Agenda: WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting 2019-10-20

Here’s the agenda for today’s WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting.

See also PDF.

If you’re going to dial in, the meeting will make a lot more sense with this agenda in front of you. If you’re coming to the physical meeting, there will be paper copies available.

Agenda

WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting

2:00-4:00 PM, Sunday, 20 October 2019

South Georgia Regional Library, 2906 Julia Dr, Valdosta, GA 31602

Dial-in Number: (712) 770-5505

Meeting ID: 855-676

https://wwals.net/?p=48840

https://www.facebook.com/events/2157102204370851/

Addition of Santa Fe River subbasin, WWALS Boomerang Paddle Race, Budget, water quality monitoring, water trails, BIG Little River Paddle Race, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, Alapaha Quest, outings, festivals, projects and programs, pipelines, LNG export, titanium mines, phosphate mines, Bill of Rights for Nature, and more.

Invited to attend: WWALS members, especially committee members, and the general public.

All WWALS Board Members are expected to attend in person or by telephone.

The more done on the board list, the less time we have to spend in this meeting.

[Banner]
WWALS Banner. Yes, we will be updating it again to insert Santa Fe before Suwannee.

Board Members:

  • John S. Quarterman (President, Chair of PR and Watershed Issues Committees, and Suwannee Riverkeeper®)*,
  • Tom Potter (Senior Vice President and Chair of Science Committee)*
  • Gretchen Quarterman (Treasurer, Chair of Membership, Finance, and Grant-Writing Committees, and Acting Executive Director)*
  • Garry Gentry (Secretary and Board delegate to Advisory Committee)*
  • Dan Phillips (Chair of Water Trails Committee)
  • Bobby McKenzie (Chair of Testing Committee)
  • Ronnie Thomas (Chair of Outings Committee)
  • Dave Hetzel (WWALS Ambassador and Chair of Advisory Committee)
  • Laura D’Alisera (Scribe of Songwriting Contest Committee)
  • Tom H. Johnson Jr. (Chair of Nominating Committee)

* Executive Committee

Committees: see also wwals.net/about/committees/ and Committee items below.

  • Eileen Box (Chair of Events Committee)
  • Scotti Jay (Chair of Subcommittee for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest)

Agenda:

  1. Call to Order including welcoming guests and explaining how this meeting is conducted (anyone can speak; only board members vote; try to stick to the topic at hand).
  2. Secretary
  1. Agenda Review: Additions and Changes
  2. Approve Minutes
  1. 14 July 2019 WWALS Annual Member Meeting
  2. 14 July 2019 WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting
  3. Vote: Record in minutes of this WWALS board meeting the Email votes by WWALS Board or Executive Committee since previous WWALS Quarterly Board Meetings (see Secretary Report).
  1. Next Meetings:
  1. 2 PM Sunday 12 January 2020  WWALS Quarterly Board meeting, SGR Library, Valdosta, GA. Vote only needed for changes (we already voted on this date via email).
  2. Later in the agenda, we will see also Outings Committee and Events Committee.
  1. Treasurer. See Treasurer Report. 
  1. See Financial Update Report
  2. Tom Potter and Shirley Kokidko are also bank signatories
  3. Paypal account change – nothing new.
  4. We need an assistant treasurer

  1. President. See President Report.
  2. Acting ED (business). See Report.
  1. Projects and Programs. I’m still thinking of a survey – first for board, then for members about priorities and projects. I’ve worked on this a bit. Nothing ready yet.
  2. We are close to being ready to reprint ARWT Brochure. Need $1330 to print 5000 or $1835 to print 10000.
  3. Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Brochure: Also near to ready to be printed. We have $500 from Valdosta-Lowndes Tourism towards the printing. $1330 for 5000 or $1835 for 10000.  
  4. We allocated $2000 for brochure printing. We need to come up with additional funds.
  5. We need all board members to sell (take donation for) at least 10 kayak raffle tickets each.
  1. Suwannee Riverkeeper (advocacy); see Report.
  1. Bill of Rights for Nature.  wwals.net/2019/10/10/a-bill-of-rights-for-nature/
  2. Waterkeeper Alliance approved formal addition of Santa Fe River Basin as Suwannee Riverkeeper territory (we’ve been doing the work for years).

