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11/22/2019

November Board Minutes

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Board of Directors Meeting
Friends of Lake Norman State Park held at Visitor’s Center Tuesday, November 5, 2019
President Michael Polzin called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m. Those in attendance and constituting a quorum were:
Present: Michael Polzin, Ashley Thompson, Kathie Kemp, James Pogue, Sheila Riddell, Jenni Wyatt, Vicki Taylor, Shannon Johnson, Katie Wurtz, ex-Officio Greg Schneider, and Ranger Chase Bennett.
Absent: Debbie Page. Visitors: None.
Current Business:
Meeting Minutes of September 17, 2019 were approved by President Michael Polzin and approved unanimously by all other board members.
  • Shannon and Greg Johnson took the scrap metal from clean-up day to recycle and turned it into roughly $500 or so donated to FLANO funds. Shannon will provide Katie with the exact number but a BIG THANK YOU to everyone involved in the clean-up days and to both of you for taking this to recycle! This funding was a major boost to FLANO funds.
  • Public Land Day Feedback: FLANO provided water and snacks for the event. We had a few volunteers that participated, and the boy scout group really enjoyed the trail maintenance. REI gave FLANO a roll of raffle tickets and some REI swag to give away. We had a wonderful mother/daughter volunteer team which we gave away some of the gifts to. FLANO has saved the remainder of the swag to give out at future events and we can use the raffle tickets in the future. We had a few people sign up to receive emails, but we did not get any new paid members from this event.
    • Smoke on the Water feedback: Greg reported there were 52 cub scouts and a good attendance from the public. FLANO posted this event on the website and Facebook page, thank you Debbie, and Jenni posted this on Nextdoor. Vicki went to Costco and purchased healthy snacks and more water, there is an excess of water which we will be able to utilize at future events. Vicki provided the receipt of $93 (need exact amount), to Katie and she was reimbursed. It was reported to be a good day, very educational, interactive, and informative. The fire did not burn as anticipated but it was still an educational day. There were a lot of children and Jenni asked if this was geared toward children and did we know this? We did not think
this was geared for children – for marketing purposes it would have been good to know but we think there just happened to be a lot of children there. Kathie took wonderful pictures that have been put on Facebook and she is going to get in contact with Ms. Newhouse to provide more pictures to them. Thank you to all who participated in this event.
  • FLANO Hike lead by Greg Schneider: This took place on October 26th. There was a total of 13 people that attended. This was posted on our website and Facebook. I think people enjoyed the hike and afterwards I passed out FLANO flyers and encouraged people to join. Thank you, Greg, for offering these wonderful hikes!
  • Group Camp Day/Grant Update: The first Group Camp workday will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2019, starting at 9:00 a.m. James noticed that the time was on Facebook starting at 8:00 a.m., I emailed Debbie and she will update same. Debbie has also this on our website. FLANO will provide water and snacks and Katie was going to inquire with Joy at REI to see if they would like volunteers to participate. We further discussed starting one or two of the camp sites then possibly having the kids working with Greg Cain on the subsequent sites after we figure out a couple first. There will be 8 bags of cement per site, 16 bags for that day. Greg and Katie will figure out the gravel for the 2 sites. Greg said they would flag the sites and try to pre-drill to make it a little easier. FLANO decided to see how this first day goes to see if we will include the kids that Greg Cain is bringing for volunteer days. Michael will bring doughnuts to the event.
  • Habitat Enhancement Program Grant Update by Vicki Taylor: Vicki started with showing us the letter we received form the US Department of Interior dated November 5, 2019. The North Carolina Technical Review Committee (TRC) of the Catawba-Wateree Habitat Enhancement Program (HEP) has approved FLANO’s funding for the project in the amount of $6,075. Vicki let us know that the initial amount requested was $7,000. They did not believe the request for tools, specifically chainsaws, warranted an extra $1,000. It states we should receive the funds by early 2020. The TRC requires us to submit an annual report by September 1, 2020. They also request that FLANO provide pictures to document the different aspect of the project. Katie let us know we have enough FLANO funds at this time to start the project and we can reimburse if we need to when we receive the funds.
    o A big THANK YOU to Vicki Taylor for spearheading this program. Vicki and Greg worked closely together to get us to this point and we truly are thankful!!
Katie Wurtz provided Member Renewal Update and Treasure Report Update:
  • Membership Renewal – Katie reported that we have a total of 23 members outside of the board. Preliminary discussions followed on how FLANO can obtain more members. There are many thoughts and we will table this until after the holidays and re-visit the outreach committee at our next board meeting to be held in January.
  • A few of the ideas to re-visit below.
o Saturday in the park – set up our FLANO tent and serve coffee and flyers o Sheila had a great idea of a “Happenings Board” out front of the Visitor
Center.
o Kathy would like to take beautiful photos to entice people with nature and
post regular on Facebook.
o SheilamentionedawaytogetTarHeelTrailBlazersinvolvedinpromoting
FLANO.
o Katie and I discussed speaking to Jeremy Shaw the owner of Cedar Stump
Pub. A few of us now him and Greg mentioned his love of the park. Various
ideas for this, a hike then the stump?
o Vicki mentioned member appreciation day – party at our park.
o We will also re-visit our efforts to organize committees to improve our
networking, marketing, and community involvement ideas until after the holidays.
• There were really a lot of great ideas discussed and cannot wait to talk about them at the next meeting.
  • Greg had an idea about a LANO history talk we discussed possibly in late February. He has been researching and has a lot of knowledge about Julia Clark’s background. Possibly include history of the Catawbas. We all discussed an artifact display and maybe a cultural resource talk. We decided to re-visit this discussion at the next board meeting.
    o Discuss dates for history talk o Popcorn machine rental
  • We also discussed having a talk on the birds of LANO. I remember that Debbie covered a story with the Audubon Society and maybe we can reach out to someone there to discuss. *This will be on the next agenda as well.
  • Greg Cain school group – First volunteer date is to be held on Friday, 11/8. There will be two (2) groups one from 9am – 11am and the second group will be from 12pm – 2pm. Shannon has agreed to supervise the morning group and Katie will handle the afternoon group. Thank you to you both for helping with this! Greg suggested to start with a clean-up day. Shannon will be there to help and direct the clean-up at the King Fisher shoreline.
  • It was confirmed that the next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, starting at 6:00 p.m. Cannot wait to see what is in store for FLANO in the new year!!
  • Meeting adjourned at 7:19 p.m.
  • After the meeting concluded Katie and I opened the donation box. There was the check for the scrap metal for $63.75 and we took out $500 in cash. The total amount = $563.75. Amazing!!!

