June 18, 2007 Meeting Minutes

Business

We opened the meeting with further discussion of the group's name, and then those present added their votes to those previously cast via email. When the count was finalized, the name chosen was Southwestern Indiana Master Naturalists Association, or SIMNA.

Eldon Scott has agreed to serve as the group's treasurer, so a motion was made and passed to accept the following slate of officers for the July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008 SIMNA year:

President: Jane Magary
Vice President: Heidi Doss
Treasurer: Eldon Scott
Secretary: Gena Garrett

Annual dues of $25 were previously agreed upon.


Gena presented a short tutorial on how to use the features of the webpage.

Susan would like to let everyone know that 101 Trees of Indiana (recommended by instructor Ron Rathfron) and Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (recommended by instructor Debbie Goedde) are now in stock in the nature center shop.



Job Openings

Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve is adopting extended hours for the summer and fall, and is in need of people to staff the nature center in short afternoon and evening shifts. Beginning July 1, the nature center will be open 8 AM – 6 PM every day of the week, including Mondays. To apply for a position, contact Susan Haislip.



SIMNA Fundraiser

Keep Evansville Beautiful (formerly Operation City Beautiful) is looking for 4 – 5 Master Naturalists to conduct a litter survey of Evansville. Volunteers will need to be able to commit about twelve hours of work over 2 or 3 days. It has been suggested that the survey group meet on two or three Saturdays. Volunteers will visit several pre-selected neighborhoods by car, noting the presence or absence of litter in each area.

KEB will pay $250 to SIMNA for the project, which will be a great start to our treasury!

This project will not count toward Master Naturalist service hours.

Please contact Gena Garrett at gena.garrett@gmail.com or (812) 204-8475 if you’re interested in participating.



A Note of Thanks

Jane—

I wish to express a huge “thank you” to you and the Master Naturalist group for all of your help this spring at Howell Wetlands. Our second annual Earth Day celebration was a great success, and you and the other Master Naturalists were indispensable and great to work with. Our spring season of school programs at Howell Wetlands exploded in popularity and we saw a 900% growth in demand from last year. I couldn’t have accommodated this growth without the Master Naturalists who helped me lead large groups of children through the Wetlands.

I hope to continue a great relationship with all of you as we grow and expand with exciting new programs, projects, and events. Thank you for your interest, passion, and dedication to education and our WNS programs! You are more valuable than you know!

Your fellow nature lover,
Lauren Preske



Coming soon!

Project Learning Tree Workshop

Date: Saturday, August 25
Time: 9 AM - 4 PM
Location: Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve
Cost: free

Do you enjoy the outdoors? Want to teach others about the outdoors?

Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program designed for educators, scout leaders, or others working with children in indoor or outdoor settings, outdoor labs, nature centers, or at the zoo.

PLT is a hands-on learning experience, so come ready to be actively involved! PLT instructs you how to help students learn about the world around them, their place in the world, and their responsibility for it. This PLT workshop is free through a grant with the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association.

Participants in this 7 hour class will receive a free PLT activity guide with over 400 pages packed full of information and activities relating to forest and plant ecology, biodiversity, air quality and more. Bring a sack lunch.

Call Scott Kramer at 812-479-0771 ext 102 to register. Maximum number of participants is 30, so register as soon as possible!


Bird Festival

In May of 2008, WNS, the Evansville Audubon Society, and Wild Birds Unlimited will team up to host a bird education festival. Stan Tekiela, author of Birds of Indiana, will be the keynote speaker. SIMNA has been asked to plan the children's activities for the festival. If you're interested in helping with the planning, the Bird Festival committee will be meeting at the nature center at 7 PM on July 10. Stay tuned for more details!


The next meeting will be held on Monday, July 16 at 6:30 PM at the nature center. Lois Schmidt will provide snacks, and we will be going on a night hike in Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve.

If you'd like to volunteer to bring snacks for the August meeting, please let us know.


Click here for current volunteer opportunities.

Click here for upcoming programs and educational opportunities.