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Fort Collins Audubon Society
Board of Directors Meeting
Tuesday March 5, 2001
National Seed Storage Lab
Colorado State University
Attendees: Rick Harness (President), Kris Cafaro (Secretary),
John Waddell (Treasurer), Bob Blinderman (Director), Dave Dubois
(Director), Cynthia Melcher (Director), Nick Komar (Field Trips), Bill
Miller (Conservation), Barb Turnbull (Hospitality), Dale Agger
(Publications), Larry Lechner, Ann Molison
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes from the February meeting were accepted as modified.
Reports of Officers
- Treasurer's Report - John Waddell John presented the Treasurer's
Report and passed out copies of the current financial statement.
Rick H. noted that Audubon is changing the membership dues structure.
FCAS will need to make projections based on membership recruitment (if
we recruit our own members, we keep more of the dues). Audubon suggests
we bring in 36 new members per year.
FCAS expenses include a $1,300 state office donation. We need to
decide if we should donate that much. Bill suggested that that might be
a mandated payment. The lobbyist fee is a flat fee per member. The state
donation is the money we used to give to NAS, and comes from Birdathon
money. John will find out the details about these various payments.
Cynthia stated that we need to support the state office. Perhaps we
could invite Susan Kirkpatrick to the next meeting to discuss financial
matters at the state level. Bill reported that the state office was
started up with NAS seed money, but is working to become self-sufficient
(e.g., by hiring a full-time development director). He suggested that it
is important for us to help keep the state office going.
Cynthia suggested that we could do more active canvassing to gain new
members, but we need an updated brochure to do so. We could keep tables
manned at events, and send people walking around the event to give out
brochures.
Nick was asked whether most field trip participants are already
members. Nick responded that not all participants are members. Rick
suggested we could hand out brochures at field trips. Larry suggested we
could gather names and addresses too. That is already being done on some
field trips.
Rick H. will work with John and Susan Kirkpatrick to figure out the
payments to the state office. He stated that we need to develop a
strategy for making up the shortfall from lower dues payments. Cynthia
suggested that we could get corporate sponsorship for the Birdathon. We
need to prepare before approaching corporations. We could offer them
public thank yous and could list the sponsors in publications. Ann
suggested that Birdathon teams could bird near or on the grounds of
corporate sponsors.
Standing Committee Reports
- Conservation - Bill Miller
1. Banff Mountain Film Festival - Bill reported that the Sierra
Club is looking for someone to run an Audubon info table at the March
7 film festival. Bill and Ann agreed to do so.
2. Fossil Creek clean-up - Bill spoke with Karen Manci. April 21
will be fine for the clean-up (no problem for nesting birds). The idea
is to focus on two major community clean up efforts - April 21 Fossil
Creek and May 19 Riverfest river clean-up. The Fossil Creek clean-up
is scheduled for April 21 from 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
3. Booth at Earth Day - Bill asked the Board if Audubon should have
a booth at the Earth Day celebration on April 22 at City Park. The
Board agreed that we should. Bill will coordinate with Co-PIRG.
Cynthia noted that we need to make sure to have brochures ready by
then.
4. League of Conservation Voters - The League is planning to send
out a mailing on current growth legislation and wants to use our
mailing list. Dale responded that we don't have the list with names
removed of people who do not want to receive mailings. For that
reason, we cannot share the list. Nick suggested we could instead put
a blurb in the newsletter. Bill will write something up and send it to
the Board on email first.
5. Larimer County checklist - Bill will get more copies of the
checklist made. Nick will update it first.
6. AOC Board Meeting - Bill will be attending the March 17 meeting
in Denver.
7. Pawnee National Grasslands - Bill and Phil Cafaro will be
meeting with supervisors at the grasslands about prairie dog habitat
and other issues including mountain plovers. Mark Ball (with PNG)
wants to find people willing to survey plover sites from mid-April
through mid-July. We will announce this at programs and in the
newsletters. Nick suggested we could have a mountain plover field trip
in April. Steve Dinsmore could lead the trip.
8. Procession of River Species/Riverfest/Poudre Field Trips - Kris
gave a summary of the history of the current grant proposal submitted
to the Fort Collins Community Foundation for funding to support a
series of field trips leading up to and during Riverfest 2001.
Audubon-Colorado has submitted the proposal on behalf of FCAS. The
field trips will help to publicize Riverfest 2001, and will allow
participants in the Processions of River Species the opportunity to
see the species of which they will be creating costumes and masks. Ann
noted that Kevin Cook will be starting his birding class March 20, and
perhaps could have field trip flyers available at the class.
Education Rick reported that Johnson Elementary School held the
Rocky Mountain Raptor program with 80 kids attending. He showed thank
you letters and drawings from the students. Some of them may be put
into the Ptarmigan.
Nature Centers - Nick Komar Nick reported that a committee has been
created to work on a plan for a nature center. The committee currently
includes Nick, Bill, Rick, Larry, and Louise. There is a blurb in the
newsletter asking for committee participants. They will hold their
first meeting later this month.