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9/17/2019

September Board Meeting Minutes

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Board of Directors Meeting
Friends of Lake Norman State Park held at Visitor’s Center Tuesday, September 17, 2019
President Michael Polzin called the meeting to order at 6:18 p.m. Those in attendance and constituting a quorum were:
Present: Michael Polzin, Ashley Thompson, Debbie Page, Kathie Kemp, James Pogue, Sheila Riddell, ex-Officio Greg Schneider, and acting park Superintendent Will Ruark. Katie Wurtz attending via telephone.
Absent: Shannon Johnson, Jenni Wyatt, Vicki Taylor, Visitors: None.
Current Business:
Meeting Minutes of August 6, 2019 were approved by President Michael Polzin.

• Party in the Park/Troutman ESC Park: Friday, August 16, 2019. Debbie Page and Vicki Taylor were the only board members that were able to attend. They sold one (1) T-shirt at the party. Debbie gave me, Ashley, the money and I will give it to Katie when I see her next.
o Kathie also purchased a T-shirt at the meeting and gave me the money. **Katie Wurtz joined the board meeting via telephone**
  • Membership Renewal - Katie received the edits provided by Vicki Taylor with regard to the membership renewal email. Katie will revise the email and send out to all FLANO members.
  • Grant Update – Equipment has been ordered and it has arrived, Greg Johnson has everything. Greg Schneider wants to set a workday on October 12th to begin the installation of the group camp sites. Debbie is going to advertise and put on our website. FLANO will provide water and snacks and Katie was going to inquire with Joy at REI to see if they would like volunteers to participate. We further discussed starting one or two of the camp sites then possibly having the kids working with Greg Cain on the subsequent sites after we figure out a couple first. I inquired if Greg Cain needs to report the volunteer hours and Michael suggested we ask Vicki (as she is our legal board member). Katie Wurtz is going to be able to take off work on some Fridays to be the FLANO member volunteer on those workdays with the school kids. If any other FLANO member is able to volunteer, please let us know.
o There will be a follow-up update at the next meeting.
  • Public Lands Day – Saturday - 9/28/19: Joy Schuck with REI will have a tent set up and she has advised us she will provide raffle tickets to FLANO for swag on that date, per emails back and forth and Katie confirmed tonight. The focus will be trail maintenance. There will be a few FLANO volunteers for this event: Michael Polzin; Ashley Thompson; Sheila Riddell; and Kathie Kemp. We will set up the tent, provide water and snacks, and be ready to provide any FLANO material to spread the word and recruit new members! Debbie has the details on Facebook and on the FLANO website. Kathie suggested we sell our beautiful T-shirts at this time.
  • Firewise Event – “Smoke on the Water”: This will take place on November 2, 2019, at the Cove Picnic Shelter. **Need start time. Greg would like FLANO to provide donated refreshments. The Carolina Lakes and Land Conservation is spearheading his event. Debbie mentioned doing a press release and we discussed
    th
    handing out information at the Party in the Park on October 5 . Michael said we
    should add to our event calendar and email all FLANO members.
  • Greg Schneider discussed setting dates for the hikes for the rest of this year. Katie will send emails to all members with dates.
  • Katie and Patrick emptied the fishing line containers and reported they accumulated a lot of fishing line.
  • Greg Schneider reported that they are going to recycle the metal from the previous clean-up and donate the funds to FLANO.
  • The next board meeting will be held on November 5th at 6:00 p.m. We had a discussion that pursuant to the Bylaws meetings are to be held quarterly. We voted not to have a meeting in October or December.
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:48 p.m.

