Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - May 5, 2016 - DPNC

Meeting called to order at 6:15 PM by President Bob Livermore

Present at Meeting: Bob Livermore, Gerald Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna Popp, Chuck Johnson, Carol Blair, Herman Schultz, Dotty and Bill Zales, Jan Null, Brian Hazlett, Rex Rundquist, Bob and Phyllis Nickolson, Gary Heineman, John and Sharon Polifka

Secretary’s Report: Past meeting minutes were approved.

Nominations: Board members nominated - John Polifka, President; Rex Rundquist, Vice-President; Sharon Polifka, Secretary; Herman Schultz, Treasurer.

Computer Purchase: Committee member Carol Blair presented information on computers. Motion by Bob, seconded by Dotty, to purchase a computer. Motion amended giving Carol permission to spend up to $500 on the computer and to make the purchase. Approved unanimously. Board members did not yet decide where the computer should be kept.

Izzak Walton League Convention: IW members showed interest in the LHAS booth, especially the paint can blue bird houses. Thanks to all who helped gather and supply information, material, and pictures and a special thanks to Bill and Dotty for updating the panels. A picture of the updated panels will be kept with the board minutes.

Vice-President-Rex: Program schedule for next year: 9-1, 10-6, 11-3, 12-1, 1-5, 2-2, 3-2, 4-6, 5-4.

Programs:

September 1-Potluck at Stone Lodge at 6 PM. Kevin Pape will present update on the park shortly thereafter.

October 6-Doug Harr from Iowa Audubon.

March or April-Ty Smedes will present on South Georgia Island.

Also, a verbal committment from Paul Roisen to present on either Ecuador or Madagascar.

Continued discussion on bringing in a high-profile speaker, such as Scott Weidensaul, through partnering with another organization, possibly IOU.

Dr. Hazlett indicated that Prairie Studies can provide the facility but no funding.

Iowa Audubon needs reimbursement for providing “Let’s Go Birding” booklets. Motion by Anne, seconded by Dotty, for payment of booklets.

Secretary - Maria: Thank you for your service over the years.

Treasurer- Herman: Herman reported that the checkbook balance was $5109.00. Anne submitted a bill for $41.95 for newsletter expenses.

Newsletter - Anne: Newsletter has been sent out.

Membership - Donna: Board members decided not to name new members in newsletter.

Conservation - Bill: Bill shared with board members information and a picture about Lomantium foeniculaceusm, a plant similar to fennel or parsley with a strong celery flavor. This plant is more commonly found in the west but has been found in several places in Iowa, such as Harrison County and Oak Grove Park in Hawarden, Iowa.

Bill has made 12 blue bird houses. He proposed developing a blue bird trail, possibly in Owego Wetland but would need approval to place the bird houses at Owego.

Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody unable to attend meeting. FaceBook will be up and running by the end of this May. Those wishing to post information on FaceBook should send their information to Jody.

Outing/Website - Jerry: 14 people, plus one newcomer from South Sioux, attended the outing at Oxbows, south of Sioux City. The next outings will be on 6-18, 7-9, and 8-6. The website is up to date.

Social Committee - Carol: Bob suggested that the board members think about bringing more home-made treats for the programs (maybe three people bringing treats instead of just two people) since more people have been coming to the programs.

Birdathon - Chuck: The Birdathon will be held on May 14^th. Chuck talked about the Birdathon and made available a bird list of the area that Birdathon participants could use when birding. A sign-up sheet was passed around during the program for participants to sign up and make a pledge.

Old Business: Bill discussed the possibility of putting the Siouxland Bird Guide on the website, as well as reprinting the guide as is, or updating the guide with new pictures. Brent Olson, Loess Hills Alliance, indicated that there is money to do this and can recommend a printer. Dotty suggested that a committee be formed, possibly consisting of the original developers, to work on updating the bird guide.

