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

Minutes

July 11, 2007, 10:00 a.m.
Virginia Department of Forestry
Board Room, Charlottesville

Board of Trustees Members Present

• Agnes Anderson, Shenandoah River Basin
• Shelley Butler-Barlow, Lower James River Basin
• Kim Chiapetto, Roanoke River Basin
• Ed Davis, Upper TN/Holston River Basin
• Jim Garner, Piedmont James River Basin
• Jay Gilliam, Chair, Upper James River Basin
• David Larimer, Big Sandy River Basin
• Lee Stephens, Vice-Chair, York River Basin
• Bobby Wrenn, Blackwater/Chowan River Basin

Board of Trustees Members Absent

• The Honorable Robert S. Bloxom, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry
• Eleanor Brown, Eastern Shore River Basin
• Preston Bryant, Secretary of Natural Resources
• Roderic Slayton, Rappahannock River Basin

Advisory Group Members Present

• Nancy Bell, VMNH
• Bob Carter, VDHR
• Scott Johnson, VDACS

Guest

• Stacey Brown, VA Save Our Streams

Recorder of the Minutes

• Brenda Taylor, VDOF

Convene Meeting

Jay Gilliam, Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:09 a.m. and thanked everyone for attending.

Chair Gilliam expressed his appreciation to the Department of Forestry for their assistance and support and for the use of their facility for meetings. He stated that Ron Jenkins, Assistant State Forester, and Brenda Taylor, Administrative Staff Assistant, have been a tremendous help to the Foundation.

Chair Gilliam welcomed a new Board member, Bobby Wrenn, from "downtown" Emporia who represents the Blackwater/Chowan River Basin. Mr. Wrenn currently serves as Clerk of the Court for the City of Emporia and also has experience serving on the State Community College Board. Chair Gilliam stated that Mr. Wrenn brings valuable experience to the FVNR.

Everyone introduced themselves.

Scott Johnson announced that Todd Haymore has been appointed as Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Mr. Haymore is from Henrico County and currently serves as Corporate Director, External Affairs for the Universal Leaf Tobacco Company and Vice-President of the Universal Leaf Foundation. Born and raised in Danville, he is a graduate of George Washington High School, received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Richmond in 1991, and also earned an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004. Throughout the 1990's,
Mr. Haymore served as legislative intern for Virginia State Senator W. Onico Barker, assistant to U.S. Representative L. F. Payne, and communications director and legislative assistant.

Jim Garner briefly discussed the VDOF Central Office Building and how it was purposely built for energy conservation.

Changes and Adoption of Agenda

The following additions were made to the Agenda:

• Committee and Conference Call Minutes (Jim Garner)
• How to Handle Legal Advice (Jim Garner)
• GIS Presentation (Ed Davis)

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

Approval of Minutes

Shelley Butler-Barlow asked that a correction be made to the April 6, 2007, minutes as follows: Change "Carol" Williams to "Tara" Williams (Page 2, second paragraph).

With a motion from Lee Stephens and a second from Agnes Anderson, the April 6, 2007, Minutes were approved as amended.

Financial Report

Brenda Taylor reported that donations to the Trust Fund have totaled $9,458.50 which includes $2,000.00 transferred from DEQ earmarked for teacher scholarships for attendance at the NAAEE conference. Expenses paid from the Trust Fund total $2,316.54 which leaves a balance of $7,141.96. The balance of funds that can be used for Board members' travel expenses from VDOF is $2,619.31. [A list of donors is available for review on FVNR's web site, and expenses upon request.] Chair Gilliam asked that a total of "unrestricted" donations and "earmarked" donations be reported separately at future Board meetings.

Committee and Conference Call Minutes

Jim Garner expressed the importance of open communication within the Board of Trustees. He stated that minutes of committee telephone conferences and meetings should be sent to all Board Members and posted on the FVNR web site. Then Board members would be kept informed and could communicate any concerns to the committee and resolve issues and/or miscommunications accordingly. Chair Gilliam stated that this would be made a standard operating procedure, and copies of the Bylaws Committee teleconference notes would be copied and distributed today.

