Operations Board Meeting Minutes, March 6, 2017 by phone
Attending: Jessica Smith, Mo Ewing, Denise Wilson, David Julie & Amy Yarger
7pm led by Jessica
1. Aquilegia – Jan is staying on as Aquilegia editor. Woohoo! Some kind of appreciation would be in order right now to the Turners. We are sending a $50 Harry & David tower funded by OC. Jessica will get their address.
2. Potential locations for next full board meeting. Options:
Regis Library may be possible because Jan is still doing Aquilegia.
We can use the Denver Botanic Gardens Society Room as part of our membership. Amy will ask how to reserve the room and how far in advance. Board meeting sometime in May.
The Butterfly Pavilion is also an option.
3. How to decide on recommendations from Mission Committee? The following items were forwarded to Mission Grant Committee (Cecily and Jenny) and asked for a recommendation. Generally:
a) We could use a rubric or scoring system to effectively analyze and choose recipients.
b) Jessica requested to excuse herself on voting for NPM because of her connection with CNHP.
c) An Application on-line is needed.
d) More specificity – how each request furthers the CoNPS’ Mission – Mo is willing to write a better description of what this fund covers.
e) Jenny Neale offered to pull together information about the Mission Grants for the next Board Meeting.
f) Mission Grant Requests:
a. From Gwen Kittel: Would CONPS be at all interested in sponsoring the Society of Wetland Scientists, Rocky Mountain Chapter, annual meeting? This event takes place April 12th, 2017. There is a strong desire to use native species, and local phenotypes of native species in restoration work. – Use Mission Grant; amount of money; Decide soon?
1) We could have & staff a booth for $500, or a $250 sponsorship gets our name on the marketing and printed material.
2) This falls under Education & Outreach, which has around $475 for its budget this year, and $115 has been used ($100 for awards for Science Fair at CSU and $15 for rulers); another $200 is allotted for the Science Teachers’ conference in November (CoNPS attended in 2015 & 2016). So, $315 is spent or allotted, leaving $160 of the $475 budget available for 10 months in 2017.
3) Were booths or canopies purchased in 2016? What account was this charged to?
4) Mo – where can conference sponsorships be budgeted for next year?
5) David – what’s the objective and what is the return? David will accumulate a list of possible conferences, and keep us informed regularly.
b. Barbara Fahey is asking about the NPM grant to update nomenclature in their database. They’d like to get started in March.
1) Jenny & Cecily want to see letters of support from major botanical organizations to make Ackerfield the primary nomenclature. They would also like to see the phased in with synonymy added first, and then primary nomenclature changed.
2) General feeling that we support synonyms but that is premature for making Ackerfield the primary nomenclature.
3) Requesting $500
4) We felt that $200 to fund the synonym change was consistent to our Mission.
5) Jessica did not weigh in on this decision regarding NPM.
c. Denver Dumb Friends League native plant restoration project – forwarded to Cecily (Mission Grant) and Jessica from Linda; requesting help to re-veg with native plants, with labor, planning, grant or funding. Will forward to Renee, who is the restoration committee chair, and offer help rather than money.
d. Native Plant Conservation Campaign requesting $2500 per year with an extended commitment. Mo is sending email to Emily Roberson telling her we are not giving at this time.
4. Responding to resignations from Steve Popovich, Field Studies Chair and Sara Copp, Restoration Committee Chair (writing thank you letters)?
a. Laura Duran and Steve Olson will co-chair the Field Studies Committee, and John Vickery will help on the committee.
b. Jessica sent a Thank You to Sara Copp.
c. Denise wrote a Thank You to Steve’s official work email, and will send a Thank You card on behalf of the OC.
5. Announcing changes in board – maybe sending out revised contact list and list of vacancies after this meeting? Or just have it in the minutes? Jessica will send out changes to board after this meeting.
6. Vacancies –
a. Using Amy’s contact email now for contact information (make sure Linda has right email address for Amy). How to respond to applicants?
1. Write 300 words of why they would like to be on the Board.
2. Jessica is writing for Jan’s address and a projected deadline for Summer Aquilegia.
3. Deryn Davidson with CSU Extension expressed interest.
4. Dr Preston Cumming, professor at CU, has expressed interest in Secretary or Board.
5. Dawn Barton-Welles – Denise will send an email to introduce her to Amy.
6. Jessica offered to attend the Denver Chapter Meeting & speak to their group.
7. Ask the Chapter Presidents whom they would recommend. Jessica will talk to Lenore –Denver; Mo to Stephen Stern; Denise to Erica Cooper; Amy to Rich Rhodes.
b. Changing vacancy announcement to reflect duties and expectations of new board members? Electing board members rather than officers? – See 11.
7. Annual Meeting & update of Jennifer’s work
a. Jessica sent Jen the updated list of people who responded to request to continue on the annual meeting committee
b. Western Meeting on June 3-4. Hiking on the 4th
c. Annual Conference in CO Springs; Penrose House free to non-profits & Jennifer B. will pursue along with Colorado College as possible venues.
d. $4200 in sales for Plant Sale according to the website.
e. Garden Tours in Boulder with 6 gardens; in Denver with 10 gardens.
f. Connie Holsinger offered $1800 for payment for article in Colorado Gardener – go ahead given.
g. Connie also wants to sponsor a Festival and give the door prizes. David will contact Lenore and Jennifer.
8. Potential Budget shortfall – can we cut anything? – Tabled to next Meeting.
9. Workshop Coordinators –
a. Suggestions on reimbursing instructors for travel to distant chapters and paying for collectors’ fees. Get remote instructors.
b. Travel costs reimbursement for workshop instructors? What would be the reimbursement rate? (Same as the federal rate?); Where does mileage start?; Would it include a motel stay? – Tabled to next Meeting.
c. Collector fees? Does anyone know about these? – Tabled to next Meeting.
d. West slope coordinator- Julie Munson would like to do this. Mo spoke with Steve & John and they are interested in West Slope Workshops. Tabled to next Meeting.
e. Ronda Koski compensation; how her compensation has been negatively impacted by inclusion of additional expenses – Tabled to next Meeting.
10. Employees attending board meetings – results from legal clinic – Jessica – Tabled to next Meeting.
11. Other results from legal clinic? Jessica update
a. It’s Key that we spell out the duties of each Officer and Board of Directors and parcel them out.
b. Officers appointed by the Board vs. voted in by membership?
c. For the moment, Amy is talking to the candidates, and seeing what each is interested in.
12. Reaching out to Jack Carter to be an advisor to the board again – David sent email mid-February – thanks! Tabled to next Meeting.
13. Distributing garden guides to chapters – Tabled to next Meeting.-Linda will distribute equally. Up to chapter president if they want to use them in a workshop for free or sell them for $3 at events. $3 was the cost Linda thought appropriate on the bookstore website.
14. Botany Bill – Tabled to next Meeting.-Denise will report on what she learned in DC, and we’ll discuss what we can do to move this forward.
15. Table until Summer – picking up box of things from Jan and Charlie to run board meetings
Adjourned at 8:30 pm. Next OC Meeting will be by phone on March 20th