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8/6/2019

August Board Meeting Minutes

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Board of Directors Meeting
Friends of Lake Norman State Park held at Visitor’s Center Tuesday, August 6, 2019
President Michael Polzin called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. Those in attendance and constituting a quorum were:
Present: Michael Polzin, Ashley Thompson, Jenni Wyatt, Debbie Page, Kathie Kemp, James Pogue, Vicki Taylor, Sheila Riddell, and ex-Officio Greg Schneider.
Absent: Shannon Johnson, Katie Wurtz and Patrick Wurtz. Visitors: Acting Superintendent, Will Ruark.
Current Business:
  • Partnership presentation by Greg Cain: The board members discussed briefly about Greg Cain’s email to me with regard to adding another group of students, ten (10) students.
    o Action Item: I emailed Katie Wurtz after the meeting and she will be reaching out to Mr. Cain and Will Rurak to discuss the requested addition and moving forward with plans.
  • Party in the Park/Troutman ESC Park: Friday, August 16, 2019. Debbie Page and Vicki Taylor were the only board members that will be able to attend. The remaining board members were out of town for this date.
  • Public Lands Day - 9/28/19: There was a discussion about the events taking place on this date. Ranger Bennet and Joy Schuck with REI are understaffed for this date. They will be doing trail maintenance. The board further discussed FLANO’s presence on this date. Michael suggested an email blast to all the members that that we will be participating with trail maintenance. Kathie suggested we sell our beautiful T-shirts at this time. Vicki wants to do some research on the actual meaning and background of Public Lands Day and potentially create an info sheet for everyone. Volunteers needed and the following board members are available: Sheila, Michael, Kathie, and Ashley as of now.
    o ActionItem:Wehavedecidedtohaveaplanningmeetingforthiseventto be held at 9/10/19.
    • Discussion on Greg’s Farewell BBQ: Debbie Page reported to us that 143 reached out to us on FB during the past month. She then told us all that there were pictures on there from Greg’s farewell BBQ. He thanked us for all the work to get him the Long Leaf Pine and that it meant a lot to him. Jenni Wyatt expressed her
feelings on not being invited. We ALL recognized how much work she put in to help coordinate this and we all expressed our disappointment on her not being there as well. FLANO would not be what it is today without you, Jenni Wyatt.
  • Firewise Event – “Smoke on the Water”: This will take place on November 2, 2019, at the Cove Picnic Shelter. **Need start time. Greg would like FLANO to provide donated refreshments. The Carolina Lakes and Land Conservation is spearheading his event. Debbie mentioned doing a press release and we discussed
    th
    handing out information at the Party in the Park on October 5 . Michael said we
    should add to our event calendar and email all FLANO members.
  • Debbie Page discussed the Get Fit Iredell Event that will take place May 2020. Date not certain yet. They will be looking to do this same as last year at the park. We will need volunteers again.
  • The group discussed the FSP meeting that was held at Elk Knob State Park, we will inquire if Shannon attended this.
  • Discussion held to get update on Group Camp from Shannon and Katie at next meeting.
  • The next board meeting will be held on September 10th at 6:00 p.m. We discussed pursuant to the Bylaws deciding how often to conduct future meetings.
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

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7/9/2019

July Board Meeting Minutes

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6/7/2019

June 4, 2019 BoarD Minutes

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​Board of Directors Meeting
Friends of Lake Norman State park held at Visitor’s Center
June 4, 2019

President Michael Polzin called the meeting to order at 6:10p.m.  Those in attendance and constituting a quorum were:  
Present:  Michael Polzin, Shannon Johnson, Patrick Wurtz, Jenni Wyatt, Vicki Taylor, Sheila Riddell, and ex-officio Greg Schnieder.
Absent: Ashley Thompson, Katie Wurtz, Debbie Page, Kathie Kemp, James Pogue
Visitors: None.

Current Business: 
Minutes.
Katie Wurtz is working with the main friends group on setting up a square to take payment and will provide an update in July.  
Vicki Taylor gave an update about the Invasive Species Grant Application.  She has the application prepared and there are just a few things that need clarifying:
GPS Coordinates for both locations
Labor intensive work so the current staff labor can be used for the inkind match.
Greg said that it will be approximately 450 hours at $15/hour.
$7,000 for equipment such as chainsaws, etc.
Photos of kudzu or privet are needed.  Greg said he would provide those.
Front Porch Fest  - Debbie Page will give an update at the July meeting.
Party in the Park – June 14th, volunteers are needed.
Clean up and cook out is scheduled for June 22nd from 9-12.  We will meet at the visitor center. 
 Michael Polzin will cook and bring the food.  
Shannon Johnson and Michael will coordinate the food and cook out.
Jenni, Vicki, and Patrick will volunteer.
Greg said that the public can call the visitor center to sign up
Vicki said she will bring salads.
Fishing Line Project Installation is scheduled for June 29th from 9-12 along with the shoreline clean up.  Volunteers will meet at the Visitor’s Center.
Star Party is July 5th.  The rain date is July 6th.  Amy applied for a grant for the bounce house.  Jenni will call Amy to get status.  Volunteers are needed.
Lake Norman Forest Run is a half marathon and 5k scheduled for July 15th at 7am.  We probably won’t get enough interest from the public to have a table at this type of event.  Most people come to race and that is their main focus.

New Business: 

Greg Schneider discussed sponsoring an event, Smoke on the Water, with a conservancy and forestry group promoting the Firewise program.  Homeowners and neighbors learn to prepare property for wild fire.  The event would start at 10am and hopefully have a 10 acre burn .  The event will be Saturday, November 2nd from 10-2 at the Cove Picnic Shelter.  He would like FLANO to provide water, drinks and heavy snacks for presenters and participants.  He estimates probably a couple hundred dollars of FLANO funds.   

The guest invited to share about Julia Clark did not attend the meeting.

Greg Cain will attend the next meeting to further discuss the student education program.

The next Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 9th, 2019 at 6:00pm.  The August Board Meeting will be held on August 6th at 6:00pm.  

Meeting adjourned at 7:04.

