Lindheimer Chapter Board Minutes January 2026
9:30 am 1/13/26. Called to order at 9:35 AM
Tye Preston Library Board Room
Attendance: Dick_x_ Sara T._x_ Debbie _x_Charlotte__ Bev_x__ Sarah M._x__ Craig_x__
Marian S.___ Nancy_x_ Christina___ Mike Laffey_x_Jan Walker_x_ (Quorum not met, 5 of 6 required, Marian voted yes on all three votes by email Jan. 20th)
Old Business: None
State Society:
President’s Report: Sara Torres, Acting
- Continue Board meetings at TPML at 9:30, on the second Tuesday, reserved for January to April 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.
- Who is representing us at the CLACC Awards and Casino event January 16th other than Sara Torres (we have 2 additional tickets). Sarah Mato has purchased the tickets. Sara T. will attend and Alan or Christina/Clayton.
- Sara will be doing the chapter activity report, will ask people for input, due by the end of January.
- Do we want to order a few each of the State NPSOT signs to sell at the spring plant sale? Yes, Sarah M. made a motion to order 5 diversity and 2 member signs, Dick seconded, all present approved (need vote by Marian).
Secretary’s Report:
- Dick Bigelow, VOTE to approve minutes. Dick made a motion to approve, Craig seconded, all present approved (need vote by Marian).
Treasurer’s Report: Sarah Mato
- Chase Checking $4,648.88 as of 12/31/25.
- Need approval for the 2026 budget, so far Dick, Sarah, Marian, Sara, and Debbie have approved. Craig approved so the budget is approved.
- Does anyone need reimbursement?
- Sarah will send Craig the hospitality costs so that he can do the reports the NLCP classes so we can get our reimbursements.
Director of Formal Education: Craig Bruska
- Native Seed Library Program, upcoming workdays
- February 12th (second Thursday) Mammen seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
- February 13th (second Friday) TPML seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
- January 15th (third Thursday) Garden Ridge seed cleaning 1-3 PM.
- February 19th (third Thursday) Garden Ridge seed cleaning 1-3 PM.
- Craig is meeting a Comal Master Gardener to discuss a seed library at the West Side New Braunfels library.
- Craig asked about the presentation guidelines he had been sent from Marian. Discussion postponed until the next board meeting so Marian can help discuss.
Director of Community Outreach: Sara Torres, Acting
- Chamber of Commerce CLACC – Community Awards/Casino Night – January 16th.
- Sarasaid that Leon has updated the 2026 NICE poster.
- Debbie said that the Guadalupe State Park Pollinator Fiesta will be Saturday March 14th from 10-2. We will participate (Debbie will notify them).
- Debbie said that Agirfest will be May 2nd from 9-1, we will participate (Debbie will notify them).
- We will be at Dino Days at the Heritage Museum on March 21st from 12-4 giving away Bluebonnets.
- Demonstration Gardens:
- Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture – Bev Willmann
- We wanted to have the MOU signed before sending volunteers back to the site, however with their November Board meeting cancelled, and they do not appear to have one scheduled in December. Did Director Justin Ball ever sign the proposed MOU? No. A number of board members will go to Mamman to look a whether we should move the demo garden there.
- Upcoming workdays: Tomorrow, January 14th (2nd Wednesday) 9:00 AM, pending MOU signature. Bev will call Justin to see if she can find out what is happening with them.
- Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country: Mickey Riviere, 1st Thursdays at 9:30-11:00.
- Chamber of Commerce demonstration garden.
- Our next workday is on Wednesday, January 21th at 9:00.
- Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture – Bev Willmann
Director of Communications: Marian Stasney
- Facebook – Nancy, 130 followers Jan. 13th up from 122 Dec. 5th.
- Newsletter being worked on.
- Website – goal to clean up the resources page and update links, being worked on.
- Need approval to print a generic laminated “Check in” sign for events. Sarah made a motion to approve, Debbie seconded, all present approved (need vote by Marian).
- Send upcoming events to Dick to be updated on the website.
Director of Plant Sales: Debbie Kyrouac
- Plant sale is Saturday, April 25th, with setup on the 24th. The library has confirmed use of the patio for that date. Debbie will be sending out information regarding plant donations to go on the website and start announcing it at chapter meetings. She will be reaching out to Susan Bogle and Linda Chang for potential plant digs, digs will be planned for February and early March.
- Sara suggested sending out an email asking if there is anybody interested in having a plant dig to supply plants for the plant sale. The board agreed this would be a good idea.
Past President – Sara Torres
Membership: Bev Willmann (1-5-2026), 141 total members, 101 home chapter members and 40 affiliates.
Hospitality: Jan Walker
- Charlotte has snacks for the January Chapter meeting.
- Jan Walker has agreed to be Hospitality Chair for 2026, January is the transition month, working on transition.
- For each of the NLCP class reservations please allow at least 2 hours for setup prior to the actual start time.
- For the all-day Saturday classes, please add about 2 hours Friday afternoon (ex. 3-5pm) for initial setup for the class and the kitchen. Plant sales will need the extra time as well. All are very important to success. We have such things as tables, chairs, AV equipment to set up by class leaders, plant stands, tables and chairs for plant sale to be set up, and prep work in the kitchen by hospitality.
- The board should consider whether to continue having the chapter picnic at the Dino Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country on May 19th. It’s too early for picnic reservations, but setting the date and location will help with program planning and any classes around then. The Headwaters of the Comal was discussed as a location, we will decide on the location next month.
Program Committee Chair: Mike Laffey
- January 20th is Emily Lorkovic, Wildlife & Fisheries Biologist, Ecological Research Group, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.
- February 17th Native Grapes, Victoria Raven of Esperanza Winery will speak.
- March 17th Central Texas Mycological Society, will speak over Zoom on Native Food Plants of Texas, we will order a book for a door prize.
- April 21st Cyrus Harp, Author of Native Food Plants of Texas: An Austin Forager’s Guide Based on Indigenous Knowledge
- May 19th Chapter Picnic.
- September 15th Jeff Pavalet, curator of Cacti and Succulents at Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin will speak on Cacti and Succulents of Sout Texas.
Field Trip Chair: Christina Campbell
- Details for the field trip to the Meadows Center being finalized.
- Central Texas Mycology Tour? March?
New Business:
- Dick suggested changing the directors needed for a quorum from 5 to 4 due to there only being 6 directors currently. Mike suggested adding the committed chairs as voting members (with 7 of 10 needed for a quorum) and the board thought this was a good idea. Mike will write up the changes to the By-Laws and bring them to the next board meeting for review before the notice to the chapter members for a vote at a chapter meeting (30 day notice required) is sent out.
- Sara will look for a day to do a workday to replace the flooring in our storage shed.
- Sara is working on a BBMT for Spring Branch Tennis.
Adjourned at 11:15 AM.
