Minutes

NCAS January Board Retreat Minutes

North Cascades Audubon SocietyBoard of Directors Meeting and Retreat Minutes 1/4/2016Members Present: Ken Salzman, Carol Roberts, Paul Woodcock, Pam Borso, Steven Harper, Sue Parrott, Owen Bamford, Steve Irving, Rae Edwards, Kelley Palmer-McGee.  Absent: Twink Coffman, Judy Krieger. Guests: Chris Brewer1)    Approval of December Minutes – The board approved the minutes as written.2)    Treasurer’s Report –Sue explained the highlights of the 2015 budget. Donations were much higher than usual so our reserve increased. Membership contributions and expenditures were down slightly. Report was approved as presented.3)    Communications & InputCherry Point Survey Class – Class was very successful. Good turnout and 8 people were qualified to train as spotters or counters.Christmas Bird Count - The number of species sighted was down slightly but it was successful considering the weather. Potluck was fun but the number of people staying is decreasing possibly because people are getting older and are more tired at the end of a long day of birding. Paul is considering structuring it differently next year, especially because we will be honoring a long time participant for his 50 years of participation.  Being the 50th anniversary of the Bellingham CBC, a celebration is in order. January 2017 was suggested as a good time.  Paul is also considering a special training for new people as expectations for the count need to be laid out clearly. The San Juan Ferry count had 12 people and we currently pay for 8.  Paul would like us to approve 10 people for the count next year and the budget has been adjusted to allow for this. There may be an educational rate on the Ferry.Syre Museum – The Syre exhibit will be open from Jan. 7  through early Feb.  Paul, Pam and Ken are doing presentations. Owen and Steve will also be present during open hours for 2 of the days.Ken is presenting at the Parkway Chateau and Adult Day Health in January.4)    New BusinessDomain Renewal – Renewal of our Domain address and a new provider is required this spring and Pam presented different scenarios for accomplishing the renewal.  The board decided to have Ann (Web Consultant) process the renewal.5)    RetreatBoard Accomplishments - Pam presented the accomplishments and the board added to the list of the accomplishments for the year. It was also decided to post these on the web page.  Sue and Steven will format the list for the newsletter.Membership programs - The board would like to continue to have a diversity of programs for the membership meetings as we have had the last year.  Membership seems to appreciate the diversity.  The board decided to increase PR for the January meeting because of the topic of Climate Change and its Effects on Birds (see Conservation below).Conservation - Pam made suggestions that the chapter continue to increase our focus on conservation. Climate Change is a large part of that but we need more volunteers to help us increase our efforts.  The board decided to ask for volunteers at the Jan. membership meeting after the presentation.  A committee was formed consisting of Pam, Sue, Owen and Steve to work on this initiative.  In response to a question, Pam noted that as Chapter President she is more than willing to be the person that signs the letters and makes contact with WA State Audubon on conservation issues.Education - Chris Brewer shared information on three upcoming Museum activities appropriate for Audubon involvement.  One, an exhibition called Endangered Species: Artists on the Front Line of Biodiversity scheduled for Fall of 2018.  Two, plans to move some of the Syre collection of birds to the Old City Hall with specific themes around threats to birds, success stories and other possible themes related to the Pacific Flyway.  Three, in April 4-10 the Museum will conduct a spring break mini bird camp for kids and families. The board discussed setting up field trips or advance Museum field trips for kids. Background checks are probably needed for any people running field trips with kids. Wild Whatcom was noted as an organization we should tie in with as they already have an extensive education program with hundreds of kids.  Rae can be a contact to Wild Whatcom as she works closely with them. Ken and Pam will also follow up with Jamie and Nicole Huson to explore their interests in working in this area.Membership – Membership and revenue have been stable over the last 6 years. The board discussed ways to make new and current members feel more welcome. The board will continue to send thank you letters to people renewing at the 75 dollar level, send postcards to new members thanking and welcoming them, and redesign the renewal postcards.  Annual accomplishment lists will be added to the web page and we will explore a survey of members requesting feedback on current activities and perhaps adding a suggestion box at membership meetings.Budget for 2016- The board adjusted and approved the proposed 2016 budget in accordance with retreat objectives.Adjourn and Next Meeting; February 1, 2016, 7 PM WECU Ed Ctr, 311 Holly St, Bellingham, WA