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5/20/2019

May 7, 2019 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

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May 7, 2019 Board of Directors Meeting

Friends of Lake Norman State Park held at Visitor’s Center May 7, 2019

President Michael Polzin called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Those in attendance and constituting a quorum were:
Present: Michael Polzin, Shannon Johnson, Ashley Thompson, Katie Wurtz, Patrick Wurtz, Jenni Wyatt, Debbie Page, Kathie Kemp, James Pogue, Vicki Taylor, Sheila Riddell, and ex- Officio Greg Schneider.
Absent: None.
Visitors: Greg Cain, Exceptional Children’s teacher at Community School of Davidson. Michael Polzin initiated the meeting with a welcome and an around the table short introduction as there are many new board members. Each board member introduced themselves to the group.

Current Business:

 Partnership presentation by Greg Cain:
 Greg Cain attended the meeting and gave a brief presentation on a potential
partnership with his advisory program at Community School of Davidson, Lake Norman State Park, and FLANO. They have previously worked with a private non-profit education/therapeutic center in northern Iredell County.
 The advisory program goals are to eat together, celebrate together, and serve the community together.
 He has experience building trails, clearing trails, cleaning trail signs, painting, trimming branches, pulling weeds, maintaining the beauty of the park, and having the children help him to do so. Has experience with maintaining the Mountains to Sea Trail.
 Looking to meet between six (6) to seven (7) times during the 2019-2020 school year. They will meet once per month on Friday anywhere between 9:30-1:30/2:00 p.m., and have about ten (10) to fifteen (15) students and three (3) to four (4) of them will be disabled.
 Katie Wurtz indicated it would be a good idea for a FLANO member to be involved, if they are able, to promote community awareness with FLANO. Michael Polzin said it would be good to publish this on our website to continue to involve the community.

 ACTION ITEM: Greg Cain will be in contact with Chase Bennet who is the Volunteer Coordinator for LANO. Greg Cain will attend our July 9, 2019 meeting to provide us with more information and dates for the upcoming 2019-2020 school calendar year.

 Annual Meeting Feedback: Katie Wurtz reported we sold $400 worth of T-shirts at our Annual Meeting held on March 30, 2019. The annual meeting went smoothly. Our only concern is how we can attract more people to attend the meetings in the future.

 Fishing Line Project Feedback: Per Katie and Patrick Wurtz, this will be rescheduled to allow for more volunteers. They are discussing to possibly include this with a shoreline clean-up.

 ACTION ITEM: Reschedule date and decide if we want to include a shore clean-up at the same time.

 Patrick and Katie Wurtz reported that the Fishing Line Recycle containers were assembled by a small group of volunteers on April 6, 2019. Katie will choose a date for the installation of the four assembled fishing line recycle containers and may include a shoreline cleanup on this date. She will email announcement to FLANO members.

 Katie announced that the REI Grant Award of $6,000 from REI to help support group campground renovations at Lake Norman State Park. We would like to thank Joy Shuck Marketing Coordinator and Outdoor Programs Manager at REI for her instrumental work in getting this project funded. We have one (1) year to use the funds. Greg and Katie discussed using the funds.

Friends of Lake Norman State Park has been awarded the 2019 for the fire pits, grill tables, and possibly tent pads. The tent pads will be really labor intensive. We will discuss further the use of the obtained grant.

 Friends of State Park Conference: Shannon Johnson represented FLANO at the FSP Conference at Haw River State Park on April 26-28th. Shannon reported that 15 groups out of 40 attended the conference. She had hoped more groups would be represented and perhaps this to the steep price required to attend the conference.Future conferences were discussed as to how they could be more effective and more in touch with the parks overall theme, goals, and the parks mission going forward. FSP lobbies for the chapters on behalf of the parks at the state legislature. This benefits the chapters and the parks. As chapters of NCFSP, we can accomplish more for the parks. Shannon mentioned the NC nonprofit center, a great resource site for nonprofit organizations.

She reported that there are grant opportunities for large projects that we should explore. Also, Republic has a grant for major cleanups and can provide a dumpster. Going forward, Shannon is hoping to prepare a newsletter for the Friends of State Park Chapters which she will prepare and distribute to all the groups. Thank you Shannon for attending this conference, representing FLANO and for your efforts to make the entire group more effective in their mission.

  It appeared that FLANO’s website was one of the only, if not the only site, that indicated we are a Friends group right on the top of the website. There was a big thank you to Debbie Page for the creation of our website. At the conference they discussed how other groups have a quarterly email that is distributed with group updates, events that are planned, and that also acknowledges large donors. We discussed also announcing that our T-shirts are ready and for sale. These T-shirts will be available at any events that we may hold.

 There was a discussion on the social component during community involvement projects and events. We discussed after an event we can hold a cook-out, picnic lunch, ice cream social. There are numerous ideas to bring the social component to work with the volunteer hours. We believe people want to volunteer but they also want a connection in the community. Shannon mentioned while on Facebook to tag the State Park Friends’ page to get more volume for the entire state.
 
 Shannon reported on the different groups and their donation box. We have one that is a great addition to the visitor center, but we may need a presence at the beach. There was a lot of back and forth whether we need a second donation box. Some of the board members feel like it would be a distraction to have a second box but a majority of the board felt like a second donation at the beach would bring more awareness and extra donations as well as a stronger presence to a heavily trafficked area.

 Shannon discussed the idea of a table with staff project wish lists. This would allow people to see where the donated money will be used and how various projects are being funded.

 ACTION: we can discuss this idea more as the board members seemed interested in this idea.

 Shannon told us how incredibly understaffed a lot of the parks are and how some parks have no staff for their visitor centers. This shows how important the Friends groups are for the mission to the parks. She handed out a lot of gear that included: backpacks, water bottles, books, stickers, etc. We decided to keep these items for future events, as Katie mentioned people love free stuff!

