[Board of Directors Meeting and Retreat - February 16-17, 2007]

Greetings -- this meeting will be an exciting and important one.

This is our two-day retreat, so we'll have time for fun as well as work.  Saturday will the the usual board meeting.  We won't have a chapter support/issues session so that we can have a pre-run of the FNPS County resources presentation.  After the meeting, we'll have an oportunity to visit Catfish Creek Preserve State Park and an after-dinner bonfire.   Sunday morning we'll have a very important session updating our strategic plan. 

Most of you will remember our two-day retreat last year with pleasure.  You'll also like knowing that this site is much more comfortable -- no bunk beds in rustic cabins with noisy fans!

Sunday morning is important -- we have a strategic planning session planned.  We'll have a professional facilitator leading it and will be creating our future!

We all need to register.  Most of us will need accommodations.  All of us need to fill out the registration form whether or not we'll be staying on site.  The registration form is included with this posting as an attachment.

Committee chairs and officers should upload their reports as "replies" to this posting.

A draft agenda is attached.  Please let Shirley know of any additions.

Check back with this posting periodically to see committee reports, an updated agenda, and any relevant announcement.

Directions to the site are below.  You can get to a map by going to the society calendar (Member Services --> Society Coordination --> Calendar) in the main FNPS site.  The map link has also been e-mailed to you.

We'll look forward to seeing each of you.

[Backup materials for Agenda Items]

Treasurer:  2008 Budget - including 2007 actual

Business (old and new):
1.  Naturewise Request for Funding - doc file and map
2.  AFNN donation request
--- when considering these requests, please remember that the 2008 budget does not include these expenses -- please consider how we're going to earn the money to pay for them

3.  No Child Left Inside Coalition Invitation

4.  Invitation from Explorations Inc. for Belize trip and proposed promotional flyer.

[Re: Board of Directors Meeting and Retreat - February 16-17, 2007]

Re: Urban Forestry Grant - Contract Addendum to complete grant obligaiton.

FNPS received a grant late this fall from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under their Urban Forestry granting program to develop project presentations regarding the importance of urban forestry programs and objectives for Hendry, St. Lucie, Highlands, Hardee, Wakulla, Osceola, Liberty, Calhoun and Washington Counties, as well as the cities within those counties.  This will be accomplished by completing these tasks:

1. Present Florida cities and counties (through an PowerPoint presentation and follow up criteria) with education and resources, including but not limited to, promoting urban forestry principles, the benefits of native trees in urban areas and providing example urban forestry and conservation programs.

2. The importance of urban forestry and tree preservation in native plant communities within large scale urban planning processes will be assessed.

3. City and county governments which do not currently have an urban forestry program or preservation/conservation initiative considerations in their urban planning process will be targeted.

4. Review the processes that existing, successful city and county programs in other parts of the state have completed to meet the goals of stating and maintaining an urban forestry/preservation/conservation programs.

5. Encourage community groups to initiate and support urban forestry programs and preservation/conservation initiatives.

6. Formulate a program outline in which research is conduct to improve ways to maintain Florida native trees in an urban environment.

7. Educate on the benefits of becoming a Tree City USA participant and proper maintenance for urban tree long term survival.

Milestones:
By 12/31/07: identify the cities and counties within U.S. Congressional Districts 2,8,12 and 16 that lack urban forestry programs, tree/landscape ordinances and urban development native community preservation incentives that would benefit from individual education and resources.

By 3/31/08: Complete training program for other FNPS members and chapters throughout the state to increase effectiveness in reaching cities and counties that are in need of urban forestry pr€rams and tree planting/preservation initiatives

By 06/30/08: Complete PowerPoint presentation which will outline methods and processes to develop an urban forestry program and examples of successful preservation programs.

By 09/30/08: Of all cities and counties given the information and resources in the presentation, identity three (3) interested governments to assist with the development of a "road map" to an effective urban forestry/conservation program. provide guidance through the process of the action plan to produce a long term, viable urban forestry program and tree planting and conservation initiative.

