2018-06 June meeting minutes

Frederick County

Forest Conservancy District Board

June 11, 2018 Meeting Minutes

Those Present: Dawne Howard, Tom Anderson, Claude Eans, Dave Barrow, Keith Schoonover, Lori Schoonover, Vince Perrotta, Dakota Durcho, Mike Kay

1. Keith called the meeting to order.

2. Membership: We observed a moment of silence in honor of Forestry Board member Steve Thrasher who passed away suddenly on June 1, 2018.

3. Forester Dakota Durcho introduced himself to Board members.

4. Treasurer’s Report: Claude indicated that we received $.25 interest last month. Claude wrote 3 checks last month, $1,350 was sent to Emmitsburg for the MUCFC grant they obtained, $50 sent to Embroider Me for the design work for the Frederick County Forestry Board patch $500 sent to Mount Airy for the MUCFC grant they acquired.

5. Logging site exams: Mike did not receive any plans this month.

6. NRCC : All five students paid their Activity Fee and the general tuition for 2 students was paid by the Frederick Board while the Forestry Board Foundation paid for the other 3 attendees. Claude mentioned that the Board is prepared to reimburse $125 Activity fees to whoever follows up with a write up about camp. Mike indicated that camp informational materials were emailed to students on Monday, June 11, 2018.

7. Scout training program: Everybody thought that we had an excellent program this year. The weather also cooperated. Claude mentioned that 33 Scouts submitted everything necessary to obtain their Forestry Merit Badge while 71 Scouts need to follow up with some portion of the lesson plans to satisfy their requirements. The Scout leaders hope that 104 participants will obtain their Forestry Merit Badge from this event. We anticipate doing the program every 3 years, so that the next program will be held in 2021. Claude mentioned that we will miss Steve’s Wood Technology presentation. It was suggested that we inquire with Steve’s family about obtaining his wood samples. Claude said he would look into that in a few months.

8. Green Fest: Dave mentioned that he was able to hand out about 75% of the PR trees we purchased for the event and gave the remainder to the Town of Myersville to plant in their community park. Dave indicated that nearly 150 people have signed up to receive the electronic version of Nature Notes on a weekly basis.

9. Uniforms: Dave indicated that Board members orders had been placed and they should be ready by Wednesday or Thursday of this week. Most members said that they will pick up their own apparel.

10. Sustainability Commission: Tom helped staff a booth for the Commission at the Mother Earth News Festival. Tom also mentioned that Frederick County is offering a $75 rebate for residents who have their septic system pumped out by a Frederick County contractor. You need to apply and receive approval for the grant before having the work done. Tom also mentioned that Frederick County’s Stream ReLeaf program is back. To be eligible you need at least 2 acres of planting space. The program will pay $7,500/acre for a perpetual easement and pay for all planting costs including 5 years’ worth of maintenance.

11. Nature Notes: Lori said that she still has a fairly extensive backlog. Lori and Dave talked a bit about coordinating the submission of articles to Sue Gwynn. It was decided that Lori will submit the articles and Dave can follow up with high resolution photos if necessary.

12. Web Site: Dave said that he found a memo drafted by the Forestry Board in 2013 that provides guidance on what to save or delete from the website. Dave asked whether or not there is any directive that indicates how long minutes must be retained? Nobody was aware of any requirement. Dave indicated that minutes do not use a lot of memory so retaining them would not be too taxing on available memory. The consolidation of Big Tree files is creating the most open space. At present our site lists Frederick County trees that are either National, State, or County champions. (The State site lists smaller trees.) Dave mentioned that he would like to create a section on former members that would have a photo and a short bio. A suggestion was made to provide a memorial section on Steve Thrasher. Dave said that he would put that together.

13. New Business:

    • Dave mentioned that at a recent State Tree Farm Committee meeting he was briefed that the American Forest Foundation and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation contributed $200,000 to help promote management of family owned forests. The goal is to increase acres under management by 400 acres on 20 family forests. Participation in the Tree Farm program is viewed as another objective of this funding. To these ends, the Tree Farm program hired Consultants to interview Local Tree Farmers, Members of the Tree Farm Committee, and Inspectors in order to learn more about how local programs operate. The consultants will be in Western Maryland on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Dave, Mike and two Tree Farmers (Bob Wilson and Bob Evans) will represent Frederick County. Dave also mentioned that the Nature Conservancy is working on Family Forest Stewardship in Garrett and Allegany Counties.

    • Community Foundation: Mike mentioned that he helped prepare an application for Ginny Brace and Friends of Waterford Park and they received a $23,000 grant. Mike volunteered to look into a similar grant for the Frederick County Forestry Board. In an separate email message Claude mentioned that there are IRS ramifications if the Board receives more than $5,000 payments.

    • Dawne mentioned that there was an article in the Bay Journal about NRCC Camp. Enrollment has been very good this year, the camp is full and there are 8 students on the waiting list.