Those Present: Tom Anderson, Keith Schoonover, Heather Montgomery, Ginny Brace, Tyson Rose, Vince Perrotta, Dave Hunter, Claude Eans, Jim Arnold, Mike Kay

1. Call to order: Keith called the meeting to order.

2. Membership: Tom and Ginny exchanged Member Certificates so everything is back in order again. Keith provided Mike with his reappointment form. Mike signed it will send it to the Regional Forester.

3. Treasurer’s Report: We received $.32 interest for May. Tom submitted a check for $900 to the State Association for NRCC. We also received $500 donation from the Nancy McCartney family.

4. Logging site exams: No plans were submitted.

5. NRCC Camp: Mike inquired with the State Association and learned that Joe had submitted a check for $125 for the activity fee so Joe is good to go. Max had not submitted a check yet and Mike has not received any of the necessary forms that Max needs to send. It might be a good idea to follow up with Max to see if he intends to attend the program. (The Board paid his $450 tuition already.) Dawn Belinski sent out a notice that Frederick County can obtain a $100 payment for NRCC that came from a Western MD RC&D grant. Mike sent an email to Dawn asking how we can avail ourselves to these funds and is awaiting a response.

6. Merit Badge Program: Claude indicated that he has been in touch with Judy Nedelski of the Washington Board and she intends to attend our dry run as well as the main program. After some discussion it was decided that we would conduct the dry run during our September 14, meeting and hold this meeting out at the Walkersville Watershed.

7. Old Growth Discussion: Dave mentioned that he attended a program on Old Growth forests held at Fox Haven Farm and was impressed with the speaker and her mission. Dave also distributed a handout that described this mission. The mission was that a loose knit group are working to establish at least one area in each county across the US where forests would be allowed to develop into an old growth condition and these areas would be accessible to the general public. Board members discussed the merits of old growth, what constitutes an old growth forest, and whether or not there are any areas that are being earmarked for the development of old growth in Frederick County. We concluded that there were some sections of Monocacy NRMA that are being dedicated to old growth. There is a parcel at Stronghold that they obtained from the Nature Conservancy on the condition that it will be dedicated for old growth. Also, the Bob Hill Wildland Area at Cunningham Falls State Park is being dedicated for old growth as well. As such we have at least 3 areas in the county that would fit the criteria.

8. Office of Sustainability: Heather reports that Jeff continues to work with landowners who wish to plant trees and implement other conservation practices. Ginny asked Heather whether or not the planting of warm season grasses would qualify as mitigation and Heather indicated that she will get back to Ginny with the definitive answer.

9. Key Parkway Cleanup: Ginny mentioned that the site has now been treated by Weed Control and there might be the need to provide another treatment later in the summer. 10. Nature Notes: Ginny submitted a recent article entitled the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. (This sounds like a spaghetti western to me…) Anyway Ginny said that she will get together with Lori soon to pass the baton as Editor for Nature Notes.

10. Web site: Tyson mentioned that the site is up to date.

11. New Business: Ginny mentioned that 24 trees were treated in Waterford Park for emerald ash borer at a cost of $4,000. A grant from MUCFC paid for $423 of that cost. Mike mentioned that he received new duties due to the retirement of Watershed Forester, Larry Maxim. Probably the most important duty is to help direct management of the Frederick City Watershed.