We are very excited about this outreach opportunity and the chance to further the Society's mission to educate the public about the importance and aesthetic qualities of native plants in the landscape.

This was a 50:50 matching grant.  Because it fits so neatly with our mission, we decided to pursue this funding even though it is outside of the Executive Director's contract scope.  Our executive director has been able to fit the FNPS matching portion of the grant responsibilities into her weekly schedule, but she does not have room - given her other duties to FNPS - to complete this work under the terms of her contract with us.  Ms. Veaudry is a landscape architect and is eminently qualified to complete the scope of work detailed in the grant award. 

At this time we need to approve a contract addendum for the remaining term of this project in the amount of $6500 for our Executive Director contractor, Karina Veaudry, to complete the remaining part of the project.

[Communication Committee Report]

Cindy Liberton, Chair FNPS Communications, FNPS Webteam
Hernando Chapter, VP for Admin
[email protected] • cell 813-340-2719

CURRENT AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES:

Marketing:
•   Continue to publicize the Awards (e.g., Endowment awards, Landscape awards, Conservation Awards, Chapter Grants, and Palmetto Awards)
•   Put up new pages marketing for 2008 conference. Will populate in March
•   Accomplishments as we've got 'em. Write Press Releases on new Chapters and distribute.

Society Identity/Promotion
•   Design FNPS Displays for use at key events
- Marjorie Shropshire has agreed to design and manage production.
- Budget approved
- Text drafted; collecting photos
- Interim (mail-able) display for professional presentations completed.

Presentation Support
•   Templates for Powerpoints on-line. Big file; dial-up will need patience.
•   Assisting Karina in editing/refining powerpoint for presentations

Publications
•   Sabal Minor - E-News refined and streamlined; listserv distribution trouble-shooting completed; Opt-in to paper now policy
•   Key publications directory and bibliography; for web and print – still in the works
•   Need publications chair to head up article writing initiative for magazines and feature articles for media

Membership/Chapters
•   Revision of FAQs for Chapter Reps (one of our favorite documents) – still in the works
•   Gift membership certificate designed
•   Preparing Typical Chapter Year calendar at-a-glance to accompany handbook

Web
•   On-line membership close.
•   Redesign underway for policy page (sorry this is taking too long!).
•   Create "printable" layout for key areas – still pending
•   Create collection of Plant Profiles for Chapter Use – as time allows
•   Populate Newsletter Resource pages, Seek useful articles to share from Chapters.
•   The Listserv is upgraded, and process for updating membership is being successfully tested.
 
IMMEDIATE VOLUNTEER NEEDS:
1. Merchandise --Someone to take the lead on some promotionals, such as magnets, hats, etc. I'd like to see us do a FNPS calendar, too. However, it has to be somebody with the skills and expertise to actually conceptualize and take these products to the hoop with little direction.

2. Webteam member -- we could always use another geek. 

3. Publication chair: public relations and media relations writer/expert—Goal is write one press release per month to be distributed to major newspapers. We seek someone with a passion for this doing it on a routine basis. And someone who could write feature articles for us for distribution to newspapers and magazines.

4. Speaker's bureau -- the page is ready, we just need someone to take the lead.

REPORT ON RESEARCH ON “NO CHILD LEFT INSIDE”
The No Child Left Inside Coalition was formed to support the No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 recommended including environmental education in the reauthorization of the “No Child Left Behind” Act  in these ways:


•   Provide incentives for state educational agencies to create a State Environmental Literacy Plan  or integrating environmental education into their K-12 curriculum to ensure that raduates are environmentally literate.
•   Provide funding to help states, schools systems, and environmental education partners to implement the State Environmental Literacy Plan.

The bills that were proposed in congress, and their fate is as follows. These bill apparently died in committee, as no similar actions appear in the legislative agenda for this session.