Jerry shared information about a possible 120 acre addition to Curtin Timber in Woodbury County south of Anthon. He received an email from Rick Schneider requesting that someone walk the area and come up with a list of plants/bird species to help with obtaining the grant. Carol requested that Jerry email a map of the area since it was unclear as to how the area could be accessed.

At the public meeting, we voted on the nominated officers for next year - John Polifka for President, Rex Rundquist continuing as Vice- President, Sharon Polifka for Secretary, and Herman Schultz continuing as Treasurer. A unanimous vote was cast for the nominated officers. The remaining board members were appointed by the president.

New Business: Dianne Blankenship, LHPS, and Erin Griffin, INH Foundation, thanked the Loess Hills Audubon for donations to their organizations.

Dotty shared information about the River, Wings, and Sky Exhibit at the Sioux City Art Center. This exhibit is a combination of mosaics and poetry and will be at the Art Center until July 10^th. There is a free reception and presentation on Saturday, May 21^st, from 1 to 3 PM.

A burrowing owl has been sighted on a farmer’s property. He is living in an old badger hole. Carol has directions to the property if anyone is interested in checking out the owl.

Meeting adjourned at 7:22 PM.

The program was presented by Bob Livermore on his travels to Costa Rica.

Submitted by Sharon Polifka for Maria Rundquist

Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - September 1, 2016 - DPNC, Sioux City

Meeting called to order at 6:09 PM by President John Polifka

Board Members Present: Gerald Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna Popp, Chuck Johnson, Carol Blair, Herman Schultz, Dotty and Bill Zales, Rex Rundquist, Gary Heineman, John and Sharon Polifka, Bob Livermore

Others Present: Bob and Phyllis Nicholson, Maria Rundquist, Jan Null

President’s Report - John: John shared the questions raised by Regional Director Bill Heck. These questions were:

(1) From a chapter perspective, what are the top three challenges with our current membership program?

(2) What are the top three things that you would want National to do (or not to do) to help drive membership to local chapters (i.e., to motivate members to become involved with their chapters?)

(3) What are three things National could do to motivate chapters to recruit and retain more National members. These could be financial or non-financial incentives.

(4) Assume that we will create three tiers of National membership (e.g., $20 level, $100 + level and $1000 +level). These are hypothetical levels that could be used to move the discussion forward. What major benefits should National offer at each of those different levels? John asked those present to email him their responses to these questions.

Two newsletters (Quad City Audubon and Iowa Audubon) and the Audubon Strategic Plan for 2016-2020 were passed around at the meeting.

John raised the possibility of putting meeting notices in the Weekender (a free weekly alternative newsletter). John will talk to Dawn.

John asked for some information on the annual report. Bob indicated that a notice for the report will be sent out well in advance and that John should look over previous annual reports.

Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 5-5-16 meeting and the 6-2-16 special meeting were read by board members. Motion by Anne, seconded by Dotty, to approve these minutes. Future meeting minutes will be distributed via email.

Vice-President’s Report - Rex: Rex updated the board members on the program schedule for this year. The speakers are as follows: October 6-Diane Marton; November 3-Lee Schoenewe and Joe Jungers; December 1-Holiday Member Slide Show; January 5-Tyler Flammang; Febuary 2-Paul Roisen; March 2-Doug Harr; April 6-Ty Smedes. The speaker slot for May 4 is still open.

Rex attended the IA Audubon Board Meeting on 7-17-16. Cerulean Warbler project is ongoing (Jon Stravers/Paul Skrade); spring IOU outing at Yellow River State Forest saw many Ceruleans. Pilot programs underway for Bird Friendly/Bird City Iowa. There is a new Gorsch Tract acquisiton near Chelsea as part of the Donovan Fund Iowa River Corridor projects. There is a Lucas County Bird Tourism project and the IOU Spring meeting will involve IOU, Iowa Audubon, and Iowa Heritage Foundation for Birding Festival (Chariton, IA, May 5-7, 2017). Iowa Audubon is currently looking for new funding sources; also switching from paper to “e-newsletter”. The Fall Iowa Audubon Board Meeting will be held on 10-30-16 in Boone.

