Minutes of Regular Meeting
VANDERBURGH COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
(SWCD) Office, Evansville, Indiana
7:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Present:
SWCD Personnel:
David Ellison, Chairman (Absent)
Norma Duckworth (Absent)
Davie Sue Wallace Litov, Vice Chairman
Bonnie Bittner
Laura Lamb, Secretary
Maurice Berendes, Member
NRCS Personnel:
Wayne Fehd, Member
Darrell Rice
Kay Hoffherr, Associate Supervisor
Lindsay Martinez (Absent)
GUEST: Allen Purcell, Program Director, The Nature Conservancy, Region Office
Greg Meyer, Chairman, Eagle Slough Natural Area Steering Committee
Vice Chairman,
Davie Sue asked staff, members and guests to introduce themselves. Davie Sue
asked Greg and Allen to give their presentation on why they would like for the
board to help with the
funding for the signage at Eagle Slough Natural Area (ESNA). Greg Meyer
presented some of the
history of the district involvement with Eagle Slough Natural Area, the first
year the district acquired
the state parcels, Taylor Bros. donated the middle tracts to the district
through Four Rivers RC&D
for a tax write off, two clean up days (8 tons of trash), the path was
leveled/rocked, etc., the second
year infra-structure and some of the current Eagle Scout projects. The deck
design is finished and
the permitting process is in motion. The goal of the steering committee is for
birding groups, clubs,
schools, scouts, etc to use ESNA as an outdoor lab. The signs that we are here
tonight requesting
money will be for learning. Allen brought an example of the small signs that
will line the path and the
large one that will travel from schools, the museum, children’s museum, Old
National Bank, etc.
He explained the company they use to make the signs, the background of the
designer they are hiring,
how they are mounted and how they are pretty much vandal proof. The board agreed
the traveling
signs needed to be smaller and lighter than the example Allen brought. He agreed
to check that out
before the steering committee met on June 30th. Kay Hoffherr,
Associate Supervisor, Central High
School Environmental Teacher suggested they have curriculum for the teachers and
work sheets for
the students on the material that is on each of the signs. She volunteered to
put it together for high
schools. Eagle Slough Natural Area has a grant from Mead Johnson for $2500,
Audubon Society for
$620 and Greg asked the board to consider making up the difference up to $4,200.
Greg and Allen
thanked board and staff for their time and consideration.
The minutes of the May meeting were mailed to each member prior to the meeting.
A motion was made by Laura Lamb to approve the minutes of the
May, 2009
meeting, seconded by Maurice Berendes, and carried.
Davie Sue asked the
Treasurer to read the June financial report, which showed a previous balance
on 5-01-09 of $46,127.36, Receipts, $1,743.76, Debits $442.50
and balance as of 5-31-09 $47,428.62
A motion was made by Maurice Berendes, seconded by Wayne Fehd,
and carried,
to approve the treasurer’s report as presented.
The following
claims were submitted for Supervisors’ approval:
W4443 Great Mid-Western Publishing
Co., Inc. (Plat Books)
$442.50
W4446 Marvin Zwahlen, Jr. (Contract Work CWI 2009 Grant)
$2,080.00
NOTE: the Auditor paid the
following claims
Smith & Butterfield (3 boxes
copy paper)
$99.00
AT&T Mobility (Cell Phone)
$16.60
Bonnie Bittner (Mileage)
$26.00
Norma Duckworth (Hotel/Mileage)
$228.59
Pulse Computer Systems, Inc. (Aerial Photos DVDs/Scan Eagle Slough)
$90.00
Office Depot (Office Supplies)
$174.70
Kwik Kopy (Lamination/24 pieces)
$26.16
Maurice Berendes reviewed the claims stating he recommends the claims be approved.
Maurice Berendes made a motion to approve the claims,
seconded by Wayne Fehd, and carried.
OLD BUSINESS
Natural Resource Committee –
David Ellison, Chairperson
We have two new Lake and River
Enhancement applications (Richard Litov, 101 Ft. of Stream
Bank Protection and Ted Elpers, Erosion Control Structures) that were passed for
signature.
The SWCD Tillage
Plot on Stahl Bros. is on schedule. The Quad County Tillage Day will be held
on the Stahl Farm on July 30, 2009 starting at 9:00 a.m. We have speakers from
the National No-Till
Conference held in Indianapolis in January 2009. Wayne Fehd
reported Daylight Farm Supply will
sponsor the Tillage Day with $600.
The Indiana
Conservation Tillage Transect is done every other year and 2009 is the year. It
will be
conducted next week. Darrell explained the process. They monitor 400 points in
Vanderburgh
County just for information to show what the trends are what we need to do to
promote conservation.
Equipment Companies also use the information.
BUSINESS PLAN
Priority Actions for 2009:
Land Use Committee
– Wayne Fehd, Chairperson
Davie Sue tabled the Camp Reveal
Project
The Oaklyn Project was tabled.
The CWI Howell
Wetland Grant Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) part of the project is
finished and paid. They are working on a fall burn now.
