Boone County Conservation District Minutes of the Meeting ... · Boone County Conservation District Minutes of the Meeting of October 16, 2013 Index Roll Call and Call to Order I

Boone County Conservation District

Minutes of the Meeting of October 16, 2013

Index

Roll Call and Call to Order I Minutes II

Minutes of the September 18, 2013 Regular Meeting

Financial Reports III September 2013

Public Input IV Reports V District Affairs VI

FY 2014/15 Levy

Conceal Carry

Autumn Pioneer Festival

Accounts Payable VII

Board Member Comments VIII

Adjournment IX

Boone County Conservation District Meeting

October 16, 2013

Minutes

I. Roll Call and Call to Order

The regular meeting of the Boone County Conservation District Board of Trustees was called to order by Board President Dave Sliktas at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, at the Gustafson Nature Center, 603 N. Appleton Rd., Belvidere, IL. Roll call was taken and the following board members were present: Dave Sliktas, Bill Wolf, and Mike Petersen. Board members Jan Soltys and John Todt were absent. Also present were Dan Kane, Attorney Deborah Loos, Mick Johnston, Val Sage, Josh Sage, Pam Stock, Cathie Johnson, Tina Dawson and Marshall Wolfe

II. Minutes of the September 18, 2013 Meeting Bill Wolf motioned and Mike Petersen seconded that the minutes of the September 18, 2013 meeting be approved as presented. Poll votes were: Mike Petersen - aye Bill Wolf – aye Dave Sliktas – aye Motion approved.

III. Financial Reports

The financial reports for the month of September 2013 were filed subject to audit. IV. Public Input

No public were present. V. Staff Reports

Staff reports were submitted for review with the board packets and are attached to the minutes. VI. District Affairs Levy for FY2014/15

Director Kane explained that he had emailed the board members the information concern in the county’s projected EAV and draft of the levy. He is waiting for more information from the county, so the levy will have to wait until more definitive information from the county comes forth.

Conceal Carry – Attorney Loos Attorney Loos distributed information concerning the new Illinois conceal carry law and how it applies to the District. This matter will be on the November meeting agenda. Autumn Pioneer Festival

Marshall Wolfe, the APF Bourgeois, complimented the board and staff for a very successful APF and gave each board member present the 2013 APF medallion that he made. The board expressed its appreciation to Mr. Wolfe for his continued efforts in making the festival successful.

VII. Accounts Payable

Bill Wolf motioned and Mike Petersen seconded that the District pay the payables due through October 16, 2013. Poll votes were: Mike Petersen - aye Bill Wolf – aye Dave Sliktas – aye Motion was approved.

VIII. Board Comments

Bill Wolf thanked the District on behalf of the Sister Cities Association for the wonderful experience the group had attending the Autumn Pioneer Festival and being honored at the opening ceremony. The group was given medallions commemorating the event.

IX. Adjournment

Mike Petersen motioned and Bill Wolf seconded that at the hour of 4:30 p.m. the meeting be adjourned. Poll votes were: Mike Petersen - aye Bill Wolf – aye Dave Sliktas – aye Motion was approved.

__________________________________ President _______________________________________ Secretary

BOONE COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT

SUMMARY REPORT for the Board of Trustees

MONTH ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Illinois

Checking Payroll Fund Total Beginning Balance 13,985.71 50,269.74 1,249,099.69 1,313,355.14 Revenues 1,897.14 236,803.80 238,700.94 Expenditures 33,216.19 39,369.83 72,586.02 Transfer In 67,000.00 44,730.26 111,730.26 Transfer Out 44,730.26 67,000.00 111,730.26 Ending Balance 4,936.40 55,630.17 1,418,903.49 1,479,470.06

Monthly Report

October, 2013

Dan Kane, Executive Director

Previous Issues & Activities: Grant Updates:

Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF):

2011 Grant Project: The interim report was submitted and accepted by the Grant Program Officer. The ICECF was also asked if they would consider shifting grant funds awarded to the BCCD for a land acquisition next to the Piscasaw Fen Conservation Area to be used for a different property located next to the Funderburg Conservation Area. The preliminary answer was positive pending the provision of a list of required documents.

2012 Grant Project: No change in the status of this grant project.

Easement/License Agreement Request(s):

Still waiting for pending application. The request is for a single family residential crossing of the

Long Prairie Trail. The submittal of this application continues to be expected soon.

Proposed Land Donations:

No items to discuss.

OpenLands Project:

1. Intergovernmental Josh Sage and Director Kane met with Natural Resource Management staff from the

McHenry County Conservation District to assess the site being considered for a wetland mitigation

project with the McHenry County Department of Transportation. The site appears to offer several

opportunities for wetland restoration pending approval by the United States Army Corps of Engineers

(USACOE). Josh has contacted the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources

Conservation Service seeking a certified cropping history for the restoration site area. This is needed to

ensure the site is eligible under the USACOE criteria for wetland mitigation. This effort is temporarily

on hold due to the congressional shutdown of non-essential federal agencies.

