes

Member Max moved and Brown seconded the motion to approve the minutes of the June 14, 2004 regular Board Meeting as submitted. Motion carried. Members Hermann and Slater abstained.

Announcements

Member Holman related that the US Forest Service will be hosting a meeting and training workshop (Building Effective Partnerships) November 30-December 2 at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois and that Minnesota can send 5 attendees.

Old Business

MnSTAC 30^th Anniversary Celebration

Chairperson Newberger reported on the status of celebration arrangements and general agenda for the evening’s activities. Chairperson Newberger asked the Board for input relative to the selection of a keynote speaker(s) for the event. The Board responded with several suggestions, and narrowed its recommendations to two: a duet of Don Willeke and Minneapolis Mayor Rybak or Richard Rideout, Wisconsin’s Urban Forestry Coordinator. The Board indicated that the final selection should be decided by Chairperson Newberger.

Information Transfer and Community Forestry Partnership Roles Flowchart

President Simons distributed copies of the flowcharts that had incorporated revisions and additions recommended by the Board at its June meeting. (Note: copies of the amended flowcharts also had been mailed to Board members in August for advanced review.) Board members recommended some additional amendments and corrections. The recommendations and corrections will be incorporated into revised diagrams and submitted to the Board for approval at the October Board meeting.

New Business

Scholarships

Katie Himanga, MnSTAC member and Chairperson of the Urban Interface Task Force, submitted a request that the Board grant a scholarship for her to attend the Building for Greener Communities National Conference, October 4-6, 2004 at the Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Member Max moved and F. Johnson seconded the motion to authorize that Committee Chairperson Himanga receive the requested scholarship funding up to $1,062.00. Motion carried.

MnSTAC Monthly Meetings

President Simons distributed a draft schedule that proposed the reorganization of MnSTAC monthly meetings to include quarterly business meetings and seven forums focused on MnSTAC standing committee and task force activities. (Note: the forums would provide opportunities for the general membership to participate in various committee functions without being an active committee member.) The Board started a general discussion of the merits of reorganizing the monthly meeting format.

Member Max moved and Brown seconded the motion to continue the discussion at the October Board meeting, and request that President Simons invite standing committee and task force Chairpersons to attend the October Board meeting in order to get their respective inputs relative to the forum-type committee meetings and their acceptance of responsibility for organizing a forum’s program. Motion carried.

Adjournment

Member Brown moved and Max seconded the motion to adjourn at 11:15 a.m. Motion carried.

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