Minutes for Board of Directors Meeting Lindheimer Chapter NPSOT June 10, 2025
Meeting start time: Called to order by President Sara Torres at 9:34 AM, at TPML.
In attendance: President Sara Torres, Secretary Dick Bigelow, Treasurer Sarah Mato, Director of Formal Education Craig Bruska, Director of Plant Sales Debbie Kyrouac, Director of Communications Marian Stasney, Facebook Coordinator Nancy DeMarco, Membership Coordinator Bev Willmann, Field Trip Coordinator Christina Campbell. Quorum requirement was met (6 of 6 required directors present).
Not attending: Past President Mickey Riviere, Hospitality Coordinator Charlotte Wright, Plant of the Month Coordinator Leon Dominick, Director of Community Outreach (Open).
Old Business:
None.
State Society: Sara Torres:
- Fall 2025 Symposium will be in Salado, hosted by the Tonkawa Chapter.
- NPSOT 2024 Annual Report.
- New Seed Library Content on the state website.
- Plant of the Week.
- National Pollinator Week (6/16-6/22).
- NICE Nursery Features.
President’s Report: Sara Torres:
- Celebrating 25 years! See “Wildscapes Workshop” plan. Tentative date September 27th penciled in (can officially reserve in July). Once officially reserved we will email out a registration link.
- Continue Board meetings at TPML at 9:30, on the second Tuesday, May through August 2025.
- Please turn in your Event Liability Forms.
- Work on the Wildscapes workship is pending determination of a date.
Secretary’s Report: Dick Bigelow
- Craig moved that the April minutes be approved, Debbie seconded, unanimous approval.
Treasurer’s report: Sarah Mato:
- Chase Checking $5,488.05 as of 6/9/25.
- Time to renew Library Friends Membership and Chamber of Commerce Membership?
- Results of 2024 Financial Review were completed and reported on last month? Does anyone need reimbursement? No.
Director of Formal Education – Craig Bruska:
- NLCP Level 4 will be taught at the Headwaters of the Comal in the Fall (Nov. 8), once construction is complete.
- NLCP Level 3 will be taught in October at TPML, there was discussion of how TPML’s expansion construction next spring will affect the NLCP class then.
- Native Seed Library Program, Upcoming Seed Cleaning Workdays include:
- June 12th Mammen seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
- June 13th TPML seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
- June 19th Garden Ridge seed cleaning 1-3 PM.
- July 10th Mammen seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
- July 11th TPML seed cleaning 2-4 PM
- July 17th Mammen seed cleaning 1-3 PM.
- June 24th Mammen Noon-1 PM Debbie Kyroauac talk on Toxic Native Plants.
- Craig is doing talks at Mammon in September and October.
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.
- Outreach Events
- Chamber of Commerce CLACC – attended May Mixer hosted by CASA at the Canyon Lake Visitor’s Center. Here is the list of upcoming Chamber events. Would anyone like to attend with me? Normally starts at 5:30 PM.
- JULY – 7/22/25 SERVE & PROTECT MIXER Benefiting Comal Country Constables Pct 1 & 4 Goofy’s Event Center
- AUGUST – DATE TBD GVTC to host joint event for CLACC, Bulverde SB and Blanco Chambers
- SEPTEMBER – 9/23/25 CRRC and Hope Hospice
- OCTOBER – 10/11/25 WORD/COE to host Canyon Lake Area Chamber 26th annual BBQ Cook Off at Canyon Park.
Director of Communications: Marian Stasney:
- Heritage Association of San Marcos PA system sale update, $100 check was deposited.
- New email group for Chapter Communications Team, Lindheimer-comm@npsot.org. FB, Web post, and Newsletter content can now be sent to one email address and all the relevant parties will get it. It is also useful for Committee members to communicate with each other and as a place for our speakers to email their info for promotional purposes.
- Facebook – Nancy, any new updates? We had 8 more likes and 10 more followers.
- Website –Big thanks to Bob and Marian for continuing to make updates to our chapter website. Recent updates include…upcoming goals include…
- Send upcoming events to Dick to be updated on the website.
- The field trip survey is complete, Christina said to send it out.
- Asked that people take the laminated sheets with our info and QR codes to things like seed cleanings and class events so people can connect with us easily.
- Got ERA approval to let us post some of their content in our newsletter, led a discussion on getting additional content from Debbie, Craig, and Nancy in an effort to get more people to read the newsletter on a regular basis.
Director of Plant Sales – Debbie Kyrouac:
- Fall plant sale will be held at our Wildscapes Workshop event in September.
- Does anyone need plastic pots to pot up plants for the plant sale. Will someone ask? There was a discussion of who was interested in pots and how to deliver them.
Demonstration Gardens:
Chamber of Commerce demonstration garden.
- We have approximately $300 left to spend on plants and of the $200 Ace donated for supplies, we have about $85.
- The Pink Evening Primrose is suffering due to deer browsing. Need to start thinking about replacement or a companion plant will discourage them. Suggestions? Discussed alternatives, Marian suggested getting some fragrant nodules which Sara will try.
- We “lost” one of the Antelope Horns, I am not sure if it died or went dormant, as often happens with fresh transplants.
- Next workday we will be pruning, weeding, and tidying up the landscaping from the old chamber building and possibly planting replacement/companion plants for the PEP.
- Our next workday is on Wednesday, June 18th at 9:00 (3rd Wednesday)
Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture – Craig Bruska
- Upcoming workdays: any updates to the time? (one of the beds is being expanded to prep for NLCP).
- Tomorrow, June 11th (2nd Wednesday) 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
- June 26th (4th Thursday) 10 AM – 11:30 AM
- July 9th (2nd Wednesday) 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
- July 24th (4th Thursday) 10 AM – 11:30 AM
- Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country: Mickey Riviere, 1st Thursdays at 9:30-11:00, unless otherwise noted.
Membership: Bev Willmann:
- Bev Willmann, 135 total members, 92 home chapter members and 43 affiliates.
Hospitality: Charlotte Wright:
Program Committee Chair: Sara Torres, acting.
- June 17th is Monica Maeckle, Plants with Purpose, her new book being released May 15th
- July 15th tentative need to follow up again, Casey Williams, Riparian presentation, has been recommended by several folks. Will follow up again.
- August 19th 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 21st tentative Cheryl Hamilton, Invasive species
- November 18th is our annual seed exchange
- December is our annual holiday party.
- Christina suggested possible future speakers Angel Schatz on mushroom foraging and Bailey Hoops an herbalist.
Field Trip Coordinator: Christina Campbell:
- Craig Bruska’s Garden Tours on May 25th from 1:00-5:00, it went well with lots of attendees.
- Anyone else want to host a garden tour? Was a discussion that we should look at doing this next spring.
- Looking at doing a tour of Leon’s arboretum in October and selecting a weekend in November for a mushroom foraging field trip (it would be $250).
New Business.
None.
Adjournment:
President Sara Torres adjourned the meeting at 10:50 AM.
By Dick Bigelow, Secretary.