Treasurer‘s Report - Herman: Herman reported that the checkbook balance was $4,869.31 ($4,249.31 plus $620.00 from the Birdathon). Motion by Maria, seconded by John, to pay the Woodbury County Conservation Board $225 for advertising. Motion by John, seconded by Anne, that we give a donation of $270 for use of the room at the Nature Center.

Newsletter - Anne: Newsletter has been sent out; also, Anne will be getting out information on the sale of bird seed (after hearing from Dotty). Anne also shared information on a poetry project sponsored by the Des Moines register to honor Iowa birds. The project began on September 1 with the American goldfinch. Visit www.Iowabirdofmouth for more information on this project.

Membership - Donna: Donna shared information from National about new membership procedures. National has indicated that, after September, they no longer want membership dues sent directly to them but instead, all membership dues are to be paid to the local chapter. At this time, we send our membership dues directly to National. It will be the local chapter’s responsibility to complete paperwork (for example, a report would have to be completed every time a check is received) and then a check for the dues would be sent from the local chapter to National. This will definitely make it harder and more work for the membership chair. Donna will keep us informed as to how this works out. It was requested that she print off a list of chapter members.

Publicity - Dawn: Dawn was unable to attend meeting. Her agenda items were given to John and addressed at the meeting.

Conservation - Bill: No conservation news at this time.

Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody was unable to attend meeting.

Outing/Website - Jerry: The website is up to date. 13 people attended the outing on June 18^th SE of Sioux City. 78 species were sighted. 16 people attended the outing on July 9^th at Stone Park and Broken Kettle Grasslands. 60 species were sighted. 9 people attended the outing on August 6 east of Hubbard, NE and other areas (Sandhill Lake and Owego). 70 species were sighted. The next outing is on September 17. Jerry might not be able to fully participate due to some hip problems.

Social Committee - Carol : A sheet was passed around so that people could sign up to bring treats to the meetings. At least three people need to sign up for each month.

Birdathon - Chuck: The Birdathon raised $620 (way to go, Chuck!). 19 people participated in the Birdathon.

Bird Food Sales-Bill and Dotty: Dotty received the price list from Feed Shed; five days later she received a new price list. Some prices have gone up, some down, with the price for suet staying the same. She also checked with Bomgaars. Bomgaar’s price for bird seed is somewhat lower and in addition, will deliver free to the DPNC. Motion by Maria, seconded by Chuck, to go with Bomgaars, amended by Anne, seconded by Chuck, to give Dotty the option to check with Feed Shed to see if they will meet Bomgaar’s price and then to choose the best price for LHAS. Order forms need to be out in September.

Audubon Adventures - Gary: Gary was contacted by Bernice from Audubon Adventures wondering about our participation and purchase of kits. A few schools have been involved in the past but it has been hard to get together with the teachers and there is little spare time in the school day for using the kit due to a tight curriculum. The kit costs approximately $45 and has been funded through Birdathon in the past, according to Bob. Motion by Maria, seconded by Donna, about having Gary to check into this further to see what teachers are interested.

New Business: No new business.

Old Business: The computer has been purchased and is compatible with the system at DPNC. Thank you, Carol, for taking the time to do this.

Meeting adjourned at 6:45 PM.

The program was presented by Heather Sanders on her participation in the Earthwatch expedition involving research on the Flammulated Owls in Northern Utah.

36 people attended the program.

Submitted by Sharon Polifka

Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - 10-6, 2016 - DPNC, Sioux City

Meeting called to order at 6:15 PM by President John Polifka

Board Members Present: Gerald Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna Popp, Chuck Johnson, Carol Blair, Herman Schultz, Dotty and Bill Zales, Rex Rundquist, Gary Heineman, John and Sharon Polifka, Bob Livermore

Others Present: Bob and Phyllis Nicholson, Jan Null, Bill Huser

President’s Report - John: John asked if it was possible to project a timeline for sending in responses to the questions raised by Regional Director Bill Heck. These questions were:

(1) From a chapter perspective, what are the top three challenges with our current membership program?

