Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council
Meeting of the Board of Directors

Attendees: Board members – Lisa Smith, Art Gover, Marc Imlay, Carol Jelich, Faith Campbell, Betsy Lyman, Emily Grafton; Guests – Chris Firestone, Susan Richards.

Call to Order: 10:15 meeting called to order by Art Gover, Acting-President

Approval of Minutes from December 4, 2001: Art requested we table acceptance of the minutes, unanimously approved.

Minutes discussion – through non-action, board agreed to leave meeting minutes format as currently employed.

Introduction of Present Board Members

Organizational Status

1. Resignation of Laurie Anne Albrecht - as vice-president, Art Gover assumes duties of council president.
   
   
2. Installation of new officers: Lisa Smith has offered to serve as Vice President. When we have a quorum we will vote to accept Lisa as Vice President.
   
   
3. Additions to the Board
        Tabled due to lack of quorum.
   
   
4. Financial
   
   
1. Treasurers report:
   
   
• Art raised the question of whether we need to have an audit? We are required by law to have an audit at the end of the fiscal year. Should we hire an outside auditor? Not resolved.
  
  
• Faith reported that John Peter Thompson donated the Quicken program and that we have our budget on Quicken. Faith stated that her accounting differs from the banks by $11.00. This is probably due to a bank charge she missed. All of the accounting from Morris Arboretum has been cleared. Money is trickling in for memberships. The big deposits of 8/16 and 10/3 are for T-Shirts. We did not use receipts and so cannot determine what portion of these deposits is for memberships and how much t-shirts.
  
  
• Kerrie is Quicken-capable and will help Faith with the program.
  
  
2. Taxes:
   
   
• Lisa raised the question about whether or not we should hire an accountant. No decision made.
  
  
5. Maryland Non-profit: Membership in this organization gives us access to Board of Directors Insurance. Also provides some access to legal advice. Faith sent a check on 12/7/01 to Maryland Non-profit Association.

Discussion about insurance: Lisa asked if we should review the messages from Laurie concerning the ASTA issue. Could someone take the facts she presented and summarize those for us? Art proposed that we take the paper trail and sit down with a lawyer with Maryland Nonprofits and determine if this is a retroactive issue or not.

Faith suggests that we get a bid from an outside insurance broker and a review of the paper trail Laurie generated with ASTA. Faith will fill out the application for Maryland Nonprofit Board of Directors Insurance. Lisa will revisit the issue of National EPPC and the discussion about getting insurance for the larger group. The National EPPC is still trying to get nonprofit status.

Carol will get the second bid through the Maryland Native Plant Society. Art and Faith will work on the application together.

Carol recalled some other requirements like a sexual harassment policy. Nearly 95% of lawsuits that Non-Profits find themselves in are personnel policy issues.

6. Committee Reports:
   
   
1. 2003 Conference Committee – No venue for location but there is a date August 6-7, 2003. University of PA is also being considered. Next Invasive Species Conference Committee meeting February 22, 2002.
   
   
2. Northeastern Weed Science Society (NEWSS) Meeting: Art reported that it went well. The MA-EPPC meeting had between 40-70 people in the room throughout the session, which was one of three concurrent sessions. One-day registration specifically for the invasives session was 29, which was viewed very positively by NEWSS. Overall attendance was around 200. The Northeastern Weed Science Society wishes to conduct a similar session at Baltimore meeting in 2003. Art was installed as Research and Education committee chair of NEWSS, which will facilitate cooperation between MA-EPPC and NEWSS.

   The outdoor workshop led by Marc worked very well. Had 13 attendances. MA-EPPC has great potential for going out to do workshops. On-the-ground invasives removal information was very much in demand. There is a need for knowledge of basic removal techniques that some scientists might assume that everyone knows.

3. 2002 Annual Meeting August 6 – 7. Send out a flyer on the conference. Betsy motions that we have the annual meeting at Canaan Valley State Park. Committee has narrowed the selection process down. Emily and Betsy will make the necessary arrangements. Carol suggested that we put the date on the list serve. The question was raised about the need for someone to study how quickly invasives reach more rural areas.
   
   
4. Carol asked about the need to establish a nominating committee. In the past, the four officers served as a nominating committee. Art suggests that we assemble a committee of five at the annual meeting. Carol says that our By-laws do not stipulate what we do. As of this meeting, the officers will serve as the nominating committee for this coming election. Art will draft a proposed change to the by-laws that will allow us to establish a procedure for forming a nominating committee. Need to get the officers slate out by late May. Need at least 60 days prior to the meeting.
   
   
5. National Weed Awareness Week. The event takes place in downtown D.C. Lisa may go for only a day. Marc is going for the whole week and he would set up a MA-EPPC display. Week of February 25. Need to find out whom we need to contact about placing a display. Lisa and Marc will take care of this.
   
