Meeting Minutes

Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative (MoBCI)

Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting

August 18, 2012

Peachtree Catering and Banquet Center, Columbia, MO

Note: These minutes have not been approved by the General Assembly.  They will be on the agenda for the 2013 General Assembly Meeting for a vote.

 The MoBCI General Assembly met August  18, 2012, in conjunction with the 10th Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Conference held in 2012 at the Peachtree Catering and Banquet Center, Columbia, Missouri (August 17-18, 2012). The theme for the Conference was “This Land is Your Land; This Land is My Land: The importance of private land management and the development of a strong land ethic.”

Highlights and actions of the General Assembly meeting are summarized below.

  1. Welcome and Opening Remarks

Charley Burwick, MoBCI Steering Committee Chair, opened the meeting. After welcoming the attendees he expressed his appreciation to Kelly Srigley Werner and Gene Gardner for their service as chair of the grant subcommittee and secretary, respectively, over the last several years. He also made reference to the content of the MoBCI newsletter (which was distributed as the registration table) and its content of the organization’s accomplishments. Charley encouraged all attendees to pay attention to conservation alerts that come out from various environmental organizations (especially ones from The Conservation Federation of Missouri). We need to sign petitions, educate elected officials and at times lobby to maintain the federal funding from the State Wildlife Grant program that comes to Missouri and supports the MoBCI grant program.

  1. Call to Order for the General Assembly Meeting
  2. The meeting was called to order by the Chair.
  3. A roll call of member organizations in attendance was not done this year. MoBCI does continue to consist of 62 partnering organizations. Attendees, and their respective organizations, who were registered for this meeting are attached.
  4. Minutes from the 2011 MoBCI General Assembly were distributed. A motion for approval of the minutes was made, seconded and passed.
  5. Charley recognized John Burk as the Conference Chair and thanked him for his service and John, in turn, recognized his committee members and thanked them.
  6. Financial Report:
  •  MoBCI Foundation Treasurer Jerry Wade distributed a financial statement. (See pages 3-4.)
  • Jerry prefaced his discussion of the handout by reminding attendees that the MoBCI Foundation is a non-profit organization, one without members, who handles non-project dollars for MoBCI. Basically, this financial work involves the costs associated with the annual conference, the maintenance of the MoBCI web site, and MoBCI having a mailbox at the local UPS Store. Since the MoBCI Foundation has no source of income except for the annual conference (which is a money losing operation so more can afford to attend) and the silent auction held at the annual conference, Jerry encouraged those in attendance to generously bid on items donated to the silent auction.
  • A motion was made, seconded and passed to accept the treasurer’s report prepared by Jerry Wade.

7.  Changes in Steering Committee Representatives

  • The following resignations from the MoBCI Steering Committee were accepted with regret and appreciation: Gene Gardner (MDC), Mike Currier (DNR) effective on his retirement from employment, Tony Robyn (Audubon Missouri) and Frank Oberle (Missouri Native Seed Association).
  • The following MoBCI Steering Committee members were re-appointed for a new two year term of service (2012-2014): John Burk (National Wild Turkey Federation), Charles Burwick (Greater Ozarks Audubon Society and Audubon Missouri), Ted Cooper (Quail & Upland Wildlife Federation), Susan Hazelwood (Audubon Society of Missouri), Doug Ladd (The Nature Conservancy), Wayne Morton (MO Chapter, North American Grouse Partnership), Steve Mowry (Missouri Prairie Foundation), Kelly Srigley Werner (US Fish and Wildlife Service). Debra Lee (Conservation Federation of Missouri) was confirmed as a new member after filling in for Amy Buechler since Amy’s departure from CFM.

8.  Chair Burwick opened the floor for additional nominations to the Steering Committee. Volunteers included Jennifer Battson (MDC) and Theresa Davidson (US Forest Service). They were welcomed with enthusiasm.

9.  General Assembly meeting adjourned at 8:34 am.

Respectfully Submitted,

Susan Hazelwood, Secretary (2012)

 

Minutes of the MoBCI General Assembly
August 20, 2011
Days Inn, Columbia, MO

The MoBCI General Assembly met August 20, 2011, in conjunction with the 9th Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Conference held at the Peachtree Catering and Banquet Center, Columbia, Missouri (August 19-20, 2011). The theme for the Conference was “Bird Habitat: Does A River Run Through It?”

