2011 AGM
The NANPS 2011 AGM took place on October 22nd in Markham.
The activities of the society over the previous year were reviewed, and awards were given out, There was a plant sale and a silent auction. Deb Dale and Harold Smith were thanked for their service on the Board and stepped down as they had completed their maximum terms. Two new directors were appointed and two former directors were reappointed to the Board.
The full Agenda and Minutes are available below:
North American Native Plant Society
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
AGENDA
October 22, 2011
(INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE FOREST)
Markham Council Chamber, Markham Civic Centre, Hwy. 7, Markham
11:30 Doors open
12:00 Plant sale and sign in (door prize ballot)
12:30 President’s address – Greg Hagan
12:45 Current board of directors & committee chairs – introductions
Call for nominations for new board members
Remembrance for Honorary Director Fred Case
1:00 Financial report – 2010 – Sue Stephenson
1:15 Garden / Restoration Award presentations
a) New England Wildflower Society - public demonstration garden
Deb Dale
b) Saint Jean de Brebeuf School Hamilton - school greening project
Gerry Stephenson
1:35 Markham excursion – John Oyston
1:45 Volunteers of the Year and 25th Anniversary Challenge Awards
Deb Dale - Linda Read
1:50 Restoration activities update: Deb Dale, Greg Hagan
2:10 BREAK (30 minutes)
Refreshments, Plant Sale, Book Exchange and Silent Auction
Nominations for Board Positions
2:30 Election of board of directors – Karen Boniface
2:40 Outgoing directors’ recognition awards – Eileen Atkinson
2:50 Paul McGaw Memorial Conservation Award presentations
1) The Meduxnekeag River Association, George Peabody
2) Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy, Bob Barnett ED
3) High Park Volunteer Stewardship Program and High Park Nature
Sharon Lovett, Chair
3:50 Door prizes
4:00 Concluding remarks
NANPS Annual General Meeting Minutes
Markham Civic Centre, Council Chambers
October 22, 2011
Approximately 33 people attended the AGM, and a plant and book sale and silent auction were held prior to and during the meeting.
Vice President Paul LaPorte emceed the first portion of the AGM.
President’s Address
Greg Hagan, President, introduced the Board of Directors, Greg Hagan, President, Paul LaPorte, Vice President, Dr. Susan Stevenson, Treasurer, Karen Boniface, Secretary, Dr. John Oyston, Excursions, and Directors, Eileen Atkinson, Deb Dale, Janice Keill, Alice Kong, Gillian Leitch and Harold Smith.
Greg gave an overview of the activities that NANPS were involved in, and he acknowledged and thanked all the volunteers and associated groups who helped out throughout the year. The board held a retreat to brainstorm in June, which was a good opportunity to share ideas.
Volunteers have been involved in the winter and spring including booths at Canada Blooms, the Guelph Organic Conference, and a number of Seedy Saturdays.
A number of working trips to Shining Tree Woods were held during in the spring and summer in efforts to control invasive species such as garlic mustard.
A fall excursion was conducted on September 24.
The past year was NANP’s 25th Anniversary, with many silver anniversary challenges for members. The website has a complete list of those who participated, for example 25 people had contributed 25 volunteer hours.
Jim French has completed a NANPs memorial book and is needing approximately $6,000 for publishing. He spoke of the modest beginnings with a membership of 900 within the first year. He talked about the Wildflower magazine that was edited by Jim Hodgins and its worldwide distribution.
The website team continues to make improvements and information on the website. Other communications venues such as the Blazing Star edited by Irene Fedun, and the Scoop, written by Janet Harrison, provide insight and the latest news and events.
Memorial to Fred Case Jr.- Jim French gave a description of Fred Case, who was an Honorary Director, Fred was active with NANPS in the early years and authored several books, including one on trilliums. He was well versed on botany and native plants.
Financial Report
The financial report was presented, and NANPS has a good financial status, with approximately $10,000 in the black, and we are above from 2009. There were slightly higher memberships, and many donations came in with the silver anniversary celebrations.
Garden/Restoration Awards - Recognizing and celebrating gardens and restoration sites are reviewed under the following criteria; plant communities and habitat creation, suitability, diversity, genetic provenance, ethics and aesthetics.
New England Wildflower Society - and their Garden in the Woods were recognized, and a description was given by Deb Dale. Started in 1850, this resource centre and greenspace located in the suburbs of Boston has demonstration gardens, art contests, and educational programs and signage. They even have a jail for invasive plants.
Saint Jean De Brebeuf Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton - Gerry Stephenson described the courtyard restoration which was started in 2008. The clay soil, backed in the sun in the summer was a challenge, and with the help of Ken Parker, a plan was developed. Drought and plants that could survive minimal maintenance was critical to the success of the gardens. With some rototilling, and sand, the grounds were transformed. Plants such as redbud, juniper, dogwood, gooseberry, pawpaw chinquapin oak, American plum, sand chrerry, fragrant sumac, elderberries, showy mountain ash, asters, butterfly milkweed, woodland strawberries, jack in the pulpit, and evening primrose all thrive well in this green oasis. All this amazing garden is mainly cared for within six weeks each spring in April and May.