 The Friends group adopted a new logo along with a new color scheme. The logo was either shield or turtle shell. The new colors are orange and a dark green. All the board members agreed we should keep our original group logo.

 Shannon confirmed she was reimbursed for attending the trip, and from the entire board a big thank you for attending on behalf of FLANO.

 There was a discussion about legislative updates and all the various state parks. It was mentioned there are emails sent that update us on same.

 ACTION ITEM: Jenni Wyatt and Katie Wurtz receive legislative updates via email; they will forward these emails to the executive board members to review.

 Star Party held on April 26, 2019, feedback: Amy Shepherd in conjunction with the Piedmont Amateur Astronomy Club held a stargazing event on April 26, 2019. This was initially scheduled for April 12th but due to rain this had to be rescheduled. FLANO members that attended were Ashley Thompson, Debbie Page, and Jenni Wyatt. It was a very windy night after a bad day of rain. The party proceeded and there was a decent turnout after a family and a scout group attended. There were interactive modules and fun for the whole family. Greg Schneider discussed Amy Shepherd’s intention of asking FLANO for a bounce house for the next Star Party that will be held in July. Katie Wurtz discussed that this would be an ideal opportunity to apply for a grant. Amy Shepherd would apply for the grant and get approval from FLANO.

o ACTION ITEM: Katie Wurtz and Amy Shepherd will email one another and proceed to apply for a grant. It was also discussed when the July date is confirmed we will need FLANO members to volunteer for the next party.

 Habitat Enchantment Program: Vicki Taylor advised us that the application period for the enhancement program started on May 1st and will end on July 31, 2019. Vicki and Greg Schneider discussed having a meeting together to sit down and fine tune the application. They can provide updates at the next meeting on the progress that has been made.

Summer FLANO Events:

 Clean-up Day for the Dance Hall and possible other areas that was previously scheduled for February 23rd has now been rescheduled for Saturday, June 22, 2019 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Volunteers will gather loads to take to recycling center for cash redemption. Volunteers will meet at the Visitor Center at 9:00 a.m. Katie Wurtz and Shannon Johnson both agreed this is a perfect example of a way to include the social component. It was proposed that we can have a picnic lunch or a cook-out after the clean-up. The board members agreed this was a great idea. It was also agreed that we can sell T-shirts after the lunch.

 Front Porch Fest May 18, 10am-5pm: Debbie Page confirmed this will be held at the Iredell County Fairgrounds this year. We need volunteers to come out and support FLANO and help man the tent with Debbie.

 Party in the Park June 14, 5-8:30pm: We will need volunteers to advocate for FLANO and help set up and man the FLANO tent. It was agreed by all board members we will set up and sell T-shirts at all of the parties this summer.

 Lake Norman Forest Run July 13, 7am: We discussed having volunteers to advocate for FLANO or take part in this race through the park.

 Party in the Park August 16, 5-8:30pm: We will need volunteers to advocate for FLANO and help set up and man the FLANO tent.

New Business:

 There was a discussion on whether there will be another public land day project by REI and will FLANO participate in this again. We will need to determine the dates and it was brought up that this would be a good way to incorporate the group camp project and the funds obtained for same.

 Michael Polzin brought Krispy Kreme doughnuts for the board meeting and announced he is now working at the corporate office. We all agreed that is wonderful news and thought what a great idea it would be to offer doughnuts and coffee at some events or perhaps once per month at the Visitor Center to bring awareness to FLANO.

The next Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

The July Board Meeting will be held on July 9, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. Greg Cain will be attending the July meeting and we will continue our discussion on the partnership at that time.
​
Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

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4/2/2019

March 30 Annual Membership MEETING AND Election

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Annual Meeting
Friends of Lake Norman State Park 
March 30, 2019
Lake Norman State Park Visitor’s Center


President Michael Polzin called the meeting to order at 10:36 a.m.  Board Members in attendance and constituting a quorum were:
Present:  Michael Polzin, Jeff Cooper, Jenni Wyatt, Katie Wurtz, Kathie Kemp, Shannon Johnson, Debbie Page, Vicki Taylor, Ashley Thompson & ex-Officio Advisor Greg Schneider
Absent:   Alison Hemingfield & James Pogue 


Members and non-members recorded their attendance & contact information on an attendance sheet.  We had 17 FLANO members and 9 non-members in attendance.  


Welcome & Introduction to FLANO:  President Michael Polzin


State of the Park:  Park Superintendent Greg Schneider presented a slide show which included the history of LKN State Park from the creation of Lake Norman through the various stages of name changes, park additions and current amenities.  He also reported 2018 accomplishments and current projects planned or in process.  LKN State Park Facts were presented:
  • In 2018, there were 938,744 visitors to LKNSP
  • LKNSP is the 7th most heavily visited park out of 41 NC State Parks and Recreational Areas
  • LKNSP now encompasses 1,941 acres with 3.7 acres added in 2018
  • In 2018, 133 park programs were presented which serviced 1,956 school children & visitors
Current projects include rehabbing and rerouting sections of the Lake Shore Trail which will benefit hikers and increase trail mileage.  Presently, there are only 8 miles of hiking trails.  Future plans include creating trails and linking existing sections of trail.  Bond funds are being used to add sewer and electrical hook-ups to campsites.  7 camping cabins will be constructed.  Trail repairs are in progress and nearing completion on the Itusi mountain-biking trails.