October Minutes

Minutes of the NCAS Board MeetingOctober 6, 2014WECU Ed Center on Holly The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by President Pam Borso. Present: Pam, Paul Woodcock, Steven Harper, Judy Krieger, Rae Edwards, Ken Salzman, Carol Roberts, Owen Bamford, Kelley Palmer-McCarty. Absent: Steve Irving, Twink Coffman. Guest: Andy Ross.Andy Ross presented material to support the possible NCAS endorsement and/or support of the Environmental Caucus (E-Caucus) with the WRIA 1 planning unit (statement appended to Secretary’s copy of minutes).Secretary’s Report: minutes of the September meeting were approved as amended.Treasurer’s ReportCommunications and InputWe discussed the E-Caucus proposal. Pam entertained a motion to endorse the Environmental Caucus of the WRIA-1 Program. Ken proposed, Rae seconded a motion to endorse, the motion passed and we will revisit support at another time.Arbor Day: Pam was there as was Rae. They agreed it was a good day with good participation.Birding Workshop for Chums of Terrell Creek: Pam and Paul made a species list of birds of the Terrell Creek watershed. This is the Kelsey Unit of Whatcom Land Trust and WW area north of where Terrell Creek comes out of the lake, and will be surveyed once a month.Christmas Bird Count Maps: Paul and Tim Wahl are working on digitizing them. Tim will look for a volunteer but it may take money – up to $200-$300 to get the job done. Paul moved to approve up to $300.00 for these maps. Discussion followed. The motion passed unanimously.Pickford Event – Pelican Dreams: Steven reported that he, Paul, Pam and Judy and the Audubon Table were at the event. Good publicity and the association with the Pickford is excellent. A chickadee house was donated to the producer-presenter of the film.Scholarship Presentations: summaries of the projects will be presented to the Board in November and/or December.Website: Pam and Ken have posted on it. Ken is organizing the galleries. Rare birds and bird alert can be linked. We have had good feedback. Send the names of books for the site to Paul.Wings over Water is happy to have Audubon representation. Paul will take care of the viewing stations (4?). Volunteers for the stations are needed. Judy will get International Migratory Bird Day info to Paul and Ken as this would be a good association with W o W.Bird Surveys – Wendy wants to do training sessions. Ken, Paul, Pam, Judy will help. Paul has requested the protocol, it’s with Wendy. John Bower is the key person per protocol.Classes: Ken will be doing Birding 101 and Photo class at the Community College winter quarter. There was a short discussion of possible scholarship help.ACOW: Pam, Paul and Steven attended the meetings. There was a climate change focus. The Northwest Region – NCAS, Whidbey, Pilchuck and Skagit groups – will host next year. Bids are being solicited for the site.Announcements for the November/December newsletter should be emailed to Kelley by October 10 (15 latest).Potluck: Kelley will mail postcards right after Thanksgiving (text to be figured out).Treasure Hunt at Museum prizes will be awarded at the next member meeting. We decided to pick the winners ahead of time and announce the names at the meeting. There are about 75 tickets, 20 prizes.Wendy Steffensen wants about 5 minutes at the next member meeting to introduce the Survey meeting on October 22.New BusinessDean Kahn Herald proposal: The Herald will have a quarterly Whatcom Magazine in 2015. We have been asked if we’d like to participate by introducing 4 birds per year to non-birding people. Deadlines will be ends of December 2014, March, June and September 2015. Owen moved that we do this and prepare the text and pictures for the Whatcom magazine, Carol seconded, after some discussion (Pam and Judy volunteered to work on text) the motion passed.Jan 17 program possibilities include Mitch Friedman, Lee Furst on cleanup sites in Bellingham Bay or bluebird reintroduction (Paul has info on this.)The meeting was adjourned at 9:00.Next meeting will be November 3, WECU Ed Center, 7:00. Submitted byJudy Krieger 

December Minutes

NORTH CASCADES AUDUBON SOCIETYBoard Meeting MinutesDecember 7, 2015 The meeting was called to order by President Pam Borso at 7:00 pm at the WECU education center on Holly Street.Board Members Present: Pam Borso, Steven Harper, Sue Parrott, Ken Salzman, Carol Roberts. Steve Irving, Paul Woodcock, Twink Coffman: Absent: Rae Edwards, Owen Bamford, Kelley Palmer-McGee. Secretary’s Report: The November report was approved as submitted. Follow-ups will be added to the minutes.Treasurer’s Report: Sue presented the treasurer’s report for November along with an updated spread sheet of donations and scholarships given by NCAS through the past years. Communications and Input

