Board Minutes Mar 2025

Minutes for Board of Directors Meeting Lindheimer Chapter NPSOT Mar. 11, 2025

Meeting start time:  Called to order by President Sara Torres at 9:40 AM, at TPML.

In attendance:  President Sara Torres, Secretary Dick Bigelow, Director of Plant Sales Debbie Kyrouac, Director of Formal Education Craig Bruska, Past President Mickey Riviere, Facebook Coordinator Nancy DeMarco, Membership Coordinator Bev Willmann (by phone).  Quorum requirement was not met (5 of 6 required directors present), Sarah Mato and Marian Stasney voted by email March 18th to complete the quorum requirement.

Not attending:  Treasurer Sarah Mato, Director of Communications Marian Stasney, Hospitality Coordinator Charlotte Wright, Field Trip Coordinator Christina Campbell, Plant of the Month Coordinator Leon Dominick, Director of Community Outreach (Open).

Old Business:

None.

State Society: Sara Torres:

• State Board Meeting on February 1^st over Zoom.  It was interesting and inspiring, as always.
• March 8^th Spring Symposium at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.  Registration is nearly full, if you want to attend in-person, register now.  Registration for the Virtual Spring Symposium is also available.
• Fall symposium will be in Tonkawa.

President’s Report:  Sara Torres:

• Our chapter was awarded the honor of Chapter of the Year by Society President Ricky Linex based on our annual Chapter Activity Report. Congratulations to each of you for doing your part.  We have a quilt to display for a year.
• Celebrating 25 Years! Our chapter anniversary is in September and to celebrate we want to host a “Wildscapes Workshop”
  • All day event at TPML that includes:
    • 2-3 presentations around the theme of “wildscaping”
• • • a plant walk around the grounds (in smaller groups)
• • • a plant sale,a silent auction with new or used items/books/plants/garden tools donated by members
• • • and a book sale (use vendors who allow returns of leftovers).
• • • Charlotte suggested also having a drawing for a gift membership.
    We would charge registration fees to cover costs and to fundraise for something (TBD, ideas?)Costs to include an event T-shirt (size provided at registration), a light breakfast, and a lunch.
• • Maximum number of people is 100.
  • We cannot reserve the room until July 1^st.  Target date September 13^th, may change based on room availability.
• Continue Board meetings at TPML at 9:30, on the second Tuesday, confirmation for May through August 2025. 
• Please turn in your Event Liability Forms.
• Programs:  We are pretty much set for the year, but suggestions are always welcome.  If anyone would like to help with Program Coordinator duties, please let me know.  It mainly involves communicating with our speakers. Things like asking them to speak, requesting their bio/title/description/pics and providing to communications team, reminding them about meeting details, and requesting their honorarium from our Treasurer.  There are templates available for each stage of the process.
  • March 18^th is Debbie Kyrouac, Ecological Succession
• • April 15^th is Susan James, “Ungardening”, need to request presentation description, bio, and photo
• • May 20^th is annual chapter picnic and volunteer appreciation event.
• • June 17^th is Monica Maeckle, Plants with Purpose, her new book being released May 15^th
• • July 15th tentative Casey Williams, Riparian presentation, has been recommended by several folks
• • August 19^th is Haeley Giambalvo, Chair of the Society State Committee Native Plants in Schools
• • September 16th is Ashley Landry of the Native Plant Rescue Project
• • October 21^st tentative Cheryl Hamilton, Invasive species
• • November 18^th is our annual seed exchange
  • December is our annual holiday party.

Secretary’s Report:  Dick Bigelow

• Dick moved that the February minutes be approved, Craig seconded, unanimous approval.

Treasurer’s report:  Sarah Mato: 

• Wells Fargo Checking $506.00, Wells Fargo Savings $339.14, and Chase Checking $2,690.64 for a total of $3,535.78 as of 3/10/25.
• We received the 2024 NLCP rebates and reimbursements.
• Sara T. went to Wells Fargo to try to close account, was not successful, but received instructions that we can write a check to zero out the balance and close it online.
• Does anyone need reimbursement?
• 2024 books need to be reviewed, April Board meeting.
• Need check for TPML early open fee for NLCP?  Will be done at next month’s board meeting.

Director of Formal Education – Craig Bruska:

• March 29^th 1:00-3:00, Spring Propagation class at TPML, register at TPML.ORG
• April 26^th NLCP Level 1, end of April on Texas Wildflower Day
• NLCP Level 4 will be taught at the Headwaters of the Comal in the Fall, once construction is complete (scheduled for this summer).
• Plant propagation classes and seed libraries are doing well.   Has developed a seed library starter kit for Texas libraries.
• Is working on the plant list for NLCP level 2.
• Jo Ann Hall of South Texas Growers has 2 people for us to sponsor for NLCP classes.
• Debbie is doing “Why Native Plants” at Mammon March 19^th at noon.