Treasurer & Membership Report: Treasurer Katie Wurtz  
Membership:  As of this meeting, FLANO had 49 members.
Treasury Report:  Membership Donations  $1440, Donation Box Donations $ 913.15, Other/Metal Recycling Funds $359.28, Expenses  $776.53.


Outgoing Board Member Appreciation:  President Michael Polzin extended the Board’s gratitude to outgoing Board members—Jeff Cooper, Alison Hemingfield and James Pogue.  Each was presented with a card and FLANO T-Shirt as a token of our deep appreciation.


Call for Nominations:  After explaining the rotating Board members terms, President Polzin asked for nominations from the floor for Board Members.  Those nominated for election to the Board were: Sheila Riddell, Jim Pogue, Patrick Wurtz, Kathie Kemp and Jenni Wyatt.  All five candidates were elected by unanimous assent.


Election of Vice-President & Secretary:  President Michael Polzin


MOTION by Kathie Kemp to elect Shannon Johnson as Vice-President.  Seconded by Jeff Cooper.  Shannon Johnson elected as Vice-President by unanimous assent.
MOTION by Katie Wurtz to elect Ashely Thompson as Secretary.  Seconded by Shannon Johnson.  Ashley Thompson elected as Secretary by unanimous assent.
Executive Board:  President/Michael Polzin; Vice-President/Shannon Johnson; Secretary/Ashley Thompson; Treasurer/Katie Wurtz
Board Members:  Kathie Kemp, Debbie Page, Jim Pogue, Sheila Riddell, Vicki Taylor, Patrick Wurtz, Jenni Wyatt & Ex-Officio Advisor Greg Schneider
Announcements: President Michael Polzin
Those desiring to join FLANO can sign-up today or online on the website.
FLANO T-Shirts available for $20 each.  
Next Board meeting is Tuesday, May 7, at 6:00 p.m.  
Meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m.
Minutes submitted by Jenni Wyatt for President Polzin’s approval 3/30/19.

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3/8/2019

MarCH 5, 2019 Board of Directors Minutes

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Board of Directors Meeting
Friends of Lake Norman State Park 
March 5, 2019
Lake Norman State Park Visitor’s Center


President Michael Polzin called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m.  Those in attendance and constituting a quorum were:
Present:  Michael Polzin, Jeff Cooper, Jenni Wyatt, Katie Wurtz, Kathie Kemp, Shannon Johnson, Debbie Page, Vicki Taylor, & ex-Officio Advisor Greg Schneider
Absent:   Ashley Thompson, Alison Hemingfield, & James Pogue 


Current Business:    
  • Annual FLANO Member’s Business meeting set for Saturday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m. at 10:30 a.m.  This meeting is open to all FLANO members and will include election of Board members.  Park Superintendent Greg Schneider has offered to lead a 9 a.m. Alder Trail hike preceding the annual business meeting.  The meeting will be held in the Visitor Center auditorium with coffee and snacks provided by FLANO.  Debbie Page emailed a promotion flyer. All Board members are asked to post this flyer throughout the community.   Katie Gradert will email FLANO membership with another reminder about the meeting and also will email FLANO members a copy of the annual meeting agenda.  Debbie Page will create the PowerPoint.  Debbie Page will post in area media outlets.  Jenni Wyatt will post on NextDoor.   Park staff will post flyers throughout the park.  Shannon will coordinate refreshments and Ashley Thompson will provide coffee.  Board Members will come at 9:30 a.m. to help with set-up.  Greg Schneider will create a sign in sheet for the meeting.  Shannon Johnson will have FLANO brochures, forms and name tags at the meeting.
  • Nominating Committee Report by Michael Polzin:   Jeff Cooper sold his house and will be moving in April.  He plans to attend the FLANO annual meeting but will no longer be able to serve on the Board.  The Board is very grateful to Jeff for his contributions to FLANO.  He has been an enthusiastic and visionary Board member.  Jeff will be missed!  Alison Hemingfield and James Pogue have asked to rotate off the Board in March.  These two Board positions will be open for election as neither Alison nor James is able to continue to serve on the Board.  Sheila Riddell and Sarah Pogue have both expressed their willingness to serve on the Board and to have their names placed on the ballot at the March annual meeting.   Kathie Kemp, Jenni Wyatt and Jeff Cooper will rotate off the Board so Board member terms can be staggered.  Kathie & Jenni are willing to serve another two-year term and have their names placed on the ballot at the March annual meeting.  A total of five Board positions are up for election.  
  • Annual Meeting Agenda:  Debbie Page will include the agenda in the PowerPoint presentation & Katie will email to FLANO membership prior to the meeting.  Agenda includes:  Call to Order (President Polzin), Introduction to Meeting (President Polzin), State of the Park (Park Superintendent Greg Schneider), Overview of FLANO with mission statement, goals, past accomplishments and future projects (President Polzin), Treasurer and Membership Report (Katie Wurtz), Call for Nominations, Election of Board Members & Election of V.P. and Secretary.
  • Why Should I Care? Show:  Park Superintendent Greg Schneider, and President Michael Polzin will represent FLANO on the March 28, 2019 show which highlights the work/accomplishments of non-profits.  Debbie Page arranged this wonderful opportunity with Melissa Neader to promote FLANO membership and announce our annual meeting on March 30, 2019.
  • Treasurer Report:  Discrepancies in accounting with NCFSP have been resolved.
  • T-Shirt Update:  Quote received from Alison Hemingfield.  Waiting on quote from Ben Baker to come back.  Katie Wurtz said that FLANO may be able to havet-shirt cost funded by a grant from NCFSP by using profits from t-shirt sales to fund a FLANO project.  Katie Wurtz and Kathie Kemp will get final costs and specifications for the T-shirts.  Then, submit this information to the Board for approval if need to use available FLANO funds for initial costs. 
  • Fishing Line Recycling Containers:  Patrick and Katie Wurtz have rescheduled this event to April 6, 2019 from 9 a.m.-12n.
  • April Stargazing Event:  Greg Schneider or Amy Shepherd will get details of event to post in the Troutman Whistle Stop newsletter.  
  • Group Camp Improvement Project:  The application to apply for an REI grant for this project has been approved and this will be submitted by Katie Wurtz.  The grant application form is due by March 15, 2019.  Shannon Johnson volunteered to help Katie write the grant.  The maximum amount allowed by REI is $6000 which will be the amount requested to purchase materials to use in building group camp improvements. 
  • Habitat Enhancement Lands Purchase:  Vicki Taylor attended a workshop and was able to calculate the impact on water quality if FLANO was able to purchase the 14 acres on Hicks Creek. Protecting this property would prevent approximately one ton of sediment every three years.  This information will helpful in making a request for funds to purchase.  
  • Next Meeting is the Annual Meeting—Saturday, March 30th at 10:30 a.m. in the Visitor’s Center.
  • Meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m.
  • Minutes submitted to President Polzin for approval on 3/8/2019.

