Star Prairie Land Preservation Trust – January 17th, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Star Prairie Town Hall

 

     The January Meeting of the SPLPT was called to order at 7:05 pm by President Beth Wood.   

     Board members present were Pete Kling, Mike Reiter, Stuart Nelson, Trish Moberg, Ron Siler, Beth Wood and Consultant Cheryl Clemens.

     The October 2007 Secretary report was approved as read with one addendum. Board member Chris Polfus resigned and was replaced by Mike Kelly. Mike’s approval was confirmed by an e-mail unanimous vote of the Board following the October meeting.

The treasurer’s report was approved as submitted.

 

  1. The St. Croix Valley Land Protection grant status was reviewed. With the acceptance of modifications to the Conflict of Interest Policy and Notebook updates to include Board Expectations the grant is finalized. With the review of the procedure and policy modifications detailed to the satisfaction of the Board a motion was made seconded and approved by unanimous vote to accept the finalization status of the grant.
  2. The Schottler Property is a 162 acre parcel of land located northwest of Somerset in Somerset Township. The property is owned by Paul and Sherrill Schottler. They wish to obtain a conservation easement on their property to protect it from future subdivision and development and have worked with West Wisconsin Land Trust in the past to get this accomplished. They have now approached the SPLPT to continue in that direction. The SPLPT Property Acquisition and Management Committee has reviewed this request and has submitted a property evaluation form for this reason. Maps of the property were distributed and much discussion ensued. The Schottlers wish to settle on a simplified easement and have agreed to pay all costs to have this happen. The SPLPT will also receive a monetary donation for their involvement. Following a review of the “SPLPT’s Procedures for Selecting Properties” the Board unanimously approved further investigation into the Schottler property and appointed Pete Kling and Ron Siler as co-leads to continue forward.    
  3. Ron reported on the status of Archery Club Land negotiations. Concerns have been raised and stipulations will need to be agreed upon between both parties to get this finalized. Things look optimistic to get this project moving forward however.
  4. The McMurtrie land swap has been finalized and construction of the drive way and parking lot to the preserve off County highway M has been completed. Plans to install restroom facilities and to construct an open pavilion are being considered this spring along with a gate to secure the property.
  5. On August 15th through the 17th an “Order of the Arrow” Boy Scout weekend campout is being planned. Fifteen adults and 25 scouts will participate in this outing. Part of the weekend will include workdays to make physical improvements on the preserve.   
  6. Trish reminded that classes of students from the New Richmond High School Service Day will also be available to provide their help for trust projects and preserve improvements. The Service Day is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14th.
  7. Stu advised the Board that the Star Prairie Fish & Game Association has agreed to provide their services for the upkeep and maintenance of the Menke property. This will include mowing and any other work that need to be performed.
  8. Cheryl provided overview maps of the area of Polk and St Croix County that the SPLPT has chosen to include in its trust focus. With the software available local sites can be focused on and zoomed in to highlight points of interest. It will be a valuable tool for the trust.
  9. A Master Plan for the McMurtrie Preserve is being considered. This will provide a “road map” for the property into the future.
  10. Jim Reimer has volunteered his services to set up interpretive trails within McMurtrie Preserve. Sites have been identified and with Cheryl’s help this will become a reality in the spring. The local garden club and trust members will provide oversight and physical help for this project also.
  11. Cheryl took suggestions for the upcoming spring newsletter.  
  12. Aleisha will be setting up a schedule soon for classes to be held on the McMurtrie Preserve. Open days are also being considered. It was suggested that descriptions of the offerings be provided to the area schools and perhaps modules be considered to be offered as specialized courses. An example would be a longer session on macro-invertebrates.
  13. Cards and thank-you’s were passed around for board signatures.

 

With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm.

 

                                                        Respectfully Submitted

       

                                                        Mike Reiter - Recorder