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Welcome to the Virginia Department Of Forestry

Meeting of the Board Of Trustees of the
Foundation for Virginia's Natural Resources

Minutes

April 6, 2007, 10:00 a.m.
Virginia Department of Forestry
Board Room, Charlottesville

Board of Trustees Members Present

Advisory Group Members Present

Recorder of the Minutes

Convene Meeting

Jay Gilliam, Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:13 a.m. and welcomed everyone in attendance. Everyone introduced themselves.

Chair Gilliam expressed his appreciation to all Agency personnel who helped develop the draft grant criteria and operational procedures over the past three months: Ann Regn, Carol Heiser, Suzan Bulbulkaya, Suzie Gilley, Russ Baxter, Nancy Bell, Scott Johnson, Ron Jenkins, Catherine Slusser, Ellen Powell, and Brenda Taylor.

Adoption of Agenda

With a motion from Ed Davis and a second from Jim Garner, the Agenda was adopted as written.

Approval of Minutes

With a motion from Eleanor Brown and a second from Ed Davis, the January 15-16, 2007, Minutes were approved as written.

Financial Report

Brenda Taylor reported that the Trust Fund balance to date is $3,866.96 plus $2,000.00 transferred from DEQ earmarked for teacher scholarships for attendance at the NAAEE conference. [Donations to the Trust Fund have been received totaling $6,077.50 plus $6.00 interest which was recorded in FY 2006. This amount includes reimbursement from NAAEE for 1/2 of the exhibit expense at Environment Virginia 2007 in Lexington. Expenses from the Trust Fund have totaled $2,216.54.] A list of donors is available for review on FVNR's web site, and expenses upon request. The balance of funds that can be used for Board members' travel expenses from VDOF is $3,382.06.

Chair Gilliam reported that a donation was received from Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Clement of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as a direct result of Lee Stephens' presentation at the Science Museum in Richmond.

Activity Reports

Ed Davis stated that he has been actively practicing a "sales pitch" for FVNR in his part of the state. The book, Last Child in the Woods, has been helpful to him when talking with people about the Foundation and helping them understand the importance of getting young people involved in the outdoors.

Ann Regn announced that Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, will hold a breakout session entitled No Virginian Left Inside after his presentation at Environment Virginia including a reaction panel to discuss how to do a better job of connecting people with natural resources. The results will be shared and published on the web for those interested. She announced that EPA has sent word that the Environmental Grants Program which typically awards $50,000 - $100,000 to projects in Virginia is in danger of being cut this year. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Education Program has been cut by $2 million so there are no new projects being funded in Virginia, and all of the continuing projects have been cut anywhere from 40 to 75 percent. This renews Ms. Regn's appreciation for the future work of FVNR. Chair Gilliam reminded everyone that the concept for the Foundation came out of the cuts that were made when Virginia went through lean times in 2001 when there was no surplus at all and when programs had to be cut. Senator Hanger recognized the problem and began to look for a solution, and the Foundation is a way to support education.

Shelley Butler-Barlow announced that she attended a meeting of the Lower James River Watershed Roundtable on March 9 which is held in conjunction with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. In February, she gave a presentation about FVNR to the Possum Hollow Ruritan Club with 25 people in attendance which was very well received. She plans to meet with an AARP group this month to talk about FVNR. She spoke with Tara Williams from the local Soil and Water Conservation District about a booklet by Bowman Environmental that is watershed specific for school districts (4th graders) and ties in with SOL's. This program could also tie into the Foundation. She has been in touch with a Luck Stone representative who is the head of the environmental department and is interested in natural resources and agricultural education and wants to meet with Chair Gilliam and herself. Luck Stone has an environmental education focus group and is interested in working together on projects with the Foundation.

Eleanor Brown has purchased copies of Richard Louv's book to give as gifts. She attended a roundtable meeting which included local leaders in Accomack and representatives from Virginia Tech who spoke about sustainable development and how Eastern Shore can develop responsibly. She attended the first ever tax forum of the EU in Brussels which the topic was sustainable development and focused on carbon taxation. She has been active on the FVNR Advisory Task Force.

Secretary Robert Bloxom commended Chair Gilliam for his article in the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service publication at UVA. He stated that Chair Gilliam did a good job of laying out the crux of the Foundation and things to look forward to in the future. Programs continue on because of interest and a heartfelt desire to have them continue on. Several innovative steps have been taken over the past number of years to ensure the continuation of educational programs.

