Board of Directors Meeting
January 31, 2007
Members in attendance: Paul Prentiss, Bob Bush, Tom Finley, Mark Riley, Mike Malec, Dave Clark, Adam Armold, Al Permut, Bill Leuchten, Tony Fernandez, Brian Ross
Members absent: Terry Escamilla, Graham Carlson, Larry Quilling
Guests: Tom Curtis, Paul Hempel, Tyler Bowman
Call To Order: 6:06 pm by President, Paul Prentiss located at ERA Tradewinds Realty office conference room, 4999 Pearl Circle, Boulder, CO.
I. FYI
1. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS AGENDA ARE SOME OF THE WRITTEN RESPONSES WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE SURVEY SENT OUT AS A PART OF REEL NEWS…. I would appreciate if one member of the BOD would step forward to tabulate the results they are in. As agreed, this will go out a second time under a separate cover letter in a week or two.
These responses are deleted from the minutes in the interest of brevity due to the comprehensive coverage in the minutes of other topics.
2. Waiver Agreement
At Al’s request the following sentence has been added:
The undersigned acknowledges that the above mentioned activity is being offered by the Boulder Flycasters, a non profit organization and a donor member, associate, or friend of the organization who is not offering professional or licensed services.
Note: This was formulated by me and not by our attorney.
3. Please welcome John Roach to TU. John will be the Colorado Water Project’s new aquatics specialist, taking over for Andrew Todd. John recently completed his PhD in biology at Arizona State University and has a wealth of experience in aquatic ecology. His bio is attached.
Drew Peternell,
Director
Trout Unlimited Colorado Water Project
1320 Pearl Street, Suite 320
Boulder, Colorado 80302
Phone: (303) 440-2937
4. To William Goldrick from Larry Quilling – 1/29/07
The primary reason for calling together this committee is to formulate a plan to share with the Boulder City Council asking for their actions & support of the objectives outlined in our plan. Attached is a presentation we made to the Water Resources Advisory Board in August, our plan will incorporate many of the points highlighted in the presentation. The volunteer help we need is to create the plan mission statement and talking points that will focus our objectives for the City Council and the public.
We must have a concise and consistent message that will reflect the actions we want the Council to direct. It is important we relate our requests to the Council in a manner that prompts them to direct City staff to study & complete projects we recommend. The intention of our meeting Thursday will be to work on these materials.
Please review the attached WRAB materials and let me know if you have any suggestions.
Thank you,
Larry V. Quilling
720-684-3277
(See attached file: WRAB Summary_08-21-06c1.ppt)
(See attached file:
WRAB_Exec-Summary-SBC.doc)
(See attached file:
2004SBCInstreamFlowReport.pdf)
(See attached file: South Boulder Creek copy.tif)
II. Meeting Agenda
1. Presentation by Larry Quilling
From: Paul Prentiss [peprentiss@earthlink.net]
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2007 8:58 AM
To: 'Larry.Quilling@seagate.com'
Subject: RE: Request for BFC Board Support
Larry, the BFC Board spend time last night discussing your request. We are in full agreement that it is appropriate for the BFC to initiate some positive dialog with the City of Boulder on water conservation.
As such, we would like to have you address the Board at our next monthly meeting. I will position this discussion at the beginning of the session.
It seems to me that we will need to get a commitment from one or our Board or general members to take specific responsibility for pursuing this matter with the city. Assuming that you agree, let's make sure this is specifically understood.
Paul
Larry Quilling was absent necessitating postponement of topic #1.
2. Presentation by Paul Hempel on the Boulder Watershed Initiative
Hello Paul,
I look forward to discussing our project with members of Boulder
Flycasters. The purpose of the discussion is fourfold:
1. To find out what your organization has been doing as of late so BCWI
can be better informed of your activities,
2. To find out what issues are important to your organization concerning
the Boulder Creek Watershed,
3. To use that information along with other information gathered from discussions
with other stakeholders to develop a citizen monitoring plan and,
4. To meet the folks who make up Boulder Flycasters.
Attached is our Organizational Description and a brief summary of our project.
I look forward to meeting you all!
Sincerely,
Paul Hempel
Executive Director
Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative
Our guest, Paul Hempel, the current Executive Director of the Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative was an original member of the Board of this organization ten years ago. He has held his current position for the past year and one half. He has been involved in programs focused on this watershed for some 25 years. He is now involved in implementing grant-funded projects targeted toward watershed improvement. The first grant project is the Boulder Creek Community Stewardship Plan and is funded by the Colorado Watershed Protection Fund. This involves contact with 30 various entities within the watershed such as local municipalities and other interested groups that are watershed users to determine watershed priorities and to supply numbers of volunteers to help implement projects supporting those priorities. This could involve projects like water quality monitoring, restoration, outreach, and education. The focus would be to try to develop community stewardship of various watershed projects through volunteer participation. Paul Hempel would like to continue a future dialog with the BFC Board and/or some of its members to explore how BFC might contribute ideas, concerns, suggestions, and/or volunteers to these projects. Paul Prentiss suggested that a logical liaison for us might involve the participation of BFC member Larry Quilling in this effort. Opportunities abound for which groups have a potential to participate in watershed improvement. There is a recognized significant need to educate the general public with relation to major watershed issues and problems. Adam Armold suggested that there might be a need to focus educational efforts about watershed issues on the various city planners of the municipalities within the watershed due to the fact that these individuals can have a significant potential impact on the watershed uses. Paul Prentiss asked about describing a vision for future involvement in projects related to water quality assessment. This seems to be an area of focus that has a potential for strong engagement in volunteerism and lends itself to citizen participation in hands-on science projects. Paul Hempel will email Paul Prentiss to determine an opportunity for future dialog with BFC on this topic.
