Star Prairie Land Preservation Trust – January 12th, 2009 Meeting Minutes

Suzanna’s in New Richmond

 

     The January Meeting of the SPLPT was called to order at 4:15 pm by Vice-president Pete Kling.   

     Board members present were Pete Kling, Mike Reiter, Mike Kelly, Stu Nelson, Ron Siler, Beth Wood, Dan Davison, Consultant Cheryl Clemens and Aleisha Miller with well behaved daughter.

 

     The December 2008 treasurer’s report was approved as read while the secretary’s report was approved as disseminated via e-mail.

  

  1. Aleisha has been working on baseline documentation of the Schottler property with numerous photos taken which correspond to pertinent areas. A copy was reviewed with a duplicate copy provided. One will reside with the Trust while the other will be provided to the Schottlers. It was decided to workup baselines for our other owned easements including the Nelson Property easement. Aleisha will spearhead this effort.
  2. A draft 2009 budget was reviewed including actual expenditures for 2006-2008. The 2009 budget will be finalized at our next meeting.
  3. The SPLPT’s winter greeting cards were sent out prior to Christmas 2008 and elicited 40 membership renewals. Discussion was held on how to increase our membership enrollment and get more active participation in the trust. Personalized “thank you” cards will be sent to those making donations above the stated membership rate. A list of these donors will be tabulated and included in our future newsletters.
  4. The date for the Squaw Lake Stakeholder meeting has been set for February 5th at the Star Prairie Town Hall. Several issues will be addressed including easements and dredging possibilities.
  5. Pete reported that a workshop will be held on March 11th at WITC. It will address farm land preservation and be of interest to land trusts. Cheryl and Pete will decide if SPLPT could provide a presentation at this meeting. Beth and Mike Kelly also indicated an interest in attending.
  6. Records of the SPLPT are currently kept in a file cabinet at the Menke garage. Ron has volunteered a storage area at his business office to accommodate these files. Cheryl provided documentation of what needs to be saved and protected. Mike Kelly, Stu and Ron will meet to pull these documents together.
  7. Stu addressed the possibility of again nominating Jack Hayes for the Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Award. The SPLPT deferred to the Cedar Lake District to move on this effort resubmitting the documentation previously submitted with updated information. There is a January 29th deadline for this submission.
  8. Strategic planning for the SPLPT was last addressed in 2006 and should be performed again to bring things up to date. A special meeting to do this will be set in late April, perhaps at the Menke cabin, to update the plan. Cheryl also mentioned that small grant applications can be made to provide funds for needed projects.
  9. A January 20th meeting will be set by the property management team to get cost estimates on future improvements on the McMurtrie Preserve. It was also felt that we need to establish a time line on what we really need based on projected use of the property. Decisions on restrooms, electric service, sewer and water plus a pavilion need to be made based on actual use.  
  10. Warren Irle, an area resident, is interested in working with the SPLPT in setting up a conservation easement on his land. A meeting will be scheduled with him to set this process in motion. Future costs incurred by the SPLPT in these negotiations should be considered before any contracts are finalized.
  11. Cheryl has taken on the responsibility of finalizing the trail guides for use on the marked trails of the McMurtrie Preserve. She has been working with “Printing Plus” to complete this booklet which should be completed by our next meeting.  

 

     The next scheduled meeting of the SPLPT is Monday, March 9th, 2009 at Suzanna’s in New Richmond. The second Monday of every other month was selected as potential meeting dates. Meeting dates for 2009 include: May 11th, July 13th, September 14th and November 9th, 2009.  

 

With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 5:50 pm.

 

                                  Respectfully Submitted - Mike Reiter - Recorder