Update BCCD Master Plan: No additional work has occurred on this project.

BCCD Emergency Disaster Plan: There is no new information to report on this topic.

Risk Management Committee Report: There is no new information to report on this topic.

Village of Capron Zoning Request: The status of this zoning case remains unchanged.

Long Prairie Trail (LPT): The grant for re-constructing several section of the LPT was submitted, we now

wait to see if the application moves forward. At the time this report was prepared, there was no news regarding

the status of our application.

New Effort to Assess Groundwater Resources: There are no new items to report on this topic.

BCCD’s Autumn Pioneer Festival: The Autumn Pioneer Festival (APF) was a huge success! Staff estimates

place attendance at record levels – likely exceeding 20,000 people over the two day event.

Boone County Harvestfest: Saturday, October 5th

was the date of this year’s festival. The event enjoyed good

attendance until it rained around 1:00 p.m. The rain didn’t last long, but discouraged most of the public from

staying for the activities slated for later in the day. It appears that this fundraising event did better than break

even this year.

New Issues & Activities:

Fiscal Year 2014-2015 Levy: Work is in progress to prepare the levy. However, this process requires

information from the Boone County Tax Assessor’s office – specifically, the estimated Equalized Assessed

Value or EAV for the property of Boone County. The number hasn’t been provided yet, and the calculation

cannot be completed without it. If this information is received prior to the board meeting it can be discussed.

Therefore this topic will be an agenda item. This issue will be on the agenda for discussion/action.

Remember to check the BCCD Website for new programs and activities! The web address is:

www.boonecountyconservationdistrict.org. Please feel free to call me in advance of the meeting if you have questions

about anything in this report, the accompanying documents, or about a district related issue. Thank you!

Monthly Report for October 2013 Director of Operations Mick Johnston

Marshal Wolf and Mick Johnston hold Dan Kane Prisoner at the Autumn Pioneer Festival Harvest Festival BCCD has been partnering with the Belvidere Park District, City of Belvidere, Belvidere Township, and Growth Dimensions to sponsor this festival to raise funds for new bike paths. This year’s festival was October 5

th. The daylong event was held at Belvidere Park. Dan

Kane, Pam Stock and Mick Johnston represented the BCCD. There was music, food, pumpkins, scarecrows, antique tractors, and wagon rides. There was artwork that was painted (by local schools) on fences and bird houses (that was built by Dan Kane, Dave Sliktas, Dan Roddewig, Mayor Chamberlin and Mick Johnston) for sale to raise money for the paths. A good crowd was on hand throughout the morning and into the afternoon. But attendance slowed after the rain. Bow Hunting Bow hunting on District sites began the first week of October. Beaver Bluffs (not the dog area), Distillery, Ipsen, Kinnikinnick, Lib and Piscasaw Fen will be closed for use by the general public, unless a person has participated in our archery qualification and have been granted a permit last spring. The dates they will be closed for the bow season are : October 1

st & 2

nd November 9

th & 10

th December 1

st January 11

th & 12

th

12th

& 13th

30th

14th

& 15th

26

th & 27

th 28

th & 29

th

Maintenance 1. Built some new barricades to use for the APF. 2. Put new blades on mower. 3. Serviced F250 4. Picked up Bob Cat utility cart from Bob Cat. 5. Picked up borrowed carts from sheriff. 6. Took broken cart to Gallanos for repair. 7. Took Gator to John Deere for broken throttle cable. 8. Set up for APF signs, parking, firewood, garbage cans, picnic tables cut and trim grass, set up tomahawk, crosscut saw,

tarps, tents and straw bales. 9. Picked up litter, emptied garbage and cleaned restroom at all sites. 10. Changed combinations to gates, put up maps and park closing signs for archery hunt. 11. Cleaned graffiti off of picnic tables at Spencer.

Autumn Pioneer Festival This year’s APF was a huge success! It appears that a new record number of over 20,000 people attended the festival. District Staff (and families), Volunteers, and Living History Presenters worked hard to make the event our most successful yet! Some of this year’s highlights included a visit from Belvidere’s Sister Cities Program. Almost 60 delegates from France and Germany got to see what life may have been in Boone County in the 1800’s. Friday’s school day was visited by 300 local children. The Districts cabins, the one room school house and the Blacksmiths shop were all open to the public. Bob Kemp and Gang worked giving wagon rides. The Coon Creek Casters, Capron Lutheran Church, Boy Scout Troop 141 Girl Scout Troop 361, all the stage performers and the Root Beer Guy Dan Harder continue to make food and entertainment at this event a special treat. A special thanks to the Belvidere Police Department for helping with parking and Patrol, the Boone County Sheriff’s Department for Patrol and the use of the people cart and to Boone County Fairgrounds for the use of their people mover.

