Board Minutes October 2025

Minutes for Board of Directors Meeting Lindheimer Chapter NPSOT October 14, 2025

Meeting start time:  Called to order by President Sara Torres at 9:36 AM, at TPML.

In attendance:  President Sara Torres, Secretary Dick Bigelow, Director of Plant Sales Debbie Kyrouac, Director of Formal Education Craig Bruska, Facebook Coordinator Nancy DeMarco, Membership Coordinator Bev Willmann, Field Trip Coordinator Christina Campbell, Hospitality Coordinator Charlotte Wright, Program Chair Mike Laffey.  Quorum requirement was not met (4 of 6 required directors present, votes are needed by email from directors not attending). Sarah Mato and Mickey Riviere both voted yes on both items by email giving us a quorum so both are approved.

Not attending:  Treasurer Sarah Mato, Director of Communications Marian Stasney, Past President Mickey Riviere, Plant of the Month Coordinator Leon Dominick, Future Hospitality Coordinator Jan Walker, Director of Community Outreach (Open).

Old Business:

None.

State Society:

• Fall 2025 Symposium was a blast! Marian and I were able to sell all but 2 of the leftover books.
• Native Plant Week is Third Week of October.
• Graduate Research Grants, State is accepting applications: September 1 – October 15, 2025
• Fall NLCP Classes are open for registration.

President’s Report:  Sara Torres:

• Introductions
• Celebrating 25 Years! See “Wildscapes Workshop” Planning Document.
  • Thanks to all who helped!
  • We received some great feedback from attendees and speakers. 
  • We have requested the registration fees from the State Office, received $1,827.71
  • Net Revenue for the event was $872.64, which means $436.32 each for Native Plant Rescue Project and Native Seed Library Program.  VOTE: Can we round up to $500 each?  Dick moved to give each $500, Debbie seconded, all present voted yes. Sarah, Mickey, and Marian will be asked via email to vote since there was not a quorum.
  • There was a discussion of what went well and what could be improved.
  • Do we want to have one next year?  Theme? In the fall?  There was agreement on doing another one next year, we will probably do the fall plant sale with a NLCP class.

• Continue Board meetings at TPML at 9:30, on the second Tuesday, reserved for September to December at TPML.  During construction our Board can meet in the Chamber of Commerce meeting room.  We will hold our chapter meetings at Mammen Family Public Library during construction.
• Please turn in your Event Liability Forms.
• Mike Laffey will be our new Programs Chair.
• Jan Walker will work with Charlotte to transition to becoming the Hospitality Chair.
• No update on next year’s board/chair positions.

Secretary’s Report:  Dick Bigelow

• Dick moved that the September minutes be approved, Debbie seconded, all present voted yes (need 2 additional directors to vote).  Sarah, Mickey, and Marian will be asked via email to vote since there was not a quorum.

Treasurer’s report:  Sarah Mato: 

• Chase Checking $6,041.39 as of 10/13/25.
• We have $1,000 in donations budgeted to give out.  Suggestions?  None.
• Increase in-person presenter honorarium to $125 in 2026?  Decrease Zoom presenters?  Honorarium is intended to cover time and travel costs.  Yes, we should increase the honorarium and be flexible about how much depending on the speaker and their circumstances.
• Honorariums to Debbie and Leon for NLCP Level 3 presentations on 10/11/25 need to be made.
• Honorariums to Debbie and Leon for NLCP Level 1 presentation in Spring need to be made.

Director of Formal Education: Craig Bruska:

• NLCP Level 3 was a success!  Debbie said the new slide deck from State was good.
• NLCP Level 4 will be taught at the Headwaters of the Comal in the Fall on November 8th, once construction is complete.
• Upcoming NLCP classes were discussed, we are planning to offer all 4 next year.
• Native Seed Library Program, upcoming workdays
  • November 13^th (second Thursday) Mammen seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
  • November 14^th (second Friday) TPML seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
  • November 20^th (third Thursday) Garden Ridge seed cleaning 1-3 PM.

Director of Community Outreach:  Sarah Torres, acting:

• NICE Committee
  • We are planning to have information tables at each of our NICE Nurseries in the Fall, Spring was just a little too busy.  Leon is working on the new NICE list for 2026.
• Outreach Events
  • Fall Fest with the Heritage Museum at TPML, October 25^th from 1:00-3:00, who is joining me?  Bev will.
• Chamber of Commerce CLACC – no upcoming events.

Director of Communications:  Marian Stasney:

• Facebook – Nancy, any new updates? We now have 113 followers!
• Website – Goal is to clean up the resources page and update links.
• Send upcoming events to Dick to be updated on the website.

Director of Plant Sales:  Debbie Kyrouac:

• Fall plant sale was held at our Wildscapes Workshop event in September, we had $626 gross.  Leftover plants were discussed.  They will be donated to Klein Rd Elementary (a program that Christina is working on).

Past President: Mickey Rivere:

Demonstration Gardens:

 Chamber of Commerce demonstration garden. 

• We have $259.94 left to spend on plants and $87.23 to spend on supplies. 
• Our next workday is on Wednesday, October 22nd at 9:00 (day after chapter meeting)

Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture – Craig Bruska

• Upcoming workdays: any updates to the time?
• November 12^th (2^nd Wednesday) 9:00 AM.  Pending discussions with the TMHF about being more careful with our planted areas.
• December 10^th (2^nd Wednesday) 9:00 AM

       Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country: Mickey Riviere, 1^st Thursdays at 9:30-11:00.

Membership:  Bev Willmann:

• Bev Willmann, 141 total members, 98 home chapter members and 43 affiliates.

Hospitality:  Charlotte Wright:

• Jan Walker has agreed to be Hospitality Chair for 2026
• Lessons learned from Wildscapes? NLCP Level 3?  Need to start planning earlier.
• Charlotte is coordinating a light breakfast, beverages, and snacks for NLCP Level 4. 
• Holiday Party Tamales, taste test and vote.  Voted yes on the tamales, we will order 48 total with 4 different flavors.
• RSVP and Side Dish Signup Genius, Debbie?  Debbie will do the Signup Genius.
• Theme for Holiday party.  We will do sock donations for shelters and have a gift exchange ($25 limit).

Program Committee Chair:  Mike Laffey:

• October 21st asking Bailey Hoops, Herbalism, permaculture and Texas Native Plants
• November 18th is our annual seed exchange
• December is our annual holiday party
• January is Emily Lorkovic, Wildlife & Fisheries Biologist, Ecological Research Group, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.
• February, looking at a program on our native grape plant.
• March, a program on Fungi was discussed.
• Other programs were discussed.

Field Trip Coordinator: Christina Campbell:

• October 18^th Dominick Arboretum
• Perhaps a late January or early February field trip to the Meadows Center.

New Business:

Bev and Craig are working on making new collared shirts available.  This was discussed.  Sara pointed out that NB Sign and Design will make shirts with our logos.

Adjournment:

President Sara Torres adjourned the meeting at 11:30 AM.                                           

By Dick Bigelow, Secretary.