(2) What are the top three things that you would want National to do (or not to do) to help drive membership to local chapters (i.e., to motivate members to become involved with their chapters?)

(3) What are three things National could do to motivate chapters to recruit and retain more National members. These could be financial or non-financial incentives.

(4) Assume that we will create three tiers of National membership (e.g., $20 level, $100 + level and $1000 +level). These are hypothetical levels that could be used to move the discussion forward. What major benefits should National offer at each of those different levels?

The November 3^rd Board meeting was set as a deadline for sending in responses to the three questions. Donna has emailed her responses to the three questions to John but would like to make some changes before they are sent to National.

The status of the Past President Board position was discussed. It would entail a change in Article III of the by-laws and requires a vote of the majority of the general membership in order to pass. The consensus of the board was that John should present it to the general membership for a potential vote. The board agreed with Bob that this position would make for a smoother transition between presidents and provide assistance to the new president.

John shared information from an email that was forwarded from Bob about signing the organization onto a national letter addressed to President Obama. This letter asks President Obama to do all he can to protect the Arctic Refuge. 140 organizations have been asked to join in signing this letter. Motion by Rex, seconded by Anne, to approve signing our organization onto this letter. John will sign on for the organization.

A second email was forwarded from Bob from Ashley Peters of the MN Audubon about a Collaborative Funding Grant. The application period opened October 3^rd and will end at 11:59 PM on November 15^th. Collaborative funding grants are small grants available to certified Audubon chapters to support new or continuing conservation and outreach projects. The amount of funding available to Iowa is $807. Applications can be sent to audubonminnesota@audubon.org. John has a copy of the application form is anyone is interested.

Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 9-1-16 meeting were emailed to board members. Motion by Carol, seconded by Jerry, to approve the minutes.

Vice-President’s Report - Rex: The speakers for November will be Joe Jungers and Lee Schoenewe. No topic as of yet for their presentation. The speaker slot for May 4 is still open.

Treasurer‘s Report - Herman: Herman reported that the checkbook balance was $4,469.31. $54 was received from Gracie Wagoner for Birdathon.

Newsletter - Anne: Newsletter articles for November/December are due on October 25. She will send a reminder a week before articles are due.

Membership - Donna: Donna passed out copies of the September, 2016 membership list. There are 176 members on the list; however, some addresses on the list are incorrect (even after one member made numerous contacts to change his address), and current members names are missing. There is confusion about membership expiration dates (magazine labels do not show expiration date) and a question about whether or not members know that membership money comes to the local organization. Anne indicated that new membership procedures have been outlined in the newsletter and will appear in subsequent newsletters.

Publicity - Dawn: Dawn was unable to attend the meeting due to a conflicting obligation.

Conservation - Bill: The recent issue of the Nature Conservancy contains some very positive news (there is hope after all). And on a very positive note, congratulations to Bill and Dotty Zales for receiving the Outstanding Woodland Management Owner of the Year Award from the DNR. An outstanding accomplishment!

Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody was unable to attend the meeting due to a conflicting obligation.

Outing/Website - Jerry: 15 people attended the outing on September 17^th. 68 species were sighted. Paul Roisen led the outing. Jerry plans to participate at the next outing which will be October 15^th. The group will meet in the parking lot of the Singing Hills Walmart in Sioux City and will be looking for sparrows.

The website is up to date. The October Bird of the Month is the LeConte’s Sparrow.

Social Committee - Carol : More people are needed to sign up to bring treats to the meetings. At least three people need to sign up for each month. Dotty and Sharon will bring treats to the November meeting. Thank you, Carol, for setting up, making coffee, and cleaning up.

