MINUTES: Meeting of Mid-Atlantic EPPC
September 25, 2000
Hawk Mountain, PA

I. Participating were Dan Barringer, Carole Bergmann, Dorothy Brazis, Faith Campbell, Fred Grau, Lisa Jameson, Carol Jelich, Kerrie Kyde, Kevin Munley, Hans Reimann, Nancy S.H. Richwine, Jil Swearingen, Sue Wolfe, & Floyd Yoder

Your cochairs apologize: we forgot to approve minutes of the May meeting; this will be done at our next meeting in November.

II A 1. Kerrie reported on the progress made by the Founding Board in establishing the Mid-Atlantic EPPC as a tax-exempt corporation. Kerrie prepared the Articles of Incorporation for a corporation and has submitted them to the state of Maryland; we expect a favorable reply shortly.  Betsy Lyman is working with a volunteer attorney to prepare the request for tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status to the Internal Revenue Service.

Faith Campbell reported that she had opened a bank account for the Mid-Atlantic EPPC. The account is in her name until the group is legally incorporated, and then will be changed to Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council. At the time of the meeting, the account had a balance of $367.05, made up of contributions by Founding Board members. Additional contributions of $100 were received at the meeting. The bank charges $5 per month to manage the account.

II B. In the absence of "list committee" chairperson Art Gover, Floyd Yoder reported that the discussion at the May MA-EPPC meeting consisted primarily of people presenting their views on which species should be included and what the lists might be used for.There was no progress on developing a consensus list per se. It has previously been agreed that such a list should be classified by level of threat and distribution, with allowance that some species might be acceptable in strictly controlled conditions.

Jil Swearingen noted that she has compiled a list from numerous sources (based on the national list prepared for the "Weeds Gone Wild" page found on the Plant Conservation Initiative website); she suggested that it form the basis for further work. In Jil's view, the next step is to send it out for review by the people who provided the original information to ensure that it is accurate and up to date. This list contains approximately 230 species that are invasive in natural areas. Further work is needed to develop ranking or classification criteria.Jil has exchanged emails with Art about this approach. Kerrie said she would consult with Art on his plans for moving the work of the committee forward.

II C Dan Barringer reported on the work of the Conference Planning Committee -- which is planning the conference MA-EPPC is cosponsoring in August 2001. The committee has held 4 meetings since May. The conference has the title, Invasive Plants: Taking Action on All Fronts; it will take place August 14-15, 2001. The committee has identified 5 main topics for the conference: on-the-ground management of invasive plants, working with the nursery trade to reduce invasions, education, conveying information about the impacts of invasive plants, and funding and policy issues. It is expected that there will be plenary sessions on impacts, the nursery issues, and restoration. These topics and the remaining ones will also be explored in 3 - 5 1.5-hour breakout sessions. A block of hotel rooms has also been reserved for participants. The committee is also pursuing sponsors for the conference -- including in-kind contributors, so as to reduce costs to participants.

Dan sadly reported the withdrawal from the Conference Committee of Laurie Albrecht. The Council wishes to acknowledge and thank her for her substantial contribution to the work of this group.

II D. Faith Campbell reported that the National Invasive Species Management Plan should soon be available for public comment. [Faith subsequently learned that the Plan is now available.] She urged people to obtain the Plan from the Invasive Species Council or its website (www.invasivespecies.gov) and comment on it. Comments are welcome from individuals and a wide variety of organizations. Comments are due on 16 November. Carol Bergmann offered a motion that the MA-EPPC prepare its own comments on the Plan; this was seconded by Kerrie Kyde. The motion passed without objection. The following formed a committee to draft the MA-EPPC comments: Jil Swearingen, Kerrie kyde, Lisa Jameson, Hans Reiman. Faith Campbell offered to share her ideas. At the time of the meeting, we planned to discuss the draft comments - - before submission -- at the next MA-EPPC meeting on November 27. However, it turns out that we will not be able to do that because the deadline for comments is November 16th. We will have to find other ways to enable all MA-EPPC people to provide input into the MA-EPPC comments. Meanwhile, everyone is encouraged to submit his or her own comments directly to the Council.

II E. Kerrie Kyde reported that Southeast EPPC did not receive the grant sought from the USDA CSREES. MA-EPPC had hoped to receive funding for some activities as part of this proposal.