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3/6/2019

Fishing LINE RECYCLING Containers

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Picture







We are building these fishing line containers for several locations around the park. You, your family, or group can get involved with protecting our wildlife by building for your park or fishing hole! Thanks to FLANO member for bringing this project to the group!


Program:
Year of the Fish, Fishing Line Recycling
Cost Estimate: $64

Purpose
Begin and maintain a Monofilament Recycling Program
 
Background
Monofilament poses a huge danger to marine and human life when left in the environment.  Monofilament fishing line can injure swimmers and boaters, foul boat propellers, entangle and poison wildlife, and more. Also, monofilament doesn’t biodegrade – so it last in the environment for up to 600 years. Because monofilament line is designed to be almost invisible in the water, animals will often swim into it and become entangled, or accidentally swallow it. When an animal becomes entangled, the line cuts through the animal’s skin easily. For many animals, this can mean losing a limb, fin, or a lot of blood. These wounds can also easily contract infections such as gangrene, which can cause them to die rather quickly. If an animal swallows fishing line, the animal may starve to death because it feels full, but isn’t actually getting any nutrients. Not to mention – all of this causes the animals to suffer greatly. 
Taken from: (http://nmlc.org/2011/06/monofilament-recycling-program-underway/)

Goals
  1. Heighten awareness about the negative impacts that fishing line debris has on human welfare, marine life, and water quality.
  2. Decrease the amount of fishing line entering and remaining in the natural environment.
  3. Increase the amount of fishing line being recycled.

Methods
  1. Determine optimal location for PVC collector containers.
  2. Monofilament Recycling Tube Construction
  3. Maintenance

Determine optimal location for PVC collector containers.
  • Spillway at Park Lake, Fishing Peer, and Dock on Park Lake 

Monofilament Recycling Tube Construction
Instructions taken from Fly Fishing International (https://flyfishersinternational.org/Conservation/ProjectsPrograms/MonofilamentRecyclingProject/tabid/283/Default.aspx)

Assembly Instructions
Materials list
  • 4”x30” abs pipe
  • 4” abs 90 degree elbow
  • 4”abs cleanout
  • 4”abs plug(with ½” hole drilled in bottom)
  • 2- Sammy screws 3/8” bolt size for wood or steel
  • 2- 3/8”x 1” hex head bolts
  • 2- 3/8” flat washers
  • abs glue
  • recycling decal, FFF logo decal, club or sponsor decal

Tool list         
  • Hacksaw to cut abs pipe
  • Drill motor with ½ inch drill bit
 
How to Assemble           
  1. Cut abs pipe into 30 inch or 24 inch sections from 10 foot piece.
  2. Glue 90 elbow to one end of pipe, this becomes the top.
  3. Glue cleanout to opposite end, this becomes the bottom
  4. Drill ½ inch hole in center of plug; this is to let water out (use ½ inch twist or spade drill).
  5. Accurately drill a ½ inch hole through the back side of the 90 elbow and ½” hole through the smooth section off the cleanout and the pipe. Be careful to keep the holes in line with the centerline of the pipe.

In the Field
Tools List:
  • Cordless drill motor with Sammy installation tool
  • 24 inch level
  • Tape Measure
  • Pencil or marker
  • 9/16 inch wrench short in length

How to install
  1. Measure the distance of holes drilled in back of tube and carefully transfer to existing post, making sure marks are in line and plumb.
  2. Install Sammy’s with cordless drill and Sammy tool or socket wrench.
  3. Screw 3/8 inch bolt into Sammy through bottom hole first. This helps to support the tube before installing the top screw
  4. Screw the top bolt into the top Sammy through the inside of the tube. This can be a little difficult.
  5. Apply the decals; take a photo and move on to the next tube!

Maintenance
Mail Fishing Line Yearly to: Pure Fishing America (Berkley) accepts monofilament for recycling. Contact Berkley at 1-800-BERKLEY or 1900 18th Street, Spirit Lake, IA 51360-1041.