Birdathon - Chuck: Next year’s Birdathon will be on May 14^th.

Bird Food Sales-Bill and Dotty: Dotty present the bird seed sales report. At the time of the meeting, 21 people had ordered bird seed (27 orders came in last year). There were orders from some new people this year. Donna brought additional order forms for the general meeting. The seed will be coming in on November 3^rd.

Audubon Adventures - Gary: No news at this time.

New Old Business: In the past, interesting or unusual bird sightings or bird-related accomplishments have been reported. Bill would like to see this practice continued. For example, Bill recently saw five to six bluebirds roosting together in a martin house. Also, Bev’s of the River has delicious smoked chicken pot pie J .

New Business: Rex will be talking to Brian Hazlett about cosponsoring a talk by Connie Mutel sometime next spring.

Rex indicated that he would like someone to take over his position next year. He is willing to assist this new person in getting started.

The Board of Directors meeting was adjourned at 6:55 PM. Minutes from the General Meeting:

General meeting members were told about sign up sheets for treats and emails and additional bird seed order forms. Jerry shared information about the next bird outing.

John explained about adding a position on the board for the Past President. The purpose of this postion is to serve as a mentor or consultant for the incoming president. Duties would include, but not be limited to, assisting other board members with their assignments, assisting the president with annual reports, the agenda and setting up events, providing continuity during the transition as well as a reliable source of information. The term would be for one year. A motion was made by Lisa McNeil and seconded by Bob, to waive the 15 day notice requirement. Maria Rundquist moved to add the position of Past President to the Board of Directors. The motion was seconded by Ed Sibley and subsequently passed.

The General Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM.

The program was presented by Diane Dumdey Marton, with technical assistance from William Marton, on Taiwan: Birds, Culture, and Much More. 33 people attended the program.

Submitted by Sharon Polifka, Secretary.

Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - 11-3-2016 - DPNC, Sioux City

Meeting called to order at 6:20 PM by President John Polifka

Board Members Present: Gerald Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna Popp, Chuck Johnson, Carol Blair, Herman Schultz, Dotty and Bill Zales, Rex Rundquist (came later) John and Sharon Polifka, Bob Livermore, Jody Moats

Others Present: Bob and Phyllis Nicholson

President’s Report - John:

Questions for National: The November 3^rd Board meeting was set as a deadline for sending in responses to the three questions. The board decided to extend the timeline.

Letter to President Obama: John signed onto the national letter for LHAS. This letter asks President Obama to do all he can to protect the Arctic Refuge. The letter was signed by over 200 organizations representing 49 states. Email monica@Alaskawild.org to see what organizations signed the letter.

Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 10-6-16 meeting were emailed to board members on 10-7-16. Motion by Carol, seconded by Jody, to approve the minutes.

Vice-President’s Report - Rex: Anyone interested in the 2017 Avian Adventures in northern Minnesota (January 13-16^th) should contact Matt Wetrich, Carroll County Conservation Naturalist, at 712/792-4614 or by emailing Matt at matt@carrollcountyiowa.org.

Treasurer‘s Report - Herman: Herman reported that the current checkbook balance is $6,452.00. Bird seed expenses include $1,056.96 for Bomgaars and $1,346.00 for the Feed Shed.

Newsletter - Anne: The November/December newsletter has been sent out.

Membership - Donna: Donna has received her 1^st check as part of the new membership dues payment procedures. However, his membership does not expire until May, 2017. Donna might use this check to try out the new procedure if he does not want the check returned to him.

Publicity - Dawn: Dawn had planned to present information on the Iowa Water and Land Legacy but was unable to do so at this meeting due to a family obligation.

Conservation - Bill: No conservation news at this time.

