Call to Order

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

· Kirk Brown

· Valerie Cervenka

· Jim Hermann

· Ken Holman

· Gary Johnson

· Michael Max

· Steve Nicholson

· Bob Slater

Those absent were:

· None

Guests present were:

· Janette Monear, Chairperson, Legislative Committee

· Barb Spears, Administrative Support

Approval of Minutes

Member Johnson moved and Hermann seconded the motion to approve the minutes of the December 6, 2004 regular Board meeting. Motion carried.

New Business

Legislative Report

Chairperson Monear distributed a draft copy of the 2005 MnSTAC Legislative Report for Board review and comment. Chairperson Monear noted that the document would be titled “Forestry Alert” rather than “Legislative Report” due to its focus on invasive species and the focus of bills currently being introduced in the legislature. Chairperson Monear further commented on the layout, “bulleted” recommendations, and timing of printing and distribution. Member Holman moved and Brown seconded the motion to approve the Legislative Report as submitted and authorize its printing and distribution. Motion carried.

Board of Directors 2005 Meeting Schedule

Barb Spears submitted the 2005 meeting schedule to the Board for approval noting that September 5, which would be the normal meeting date, falls on Labor Day. Member Nicholson moved and Brown seconded the motion to approve the 2005 meeting schedule subject to the substitution of Monday, September 12 for the September 5 date. Motion carried.

Web Site Ad Hoc Committee

Member Holman reported that the Web Site Ad Hoc Committee is focusing its efforts on the establishment of a web “portal” or gateway. The domain name www.mntrees.org has been reserved. The portal web site will have a brief overview of arboricultural and urban forestry topics with “links” embedded in the text to provide interested readers with more detailed technical information on each topic from a variety of sources. The portal site will benefit “green industry” professionals, community programs, and the general public. A logo is being designed and a promotional campaign is being developed for the site. Upon establishment of the web portal, the Committee will look at a “makeover” of the MnSTAC webpage.

Database Management Ad Hoc Committee

Member Max, who is manager of MnSTAC’s database, noted that mass e-mailing for various purposes to the membership are becoming more frequent, and queried whether the Board should adopt a policy that determines what are legitimate or permitted topics and issues (e.g. conference notices, surveys, reports, educational opportunities, volunteer opportunities, committee notices). After a brief discussion, the Board agreed to discuss the matter in conjunction with the forthcoming review of MnSTAC’s website content.

February Board Meeting

President Simons suggested that the regular February Board Meeting should be dedicated to the “stuffing of envelopes” in order to get the 2005 Legislative Report mailed out in a timely manner. Member Hermann moved and Cervenka seconded the motion to suspend the regular agenda at the February Board meeting and use the scheduled time to prepare the Legislative Report for distribution. Motion carried.

Adjournment

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

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President