Brad Williams welcomed everyone to VDOF. He stated that VDOF now has a Conservation Education staff person who is working on plans to initiate and make a strong program for conservation education, specifically at New Kent Training Center and Conway Robinson State Forest which is on the list for funding from Congress. Jim Garner gave background information on the very valuable property known as Conway Robinson State Forest which is located at the intersection of Route 29 and I-66. Mr. Garner stated that plans have been drafted for a conservation education center at the Conway Robinson and suggested that Mr. Williams present the plans at a future Board meeting to see what DOF had envisioned for this State Forest. There may possibly be some federal funds available in the future to continue with this master plan. Mr. Williams stated that plans are also being discussed for innovative development on this State Forest to include a hotel and education center. Mr. Williams agreed to give a presentation on the Conway Robinson State Forest at the FVNR Board of Trustees summer meeting in July. Mr. Davis expressed the importance of filling the Board vacancy in the Potomac watershed which is where the Conway Robinson State Forest is located.

Chair Gilliam announced that Scott Johnson has attended all FVNR Advisory Task Force meetings and provided excellent input in developing grant criteria and operational procedures.

Jim Garner announced that he will attend the July meeting of the Board of Forestry to update them on progress with FVNR. Several BOF members have expressed interest in FVNR. Mr. Garner met with a loggers association last Friday, and he will be included on their next quarterly agenda to speak about FVNR. Mr. Garner stated that a new publication for Virginia' s forest landowners is looking for articles, and Chair Gilliam offered to condense his newsletter article to submit to the publication.

Lee Stephens expressed appreciation to Janet Muncy for the "proper" American chestnut leaf that was included in the FVNR logo on the new reprint of the brochure and that MeadWestvaco was recognized for their donation for printing the brochure. Mr. Stephens emphasized the importance of donors knowing where their money is being spent. He presented a PowerPoint program about FVNR and outdoor classrooms to the Science Museum of Virginia's Lunch Break Science Program on March 28 with 35-40 people in attendance. Mr. Stephens expressed a desire to expand the FVNR web site to add topics, provide a place for interested people to ask questions and voice issues, and provide a forum to discuss FVNR's educational mission.

Kim Chiapetto has been in touch with people involved in philanthropic efforts, plans to conduct a program at a women's group and meet with school board and board of supervisors members. Virginia Tech has a contact list of retired persons (a breakfast group) who are interested in conservation and education, and she plans to make a presentation to this group; Chair Gilliam offered his help if needed.

Ed Davis applauded Chair Gilliam for receiving the President's Volunteer Service Award in Mount Vernon, Virginia, on March 19, 2007, for being an active volunteer and leader in Virginia water monitoring for more than 15 years, working with Virginia Save Our Streams and the Foundation for Virginia's Natural Resources. The award was presented by EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. Chair Gilliam stated that this award is a reflection of the FVNR Board of Trustees and volunteers of soil and water conservation districts and water quality monitors, and he is grateful that David Paylor, Director of VDEQ, nominated him for this award.

Chair Gilliam reiterated his appreciation for agency help in developing FVNR's draft grant criteria and operating procedures.

Review of Initial Grant Criteria and Operational Procedures

Chair Gilliam called attention to meeting minutes (February 9, March 7 and March 28) of the FVNR Advisory Task Force included in Board members' packets. Chair Gilliam, Mr. Stephens, Ms. Brown and Ms. Regn explained and reviewed the draft grant criteria and operational procedures developed by the FVNR Advisory Task Force. Discussion ensued about terminology (non-regulatory vs. regulatory, citizen monitoring, environmental education vs. conservation education, and pollution prevention) and points assigned for scoring potential projects. Ms. Regn made revisions to the grant criteria documents and added links to other resources by direction of the Board.

These documents will be tweaked by the Board on an on-going basis as needed. Mr. Davis suggested that one person on the Board be designated as the collector of feedback for any problems identified throughout the year and make a report to the full Board once a year. Mr. Garner recommended that the agenda for that meeting be made public so that citizens may attend to express their views.

Board members and Advisors expressed their appreciation for Harry Gregori's (Environmental Solutions) feedback and for helping them understand the meaning of "pollution prevention."

The following policies were identified and could be included in the bylaws when developed:

Mr. Lee Stephens moved that the grant criteria, as edited today, be approved and incorporated by the Foundation. Ms. Shelley Butler-Barlow seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Mr. Garner applauded the Advisory Task Force for their impressive and quick development of these documents. Ms. Regn will send the final documents to the Board of Trustees for review before publishing them on line.

