[Board of Directors Meeting November 13, 2010 - Agenda]

Please see attached for agenda

[Science Committee Report]

Science Committee Report attached.

[Treasurer's Report]

The Treasurer's Report and the Final 2011 Budget to be reviewed and approved at the BOD meeting are attached.

[Finance Committee Report]

Finance Committee Report & Attachments:  Daphne Lambright will be my proxy as I unfortunately will be absent.  I'll miss seeing you guys.

[Public Lands Management Committee Report]

Attached.

[Communications Committee Report]

please see attached for Comm Report

[Education and Outreach Committee Report- November 13, 2010]

See attached. I also included committee contact info. I will not be able to attend the meeting as I will be a plant vendor at the Native Plant Appreciation event in Daytona.

[Past President and Chair of Policy Report]

Creation of committees to develop an action plan for the next Summit of Southeastern Native Plant Societies is progressing.  A deadline of December 31, 2010 will be established for finalization of committees assignments to allow time for drafting of the action plan to be completed prior to the July Summit at the Cullowhee Conference.  Florida representatives include: Steve Woodmansee, who will chair the committee addressing protections for endangered plant species; Greg Jubinsky, who will represent FNPS on the committee addressing inter-jurisdictional coordination to control invasive species; and Gene Kelly, who will chair and represent FNPS on the committee addressing conservation of habitat for plants.

Lobbyist Sue Mullins has agreed to serve as liaison between FNPS and the Florida Dept of Agriculture to help FNPS introduce the new Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam, to the FNPS mission and establish a basis for coordination on issues relevant to FNPS.  We wish to make initial overtures before the new Commissioner's term officially begins.  It is anticipated that biofuels will become an increasingly prominent issue in Florida.

[President's Report]

The President's Report is attached here.   

See you all Friday evening at the FFA center - and/or Sat at the BOD.

[Membership Committee Report]

As of the October reports, we have 2974 memberships with at least 3570 members including additional members of households and excluding library subscriptions to the Palmetto.

Membership Breakdown by Category
Business 80
Contributing 78
Donor 10
Family or household 617
Individual 1952
Library subscription 23 (not actually members)
Life 11
Not for profit 35
Student 91
Supporting 77

By chapter …
At Large (no Chapter) 19
Citrus 73
Coccoloba 121
Cocoplum 63
Conradina 79
Coontie 52
Cuplet Fern 82
Dade 269
Eugenia 43
Heartland 43
Hernando 53
Ixia 72
Lake Beautyberry 65
Lakela's Mint 27
Live Oak 4 (mythical)
Longleaf Pine 30
Lyonia 36
Magnolia 155
Mangrove 60
Marion Big Scrub 39
Naples 65
Nature Coast 72
Palm Beach 154
Pawpaw 74
Paynes Prairie 322 (largest)
   Pine Lily 28
Pinellas 236
Pineywoods 33
Sarracenia 34
Sea Oats 54
Sea Rocket 59
Serenoa 116
South Ridge 10 (mythical)
Sumter 25
Suncoast 143
Sweet Bay 28
Tarflower 126
Univ. Of Central Florida 10 (smallest real chapter)

Since the last BOD meeting, we have discussed ways of increasing membership.  I sent one e-mail to chapter presidents with “best practices” for inviting people to join and making members feel welcome (attached).  I received one response (from Pinellas). Cammie sent a letter to the people who receive the membership lists … this particular letter gives them a heads-up that there will be an Annual Fund Drive that will begin soon.

The membership committee consists of 1) one member from each chapter who receives the membership lists from Administrative Services and who may or may not actually be responsible for membership retention and recruitment and 2) people who have participated in the membership meetings at the annual conference.  There were 10 people at this meeting in May.  There is overlap.  A list of committee members was provided to Ann Redmond and a variant without phone and email is attached here.

Helpful Suggestions

From Cammie: Put a listing of business members on the website somewhere. There can be a disclaimer that FNPS doesn't necessarily endorse these businesses, but does appreciate their support and encourage visitors to explore their products and services blah blah blah. 

From Cammie: Modify the logo policy to allow business members to present the FNPS logo, modified with a "Proud Member of" tagline.

From several:  Acknowledge people with “higher level” memberships in the Sabal minor or Palmetto

Use social media for recruitment (several):  MeetUp.com has come up as being effective for the Florida Trail Association and it is clear that some of our members are using it for other activities.  If used, it needs someone to be responsible (needs to be kept current) and needs to be local.  The has to be recognition that this does not replace joining FNPS.

[Re: Conservation Committee]

Please see attached Report.  Thank you.