3. Update on the FIF Grant Due February 15, 2007
Al Permut discussed the Roger’s Park project Fishing Is Fun (FIF) grant application currently in progress. The application is not actually due until March 2, but Clair Solohub(sp), District Wildlife Manager at the DOW needs to have it ahead of time for review prior to presentation to the DOW. Both Clair and Harry Crockett, the new DOW wildlife biologist, are very excited about working with us on this project and have been very helpful to us in our effort preparing this proposal and support it wholeheartedly. All of the grant applicants are invited to present their proposals via a PowerPoint presentation at a one-day meeting to be held at the DOW prior to final selection in May. This is viewed as a significant opportunity to showcase the attributes of each proposal. Paul Prentiss has offered to make this presentation. Adam Armold suggested that it might be important to identify the individuals who comprise the group that determines the selection of the grant awards and to be certain that our presentation depicts gender equality with reference to positioning our presentation’s appeal to the widest spectrum of flyfishers. Al Permut mentioned that no reimbursement of expenses is allowed prior the award of the grant. If the grant proposal is submitted and awarded in the name of both BFC and CTU, then any capital expenditures prior to the award and definite start date of the grant can come from CTU funds. More careful records are needed related to the amounts of time we are spending on this project. This time can count as the equivalent of "in kind" matching funds. No matching funds can be from any Federal contribution sources. Funds from the EAS grant are allowed as matching funds. FIF grant funding is anticipated for late summer. This timing would be ideal as we wish to begin the project in the autumn.
4. Pending summer BFC Trips – Mark Riley & Bob Bush
Mark Riley reported on the planned BFC sponsored horse-pack trip into the Cloud Peak Wilderness with Rusty Bogers of Flatiron Troutfitters in Buffalo, Wyoming. As of this date, there are four members signed up. Four spaces are still available totaling space for eight members on this trip. February 8 is the deadline for sign up. This trip and the additional availability will be announced at the Chapter meeting on 2-7-07. If the additional four spaces are not filled with BFC members, notification to Rusty will be given, and Rusty can fill the spaces with other clients he has waiting.
Bob Bush reported on the planned BFC sponsored trip to the Clark Fork near Missoula, Montana with Joe Sowerby of the Montana Fishing Connection. This involves the use of Joe’s lodge on the bank of the Clark Fork that sleeps 10 people and is scheduled for October 14-17, 2007. As of this date, there are four members signed up. Solicitation for participation in this trip has been announced in Reel News and Paul Prentiss will also send out another email notice to the membership announcing this trip.
5. BFC Financial Audit Review
Al Permut discussed the recent completion on 01-17-07 of this review of the Chapter financial records for the fiscal year 2006. The review committee consisted of BFC Board members Al Permut and Mike Malec, in addition to non-Board general BFC member Maurice Blackmon. The review was done in conjunction with the assistance of BFC Treasurer, Mark Riley. Al noted the sincere and grateful appreciation of the committee to Mark for his extraordinary thoroughness and detailed contribution to this audit stemming from his role as Treasurer. Al submitted the written report of this audit review that outlined in detail the objectives, procedures, results, and recommendations of the committee. The audit committee finds the financial records of the Chapter to be acceptable except as noted by the following minor discrepancies and recommendations.
Discrepancies:
A small number of missing receipts, notably from the CTU Auction Gold Table,
CTU Rendezvous, CU Flyfishing Club, Brad Befus as a Chapter program speaker,
and an amount paid to Flatiron Troutfitters for its share of Chapter Auction
donor proceeds.
Recommendations:
Al mentioned that the next time this audit is done, it should be done to coincide in a more timely fashion with the end of the Chapter fiscal year.
6. Games Manager/State Raffle Requirements
Mark Riley reported on his recent attendance at the class offered by the State of Colorado on this topic. He wanted to complete the training and to determine the status of our compliance with the State requirements pertinent to our Annual Auction. Mark obtained the necessary Games Manager certificate resulting from his attendance at this training session that is valid for a period of four years. The associated annual license applicable to this process requires an annual renewal fee of $100. Mark has set up a separate bookkeeping account as required to track the funds generated from our raffle(s). We are now in compliance with the State regulations. It was decided that we should retain the bucket raffle portion of our Annual Auction and continue to budget for the required annual license fee.