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2/6/2019

February 5 Meeting Minutes

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Board of Directors Meeting
Friends of Lake Norman State Park 
February 5, 2019
Lake Norman State Park Visitor’s Center




Vice-President Jeff Cooper called the meeting to order at 6:06 p.m.  Those in attendance and constituting a quorum were:
Present:  Jeff Cooper, Jenni Wyatt, Kathie Kemp, Debbie Page, Vicki Taylor, Ashley Thompson & ex-Officio Advisor Greg Schneider
Absent:    Michael Polzin, Katie Wurtz, Alison Hemingfield, Shannon Johnson & James Pogue 


Current Business:    


  • Preparations for the Annual FLANO Member’s Business meeting set for Saturday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m.  This meeting is open to all FLANO members and will include election of Board members.  A 9 a.m. ranger-led Alder Trail hike will be offered preceding the annual business meeting.  The meeting will be held in the Visitor Center auditorium with coffee and snacks provided by FLANO.  Ashley Thompson will provide coffee.  Debbie Page designed a promotion flyer for the event.  This flyer will be emailed to all Board members to post throughout the community.  Greg Schneider volunteered to post the flyer throughout the park.  Debbie Page will create a press release and bring to the March 5th meeting.  Debbie will post in media outlets after  March 5th Board meeting.  Jenni Wyatt will post it on NextDoor.  At the March 5th Board meeting, we will create an agenda for the annual meeting.  Greg Schneider volunteered to do a state of the park update.  Michael Polzin will also give an overview of FLANO’s purposes, goals and achievements to date.  Debbie Page volunteered to put together a PowerPoint presentation with photos taken at our past FLANO events and requested other Board members to email her their FLANO event photos so these could be included.  Michael may want to use this PowerPoint presentation during his FLANO overview or it could be playing in the background during the meeting.  Katie Wurtz will email FLANO membership at least 3 weeks prior to the meeting as, according to our By-laws, this meeting needs to be announced to membership 20 days in advance.
Action Items:  Ashley Thompson will provide coffee for the annual meeting.  Shannon Johnson volunteered by email to help with refreshments.  At our March 5th meeting, Shannon can inventory snacks/water in closet and determine if anything else needs to be purchased for refreshments.  Board Members will be emailed flyer and will post in public spaces to promote event.  Debbie Page will write press release and send to media after March 5th meeting.  Jenni Wyatt will post on NextDoor.  Greg Schneider will post flyers throughout park.  Board Members will email any photos they have taken at past FLANO events to Debbie Page for her to use in creating a PowerPoint for the annual meeting.  Katie Wurtz will email FLANO membership 3 weeks prior to annual meeting date.
  • Nominating Committee Report by Michael Polzin: Jeff Cooper and Jenni Wyatt volunteered to serve on the nominating committee.  Alison Hemingfield and James Pogue have asked to rotate off the Board in March.  These two Board positions will be open for election as neither Alison nor James is able to continue to serve on the Board.  Sheila Riddell and Sarah Pogue have both expressed their willingness to serve on the Board and to have their names placed on the ballot at the March annual meeting.   Kathie Kemp, Jenni Wyatt and Jeff Cooper will rotate off Board so Board member terms can be staggered.  Kathie, Jenni & Jeff (if he is not moving) are willing to serve another two-year term and have their names placed on the ballot at the March annual meeting.  If not needed to fill a seat on the Board, Jenni & Jeff offered to rotate off the Board and serve on a committee.  Update on contact with Melissa Neador (Debbie Page).  
  • Winter/Spring FLANO Events: 
    • Cleanup Day scheduled for Dance Hall or another area on Saturday, February 23, 9-12n.  Volunteers will gather a load to take to recycling center for cash redemption.   Volunteers meet at Visitor’s Center.  Action Item:  Debbie Page will promote on FLANO website and Facebook.  Jenni Wyatt will post on NextDoor.   
    • Update on Stargazing Events: Amy Shepherd has several stargazing events that she would like to schedule next year in conjunction with the Piedmont Amateur Astronomy Club.  She is planning a Star Party on April 12th with a rain date on April 13th.  FLANO members will be needed to man the stations and to recruit new members at the FLANO tent.  Greg Schneider will obtain details & flyer from Amy.      
    • Fishing Line Recycling Containers & Cost of Project:  Katie and Patrick Wurtz volunteered to coordinate this project for FLANO.  March 23rd FLANO members will build and then install the containers at the boat launch, fishing dock & spillway locations.  Action Item:  Katie Wurtz will bring cost of project to March 5 Board meeting and purchase supplies needed for this.  
  • Update on Habitat Enhancement Program Application:  The agency will not accept applications until May 2019.  Action Item:  Vicki Taylor and Greg Schneider will begin working on the application to have it ready for submission in May.  
  • New Business
    • Melissa Neador recently started a website show that highlights non-profits—the work that they do and how to get involved with the non-profit.  Action Item:  Debbie Page will contact Melissa regarding the possibility of featuring FLANO in a broadcast.  This will also be a great opportunity to communicate with Melissa about FLANO and see if she would have an interest in joining or serving.
    • Alison Hemingfield offered to give us a quote on t-shirts at her cost.  Action Item:  Kathie Kemp will contact Katie Wurtz to see if funds were available from NCFSP for an initial purchase of t-shirts.  Kathie will also contact Alison Hemingfield to give her the information she needs to get us a quote on the t-shirts to present to the Board.  
    • Debbie Page informed the Board that we now have 166 followers on the FLANO Facebook page.


Next Board Meeting is Tuesday, March 5th at 6:00 p.m.


Meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.


Minutes submitted to Vice-President, Jeff Cooper, for approval on 2/5/19.

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