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Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - 1-4-18 - DPNC, Sioux City
Meeting called to order at 6:22 PM by President John Polifka
Board Members Present: Gerald (Jerry)Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna
Popp, Chuck Johnson, Carol Blair, John and Sharon Polifka, Bill and Dotty Zales, Jeri Watkins
Others Present: Jan Null, Bob and Phyllis Nickolson, Jerry Probst
Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 12-7-17 meeting were
emailed to board members. Motion by Donna, seconded by Dotty, to approve the minutes. Motion carried.
President’s Report - John: Rex indicated, via email to John, that
he would like board members to start planning for the Spring IOU meeting (hospitality, displays, field trip sites). Board
members decided to table discussion regarding planning until the March meeting and at that time, to have Dave Hoferer and
Pip Fisher (on speaker phone) be a part of the discussion. Board members could then finalize plans for the spring meeting
and determine what is needed from LHAS (such as field trip sites, field trip leaders, etc.). Possible field trip sites and
leaders were discussed at the November meeting.
There are four board positions (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer) up for re-election
this spring and someone is needed to replace Chuck/Donna for Birdathon. Jeri could remain treasurer for up to three years
if she chooses to do so.
Vice-President/Program Chair Report - Rex: Rex not present at meeting.
Treasurer‘s Report - Jeri: The current checkbook balance is $6,218.88.
There was one deposit of $108 for bird seed. The following checks were written: $270 to DPNC (annual donation), $4.95 to PayPal
(website), and $64 to USPS (post office box). Jeri will be ordering the Animals at Risk from Climate Change posters this month.
Newsletter - Anne: It is the 100th anniversary of the Migratory
Bird Act. There was an excellent article about the “Year of the Bird - 2018; John thought that would be a good theme
for the Spring IOU meeting.
Membership - Donna: Nothing new from membership.
Publicity - Dawn: Dawn was not present at meeting.
Conservation - Bill: Nothing to report from conservation. Dotty reported
that a profit of $991.17 was made from bird seed sales but is $200 down from past bird seed sales. All bird seed has now been
sold.
Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody was unable to make the board meeting
as she was running late.
Outing/Website - Jerry: The five Christmas Bird Counts replaced the
December Show and Go. Information about the Bird Counts can be found on the website. The next Show and Go will be held on
1-13-18 but at a different time. The group will meet at 1 PM at the NW corner of the Singing Hills Walmart in Sioux City.
The group will bird that afternoon and then later head down to Owego to look for short-eared owls. The website is up to date.
The Bird of the Month is the Barred Owl.
Social - Carol Thanks to everyone who brought treats tonight.
Old Business: No old business
New Business: One item of new business. Dotty distributed copies of
the Winter 2017-18 Iowa Prairie Newwork Newsletter.
The Board meeting was adjourned at 6:50 PM. Motion by Carol, seconded by Dotty, to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried.Minutes from the General Meeting:
The General Meeting was called to order at 7:25 PM by President John Polifka. Members were told about
the upcoming Avian Adventures outing to northern Minnesota (2-9 to 2-13). Contact person for this trip is Matt Wetrich at
Carroll County Conservation Foundation (712/792-4614, Ext. 3). Jerry talked about the January Show and Go. Bob Livermore brought
free Iowa Wetland bird posters from the Chicadee Check-off. Chuck Hopp talked a little about his involvement with wilderness
training courses and brought books and CD’s by Jon Young for members to look through. Bill Huser encouraged birders
to share their sightings on the Bird Hotline. You can ask to join the Hotline by contacting someone involved with the Hotline
or by contacting Bill Huser at bhuser@suebee.com.
The General Meeting was adjourned at 7:34 PM. Motion by Donna, seconed by Carol, to adjourn. Motion
carried.
Paul Roisen, birder and photographer, was the presenter for the evening program. He shared his photos
and experiences from his 2015 trip to Madagascar. This program was a continuation of two earlier programs on his trip. 31
people were in attendance.
Submitted by Sharon Polifka
LHAS Secretary
Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - 2-1-18 - DPNC, Sioux City
Meeting called to order at 6:17 PM by President John Polifka
Board Members Present: Gerald (Jerry)Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna
Popp, Chuck Johnson, Carol Blair, John and Sharon Polifka, Bill and Dotty Zales, Jeri Watkins, Rex Rundquist, Dawn Synder
Others Present: Jan Null, Dave Hoferer, Dan Smith, Maria Rundquist,
Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 1-4-18 meeting were
emailed to board members. Motion by Anne, seconded by Dotty, to approve the minutes. Motion carried.
President’s Report - John: See discussion under New Business
Vice-President/Program Chair Report - Rex: Pip Fisher (by phone), Dave
and Rex, led a discussion regarding planning and needs for the IOU Spring meeting. Pip asked for assistance in finding a key
note speaker. Several people were mentioned as possible speakers. Dave had talked with Pip about catering services and housing
and will be sending him contracts for his signature. Dorm rooms are available to IOU participants but not sure yet as to how
many will be needed. The dorm rooms are adjacent to the meeting rooms. Pip will visit Briar Cliff in March or late April to
see the site and see what is needed for advertising. There was a question about who will handle registration. We need to look
into extending invitations to other OU members in South Dakota and Nebraska. There will be further discussion at the March
meeting.