12. Put away everything that was put up for APF. 13. Cut grass on LPT at Capron, Dog area at BB. . 14. Clean tarps & APF room. 15. Shut gates for Archery Hunt. 16. Repair gate at Distillery because someone ran into the old gate. 17. Cleaned up wood shop. 18. Picked up grill from Rockford Park District for the Harvest Festival 19. Took two grills, two horse tanks and two tables to Belvidere Park for Harvest Festival. 20. Returned all after the event. 21. Cut trees on the LPT after a storm..

Monthly Report By: Joshua Sage

Natural Resources Management Department October 2013

1. Seed Harvest

Staff and volunteers are out collecting seed as it matures.

The majority of staff time will be spent on this task through October. 2. Piscasaw Fen WHIP Restoration Project

Preparing a portion of this project for a fall prescribed burn.

Reed Canary Grass control will start soon.

3. Goats

The goats are being taken care of by staff and volunteers.

4. Blanding’s Turtles

Locating turtles affixed with transmitters as time allows.

5. Kinnikinnick USFWS Project

The BCCD was awarded $10,000 to remove middle and understory invasive trees and brush within the nature preserve and buffer at Kinnikinnick Creek Conservation Area.

Scouting has begun.

Work could begin as early as November.

The Federal Government shutdown will not limit our ability to work on this project.

6. Invasive Plant Removal

Reed Canary Grass control in wetland areas

7. Master Naturalist Program

Josh gave a presentation about Restoration Ecology on October 2nd

.

8. LIB USFWS Project

The project area is being prepared for a fall burn.

9. Autumn Pioneer Festival

Josh and Ace helped with set-up, the actual days of the event, and clean-up.

Education Department

Valerie Sage Tina Dawson

1. Fall School Programs

o So far we have had 6 school programs and one in-school.

o There have been 150 kids out and 36 adults.

2. Website

o Our new website is now live.

o Cindi will provide ongoing support on regular basis.

3. Girl Scouts

o Val had a Girl Scout program on October 3rd

with 4 girls and 2 adults.

4. Autumn Pioneer Festival

o Tina and Grace did an educational program in the schoolhouse.

o Val coordinated parking for the entire weekend.

5. Environmental Education Association of Illinois (EEAI)

o Tina has been named as a Regional Director for the Northwest region.

6. University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist

o Valerie presented “Urban Ecology” on October 9th

and “Art of Interpretation”

on October 30th

.

o Tina will be presenting “Environmental Ethics” on October 23rd

.

o Valerie will also be presenting “Art of Interpretation” on October 24th

to Winnebago’s Extension

Master Naturalist program.

7. Belvidere High School

o Tina accompanied Diane Kane’s Advanced Topics class to University of Wisconsin, Stevens

Point, Treehaven Field Station for four days of field study.

8. Archery Hunt

o Three deer have been taken during our hunts so far; one each at Distillery, Piscasaw and Ipsen.

o Archery hunting will occur on the following dates:

i. October 26th

& 27th

ii. November 9th

& 10th

iii. November 30th

& December 1st

iv. December 14th

& 15th

v. December 28th

& 29th

vi. January 11th

& 12th

9. Fall Color Cruise

o Seven people signed up for the Fall Color Cruise that took place on October 10th

. Two staff

attended the trip.

10. Growing Up Wild o Eleven people have signed up for Val’s program at IDA on Oct.19

th (her last day with BCCD )

Board Report September 2013

Special Events and Public Outreach Manager

The Autumn Pioneer Festival was well attended. We had 73 volunteers who helped chop vegetables for stew and soup, volunteers who helped pick pumpkins for the harvest table, volunteers who helped with the set up and during APF worked the event at all of the district stations and helped with parking. Marshall Wolfe was instrumental in making sure that the exhibitor area of the Autumn Pioneer Festival ran well. We had new volunteers this year and they had a positive experience and are interested in coming back to volunteer throughout the year. Horse trail volunteers attended a chain saw safety training class. They will be using this safety training to help keep the horse trail at Kinnikinnick maintained. I taught a class for the Rock Valley College Center for Learning in Retirement on the history of people of Boone County prior to settlement in the 1830’s. There were 16 students. They attended APF school days as the second part of the class. BCCD Safety Watch volunteers continue to monitor the Spencer Conservation area, the Hammertime Dog Park and several other conservation areas. Pamela Stock

Final Accounts Payable for October