II F. Jil Swearingen reported progress on her WeedBusters' Handbook. The handbook is intended to be part of a comprehensive training and certification program volunteers who help control invasive plants. Jil has nearly completed the text. The manual covers 30 species, with tips for identification, control techniques, etc. Eventually, the handbook will be put on the Weeds Gone Wild web page. Sue Wolfe noted how useful the handbook will be for nature centers and others; Sue offered to review the final draft.

II G. The meeting then focused on relationships with the various state Invasive Species Councils. We noted the need to establish closer working relationships with the oldest of these, the Delaware ISC [Betsy Lyman later forwarded an email from Bill Smith summarizing DISC's work. It noted specifically that the invasive plant list circulated earlier is not a consensus list, but one developed by Delaware Natural Heritage. Bill Smith expects work on determining invasive species to "start in earnest" once the National Invasive Species Management Plan is released.]

1. Kerrie Kyde reported on the Maryland ISC. It began in April 2000; it established several subgroups to carry forward the work. Kerrie chairs the Project Working Group; the others are education and membership. MISC is made up mostly of staff from several government agencies, including Maryland Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and USDA APHIS. The principal interest is in species causing problems for agriculture with fewer participants interested in plants that invade natural areas. The next full meeting is October 10. The Project Working Group is compiling a quick "worst" list for all taxa, those species already on a noxious weed list or widely recognized as degrading ecological systems.The lists include agricultural as well as natural area invaders. At present, about 15 species, from all taxa, are on the list. There is also a "red alert" list for high-damage organisms found in neighboring states. MISC is looking at the work the Delaware ISC did in developing an on-the-ground monitoring and control network.

2. There was confusion about the current status of the Pennsylvania ISC; Nancy Richwine promised to find out whether it is meeting and who the new contact person is now that Gary Clemens is no longer involved. Hans Reimann expressed concern that he had not been able to learn anything about the PA ISC from his local or state legislators, indicating that they have not been kept informed by the state.

3. There remains some confusion about the different roles of the EPPCs and state Invasive Species Councils. It was reiterated that the ISCs are governmental entities whereas the EPPCs are non-governmental volunteer organizations. The EPPCs can put pressure on governments to act. We agreed we would try to work in a friendly way with the ISCs and avoid duplicating their efforts, but continue to make our presence known as a group "out there working" on the invasive species issue. Another difference is that the EPPCs are usually focused on plants invading natural areas, whereas the ISCs often concentrate on agricultural weeds and other pests. Jil Swearingen will explore with the other EPPCs development of a generic "introductory" piece that all EPPCs might send to their state ISCs and the National Invasive Species Council explaining our purpose, mission, membership, and accomplishments.

III A. The meeting then discussed what "trade name" the Mid-Atlantic EPPC should adopt. Jil Swearingen has pointed out that the shorthand term "MA-EPPC" might later be confused with Massachusetts EPPC, if one is formed. It was agreed that we need a short, catchy nickname. Nancy Richwine pointed out that many people do not recognize what an "EPPC" is. Several spoke in support of either MidA-EPPC or Mid-Atlantic EPPC. However, since many of our most active participants and Founding Board members were not present, we agreed to continue the discussion at the November MA-EPPC meeting and make a discussion at that time.

In the meantime, Faith Campbell raised the issue of protecting any possible trade name on the World Wide Web to prevent others from denying us access, or possibly causing confusion by using a similar name to put out contrasting ideas. Registering names costs $70 per name, however. Jil Swearingen offered to ask Cathy Bilton about the process.

AGENDA ITEM III B WAS SAVED FOR LATER DISCUSSION.

III C.Kerrie Kyde and Carol Jelich led a discussion of the MA-EPPC membership brochure that they have taken the lead on developing. Annie Lemarie, a graphic artist working without charge, has developed an attractive format for the brochure. Annie Lemarie also arranged for the printer with whom she works to print the brochure without cost -- MA-EPPC must provide only the paper.(We agreed earlier that the paper would be 20 pound bond with 20% post-consumer recycled content.) After discussion, we agreed to delete bull thistle from the partial list of invasive plants on the brochure, and replace it with both porcelainberry vine and oriental bittersweet. Carol Jeclich will pass along all changes to Annie Lemarie and work with her to complete the brochure. We agreed that this version of the brochure will not use a logo, but we will try to adopt an EPPC logo by the time we revise and reprint the brochure.