Treasurer‘s Report - Jeri: The current checkbook balance is $6,786.18.
There was one deposit of $572.25 from National. A check was written for $4.95 to PayPal (website). Jeri received an invoice
for $77 for the Animals at Risk from Climate Change posters. The posters have not arrived yet.
Newsletter - Anne: Articles and information for the next newsletter
are due by 2-21. 2018 marks the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. There was information in the January/February
2018 newsletter regarding the Year of the Bird and Audubon’s partnering with National Geographic and Cornell Lab of
Ornithology to celebrate the importance of birds in our lives. Birders are being asked to take simple actions that benefit
birds and engage others in the natural world. The assignment this month is to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count
which takes place 2-16 to 2-19, The Audubon and Cornell Lab websites will have information on how you can participate in the
bird count. National Geographic will feature articles on birds in each issue this year.
Membership - Donna: Nothing new from membership.
Publicity - Dawn: The Northern Saw-whet Owl field trip will be this
Saturday, 2-3-18, at Moorehead Park in Ida Grove. Participants should meet at 10 AM at the park’s Education Center,
The field trip will be led by Don Poggensee. Carpooling with DPNC staff is still available. Call DPNC for details and to register.
The annual Woodbury County Conservation Foundation meeting will be held on 2-25 at 1:30 at the DPNC with a free program at
2 PM. Three to possibly four Trumpeter Swans will be released at 1:30 on 4-5-18 at the north end of the lake in Little Sioux
Park as part of the Trumpeter Swan project. There will also be a program and an opportunity to see the swans close up. Funding
will be needed to provide an aerator for the lake. The aerator will cost approximately $900 to $1,000.
Conservation - Bill: Bill and Dotty Zale would like to donate a picture
of a Saw-whet owl to the Education Center at Ida Grove. An Ocellated Turkey was restored for the
DPNC by Bill. The group was able to see the restored turkey at the meeting. It was a very difficult
task for Bill as the turkey had been frozen for 10 years. The Ocellated Turkey is a threatened species from the Yucatan Peninsula.
Maria had information about a person to contact in the Yucatan regarding conservation. Bill also read from an article in High
Country News about crossbills. You can read this article about crossbills on the High Country News website. The article contains
information about the Cassia crossbill, the first new bird discovered in the western US since 2000 and only the second in
the continental US since 1939. This bird is likely to disappear due to it’s small range and climate change.
Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody was unable to make the board meeting.
Outing/Website - Jerry: Twelve birders attended the outing on 1-13-18
and 36 species were counted. The group birded in the afternoon and then went to Owego where a number of short-eared owls were
seen flying above the fields. The next Show and Go will be held on 2-3-18 . The group will meet at 8 AM at the NW corner of
the Singing Hills Walmart in Sioux City, then drive to Moorehead Park in Ida Grove to join the DPNC group looking for Saw-whet
owls. LHAS plans may change if it snows. The website is up to date. No Bird of the Month as of yet. The results of the Christmas
Bird Counts are out and can be found on the Christmas Bird Count page on the LHAS website.
Social - Carol Thanks to everyone who brought treats tonight.
Old Business: There are four board positions (President, Vice-President/Program
Chair, Secretary) up for re-election this spring.
New Business: The board will need to discuss the position of Vice-President/Program
Chair at the next meeting. Leesa McNeil has agreed to be Program Chair but would prefer not to be a Board member at this time.
Should we have a separate position for Vice-President? Also, what are the duties of the Vice-President?
Dan Smith, Nature Conservancy, talked about the Trust Fund which was approved but is still waiting
for funding. There will be a lobby day at the Capital on 2-12-18. Registration is at 12:30 and there will be programs from
1 to 4 PM. Contact Graham McGaffin at 712/898-7165 if interested in carpooling.
The Board meeting was adjourned at 7:15 PM. Motion by Anne, seconded by Dotty, to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried.Minutes from the General Meeting:
The General Meeting was called to order at 7:32 PM by President John Polifka. Dan Smith provided information
regarding the lobby day at the Capital on 2-12. Dawn Synder talked about the field trip to Moorehead Park on 2-3, the Woodbury
County Conservation Foundation meeting and program on 2-25, the Trumpeter Swan release to take place on 4-5 at Little Sioux
Park and the Frog/Toad Program at DPNC on 4-12 involving training and identifying amphibians. Jerry gave information about
the Show and Go on 2-3. Donna encouraged those who are not getting emails to write their email addresses on the clipboard.
Bill shared information about the ocellated turkey and the article on crossbills.
The General Meeting was adjourned at 7:47 PM. Motion by Maria Rundquist, seconded by Randy Williams,
to adjourn. Motion carried. The presenters for the evening program were Brian Hazlett, Rex Rundquist, and Joe Jungers. They
shared photos and experiences from their recent trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. 45 people attended the program.