Discussion of Bylaws Development and Needs List

Chair Gilliam stated that the next task of the Board is to develop a set of bylaws and suggested that this could be accomplished by telephone, email, and meetings as necessary. The following Board members/Advisors volunteered to set on a committee to develop the bylaws: Lee Stephens, Jim Garner, Eleanor Brown and Scott Johnson.

Chair Gilliam distributed to the committee sample bylaws of other organizations. Some of the bylaws can be obtained from the legislation. Other samples of bylaws can be viewed online. He reminded the committee to comply with the state's Administrative Process Act and asked the committee to develop a draft for review before the July Board meeting.

Chair Gilliam identified a needs list in priority order that will be shared with potential donors (for unrestricted gifts or in-kind support) at Environment Virginia 2007 and at the 2008 General Assembly Session:

Chair Gilliam will contact members of other organizations for advice on forming a parallel non-profit status for FVNR and for assistance with web site development and maintenance. He will also consult with companies about advertising campaigns/techniques.

Chair Gilliam circulated information about the Foundation Center which is a clearinghouse of information about Foundations. Their associate's program, which costs $1,000 per year, offers lots of benefits; and they do research for their clients to help them get money. They also offer a database that costs $200 - $1,200 per year depending upon the services provided; the database lists opportunities for financial support. There is another database just for Virginia that costs less than the national database. Membership with the Foundation Center will be added to the FVNR needs list.

The FVNR banner, which was used at the State Fair, will be displayed at the shared FVNR/NAAEE exhibit at Environment Virginia along with a FVNR goals poster made by Stacy Brown of the Virginia Save Our Streams program. The new brochures will also be distributed.

Chair Gilliam stated that Richard Louv's presentation before lunch on Wednesday has generated lots of interest and that support for outdoor classrooms has resonated uniformly with the entire Board of Trustees. The Board agreed that its initial focus will be to support outdoor classrooms and experiential learning in Virginia, and they are prepared to seek support for this program.

New Business

Chair Gilliam presented a request to the Board from Stacy Brown of Virginia Save Our Streams to add a project to the Board's "menu" of potential activities that FVNR might solicit sponsorship. The suggested project, which would support citizen monitoring in the VSOS program, is the creation of a set of 70 illustrations of benthic organisms to be used in a myriad of ways in Virginia. Volunteer water quality monitors could use these in their monitoring work, and the illustrations would be equally important to educators throughout Virginia. An illustrator, who will reserve the copyright for the illustrations, has been found; and VSOS has an agreement with the illustrator, Donna Bennett, to produce these illustrations. Discussion ensued regarding fund-raising ideas as a result of this project. Ms. Stacy Brown asked whether a potential sponsor could make a donation of $1,000 to the Foundation to sponsor an illustration, running that donation through the Foundation instead of giving it directly to the VSOS program. This would be an opportunity for the Foundation to receive publicity and possibly receive a percentage of the donations. Ms. Eleanor Brown suggested that VSOS complete a project application form for consideration by the Board. Mr. Stephens recommended that, when the Board meets to consider this project, it should deliberate without Chair Gilliam in the room since he is involved with VSOS in accordance with FVNR's Conflict of Interest statement. Chair Gilliam will present this to potential donors at Environment Virginia as a project that the Foundation would probably support.

Elect/Re-Elect Vice Chair

Ed Davis motioned to nominate Lee Stephens as the Board's Vice Chair. Kim Chiapetto seconded the motion. The motion passed.

FVNR Brochure Revisions

Mr. Garner reviewed revisions to the brochure:

Mr. Garner recommended that Chair Gilliam send Janet Muncy a "thank you" note for finding the artwork for the chestnut leaf and getting permission to use it. The artist for the U. S. Forest Service was honored that the Foundation is using her work. Mr. Garner asked for revision suggestions before the next printing of the brochure. Ms. Muncy will send Board members a JPEG copy of the chestnut leaf for use on stationery, business cards, and advertising supplies.

Miscellaneous

The next meeting of the Foundation for Virginia's Natural Resources Board of Trustees will be held on July 11, 2007, at the Virginia Department of Forestry Central Office, Charlottesville, Virginia.

The meeting adjourned at 3:12 p.m.

Last modified: Friday, 07-Mar-2008 19:13:36 UTC