Star Prairie Land Preservation Trust – November 3rd, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Suzanne’s in New Richmond

 

     The November Meeting of the SPLPT was called to order at 4 pm by President Beth Wood.   

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

     The September 8th, 2008 secretary report and treasurer’s report were approved as read. A monetary donation has been received from the Osceola School District for their education outing held on October 8th. Thank you notes will be sent to the District for their donation and also to the Schottlers for their recent conservation activities.

 

  1. Pete advised the group that Dan Davidson from River Falls has agreed to become a SPLPT Board member if his serving on the Board doesn’t constitute “Conflict of Interest” with his place of employment. Pete will also contact Paul Schottler to see if Paul would also be interested in serving on the board. An updated list of present SPLPT board members and their term expiration dates will be sent out.  
  2. The subject of Donor Recognition was tabled until the next meeting.
  3. The River Protection Grant was reviewed by Cheryl. The grant expires at the end of the year. Volunteer hours for educational purposes need to be documented to finalize the grant. Anyone who has unreported hours should provide them to Cheryl as soon as possible.
  4. The subjects of “Centralized Records” and the “Budget for 2009” were tabled until the next meeting.
  5. The Schottler property easement documentation has been finalized to everyone’s satisfaction. A monetary donation has been received by the SPLPT for their involvement. A spring outing, open to the public, may be planned to recognize their conservation efforts. Aleisha will conduct a baseline survey documentation of the property. The SPLPT will help in signage design on the property.
  6. The Boche property has been enrolled in the State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program to replace the present CRP program. The area has been burned and spot plantings will be performed next spring to bring the property up to the specifications needed. This is a 15 year program which will provide valuable habitat for wildlife.
  7. Ron reported on the present situation of ownership of the Horse Creek property. The Sessions will be contacted as to the present situation. The SPLPT is no longer involved in the ownership of this parcel but the group felt that we should contact the present owners and explore the possibility of protection of this environmentally important property. The proposed location of the new bait shop presently is outside the realm of our responsibility.
  8. A USF&WS grant has been obtained for the establishment of an oak savannah along the lakeshore ridge running parallel to Cedar Lake. Dan Cain will be doing the work on this project.
  9. The location of the gate to the McMurtrie property located off Highway M continues to be an issue. The adjacent landowner will be contacted to see if the gate can remain in its present location. If this is not acceptable, the gate may be moved to a different location further into the property. Going forward, a concerted effort will be made by the SPLPT to include all interested parties in activities occurring on the property.
  10. The prohibition of motor vehicles, including snowmobiles, to access Cedar Lake from Cedar Bay Landing is legally documented and this documentation will be made available to the board for inclusion into their notebooks.
  11. Warren Irle, a local resident, has contacted the board and wishes to make a monetary donation to the SPLPT in memory of his parents. He desires that the money be used in conservation projects in Stanton Township or surrounding areas.
  12. A review of the McMurtrie open preserve days was given. A December outing is planned.
  13. Cheryl has taken on the responsibility of finalizing the trail guides for use on the marked trails of the McMurtrie Preserve. An adult and child version of these guides is being considered along with perhaps summer and winter verbiage. A map will also be included. She will be working with “Printing Plus” to get the job done.
  14. SPLPT involvement as a potential partner concerning acquisition of Strand Lake and surround property and future USF&WS partnerships were briefly addressed.  

 

     The next scheduled meeting of the SPLPT is Monday, December 8th, starting at 4 pm at Suzanne’s in New Richmond. The second Monday of every other month was selected as potential meeting dates.

 

With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 5:20 pm.

 

                                  Respectfully Submitted - Mike Reiter - Recorder