  • Twink suggested that we provide welcome information for new members, especially if receiving the electronic version of the newsletter. More discussion of what we should do for members will be discussed at the retreat.
  • Twink noted that there seems to be a problem with email notification of new issues of the newsletter.
  • A group of us will move the Purple Martin houses on Clark Point because of creosote piling removal.
  • The Cherry Point Survey identification class is going well with approx. 40 participants. Sandy Point is again one of the sites as we have obtained beach access to the site through a neighbor’s property.
  • Paul continues to coordinate the upcoming CBC and there are plenty of people to fill all of the required areas.
  • The Syrie opens in January and Paul, Pam, Owen and Ken will be presenting programs. Steve Irving will also be participating.
  • Ken has presentations scheduled at Adult Day Health and the Parkway Chateau in 2016.

Unfinished Business

  • Carol reported that everything is ready for the holiday party on Dec. 8. Centerpieces for the tables have been purchased for approx. $50 and Paul has 7 great prizes for the bird trivia contest.

New Business

  • Trevor Bloom will come to our board meeting in February to present his results, partially funded by a scholarship from NCAS. He will also be asked to present at the May membership meeting.
  • The board suggested exerting extra effort to advertise the January general membership program as Trina and Jen from Washington State Audubon will do a presentation on climate change and the effect on birds. This is an important topic and it would be good to have more people notified of the opportunity.
  • Ideas were discussed for the upcoming yearly retreat on January 4. The board decided to prioritize long range planning for the organization along with reviewing the budget for 2016, discussing our membership’s needs, reviewing programing needs, and prioritizing next year’s goals and objectives. Chris Brewer from the Whatcom Museum will be invited to attend in recognition of our strong collaborative efforts with the Museum.       Potential new board members, Jamie and Nicole Huson, will also be invited to sit in. Pizza will be provided.

Follow-ups

  • Pam will put together the agenda for the retreat and all board members are welcome to provide additional suggestions for the retreat.
  • Ken will purchase 2 or 3 large pizzas for the Retreat depending on the number of participants.
  • Steven will contact Trevor Bloom to ask that he present at the May membership meeting and to ask him to come to the February board meeting to give a brief presentation.
  • Membership number data will be compiled by Sue and Owen for the retreat.
  • Sue will develop the 2016 budget.
  • Twink will explore increasing our advertising by contacting Cascadia Weekly, Entertainment NW and the Bellingham Herald Take Five.

 Meeting Adjourned: 8:30 pmNext Meeting: January 4, 2015 6pm – 9pm yearly retreat at the WECU Education Center, 311 Holly Street, Bellingham. Steven Harper, Secretary

November Minutes

NORTH CASCADES AUDUBON SOCIETYBoard Meeting MinutesNovember 2, 2015 The meeting was called to order by President Pam Borso at 7:00 pm at the WECU Education Center on Holly Street.Board Members Present: Pam Borso, Steven Harper, Sue Parrott, Ken Salzman, Carol Roberts, Steve Irving, Owen Bamford, Kelley Palmer-McGee and Judy Kreiger. Absent: Rae Edwards, Paul Woodcock, Twink Coffman. Secretary’s Report: The September report was approved as submitted.Treasurer’s Report: Sue presented the updated treasurer’s report for September and October. Communications and Input

  • Postcards were sent to all members advising them of the option of receiving the newsletter electronically, by mail, or both. Hopefully we will be able to reduce the amount of newsletters sent out by mail.
  • Sue presented a table of all of the scholarships and donations that have be given out by NCAS over the past 4 years. This will prove helpful when deciding upon future donations and scholarships.
  • Postcards will be sent out advertising the holiday potluck on Dec. 8 at Lairmont Manor.
  • Pam signed scoping letters written by Washington Audubon expressing concerns with the expansion of the rail terminal at the Shell Oil refinery in Anacortes and with the development of a Grays Harbor Oil Terminal.
  • Paul reported that for the time being Sandy Point has been removed from the Cherry Point Study Project because of no trespassing signs being placed on the property. Lyle Anderson is attempting to obtain permission from the owners to allow continued use as a survey sight.
  • Judy reported that she has submitted the last 2 years of NCAS materials to the State Archives at WWU.

