North Cascades Audubon SocietyBoard of Directors Meeting AgendaWECU Ed Center on HollyDecember 5, 20167:00 PM Board Members Present: Carol Roberts, Pam Borso, Ken Salzman, Rae Edwards, Steven Harper, Sue Parrott, Paul Woodcock Gabe Epperson and Rich Bowers from the Whatcom Land Trust came and presented their interactive conservation plan and survey and we participated in providing input. They are seeking input from various community groups and individuals to guide their future acquisitions and management.
- Additions to Agenda
- Approval of November Minutes- Approved
- Treasurer’s Report- Sue fielded questions regarding the report. She noted we received a thank you letter from the Northwest Swan Conservation Association. All newsletter advertisers have re-upped for 2017.
- Communications & Input
CBC update – Doug is doing a good job helping out Paul with organizing the count. We need a few more people to help out. For 2017, Paul shared his idea about setting up an intro CBC field trip to give people a taste of what it is like before they become fully involved. He is also investigating ways to get kids involved.Wings Over Water – March 10-12. Paul Bannick will be speaking. NCAS feels that viewing stations are a valuable part of the festival, however they need to be publicized more. In the past lack of publicity has led to underutilization.Cherry Point Bird Surveys – We have increased the number of birds we are surveying to 30 species. Because we already have plenty of people that have passed the written test and are eligible to be trained as counters we will not have a class this year. Instead, we will focus our efforts on training these people. Pam and Lyle Anderson may organize and present a short class and field trip on ocean birds.Hospitality - We have a new Host person and that is Anne Ziomkowski.
- Old Business
Garlick Memorial Award Report and Swan Update – No update on swan preparations. Owen has heard from 6 of the people who donated money, and acknowledgement will be made of their donations in the January newsletter.Bird Panels at the Whatcom Museum – Pam and Paul have been reviewing the information from the museum staff and providing suggestions on content. Rae agreed to participate in the review. Holiday Potluck Update – Carol reported that everything is good to go and we will be buying some meat item to supplement the potluck. Board approved spending up to $100 on the food.
- New Business
Retreat items – Sue would like to review last year’s retreat goals to see what we have accomplished. Pam will send out these goals before the retreat. Carol asked if we could also discuss updating and improving the membership database. Other ideas will be solicited via email. Ken Salzman will purchase pizza and Sue will bring deli salads for the retreat.We discussed an email that was submitted to Whatcom Birds regarding using CBC and eBird data for guiding input to the Whatcom County Critical Areas Ordinance. Pam will follow up with this person and also Judy Krieger who was interested in investigating whether archived data would be helpful.
- Upcoming Programs
Dec. 12: Holiday Potluck – Doug Brown SlidesJan. 24: Belinda Rotton and Richard Kessler - Birding on the Skagit and Whatcom Wildlife RefugesFeb. 15: Melanie Driscoll - Deepwater Horizon Disaster: Effect of the Oil Spill on the Local People and WildlifeFeb. 28: Steve and Martha Ellis - Loons of the Salish SeaMarch 28: Matt Christensen and Sarah Brookes - Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society – Stewardship North of the 49th ParallelApril 25: Jonathan White - Tides: The Science and Spirit of the OceanMay 23: Adjourn - Next Meeting (Planning Retreat): January 2, 2016 5-9 PM WECU Ed Ctr., 311 Holly St, Bellingham, WA