   
6. Membership Committee Report. Currently we have 75 paid members. Have one new member present, Susan Richards. Carol had asked Laurie if she could write a promotional letter to help promote the organization. Art volunteered to do this. When Carol goes off the board it will need to have her name off of the brochures. The electronic form is a PDF file on the SE-EPPC site. Kerrie originally worked with Annie to get brochure finalized. We should put Faith's address on there. Faith does not want to be membership chairman, but she will take care of mail for the treasurer. Carol will get us an updated board list. Carol has a database and will get a list of members. Faith asked are we going to do a membership appeal? We had discussed doing away with the Board's listserve. Then just keep the other listserve of 180 people. Carol is willing to keep a listserve just for the board members. Will then place board meetings on general EPPC listserve.

Old Business

Lisa reported a discussion of PA Biodiversity commission. Had their first conference on November 30 at State College. Keynote speaker, Shane Mahoney from Newfoundland, a scientist involved in country’s commission on biodiversity. Task force has been gathering information on the state of biodiversity in the state. The effort was to help the governor understand what was going on with diversity in the state and what needs to be done. Originally did not want the state to control the task force however, state is on board and it is turning into a good coalition that could effect a lot of change. This task force is not regulatory but educational. The Biodiversity task force has a lot of committees getting things done. The larger task force is struggling with its mission. So far it is just inventorying what is in place. DCNR hired a biodiversity director, Steve Falzano.

1. ASTA

   Carol shared letter from Sam Jones/small nursery business in Maryland. His letter was in support of MA-EPPC in regards to pressure from ASTA. Lisa picked up on the language in the letter referring to "the suit". We have no suit filed against us. Carol will not forward the letter on to anyone.

   Merits of trying to bring ASTA to the table were discussed, with no motion resulting.

   List committee will be reformed to extensively revise list so that it is a compilation by, rather than a creation of the MA-EPPC. Existing lists that are available for public consumption from states represented by the Council will be utilized.

   Lisa said that there will be a PA invasive species forum for Botanists – March 23d at Powdermill as an out growth of the Rare Plant Forum. MA-EPPC’s list has gone out to this group for review. Lisa is asking them to critique the list.

   In the capacity of acting president Art will draft a letter to ASTA, inviting them to attend a board meeting and try to identify common ground on the invasive plant species issue.

New Business

1. Future Expenditures

   Faith prepared a list of spending priorities:

   Outreach
   Meetings
   Office supplies

   Faith proposes that we have a round of discussions about where should invest an initial $3000.00 or so on outreach related activities.

   Lisa noted that we have several committees in place like the speakers bureau. One of the projects on the drawing board is a slide presentation that members could use.

   Wild Resource Conservation fund do give grant money for non-game related issues might be able to lend some technical support.

   Also we will need to spend some money on the new membership brochure, and on production of a revised list.

   Lisa suggests that we use the money for things we are less likely to generate funds for.

   Marc says that there are two messages that we are not getting out, one comparing and contrasting the concern that invasive plants are like a green asphalt and the message needs changed from despair to hope. What can we do? They can be removed-it is just plain hard work.

   Carol suggested that we spend the money on some radio spots with the key message.

   Card sized add to place in the back of magazines.

   Betsy suggested getting MA-EPPC involved in Delaware River Invasive Plant Partnership (DRIPP).

   Marc alluded to Carol's cards for the nursery trade

   Leaving some cards for Park Managers advertising that we have information that could help with problem.

   Faith proposes we authorize $1000 to membership brochures and the list, which would leave $2000 to spend.

   So, Faith suggests that we get the two messages out – it’s a big problem we can do something about and that MA-EPPC is someone doing something about it. We also have the need to service those already involved with cash on hand for rent space for conferences so we need to do some more thinking about where we are going to spend our funds on, including web site, slide shows, etc.

   Art directed the committees to come back with wish lists and budgets.

2. Outdoor Workshops

Art asked if MA-EPPC is going to have a spring field day.

Art says that with all the interest in stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) he realized that there is a real need to harness a wide range of on-the-ground work sites.

Susan has volunteered the Restore Corps to help with publicity and provide volunteers to help with such events. They are planning to have some volunteer action days.

Lisa says a message needs to go out every month on the e-list here are the on-the-ground work-days coming up. This is a good opportunity to partner with Extension and get updates and credits for use with herbicides. Lisa has agreed to do this for the conference and she has volunteered to organize and identify opportunities around the region. Lisa will bring a one-page operational plan for the field/educational days.

Faith suggested that we prepare a handout to take to these events.

Lisa suggested say we want to offer six sites, scattered around the region, with a consistent educational take-home component, and we would need an EPPC board member liaison for each workshop. Lisa has agreed to draw up a plan for the next meeting.

Next Meeting Date:

March 6, 2002 – somewhere in western PA - Lisa will find site.
May 8. 2002 – site TBA

Art adjourned the meeting at 2:16