Unfinished Business

  • Ken reported that because of scheduling changes made by NSEA he was unable to assist with the NSEA eagle presentation previously scheduled on Oct. 3.
  • Paul was asked and accepted an invitation to be the official representative for NCAS on the Whatcom County Wildlife Committee established by the County Council.
  • Steven and Pam reported on the ACOW meeting held in Burlington. Steven, Pam, Paul and Sue attended. The focus of ACOW this year was efforts local chapters can lead to prepare for future climate change. Presentations on effective lobbying, proposed carbon tax initiatives proposed for the State of Washington, potential effects of climate change and National Audubon’s effort to establish birding tourism in Columbia were heard.
  • The Syre Bird Exhibit will be open from approximately Jan. 4 through early February. Board members have volunteered to lead a number of educational programs during this time.

New Business

  • The board voted to allocate $100 for center pieces for the December Holiday Event, scheduled for Dec. 8 at the Lairmont Manor. Carol has procured table cloths and Doug Brown will be presenting slides of the Pearrygin Lake Campout.
  • The board voted to allocate $500 for the 2016 Whatcom Museum Birding Summer Camp for youth to be spent at the discretion of the Whatcom Museum.
  • Chris Brewer from the Whatcom Museum presented a list of ideas for spring break educational efforts for youth and families related to birds and for the Whatcom Museum Birding Summer Camp for youth. She asked people for feedback on her ideas and for volunteers interested in participating in any of the programs.
  • Steven provided information on the upcoming presentations for the membership meetings.

Meeting Adjourned: 8:00 pmNext Meeting: December 7, 2015 7:00pm at the WECU Education Center, 311 Holly Street, Bellingham. Steven Harper, Secretary

,

September Board Meeting Minutes

,

NORTH CASCADES AUDUBON SOCIETYBoard Meeting MinutesSeptember 7, 2015 The meeting was called to order by President Pam Borso at 6:30 pm in the meeting room of Woods Coffee on Bay Street.Board Members Present: Pam Borso, Paul Woodcock, Steven Harper, Twink Coffman, Sue Parrott, Ken Salzman, Carol Roberts. Absent: Rae Edwards, Owen Bamford, Steve Irving, Kelley Palmer-McCarty Secretary’s Report: The August report was approved as submitted.Treasurer’s Report: Sue presented the updated treasurer’s report. Questions were raised regarding how to characterize large donations submitted as memberships. It was decided to designate anything over $100 as a donation. Sue noted that $150 in scholarship donations were given to Whatcom Museum for children participating in the summer birding classes. Communications and Input

  • Pam reported that she signed on to letters supporting opposition to Army helicopter training flight proposals in North Cascades wilderness areas submitted by Washington State Audubon and Washington Wild.
  • The concern by a member regarding links not working on our website turned out to be a non-issue as the member later had no issue with the links.

Unfinished Business

  • 150 newsletters were sent out as first class postage and 12 newsletters were given to Wild Bird Chalet to hand out. A new endorsement will be added to the newsletter to request address information on forwarded newsletters.
  • The night migration event proposed for John Bower’s home will be put off until next year because of potential family travel issues.
  • Ken continues to work on the NSEA eagle presentation on Oct. 3.
  • The Pearrygin Lake campout has been firmly scheduled for June 2-5, 2016.
  • The December Holiday Event has been firmly scheduled for Dec. 8 at the Lairmont Manor. Carol will coordinate table cloth procurement and other details for the event.

New Business

  • Steven asked whether board minutes should be in the newsletter and it was noted that it was past policy that this should be happening. Steven will submit minutes for publication beginning this month.
  • The board discussed having a “kids group” participate in the Christmas bird count. Ken will follow up to see if this can be arranged.
  • The Syrie Bird Exhibit will be open from approximately Jan. 4 through early February.
  • Board agreed to pledge $1000 to Washington State Audubon for 2016.
  • ACOW will be in Burlington on October 24. Board members are encouraged to attend. Pam will investigate whether they need volunteers.
  • Whatcom County Council has established a Wildlife Advisory Committee and is looking for members. 7 of the 11 members must have technical expertise related to wildlife.
  • The Cherry Point Bird Survey training has been scheduled for Tuesdays from Nov. 3 – December 15 with the exception of Nov. 24 and Dec. 8.

Meeting Adjourned: 8:00 pmNext Meeting: October 5, 2015 7:00pm at the WECU Education Center, 311 Holly Street, Bellingham. Steven Harper, Secretary