III D. The Invasive Weed Awareness Coalition is scheduling its second annual "Weed Awareness Week" for the period February 26 - March 2, 2001. This educational effort, focused in Washington, D.C., provides an opportunity for MA-EPPC to display materials, possibly speak at a workshop, and possibly help with organizing and interpreting a field trip. Jil Swearingen will be involved in planning the D.C. events on behalf of the National Park Service; she offered to be our liaison, too. [Faith Campbell learned later that the IWAC does hope to schedule a half-day field trip to a local park; and expects to again have both displays and a symposium.] It was agreed that we would continue discussing opportunities around Weed Awareness Week at the November MA-EPPC meeting.

III E. Kerrie Kyde informed participants about the availability of funds through the USGS Eastern Region State Partnership Program. The focus for 2001 is on invasive species. The program provides matching grants of $50,000 to jump start research or information management efforts. The deadline for pre-proposals is early November. Kevin Munley of Penn DoT said he would explore whether non-governmental entities may apply.

Kerrie further reported that Betsy Lyman is meeting with a consortium in the Delaware Valley to try to develop a proposal for an invasive plants project to be submitted to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Pulling Together Initiative. MA-EPPC could be a partner in this proposal. It was agreed that we would support the effort and were willing to lend the EPPC name to the proposal, but that we would need details about the extent of in-kind contributions of time and expertise requested.

III B. (Delayed) Stimulated in part by the Internal Revenue Service' requirement for applications for tax-exempt status, we have begun a discussion of the budget for MA-EPPC. This also encourages us to explore what activities we want our organization to carry out and to set priorities among them. Ideas that received the most interest in this discussion included:

• development of educational materials -- both on paper and on our web page, including
• a poster display,
• easily accessible invasive plant lists and short "fact sheets" on impacts, etc.
• our own web site (separate from the one now proviced, gratis, by SE-EPPC)
• a resource library including material on the following topics: control techniques, how to set up (volunteer) control programs, training the trainers
• a list of people willing to speak on a variety of topics
• slide library (with interest in upgrading to computer disc in future)  rather than a "canned" talk per se
• press materials (based on above)

Participants gave starting a printed newsletter lower priority than the other activities.

It was suggested and generally agreed that our annual meeting (which we will be required to have) should "piggy back" on future sessions of the invasive plant conference -- which organizers are proposing be made an annual event.

Carol Jelich has volunteered to help design and initiate a MA-EPPC web page. Various students could also help update the page as "student projects".

Hans Reimann suggested we make a concerted outreach effort targeting state legislators and media -- to prod people with knowledge about biological diversity to urge the ISCs to be more responsive to natural-area invader concerns.

We also discussed using our formal incorporation -- expected to occur in the near future -- as an opportunity to approach the press. We might send out a press release; or even stage an "event" - - perhaps tie it to the National Park Service' "weed swat team" efforts in our region.

IV. No breakout sessions were held following lunch, due to the absence of several key committee members, but participants announced the following related activities:

*Carole Bergmann: circulated her Weed Warriors brochure; she now has about 70 volunteers working under this program in Montgomery Co., Maryland. Most pull weeds regularly, some less often. Some prefer to write letters on the issue.

*Jil Swearingen is developing a 2001 wall calendar featuring weeds and other information for the Mid-Atlantic region. People are encouraged to provide Jil with dates of appropriate meetings and events. We discussed whether this calendar could be used either before or during Weeds Awareness Week. Jil is also developing an internet calendar that can be updated as events are scheduled.

*Floyd Yoder announced that the New Jersey Parks and Forestry agency has developed a draft plants list. The Agriculture Delegates Convention in the state is interested in setting up an Invasive Species Council that would focus on agricultural pests/weeds only.It is likely to be made up of 12 appointed members, with an advisory group that would include environmental interests. He hopes it would be part of a wider state organization.

The next full meeting of the Mid-Atlantic EPPC is scheduled for Monday, 27 November at 10:00, probably in the D.C.-immediate Maryland vicinity.

The January meeting of the Mid-Atlantic EPPC is scheduled for Thursday, 18 January 2001.

The next meeting of the Founding Board will take place on Friday, November 3, from 10:00 to 3:30 pm at Black Hills Regional Park in Montgomery County, MD.