Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee (DRAFT)
Board of Directors
11 April 2000 3:00-5:00 p.m.
MN Dept. of Agriculture, 2nd Floor Conference Room, St. Paul, MN

Persons attending Glen Shirley, President, Ken Holman, Dwight Robinson, Michael Max, Gary Johnson, Bob Slater and Kirk Brown. Excused: Mark Stennes, Janet Larson

Meeting called to order at 3:16 p.m. by President Glen Shirley

Approve Minutes of 7 March with the following clarification to the motion to use all MnSTAC funds not encumbered by 1 June to support expenses incurred by the Shade Tree Short Course.

MnSTAC will use unencumbered funds to support the Shade Tree Short Course’s unreimbursed expenses. If additional unencumbered MnSTAC funds remain they will be returned to the DNR.

Slater / Holman / Passed

Ken Holman announced that registration material was out for the Small Community Forestry Conference. A conference designed to address the issues that challenge small community forestry. It will be held at Dickinson State University, South Dakota on 12-14 July.

Discussion ensued about membership and whether regional STAC members were official members of MnSTAC. All present agreed that the intent of members was to have members of regional STACs, members of MnSTAC. To clarify the present situation Glen Shirley will ask each regional STAC to provide a list of members. MnSTAC will then officially vote members into MnSTAC and ensure they receive MnSTAC mailings. The constitution may need to be revisited to ensure that members of regional STACs are automatically members of MnSTAC.

Kirk Brown reviewed our FY00 budget history. MnSTAC still has $41,509 that has not been invoiced. He emphasized that all of the funds needed to be encumbered by 1 June or they will be returned to the DNR. There was some question on the $4,790 unspent by the Education and Research Committee from FY 99. It was resolved that these funds were set aside to print the Recommended Trees for North Central Minnesota brochure. The brochure will be printed this summer.

Ken Holman shared and reviewed DNR Forestry’s work plan and USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program’s 2000 Status Report. The DNR’s FFY 00 grant from the Forest Service was reduced to $215,000. MnSTAC’s share of U&CF funding is $30,000, down from $38,700 in FY 00. Part of the reduction is due to DNR direct funding of Arbor Month Partnership. MnSTAC traditionally funded Arbor Month Partnership.

Kirk Brown reported on regional STACs and committees budget requests. The budget requests total $65,785. MnSTAC is receiving $30,000 from the DNR U&CF program.

The committee prioritized the funding requests. The first priority is to communicate MnSTACs message about U & CF to members and supporters. The continuation of the Advocate is the first funding priority. The second funding priority is to support the regional STACs. The third funding priority is the recognize and publicize outstanding examples of U & CF. Other functions of MnSTAC, while of high priority will receive limited funding from MnSTAC next year. It is hoped that agency and community support will help minimize MnSTAC’s funding shortfall.

The following is a summery of the budget requests and Ex Board recommendations.