Excursion - John Oyston presented on the excursion - Hope Grows in Markham - When people live in cities does nature lose out? Can nature be found close to home? Nature can be found in gardens, parks and conservation areas, and it is important that people take an active role. It is people’s actions that be a threat or an advantage for nature. A tour of greenspaces at the Town of Markham was held on September 24, which started in Thornhill moving eastward and to at Bob Hunter Park, which is a newly developed natural area which is part of the Rouge Park, and the tour ended at our President Greg’s house, seeing his property and the areas around that he has planted and maintained. All the sites were hosted by people who cared and helped restore these areas over many years.
Although there are many challenges, there is a need for knowledgeable supervisors when doing restoration, and meeting the needs of donors and receiving quality plant stock, a strong and knowledgeable volunteer base is critical. A full report with photos is on the website, and we concluded that hope does grow in Markham.
Volunteer of the Year - Volunteers are the lifeblood of every charitable organization -- especially those, like NANPS, that are operated entirely by volunteers. This annual award is presented to a volunteer who has made outstanding contributions for a number of years and stands in representation of the hundreds of other members who contribute so very much.
Deb Dale presented a description of Linda Read as volunteer of the year. She has volunteered with NANPS for many years, and has provided photos, is a donor, weeder, and all around doer. In recent years she has been an active volunteer on Shining Tree Woods.
Restoration Activities - Deb Dale noted that Shining Tree Woods, located north of Lake Erie is the jewel in the NANPS crown It is a small Carolinian woodlot, but has been invaded with garlic mustard. This is displacing native woodland plants, so its management is critical. Volunteers have been to the forest many times and have removed satellite and denser populations . In 2012, larger groups to help manage the woodlot is needed, a Weekend Weedend for Saturday, June 16, 2012 is planned, with a side trip to St. Williams Nursery. In preparation, workshops in the winter will be conducted to help train volunteers prior to the field trips.
Charlie Clifford Park, Thornhill - Greg Hagan had grown up exploring the valleylands in Thornhill, and this private land was donated to the Town of Markham as a park through the Thornhill Lions Club. It had become infested with invasive plants so there had been five weeding and planting events throughout the year. Some of the plants from the Highway 404 rescues were planted at Charlie Clifford Park.
The second portion of the AGM was emceed by the Secretary, Karen Boniface.
Outgoing Board of Directors - Deb Dale and Harold Smith are stepping down as directors. Eileen Atkinson thanked them both for Deb’s endless efforts as past treasurer, with keeping the board informed as the primary NANPS website e-mail contact and Shining Tree Woods land management, along with numerous talks for other organizations. Deb has agreed continue to keep track of the membership.
Harold, a recent past president, initiated the very popular Speakers Series, organized an interest in and the hosting of a booth at the Guelph Organic Conference, and also organized this year’s AGM. Eileen presented them with some gifts for their garden.
Election of the Board of Directors - Dr. Gerda Wekerle, Professor and Planning Program Coodinator in the Faculty of Environmental Studies with York University, has an interest and wants to learn more about native plants, maintains a native garden on campus as well as gardens at home and at her cottage.
Jenn South, from Woodstock, is restoring a hobby farm, wants to join the Board to learn and participate on the board, and is starting up a native plant nursery.
Miriam Henriques, from North York, Past President, has taken a sabbatical from NANPS and wants to return to the Board. She is a public school teacher, and has developed an extensive native plant garden at her school. Educating people about native plants and encouraging people to join NANPS are activities Miriam enjoys.
Howard Meadd, from Scarborough, is very knowledgeable about native plants on how to identify and cultivate them. He is also returning from a sabbatical. He is involved in the seed exchange and actively attends the Seedy Saturdays in the GTA areas.
LEAF - Kyle Ferguson of LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) gave a brief overview of their organization, highlighting their backyard tree program where they will work with homeowners to plan and plant native trees and shrubs, and their Tree Tenders course where people can learn more about trees through a series of workshops. They also recently held a walking tree tour in Unionville.
Paul McGaw Memorial Conservation Award recognizes an individual or groups' extraordinary contribution to the conservation, protection or restoration of the natural heritage/native flora of North America at the community, regional, provincial, national or continental level.
The Meduxnekeag River Association, Woodstock, New Brunswick - Simon Mitchell presented from the Meduxnekeag Association about the protection of over 132 acres of land, the protection of the watershed and the advocacy and educational programs they run. They are also restoring a gravel pit, and conduct wildflower walks and hikes.
Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy Bob Barnett, Executive Director accepted the award and noted that the EBC was formed in 1997, to establish, maintain and manage a system of nature reserves in the area of the Niagara Escarpment including the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve, including the maintenance of physical features of scientific and/or ecological, cultural, historical or scenic interest. NANPS Zinkan Cove was acquired with the assistance of EBC.
High Park Stewardship Program and High Park Nature - Sharon Lovett, High Park Stewardship Program Chair and High Park Nature Co-Chair and Karen Yukich, High Park Nature Co-Chair. These volunteers help steward High Park, a major city park in the south and west side of Toronto. The mixed use of this large park needs help to keep its native flora. This group supports the city’s studies in examining the health and sustainability of the park, help to control invasive plants as well as restore the black oak savannah and work in partnership with the City of Toronto. They conduct many educational workshops, gather and clean native seeds and help in the city’s native plant nursery.
Silent Auction - Many items including native plants donated by Native Plants in Claremont, and Eileen Atkinson were part of the silent auction.
Closing Remarks - Janet Harrison and Wendy Whittam had a display and petition against a Mega Quarry that is planned between Orangeville and Collingwood, which would be the second largest open pit limestone quarry.
AGM