1. H.R.3036 : To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding environmental education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Sarbanes, John P. [MD-3] (introduced 7/12/2007)      Cosponsors (39)
Committees: House Education and Labor
Latest Major Action: 7/12/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

2. S.1981 : A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding environmental education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Reed, Jack [RI] (introduced 8/2/2007)      Cosponsors (11)
Committees: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Major Action: 8/2/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

There has been discussion regarding the relationship between NCLI, which is under the auspices of US DOE and the National Environmental Education Act of 1990, which officially expired in 1996. A discussion of this relationship in uploaded in a separate document. The NEEA launched the environmental education efforts which can be reviewed at: http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/

Other Resources:

Where it all started, in Connecticut
www.nochildleftinside.org/

The impact of “No Child left Behind” on Environmental education
http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_sub_actioncenter_federal_nclb_done

September 2007 article
http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/09/26/outside/index.html?source=friend

Florida Site for Environmental Education
http://www.fldoe.org/bii/curriculum/environmental%5Fed/

List of all agencies providing environmental education
For example, http://www.eetap.org/

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN FNPS COMMUNICATIONS
A reminder on on-going Communication channels, and how you can contribute:
•   Sabal Minor, Rosalind Rowe editor, ([email protected]). Deadlines the 15th of the Odd Months - we're looking for "best practices" from Chapters, profiles of great contributors throughout the state, and anything else that Rosalind want. This is an easy one; we all do great things!
•   Palmetto, Marjorie Shropshire editor ([email protected]), Deadlines in Feb, June, August, November – see Marjorie’s notice in the Forums
•   Factsheets, PSAs, Press Releases, Issue Briefs and Position Papers, Cindy Liberton, Chair, Communications ([email protected]) and Karina Veaudry ([email protected])
•   Webwork of all Flavors, Paul Rebmann ([email protected]), Cindy Liberton ([email protected])

[By Laws Changes - Working Draft for Review]

Attached is the most current working draft of proposed by laws changes.  We will have a side session of ExComm members and any BOD members who want to participate to go over and refine these.  If we get them to clean, they will be published and brought to the membership for a vote in May.

The changes focus on modernizing the by laws to allow for such modern concepts as e-mail communications.

Thank Bob Egolf for compiling these from all the suggested changes.

[VP Admin report]

Per BOD direction in November I moved forward with our contracts.  I met with the lawyer who reviewed our draft contract language.  You will recall that this language was originally drafted by an independent contrator to cover contractor's relationships with clients.  Our lawyer, working pro bono, reviewed this language with regard to how it protected FNPS.  Her recommended changes to the language were minor and clarification-based, so I moved forward to finalize the pending contracts.  I have approved the contract with Just Cause Media (Cammie) to provide our administrative services for the next two years.  I sent a draft to Visual Key Creative (Marjorie) regarding the Palmetto for review, approval and signature.  Marjorie is having an attorney review it just to be fully comfortable with this significant change in the way we handle our contracts.  Assuming her attorney sees nothing, or only minor things, to change, I will approve that contract for continuing services on the Palmetto.  If she wants significant changes to the contract provisions, I will bring that to the BOD at the Annual Meeting in May.

In November the BOD approved the Joslin & Hershkowitz letter of engagement for accounting services, which I have finalized.

We also decided at the November BOD to engage Sue Mullins (Vanguard Partnership) as our lobbyist for the upcoming legislative session.  I have approved her letter of engagement as well and authorized her to work before the legislature on our behalf.  Her fees were less than we had anticipated and approved, which leaves some room for special and additional lobbying effort on her part if that becomes necessary.

As a final matter, I will update the Native Florida Consulting, Inc. (Karina) Executive Director contract to comply with the new standard contractual agreement.  This will not change her scope of work and fees at all, it will "upgrade" and clarify the legal protections for FNPS. 

Respectfully submitted,
Ann Redmond
VP Admin