  1. Committee items for discussion or vote are in agenda; see also appended reports.
  2. Advisory Committee: Chair Ambassador Dave Hetzel. See Report.
  1. Need additional Advisors.
  2. Meetings?
  3. Invitation letter for potential advisors (see Report).
  1. Nominating Committee: Chair Tom H. Johnson Jr.; see Report
  2. Membership Committee: Chair Gretchen Quarterman; see Report
  1. Measurable goals, new members.
  1. Finance Committee: Chair Gretchen Quarterman; see Report
  2. Grant-writing Committee: Chair Gretchen Quarterman; see Report
  1. Needs vote: resolution required in the pre-application:

The Board of Trustees of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc., an IRS 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit Georgia corporation, resolves to support a grant application to the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program (GOSP) for approximately $650,000 total (with 25% match from local governments, other sources, and in-kind) to purchase the private property between the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers at their Confluence, and to build a Troupville River Camp there, modeled on the ones on the Suwannee River, to promote eco-tourism, water quality testing, education, and recreation, including boating on the rivers from upstream in Georgia and downstream into Florida.

  1. Vote on new members.
  2. We need to apply for grants to get money.
  3. Would someone else like to chair this committee?
  1. Events Committee: Chair Eileen Box; see Report
  1. Review effectiveness of of local festivals (Azalea, Wild Azalea, Spring Reunion, Folk Life, etc.)
  2. Organize event, Natural History of the Suwannee River Basin, February 2020?
  1. Songwriting Contest Committee: Chair Scotti Jay; see Report.
  1. Tom H. Johnson Jr. will present final report, with assistance from committee Scribe Laura D’Alisera and committee Chair Scotti Jay, among others.
  2. Needs vote: Appoint new Committee, Chair, and scribe for 2020 Contest.

The 2019 committee proposes this motion:

Tom Johnson serve as the 2020 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest Committee Chairman, with Laura D’Alisera as Scribe. At a minimum, the following committee members be reappointed, with at least two additional members to be secured, from Florida, if possible. 2020 Committee Members: Tom Johnson, Chair, Eileen Box, John S. Quarterman, Scotti Jay, Sara Jones, Mary Catherine Pindar-Johnson, Laura D’Alisera.  

  1. Outings Committee: Chair Ronnie Thomas; see Report.
  1. Vote on additional Outings Committee members.
  2. WWALS Boomerang paddle race, State Line Boat Ramp, Sat. 26 Oct 2019 –Bobby McKenzie
  3. BIG Little River Paddle Race, Reed Bingham SP, Sat. 25 Apr 2020 –Bret Wagenhorst
  4. Regular Banks Lake Full Moon evening paddles –Shirley Kokidko
  5. Review Outings Checklist.
  6. 2018 Alapaha Quest to cover Alapaha River Water Trail in 10 or so outings.
  7. Scheduling regular monthly outings to cover other rivers.
  1. Public Relations Committee: Chair John S. Quarterman; see Report.
  1. Really need people sharing and inviting to events and sharing press releases.
  2. Newsletter (previously under Membership): please add to it before end of month.
  3. Could use more people doing PR.
  1. Watershed Issues Committee: Chair John S. Quarterman. See Issues Report.
  2. Testing Committee: Chair Bobby McKenzie; See Testing Committee Report.
  1. Vote on new Testing Committee members.
  2. Georgia testing training schedule.
  3. Get data into Georgia Adopt-A-Stream.
  4. Florida testing training needed again.
  1. Science Committee: Chair Tom Potter; See Science Committee Report.
  2. Trails Committee: Chair Dan Phillips; see Trails Committee Report
  1. Troupville River Camp. see Grants Committee.
  2. Idea for Georgia state park on the Alapaha River near Lakeland.
  3. Sent letter of support for Hamilton Tourism’s proposal for a Jennings Bluff Florida State Park project. (Dead River and sinks on Alapaha River).
  4. Brochures for both water trails ready to print. Could use more funds for printing; see E.D. report.
  5. Metal signs printed and planted for some boat ramps. Could use funding for more.
  1. How busy everybody is
  2. Executive Session if needed.
  3. Reconvene from Executive Session and vote on any resulting items.
  4. Adjourn

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!