Education/Naturalist - Jody: Christmas at the Homestead will be held Saturday, November 12^th. Road construction did not seem to have an adverse affect on the number of people who visited Adams Homestead this summer. A $75,000 grant has been received for developing a playground for those of all abilities and is based on an eco-system involving cottonwoods. They will be selling benches constructed from cottonwood trees. Facebook project will be completed this winter.

Outing/Website - Jerry: 11 people attended the outing on October 15^th. 68 species were sighted of which 15 of those species were sparrows. The next outing will be on November 5^th. The group will meet in the parking lot of the Singing Hills Walmart in Sioux City and will be checking out the trail north of the campground at Synder’s Bend.

The website is up to date and Lycos system appears to be working.

Christmas Bird Count (CBC) dates are as follows: Westfield - December 15^th - meet at the Zales’ mailbox at 8:00 AM, bird until noon, enjoy chili at the Zales for lunch, bird in the afternoon, then meet back at the Zales for dessert and reporting of results. Sioux City - December 17^th Yankton and Ida Grove - December 18^th, and Ponca - December 23^rd.

Social Committee - Carol A list of email addresses was sent to Carol by Donna so that Carol could send out reminders for those bringing treats to meetings.

Birdathon - Chuck: Next year’s Birdathon will be on May 14^th.

Bird Food Sales-Bill and Dotty: The bird seed distribution went well with 11 volunteers helping to distribute the seed. Some seed is still available for purchase. A concern is that bird seed sales had dropped ($300 less than last year) although donations had increased ($139 in donations this year with $132 in donations last year). The most seeds were purchased by DPNC, Candi Coffin, and Bob Livermore this year. Bob shared some ideas that might be used to promote future bird seed sales. These included running ads, sending bird seed forms to people in the community with bird feeders, selling bird seed at the mall, and delivering seed to members.

Audubon Adventures - Gary: No news at this time.

Old Business: None

New Business: None

The Board of Directors meeting was adjourned at 7:10 PM. Motion by Anne, seconded by John, to adjourn.Minutes from the General Meeting:

General meeting members were informed that those who had purchased bird seed could pick up their seed after the meeting. There was some extra seed for purchase. The clipboard was passed around for email addresses. Jerry shared information about the next bird outing and had the sign up sheet for anyone who wished to sign up for treats. There were some free 2017 bird calendars. Maria Rundquist talked about her book that was available for purchase.

The General Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM.

Rex introduced the speakers. The program, “Birds of Summer, 2016: Good Habitat is Key” was presented by Joe Jungers and Lee Schoenewe. 44 people attended the program.

Submitted by Sharon Polifka, Secretary.

Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - 12-1-2016 - DPNC, Sioux City

Meeting called to order at 6:15 PM by President John Polifka

Board Members Present: Gerald Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna Popp, Chuck Johnson, Herman Schultz, Dotty and Bill Zales, Rex Rundquist, John and Sharon Polifka, Gary Heineman, Dawn Synder

Others Present: Bob and Phyllis Nicholson, Tucker Lutter (Tucker was also present at last month’s meeting), Jan Null, Jerry Probst, Maria Rundquist, Brian Hazlett

President’s Report - John:

John will send a reminder to board members before the next meeting regarding the responses to the three questions for National.

John reports difficulty with on-line access to the link on the website which has the annual report forms. A phone call and several emails has not been successful at solving this problem. John will continue to try to make contact with Chapter Services.

Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 11-3-16 meeting were emailed to board members. Motion by Donna, seconded by Dawn, to approve the minutes.

Vice-President’s Report - Rex: Rex reported that a speaker for May has not yet been found. He would like some ideas for the May speaker, as well as ideas for speakers for the coming year. One idea for the May meeting might involve a refresher course in bird identification.

Rex was contacted by Brian Hazlett, Center for Prairie Studies, about Connie Mutel’s visit to Sioux City in April. Brian asked if LHAS would consider being a “host”. This would involve some financial support. Brian indicated that $100 would be appreciated. Dotty made a motion, seconded by Dawn, that LHAS donate $100 to the Center for Prairie Studies.