How to Handle Legal Advice

Jim Garner cautioned the Board that correspondence marked "Attorney-Client Privileged" from the Office of the Attorney General, such as the OAG opinion on proposed Bylaws for FVNR, should not go beyond any appointed Board member. Chair Gilliam stated that he did ask permission before distributing the OAG document to the Bylaws Committee which includes an advisory group member, and he would be careful in the future with such documents. Chair Gilliam expressed confidence in Roger Chaffe, Senior Assistant Attorney General, who has vast experience in Conflict of Interest and Freedom of Information Act regulations and has responded promptly to requests from FVNR.

Activity Reports

Jay Gilliam

• He contacted the Communications Department of Mary Baldwin College who reinforced the need for a marketing and public recognition program for FVNR when soliciting sponsors. Suggestions were made to also contact the Communications Departments at James Madison University and Emory and Henry College and use the State college system as a resource to get the message out about what we do, how we do it and who is helping us.
• He sent a letter to Bob Denton thanking him for his service on the Board. Mr. Denton asked not to be reappointed and his term ended in June.
• He plans to send letters to all donors to the Trust Fund reiterating appreciation for their donations and giving them an update on past accomplishments and plans for the future.
• Reminder: A report is due to the General Assembly in January, 2008, including accomplishments within the last two years.
• He is working with Ann Regn and NAAEE on Conference in November. Chair Gilliam called attention to a letter he will use to solicit funds from potential donors. Board members are free to edit this letter for their use also.

David Larimer

• He is asked to make presentations to civic groups, organizations and events and always takes the opportunity to educate them about FVNR.
• He and his wife, who is a teacher, pass out brochures to spread the word about FVNR.

Ed Davis

• He has been recruiting philanthropists in his area and hopes to receive major donations.

Agnes Anderson

• She gave brochures to Chamber of Commerce who includes them in newcomer's packets.
• She talked to civic groups about FVNR.
• She talked to school board and local schools about outdoor classrooms. They expressed an interest in a tree identification project using signs to describe scientific and common names of trees on their nature trail. Mr. Garner referred her to VDOF field people who can help with this project.

Shelley Butler-Barlow

• She and Chair Gilliam met with Luck Stone Corporation Environmental Division who is looking for ways to enhance their image with communities using environmental projects. They have two levels of ways to make donations and are interested in the NAAEE scholarships for environmental educators. She will contact them again soon.
• She takes every opportunity to talk to friends and neighbors and passes out brochures.

Kim Chiapetto

• She held discussions with people in the Town of Floyd and passed out brochures.
• Two environmentally friendly lodges are to be built as well as a conference facility.
• Town folks are worried about their water problem (too many wells with new development). She asked for names of contacts that could help the Town of Floyd with their water concerns. Chair Gilliam suggested contacting DEQ who is developing water supply planning across the State and offered contact information for the person in charge of this program.

Jim Garner

• He served on Bylaws Committee.
• He plans to speak about FVNR at meetings of Board of Forestry and Virginia Loggers Association Board of Directors.
• He passes out brochures freely.

Lee Stephens

• He served on Bylaws Committee.
• He has been busy with conservation easements in his law practice.
• He plans to make a presentation regarding FVNR to a group of doctors at the Jewish Community Center in Richmond on September 28.
• He submitted his PowerPoint Program about FVNR to Board members for their use.

Chair Gilliam stated that he had received multiple complements on Mr. Stephens' presentation at the Science Museum. He will modify the web site to include Mr. Stephens PowerPoint presentation.

Chair Gilliam added that Governor Kaine's administration has an extremely high priority of protecting 400,000 acres of land primarily with conservation easements. Over half of this acreage has been protected at this time. Chair Gilliam hopes that FVNR can contribute to this process by supporting workshops to explain to the general public what conservation easements are.

Chair Gilliam announced that Eleanor Brown was sorry to be absent today because of a new project she has volunteered to Chair with Housing and Redevelopment in Hampton which is meeting today.

Review Draft Bylaws

Lee Stephens reviewed draft Bylaws developed by the Bylaws Committee (Chair Gilliam, Lee Stephens, Jim Garner, Eleanor Brown, and Scott Johnson) through teleconferencing sessions and emails.