7. Follow-up on Chapter demographics and member participation data from National TU
Mark Riley indicated that he made several attempts to obtain information from his contact at the national office of TU without success, nor has he had a successful reply from Dave Nickum at CTU on this topic.
8. Waiver of Liability and Release Agreement
Al Permut suggested that the wording he lobbied for including in the document (see item I-2. above) regarding the recognition that a fishing outing donated at the Annual Auction and/or otherwise provided by BFC and/or a BFC member/host donor/volunteer is identified more clearly as a non-professional, non-licensed service. He suggested either moving the statement to the top of the document or highlighting it in some other way. Further, Al suggested that this topic should be a part of the understanding clearly recognized by the purchaser at the time of their purchase and that the Board rule that the signing of this document is a requirement of the purchaser at the Auction. The intent of this emphasis is to put the purchaser on notice up front that these are "hosted" non-professional, non-licensed outings, not "guided" trips and that this fact may or may not influence the purchaser in the purchase of the outing. Al also noted that the similar document utilized by CTU for this purpose has a specific exclusion of waived liability for any outing involving the use of watercraft. It was agreed that it is not feasible for BFC to obtain a liability insurance policy, nor to obtain an outfitters license applicable to these outings as a remedy to this issue. It was agreed that the Waiver of Liability and Release Agreement document is to be provided to the purchaser of the outing at the time of purchase in the envelope containing the purchase certificate.
9. Analysis of Survey Responses
Paul Prentiss wants a Board member to volunteer to tabulate the survey responses upon completion of the survey project. Paul will send out a direct survey via email to the members as well as having Bob include it again in the next Reel News. The desire to do this survey electronically is strong because it makes the tabulation easier.
10. Welcome Letter
Mike Malec and Graham Carlson have been working on developing a welcome letter for new members. Both Mike and Graham have produced drafts of this letter. Even though Graham was absent from tonight’s meeting, he has emailed his draft to us during the meeting. Mike suggests that Graham’s draft is better that his and Mike proceeds to read Graham’s draft to the group. It suggests using colored name tags to help identify new members at the Chapter meeting among other incentives for new members to attend Chapter meetings. Tom Curtis suggests more clearly identifying and explaining the mission of the Chapter to allow new members an opportunity to determine if their individual interests match with the Chapter mission prior to becoming involved as a member. Adam Armold indicated that the Chapter mission is not a static, single function, but a fluid endeavor to match the interests of a more diverse membership. Paul Hempel suggested developing a DVD for presentation to new members to help illustrate the Chapter mission and functions and help a new member make a stronger connection to the Chapter identity. It was agreed that a welcome letter should be sent to new members starting from December 2006 forward. One topic discussed was to encourage a new member to attend a meeting by giving them some type of gift (mug, flies, patch, hat, etc.). The troublesome issue is how to achieve this effectively. The idea of gift giving was rejected until further consideration can be given to this idea. Additional suggestions included the following topics. Can we encourage the new member in the welcome letter to call one of us so that we can talk with them one-on-one and ask how can we connect? Can we state that we would really appreciate the opportunity to have a brief conversation with them about their membership interests and that one of us will meet them at the meeting they wish to attend? What about doing a new member orientation meeting separate from the general Chapter meeting? Can we more effectively identify various groups at a Chapter meeting by using colored name tags that are a different color for existing members, new members, and guests? In reality we know nothing about our membership interests in order to make a reasonable decision on the solution to this issue. Ultimately, it was agreed that we will simply start by just asking new members to attend a Chapter meeting in the welcome letter.
11. CTU Spring Rendezvous
Adam Armold has attended the CTU Board Winter Rendezvous at which a discussion occurred concerning the solicitation of requested topics for discussion at the state CTU Spring Rendezvous. Adam suggested we take advantage of this opportunity to suggest topics of specific interest to BFC. For example, suggestions included a grant writing clinic or a presentation on national/state membership demographics. Adam’s opinion is that it is important for us to develop grant writing skills within the BFC Board members. As BFC President, Paul Prentiss will make this suggestion to CTU. Paul will also solicit input for other topics.
12. Annual Chapter Report
Dave Clark suggests the Board develop an annual Chapter report. Grant applications may benefit from including such in a report. It is agreed that this topic be tabled for a future Board meeting.
13. Youth Camp
Bob Bush suggests that we think about sponsoring a youngster to attend this summer function, however the deadline for establishing this sponsorship occurs prior to the next Board meeting. Therefore, the topic is dropped.
14. Post-Meeting Addendum to Minutes (submitted by Paul Prentiss)
Two things that came up in the XCOM Meeting on Thursday need to be pointed out.
1.The deadline for Youth Camp applications is March 15, 2007 – (remember that a written essay by the applicant about why they want to attend the camp is required). It states in our newsletter "Boulder Flycasters will be sponsoring one of those young people for this years camp!" Who plans on representing the Board and helping Larry Quilling with this activity?
2. Recommendations for CTU awards are also due March 2, 2007. Do any members of the Board care to make a recommendation?
Meeting adjournment: 8:22 pm
Minutes submitted by: Tom Finley, BFC Board Secretary