Highlights/actions of the General Assembly are summarized below.

1. Welcome and Opening Remarks                                                                                           Charlie Burwick, MoBCI Steering Committee Chair, opened the meeting. After welcoming the group and conducting some housekeeping, he gave some highlights about MoBCI activities over the past year. With the Conference theme being centered around water, Charlie talked about water quality and quantity and human issues regarding this precious resource. He also mentioned the trying times of decreasing federal funding through the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Federal FY11 budget, but said the Missouri Teaming With Wildlife coalition played an important part of getting at least some funding. In recognition that the MoBCI grant program receives its funding from SWG, he said MoBCI will continue strong and will rise to meet the challenge. He then recognized the MoBCI Steering Committee for their service the past year.

Chair Burwick also reported that again, in 2011, several members of the MoBCI Steering Committee convened with First Lady Georganne Wheeler Nixon to deliver the Governor’s Proclamation declaring May 14, 2011, as Bird Conservation Day in Missouri. This year’s proclamation focused on the wood duck and the prothonotary warbler.

2. Roll Call of Member Organizations by Chair.

a. The roll call of organizations indicated that 23 of the 62 organizations that make up the MoBCI partnership were present at the General Assembly meeting. Several new organizations joined MoBCI during 2011.
b. Charlie also recognized John Burk as the Conference Chair and his conference committee members and John, in turn, also recognized his members and thanked them.

3. Minutes of 2009 General Assembly Meeting.

a. MoBCI Secretary Gene Gardner prepared minutes of the August 28, 2010 General Assembly meeting and made them available for review. The 2010 minutes were approved with one minor revision noted.

4. Financial Report.

a. MoBCI Foundation Treasurer Jerry Wade gave a verbal financial statement. The Foundation had about $4,000 in checking prior to Conference expenditures. He also mentioned potential income from Conference registration.
b. Jerry commented that it takes about $500-600/yr expenses for MoBCI operation.
c. Chair Burwick accepted a motion to approve the MoBCI Foundation Treasurer’s report, which was seconded and passed by the General Assembly.

5. Election of Steering Committee Representatives

Chair Charlie Burwick presented a slate of candidates that had agreed to continue serving on the MoBCI Steering Committee as their organizations’ representative. A list of the following candidates was read by Charlie, including Amy Buechler (CFM), Denny Donnell (Columbia Audubon Soc.), Gene Gardner (MDC),Dave Graber (DU), Steve Heying (Missouri Falconers Assoc.), Alan Leary (MoDOT), and Linda Tossing (St. Louis Audubon Soc.). Chair Burwick then opened up the floor for additional nominations. Hearing none, a motion was made and seconded to adopt the slate of nominations as read (above names) and it was unanimously approved.

6. Old Business

a. Chair Burwick recognized the MoBCI subcommittees for their service the past year and gave the subcommittee chairs an opportunity to speak.
b. MoBCI Grants Subcommittee Chair Kelly Srigley Werner announced that $82,700 in MoBCI Grant Program funds, provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation, the USFWS Private Lands Program, NWTF, and some donations had been awarded to six (6) grantees through approvals from the MoBCI Steering Committee. Originally, $112,200 in grant funds were awarded to eight (8) projects, but due to reduced allocations to Missouri from the SWG Federal FY2011 budget, and some grantees cancelling their projects, MoBCI was unable to fund an additional $90,000 of on-the ground habitat restoration projects that were proposed.
c. Membership – Gene Gardner briefly mentioned that the addition of two more partners during the MoBCI Conference put the number of organizations that belonged to MoBCI at 62 partners.
d. Conference committee – John Burk made mention only of the silent auction

7. New Business.
Amy Buechler reported that she was working with Mike Currier and Susan Hazelwood to revamp the MoBCI website to make it easier to make changes and be more dynamic. In the coming months, they will be updating projects and other information and she welcomed any suggestions that people might have to put things on the website.

8. General Assembly Meeting Adjourned.

A motion to adjourn was approved by members present.

Respectfully Submitted,
Gene Gardner, Secretary (2007-2012)