- Field Trips - Nick Komar Nick will arrange for April field trips. We
will be keeping up with the "Birding for Beginners" series. Bill
will lead one to Cottonwood Hollow on March 25; Ron Ryder will lead one in
late May. The next field trip is a gull trip Sunday, March 11. March 17
will be the Lower Larimer Lakes trip. Rick offered to lead an eagle nest
trip to a site near Ptarmigan, which could count as one of the Poudre
River trips. A suggestion was made to have a field trip leading up to the
Birdathon. Nick will set it up, with Cynthia and him as co-leaders. He
will lead it alone if Cynthia has to be out of town.
Nick reported that he has not been aggressive about collecting names
and addresses on field trips. A suggestion was made that we tell people
when getting their names that we will be in touch later about membership
and the Birdathon. Larry suggested that we could send a follow-up card
thanking them for attending and inviting them to contact us if they are
interested in learning more about Audubon. He suggested that we could use
an ACCESS database and mail merge to do so, and offered to help set that
up. Barb will work on the response card program.
Updates:
- Raptor Field Trip - Rick Harness Rick reported that the
raptor field trip was successful, with 25 people attending
- 2001 Legislative Workshop - Bill Miller, Rick Harness Rick reported
that they received a growth and land use planning update from Jo Evans
(the Audubon lobbyist) at the workshop. Audubon is tracking specific
legislation. Breakout sessions were held on such issues as GOCO (which has
changed with the appointments of the new governor) and DOW wildlife bills
(a bill that would hold landowners liable for prairie dogs that move from
their property onto neighboring property, is being supported by DOW but
opposed by Audubon).
- AOC Legislative Committee - Bill Miller, Ron Harden Audubon has
prioritized bills dealing with growth, wildlife, water, etc. Ron gave some
examples: 1. H1012 - enterprise status for CDOW; 2. Growth management; 3.
Coyote control; 4. Rodent pest control; 5. Water banking; 6. Cherry Creek
water quality.
- League of Women Voters The League is holding a forum on growth bills
on March 19 at the Harmony Library. Participants will include
Representative Bryan Jameson, Sierra Club, Larimer County, and developers.
Questions and comments will be taken from the audience.
- Prairie Dog Workshop - Rick Harness Rick reported on the recent
workshop on prairie dogs that he attended. It included a wide range of
presenters including City of Fort Collins, Boulder Parks, EDAW, Animal
Damage Control, etc.
New Business
- Ptarmigan newsletter The Ptarmigan newsletter has not gone out yet.
John will find out what the problem is. Nick suggested that we could
advertise the upcoming program on Co-Birds, and perhaps through a press
release to the Coloradoan.
- Thursday's Program Meeting Bill will introduce the speaker and will
pass around the Birdathon list. Nick will announce the field trips. Bob
wondered if we should consider not having a program during spring break.
- Publicizing DFO trip to Ecuador and/or Maine Audubon camps Rick
reported that we have received requests to publicize a DFO trip to Ecuador
and Maine Audubon camps (Maine Audubon sent along brochures to
distribute). Cynthia thought we should require a mutual agreement where
they would publicize for us as well. She also thought that we should not
publicize them if we're squeezed for space in the newsletter. The Board
expressed the feeling that it would be okay to put out the Maine Audubon
brochures. Nick wondered if we should put links on the website. It could
be considered providing a service to our members by notifying them about
available trips. Cynthia reported that she's heard from many people who
have been disappointed with DFO trips (e.g., heavy focus on listing versus
the well-being of habitat or birds). She also pointed out that we already
have a link to CFO. Nick suggested that we could have a "featured
links" section and something that says "see our links for other
organization's events." Cynthia stated that we need to focus on FCAS
needs first, and shouldn't spend too much time assisting other
organizations. We need to develop a policy to deal with requests to
promote other organizations. Kris expressed concern at promoting a trip
that may not support Audubon's principles. If we're going to promote
something, we should check it out first and make sure it's something we
approve of. The Board decided to put out the Maine Audubon brochures.
- New logo for FCAS The Board discussed the question of whether to
change the ptarmigan logo, since there aren't ptarmigan in Fort Collins.
Cynthia stated that FCAS services more than just Fort Collins. Many people
travel through Fort Collins to go see ptarmigan. It takes time to build
"brand awareness." The Board decided to keep the ptarmigan logo,
but update it. Laurie Z. will work on updating it.
- Audubon Colorado Chapter Assessment Rick reported on a survey FCAS
has received to provide feedback to the AOC Board. We need to get it back
by the end of the month. Either the chapter leader should fill it out, or
it should be filled out by consensus. Board members will email responses
to Rick by March 19. Rick will then fill it out and return it.
- League of Conservation Voters Education Fund 501c3's can access the
League's database on the voting records of their membership (whether they
voted or not in the last election). Bill reported that we have
participated in this offer in the past, but have not made use of the
information yet. We could use it when targeting people to ask to write
letters, etc. The Board decided to request access to the database.
Announcements
- Newsletter articles are due in to Dale ASAP.
- There is a mew gull at Jim Hamm Park in Longmont.
- NAS Board of Directors are meeting at the Brown Palace on March
16-18.
Adjourn - 8:56 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Kris Cafaro, secretary
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