Iowa Audubon has been participating in the Bird Friendly and Bird City Iowa program. The first place in Iowa participating is Cedar Falls-Waterloo. Students from Iowa State and University of Iowa are also involved as well as a variety of other Iowa agencies, such as the DNR and NCRS. Seven out of 22 criteria must be met to be be designated bird friendly city.

Treasurer‘s Report - Herman: Herman reported that the current checkbook balance is $7,704. He did not have information regarding total bird seed sales. Dotty’s records indicated $1,107 but this did not include some extra checks which came in later.

Newsletter - Anne: Newsletter articles for the January/February newsletter are due by 12-27. The Great Backyard Bird Count has been scheduled for 2-17 to 2-20.

Membership - Donna: Donna talked about Quad City’s membership process. Their membership application indicates that checks should be sent to them. The National Audubon membership fee is $20 but is sent to Quad City. Or, for $10, a person can join just the Quad City Audubon. Donna continues to look for clarification on memberhip procedures.

Publicity - Dawn: Dawn presented information on the Iowa Water and Land Legacy. It is important that the 2017 Iowa Legislature provides funding for the trust fund. To support the trust fund, state sales tax must be raised; 3/8^th of one cent will go to the fund. IWILL and county boards have developed marketing tools. Dawn passed out a sheet entitled #FundTheTrust which explained what funding will accomplish, provide, and be focused on. Members were asked to sign postcards which will be sent to state representatives and senators. A picture was taken of the LHAS members holding a signed banner supporting the trust fund.

Conservation - Bill: Bill voiced his concerns about how trust fund money will be spent. He indicated that 2/3rds of the fund will go to solve agricultural problems.

Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody was unable to attend due to schedule conflict.

Outing/Website - Jerry: 18 people attended the outing on November 5th. 61 species were sighted. Nine Avocets and an Ibis were sighted during this outing. The December outing will be the local Christmas Bird Counts. The website is up to date.

Christmas Bird Count (CBC) dates are as follows: Westfield - December 15^th - meet at the Zales’ mailbox at 7:30 AM, bird until noon, enjoy chili from Anna and Dotty at the Zales for lunch, bird in the afternoon, then meet back at the Zales at 3:30 for dessert and compilation of results. Sioux City - December 17^th Yankton and Ida Grove - December 18^th, and Ponca - December 23^rd.

Social Committee - Carol Carol was unable to attend due to schedule conflict. A thank you to the board members who helped with setting up for the treats and cleaning up afterwards.

Birdathon - Chuck: Next year’s Birdathon will be on May 14^th.

Audubon Adventures - Gary: No news at this time.

Past President: Bob was unable to attend due to schedule conflict.

Old Business: None

New Business: A picture was passed around showing Bob and Phyllis on a “fishing date”. Jan thanked the board members for the flowers. Dawn reminded everyone about the Christmas activities at the DPNC on Saturday, 12-3, from 10 to 3.

The Board of Directors meeting was adjourned at 7:10 PM. Motion by Dotty, seconded by Jerry, to adjourn. Minutes from the General Meeting:

The general meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM. Bill Zales and Jerry Probst talked about the Westfield and the Sioux City Christmas Bird Count. A sign-up sheet for the Sioux City CBC was passed around at the meeting. A sign-up sheet for email addresses was also passed around. Dawn shared information about IWILL trust fund for conservation. Brian Hazlett showed pictures and talked about Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. His next trip to Ecuador/Galapogos will be in January, 2018.

The General Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM. Motion by Maria, seconded by Leesa McNeil, to adjourn. A member picture show, with Paul Roisen manning the computer, was then presented at the meeting. Presenters included Randy Williams, Jan Null, Maria and Rex Rundquist, Jerry Von Ehwegen, John Polifka, Tucker Lutter, and Paul Roisen. 30 people were in attendance.

Submitted by Sharon Polifka, Seccretary