Mr. Stephens explained that these bylaws are valuable as they explain how the Board will operate and will keep FVNR transparent in the eyes of the public. Governance issues have been provided by the General Assembly in § 10.1-2135 - 2139 of the Code of Virginia. Bylaws are not meant to be changed very often, and there may be a time when a policy manual will need to be developed.

The draft Bylaws were submitted to VDOF's contact at the Office of the Attorney General for review, and he made suggestions for changes.

Of Special Importance

• Article IV - Board of Trustees, Members - Section 5 states that "A member of the Board (other than ex officio) who fails to attend at least 50 percent of the Board meetings during the fiscal year, and whose absences are not the result of personal illness or other reasons acceptable to the Board, will result in the chair recommending to the Governor that the member be replaced. Such recommendation to the Governor shall have the support of the Board by a majority vote."
• Article VI - Committees - Section 2. Standing Committees - Grants Committee, the term "Advisory Group" was renamed "Advisory Task Force."

Using the Code of Virginia and OAG's opinion as a reference, revisions were made; and the document was finalized. Chair Gilliam stated that any proposed changes to the Bylaws will be made known to all Board members 10 days in advance of a Board meeting.

Update on Partnership with NAAEE

Chair Gilliam announced that he is working with Ann Regn, Virginia Office of Environmental Education, to send 100 environmental educators (teachers, State Park employees, SWCD technicians, graduate students or students involved with environmental education) to the NAAEE Annual Conference in Virginia Beach in November at a cost of $500 each to cover registration and travel expenses. Chair Gilliam distributed an email from Ms. Regn announcing pertinent events taking place that support environmental education in Virginia. Chair Gilliam and Ms. Regn are working with SWCD's and making contacts with local small to mid-size businesses, industries and civic groups that may be supportive of this program. Educators sent to the conference will be asked to make talks to local groups (i.e., Ruritans, Rotaries, Kiwanis, Lions) about what they learned and voice appreciation to the companies that supported their attendance at the conference.

Chair Gilliam called attention to a list that he developed of river basins and municipalities that exist within them. He will also soon provide Board members with contact information and school systems within their river basin so they can communicate with them. Since some Board members do not reside within the river basin they represent, he asked them to make contacts only within those they are familiar with or that they reside in; and other Board members can make contacts within river basins closer to their place of residence. A high priority is to report to the General Assembly in January that FVNR contributed to 100 environmental educators to attend the NAAEE Conference. Chair Gilliam asked that Board members reach out to potential sponsors within their river basins by the end of September.

Code of Ethics Development

Jim Garner stated that he was elected to the Board of Directors for the Alliance of the Chesapeake Bay (ACB) which is a multi-state and very large organization that provides grants to groups and programs. A significant amount of money is handled during the course of a year. Each Board member has to sign a Conflict of Interest statement which is not an issue for FVNR Board since the Secretary of the Commonwealth requires that Board members register a Conflict of Interest statement with them annually. The ACB also signs an agreement to abide by a Code of Ethics which could be used as a model for FVNR.

Mr. Garner suggested that the FVNR Board of Trustees develop a Code of Ethics and Accountability that the Board agrees to abide by and will be made public to prove that the Board is serious about the job the Governor has asked them to do.

Lee Stephens recommended that a section on grants also be added so that the Foundation will be "proactive" if any monetary issues should arise.

Ed Davis moved for Chair Gilliam to appoint an ad hoc committee to develop a Code of Ethics and Accountability. David Larimer seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Chair Gilliam has initiated FVNR membership with River Network who will provide a document that can also be used as a model for this process. He will forward this document to Board members when it is received.

Chair Gilliam asked Jim Garner to Chair the Committee, and he will appoint other committee members after speaking privately with Board members about time commitments. Chair Gilliam will also serve on this committee.

GIS Presentation

Chair Gilliam announced that Gary Kappesser, retiree from USFS, has volunteered to help the Board make their job easier and more effective through GIS technology (ESRI - Arc View software and Arc Explorer). Chair Gilliam has asked Mr. Kappesser to be a member of the Foundation's Advisory Task Force.