Upcoming Seed Events:

• Garden Ridge

Thursday March 20th 1-3 PM

Thursday April 17th 1-3 PM

Thursday May 15th 1-3 PM

• Mammen 

Thursday March 13th 2-4 PM

April TBD

May TBD

Debbie is setting up those events.

• Tye Preston 

Friday March 14th 2-4 PM

Friday April 11th 2-4 PM

Friday May 9th 2-4 PM

June / July pending Summer Reading programs

Educational

Plant Propagation Series – Spring 3/29/25 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Director of Community Outreach:  Open:

• NICE Committee
  • Lorraine designed the poster, need to compile feedback and ask for one last set of changes. Posters are to be ordered using Vista Print, 6 copies of corrugated plastic signs to be ordered.  4 existing nurseries, plus Ecosystem Regeneration Artisans (joining in 2025), plus 1 for chapter display or additional new nursery.
  • Are we going to have information tables at each of our NICE Partners again this Spring?  Possibly later on.
    • Ace Spring Fling March 29thKing Feed, a Saturday morning in Spring, maybe May.
  • • South Texas Growers, a Saturday morning in April, perhaps the 12^th?
  • • Earth Day is the 12th
    • Ecosystem Regeneration Artisans
• Upcoming Outreach Events – see SignUp Genius
  • March 15^th 10:00 – 2:00 Pollinator Fiesta at Guadalupe River State Park, information table
• • March 22^nd 11-3 & 23^rd Noon-4 H-E-B tabling
• • March 29^th Dinosaur Day at the Heritage Museum
  • April 5^th Agrilife Open House, from 9:00-1:00 – In addition to our information table, we will also host a kid’s activity table, Debbie’s idea for them to make origami pots to plant seeds in.  May need to purchase potting soil.

Director of Communications:  Marian Stasney:

• Order more seed library stamps? One for each library and one extra? Approximately $21/each, $65 total proposed.  Sara made a motion, Craig seconded, unanimous approval.
• Heritage Association of San Marcos is looking to purchase a PA system, are we interested in selling?  We haven’t used it much since before the pandemic and storing it is a problem.  A possible sales price was suggested of $100 or fair market value (Marian is looking that up).  Sara made a motion to approve, Craig seconded, unanimous approval.
• Facebook – Nancy, any updates? We have 34 followers, she is doing things to help people migrate from the old site.
• Website – check out our new chapter website.  Big thanks to Bob and Marian for updating it.
• Send content for website Chapter Posts to Bev Willmann.  Specifically, we want to be sure and document all chapter activities this way, then share on socials.
• Send newsletter ideas and feedback to Marian@stasney.org.

Director of Plant Sales – Debbie Kyrouac:

• Spring Plant Sale – April 26th.  The dig at TPML was successful.
• There is a dig March 16^th at Noon at Linda Chang’s.
•  Debbie is contacting Ron Lang about trees for the fall.

Demonstration Gardens:

Chamber of Commerce demonstration garden. 

• Bring Back the Monarchs to Texas grant application has been approved, the chapter will receive $600 for plants.  Is it okay to start spending it from chapter funds, since we know we will get a check?  Yes.
• Garden soil was donated by a Chamber member.  There was a discussion on the next steps.
• When is our first meeting and/or workday?  March 21^st at 10 at the Chamber, should be done by Noon.
• King Feed and Ace have both agreed to donate to the project.  We may ask Ace for a gift card to cover supplies and things that are not plants. 

Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture – Craig Bruska

• Demonstration Gardens Heritage Village – Landscaping around new Church Building, any update?
• Upcoming workdays: any updates to the time?
• March 12^th (2^nd Wednesday) 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
• March 27^th (4^th Thursday) 10 AM – 11:30 AM
• April 9th (2^nd Wednesday) 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
• April 24^th (4^th Thursday) 10 AM – 11:30 AM
• Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country: Mickey Riviere, 1^st Thursdays at 9:30-11:00, unless otherwise noted.

Membership:  Bev Willmann:

• 149 total members, 103 home chapter members and 46 affiliates.

Hospitality:  Charlotte Wright:

• May 20^th at 5:30 Annual Chapter Picnic and volunteer recognition at the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country.  Chapter will provide sandwiches, with members asked to bring side dishes to share.  Setup will be at 4:30, for those who wish to help.
• Charlotte has been providing monthly door prizes and would like to inform the Board she plans to continue in 2025.

Field Trip Coordinator: Christina Campbell:

• April 6^th Dowell Ranch, need a short write up and pic to help promote the field trip
• Gorge field trip requested, sometime before it gets too hot, maybe a Sunday in May?

New Business.

• Craig asked for approval to work on a proposal for a propagation warehouse and teaching facility at TPML that would be partially sponsored by our chapter.  This is part of the expansion and upgrade of the library that is in process.  Dick seconded, unanimous approval.
• Debbie discussed the beginning of a request by a farm rescue ranch (Winding Branch Ranch) to partner with us.  They are considering expanding to add a native area and other things to their programs.

Adjournment

President Sara Torres adjourned the meeting at 11:40 PM.                                           

By Dick Bigelow, Secretary.