Maurice Berendes
reported he repaired the entrance gate lock at Eagle Slough after someone
cut the chain. He explained what he did to repair it with a substantial chain
that would be difficult to
cut. The entrance sign verbiage letting the public know what to do if they
discovered anyone shooting
or doing vandalism in Eagle Slough Natural Area was discussed. Members also
discussed the points
presented by our guest and the changes they require.
Laura Lamb made a motion to fund The Nature Conservancy Signs up to
$4,200 for
the Eagle Slough Natural Area, seconded by Wayne Fehd andcarried.
Dr. Summers sent an
e-mail saying he could not make the meeting tonight due to some health issues.
He will have a bound copy to Elissa Bakker the first of next week and she will
see that we get a copy.
He is still willing to come to a board meeting to give a presentation on the
report.
Davie Sue asked
members to refer to copies in their packets for the quarterly report sent in for
the
Clean Water Indiana 2009 Sediment and Nutrient Management Grant.
The University of Evansville Soils Project in area wetlands was tabled.
The maintenance man at Jacobs Village called the office to check on what the different programs pay.
Education Outreach
Committee – Laura Lamb, Chairperson
Davie Sue reported she and Bonnie
went to a meeting at Mesker Zoo to talk about a press release
for the Rain Garden Project the district is financing. They met with Paul
Bousman, Botanical Curator,
three people from University of Southern Indiana, the Zoo marketing person and a
Zoological member.
The installation will be Thursday, June 25, 2009 starting at 9:00 a.m. Zoo
personnel will do the ground
work and students from USI will do the planting. Norma will have a Rain Garden
Display and handout.
Paul had a gray cement heron statue made for the rain garden. Dr. Drew,
Professor at USI is building
a model to show the students the concept of a rain garden.
The Backyard
Conservation Project is being worked on for roll out when we have the ribbon
cutting
ceremony for the Mesker Zoo Rain Garden. Davie Sue talked with Extension
Educator, Larry Caplan,
who agreed for the Master Gardener’s to check the sites and get volunteer credit
hours.
District Operations
Committee – Maurice Berendes, Chairperson
Commissioners meeting
last week.
Bonnie reported the
Blazer is back and Vic’s Garage will send a bill. Vic feels the radio was
causing
the blazer’s battery to go down; he unplugged the radio.
concerning possibility speaking at the district Annual Meeting. He did not
return a call. Bonnie was
directed to e-mail Ann Hazlett’s office to confirm her as Annual Meeting speaker
in February 2010.
Bonnie reported all
the SWOT forms have been turned in and she has them all combined on one form.
Ken Eck is leaving his position the end of June so he will not be available to
facilitate our Business Plan.
Chris Lee, NRCS Tech Team Leader has volunteered to facilitate. Dates were
discussed for the first
meeting and August 17th to the 21st would work with August
18th being the number one date. Bonnie
will check with Chris.
NEW BUSINESS
Natural Resource Committee –
David Ellison, Chairperson
The Conservation Implementation
Team Workload Tracking sheets for Vanderburgh County
was tabled
Land Use Committee
– Wayne Fehd, Chairperson
The Smart Growth agenda item was
tabled because the last meeting was cancelled. A new date
has not been determined as yet.
Education Outreach
Committee – Lauren Preske, Chairperson
The Water Quality Specialist’s
packet was passed for member to review.
District Operations
Committee – Maurice Berendes, Chairperson
Davie Sue asked members to refer
to copies in their packets for an e-mail from the SWCD Foundation.
They have decided to disband and want districts to let them know where to direct
the funds they have in
the foundation. The Vanderburgh Co. SWCD as of April 30th has $1,239.77 in the
foundation. The district
received a $600 donation into the foundation from the
National Association of Conservation Districts for
the Carbon Sequestration project. Some funds were sent to the foundation from
the tree sale we did with
Woody Warehouse. The fund was started in July, 2000.
Davie Sue asked
members to refer to a copy in their packets for an e-mail from Rockford
Publishers
asking Bonnie to send a picture for the cover of our new plat book. After some
discussion consensus
was to put a map with a focus on Vanderburgh County if possible.
Davie Sue asked
members to refer to a copy in their packets of a letter from Jane Hardisty, on
the
Fiscal Year 2009 Rent Process.
Bonnie passed out
the Training Certificates to supervisors and staff for the Leadership Training
Conferences attended.
Maurice Berendes checked the petty cash and passed the report asking members to initial it.
Darrell reported he
has 4 applications for the Flood Plan Easement Program, 1 Wildlife Habitat
Incentive Program (WHIP), 14 Environmental Quality Incentive Programs (EQIP),
six of which are
tentatively pre-approved for funding. He asked anyone having a minority farmer
in mind, NRCS has
an Achievement Award.
The county employee time sheets were passed for review and board member signatures.
The July meeting
was set for July 28th and the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bonnie Bittner
Executive Assistant
Minutes approved on July 28, 2008 by:
David Ellison _________________________________________
Davie Sue Wallace Litov_________________________________
Laura Lamb___________________________________________
Maurice Berendes______________________________________
Wayne Fehd __________________________________________