Ed Davis presented a program on GIS mapping using layers to indicate river basins, school districts, and State and local representatives/officials. Mr. Davis identified three audiences that would benefit from this technology if they can see themselves on a map:

1. FVNR Board of Trustees
2. Philanthropists (potential donors)
3. Potential Recipients (i.e., elementary schools)

Chair Gilliam stated that the potential is vast for this technology to help the Foundation carry out its mission. Stacey Brown added that other State agencies with GIS programs may be a resource for the Foundation, as well as some colleges that may be willing to take on this project. It was recommended that GIS specialists from State agencies meet to help FVNR develop this technology. Bob Carter offered to research Green Infrastructure as a possible resource. State agencies would get credit for their assistance. Lee Stephens recommended that maps be placed on FVNR's web site once they're developed. Chair Gilliam stated that this is exciting technology which the Board will continue to pursue.

Approval of Teleconference Notes of Bylaws Committee

Notes of teleconferences held by the Bylaws Committee on June 12 and 27, 2007, were distributed.

With a motion from Jim Garner and a second from Lee Stephens, the Notes of the June 27, 2007, teleconference of the Bylaws Committee were approved as written. [Approved by members of the Bylaws Committee only.]

David Larimer moved to ratify the Bylaws as amended today. Ed Davis seconded the motion. The motion passed and the Bylaws were adopted.

Citizen Monitoring in Virginia

Stacey Brown was hired by DEQ in 1998 as the first Coordinator of Citizen Monitoring in Virginia and is now Director of Virginia Save Our Streams (a State-wide program). Ms. Brown gave a presentation on volunteer water quality monitoring in Virginia. She distributed and reviewed a list of questions that people may have about this subject and gave answers to the questions.

Chair Gilliam raised the concern that data collected by citizen monitoring may be used in a regulatory fashion. The Board, when developing grant criteria for citizen monitoring, made the decision not to support any projects that would be used for regulatory purposes.

Ms. Brown encourages volunteer monitoring organizations to work collaboratively since they're all working towards a common goal. Chair Gilliam stressed the importance of farmers, industry and developers working together through design and education to improve water quality.

Ms. Brown circulated an article in the Outdoor Magazine about Chair Gilliam's service with Virginia Save Our Streams and citizen monitoring.

Election of Officers

Lee Stephens was re-elected Vice Chair of the Board at the spring meeting in April. Now that his second term began as of July 1, 2007, and since July Board meetings have been designated for election of officers, it was decided that Mr. Stephens should be reaffirmed as Vice Chair.

Ed Davis moved to re-elect Lee Stephens to Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. David Larimer seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Chair Gilliam asked for volunteers to serve as Treasurer. Since no one volunteered, Chair Gilliam stated that Eleanor Brown (not present) had expressed a willingness to serve as Treasurer of the Board of Trustees.

Ed Davis moved to elect Eleanor Brown as Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. Lee Stephens seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Legislation

Lee Stephens reminded the Board that discussion of legislative initiatives to request funds should not wait until the October meeting. Chair Gilliam stated that he has discussed with Ron Jenkins the process of requesting funds for the Foundation through the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.

Lee Stephens moved that the Executive Committee, and any other Board members who may be interested, be specifically charged with the authority to request funds. Ed Davis seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Chair Gilliam asked Jim Garner to be a part of the conversation with Ron Jenkins. David Larimer agreed to serve with the Executive Committee on this project.

Miscellaneous

Jim Garner circulated a new Tree Identification Book published by VDOF. (Thanks to Carl Garrison, State Forester, for providing copies of the book to Board members present.)

The next meeting of the Foundation for Virginia's Natural Resources Board of Trustees will be held on October 10, 2007, at the Virginia Department of Forestry Central Office, Charlottesville, Virginia. At that time, meeting dates will be scheduled for the Year 2008.

The meeting adjourned at 2:26 p.m.

NOTE: Tapes of Board meetings are on file in the Department of Forestry Central Office.

Last modified: Friday, 07-Mar-2008 19:13:37 UTC