Board Minutes September 2025

Minutes for Board of Directors Meeting Lindheimer Chapter NPSOT September 09, 2025

Meeting start time:  Called to order by President Sara Torres at 9:31 AM, at TPML.

In attendance:  President Sara Torres, Secretary Dick Bigelow, Director of Plant Sales Debbie Kyrouac, Director of Formal Education Craig Bruska, Director of Communications Marian Stasney, Facebook Coordinator Nancy DeMarco, Membership Coordinator Bev Willmann, Field Trip Coordinator Christina Campbell, Hospitality Coordinator Charlotte Wright.  Quorum requirement was not met (5 of 6 required directors present). Sarah and Mickey approved via email (see below).

Not attending:  Treasurer Sarah Mato, Past President Mickey Riviere, Plant of the Month Coordinator Leon Dominick, Director of Community Outreach (Open).

Old Business:

None.

State Society:

• Fall 2025 Symposium will be in Salado 10/3-10/5, hosted by the Tonkawa Chapter.  Register before it sells out!
• Fall NLCP Classes are open for registration.
• Graduate Research Grants, State is accepting applications: September 1 – October 15, 2025.
• Force of Nature Research Competition, 9/30/25 is the team registration deadline.

President’s Report:  Sara Torres:

• Celebrating 25 Years! See “Wildscapes Workshop” Planning Document.
  • Books are ordered, we got 50% off retail price and avoided sales tax, unsold books can be returned.
  • Debbie, Charlotte, and I worked on the SignUp Genius to manage volunteer shifts throughout the event, thank you to everyone who has signed up already.  There are volunteer opportunities remaining.
  • Current Registration is 35/100 (including 13 free passes for volunteers).
  • South Texas Growers has provided a gift certificate and is donating a Possumhaw Holly for the raffle.  Sara to ask King Feed and Ace Hardware for raffle items.  Any and all other raffle items are welcome. 
  • Agree to pay TPML a late close fee of $50 to take the stress off cleaning up after the sale?  Yes.
  • Promotion
    • Press Release, very nice job!
    • Shared today to all Central Texas Chapter Presidents to share with their membership.  Shared on Everything Canyon Lake over the weekend.
    • Needs to be posted to the Hill Country Chapter Facebook Group and Texas Flora, Facebook groups, later this week.  This is being done.
  • Dick – update on speakers.  Dick to check on the order of the speakers.
  • We need a modified flyer focusing on the free portion of the event (exhibitors and plant sale) that the library can use for promotion.
  • Sara will talk to Susan Bogel about parking and details of the plant walks.
  • A link has/will be sent to the people manning the tables to enable them to buy a tee shirt and or lunch.
  • We will have one attendance of our fall NLCP 4 class as a raffle item.
  • Christina will ask Native American Seed if they want to be a sponsor.

• 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.  Craig says this should probably be needed for no more than one month and maybe not at all.
• Please turn in your Event Liability Forms.

Secretary’s Report:  Dick Bigelow

• Dick moved that the August minutes be approved, Craig seconded, unanimous approval (need one additional director to vote).  Sarah and Mickey approved via email since there was not a quorum.

Treasurer’s report:  Sarah Mato: 

• Chase Checking $4,400.80 as of 9/8/25.
• Fall Symposium fund donation of $200 to be paid.
• We have $1,000 in donations budgeted to give out.  Suggestions?  None made.
• Does anyone need reimbursement?  No.

Director of Formal Education: Craig Bruska:

• NLCP Level 4 (registration is full) will be taught at the Headwaters of the Comal in the Fall on November 8th, once construction is complete.
• NLCP Level 3 (Oct. 11, TPML) has 16 people registered.
• Native Seed Library Program, what are the September Seed Cleaning Workdays?
  • September 11^th (second Thursday) Mammen seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
  • September 12^th (second Friday) TPML seed cleaning 2-4 PM.
  • September 18^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.
• Outreach Events
  • Fall Fest with the Heritage Museum at TPML, October 25^th from 1:00-3:00, are we in?  Yes.  Sara made a motion to spend $50 on candy, Dick seconded, unanimous approval (Craig had to leave before this vote), Sarah and Mickey approved via email.
• Chamber of Commerce CLACC – Here is the list of upcoming Chamber events.  Would anyone like to attend with me?
  • 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:

• Facebook – Nancy, any new updates? We now have 89 followers, Nancy requested that we like our posts to help get them picked up in more feeds.
• Website – goal to clean up the resources page and update links
• Send upcoming events to Dick to be updated on the website.
• CLCC is not putting our events in their posts, Sara will ask them about that.

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 or know of someone who does?  There was some discussion.

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, August 20th at 9:00 (3^rd Wednesday)

Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture – Craig Bruska

• Upcoming workdays: any updates to the time?
• Tomorrow, September 10th (2^nd Wednesday) 9:00 AM
• September 25^th (4^th Thursday) 9:00 AM
• October 8^th (2^nd Wednesday) 9:00 AM
• October 23^rd (4^th Thursday) 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, 134 total members, 94 home chapter members and 40 affiliates (as of August).

Hospitality:  Charlotte Wright:

• Charlotte is coordinating a light breakfast, beverages, and snacks for Wildscapes Workshop. 

• Sara will be placing the lunch box order for the Wildscapes Workshop with H-E-B when registration closes.
• Charlotte will be stepping down as the hospitality coordinator sometime next year.

Program Committee Chair:  Sara Torres, acting.

• September 16th is Ashley Landry of the Native Plant Rescue Project
• October 21st Bailey Hoops, Herbalism, permaculture and Texas Native Plants (Christina forwarded Bailey’s approval Tuesday after the meeting).
• 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.

Field Trip Coordinator: Christina Campbell:

• October 18^th Dominick Arboretum
• Perhaps a late January or early February field trip to the Meadows Center? Yes, the board thought this would be an excellent field trip.
• A suggestion was made to do the Madrone Trail as a field trip.

New Business:

            None.

Adjournment:

President Sara Torres adjourned the meeting at 11:08 AM.                                           

By Dick Bigelow, Secretary.