Submitted by Sharon Polifka
LHAS Secretary
Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - 3-1-18 - DPNC, Sioux City
Meeting called to order at 6:20 PM by President John Polifka
Board Members Present: Gerald (Jerry)Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna
Popp, Chuck Johnson, John and Sharon Polifka, Jeri Watkins, Rex Rundquist, Gary Heineman
Others Present: Paul Roisen, Dave Hoferer, Leesa McNeil, Bob and Phyllis
Nickolson
Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 2-1-18 meeting were
emailed to board members. Motion by Donna, seconded by Jerry, to approve the minutes. Motion carried.
President’s Report - John: John passed around a letter from LHAS
which was written to acknowledge the Zales gift to Don Poggonsee and the Education Center at Moorehead Park in Ida Grove of
an original Maxine Eichhorst oil and walnut painting of a pair of Saw-whet owls. John also asked for comments regarding Nic
Neally’s email asking about opportunities for birding or bird conservation. Nic is involved with the NE Conservation
Fund which works to increase environmental stewardship across NE. Board members suggested such activities as Birdathon, the
IOU spring meeting in Sioux City, and March Madness at Ponca State Park. However, John will get back to Nic and ask for more
specific information regarding his request.
Vice-President/Program Chair Report - Rex There will be no speaker tonight
as Tyler Harms was unable to make the meeting, However, Tyler will be speaking at the September meeting this fall. Adam Janke,
Extension Wildlife Specialist at the University of Iowa, will be our speaker for the April meeting and will most likely focus
his presentation on the Northern Bobwhite. Tucker Lutter will be May’s speaker.
A DVD will be shown tonight about the life and work of J.N. “Ding” Darling. Rex had also
purchased the DVD “The Messenger” as a possible replacement for the speaker. A motion was made by Donna, seconded
by Sharon, for LHAS to purchase the DVD from Rex for $20. Motion carried.
The presenters for the February meeting (Rex Rundquist, Joe Jungers, and Brian Hazlette) have asked
that their $75 honorarium be given to the Galapagos Conservancy. Motion by Anne, seconded by Sharon, to honor their request.
Motion carried.
Treasurer‘s Report - Jeri: The current checkbook balance is $6,704.23.
There were no deposits. Checks were written for $4.95 to Pay Pal (website) and $77 for the “Animals at Risk“ posters.
Jeri will oversee the distribution of the ten posters. Suggestions of places for distribution included DPNC, Briar Cliff University,
Ponca State Park, Ida Grove Education Center, and Plymouth/Sioux County. Jeri will also contact Herman Schultz for information
on the IRS document needed for filing as a non-profit organization. Donna might also have the needed information from when
she served as treasurer.
Newsletter - Anne: Nothing new for the newsletter
Membership - Donna: Nothing new from membership.
Publicity - Dawn: Dawn was not at meeting.
Conservation - Bill: Bill was not at meeting.
Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody was not at meeting.
Outing/Website - Jerry: Seven birders attended the outing on 2-3-18
and 28 species were counted. The group then joined up with the group from DPNC at Moorehead Park in Ida Grove to see the Northern
Saw-whet owls. Three saw-whet owls were seen at the park. Don Poggensee was presented with the Maxine Eichhorst painting.
The next Show and Go will be on March 17th in Yankton. The group will meet at the NW corner of the parking lot
at the Singing Hills Walmart in Sioux City at 7:30 AM. The outing will be at Yankton, SD and lunch will be at Chuck and Donna’s
cabin. For those driving directly to Yankton, please meet at the first parking lot at the north end of Lake Yankton at 9 AM.
The website is up to date and the Bird of the Month is the Black-capped Chickadee.
Social - Carol Carol was unable to attend the meeting. Thanks to those
who helped with getting ready for the meeting and to those who brought treats tonight.
Old Business: Pip Fisher (by phone) provided board members, Paul Roisen
and Dave Hoferer with updates regarding the IOU spring meeting in Sioux City. According to Pip, he is working with Dave and
the staff of BCU in finalizing the catering services (menu and costs) and meeting rooms (banquet room, an area for posters
and the silent auction).
As for housing, dorm rooms can be reserved for either single or double occupancy, will cost approximately
$10-15 per night, and will be charged on a per person basis. You do not have to stay in the dorm rooms but can make your own
lodging plans. Registering for meals will be processed through the website but not yet sure how to handle dorm registration.
Registration for the IOU spring meeting will be possible on the IOU website by at least 3-16, according to Pip. A key note
speaker has not been found as of tonight.
New Business: The board discussed the position of Vice-President/Program
Chair. John proposed that Leesa McNeil/Jon Nylen be appointed as Program Committee members but as non-board members. The Vice-President
position would entail no programming responsibilities although the Vice-President would retain his or her chairmanship of
the Program Committee as a formality, while delegating program authority to Committee members Leesa and Jon. The Board found
this arrangement to be acceptable. Paul Roisen agreed to accept a future nomination as Vice-President.
The board discussed Anne’s proposal to make a donation to the Ida County Conservation Board to
help fund a bird cam at their feeders and at their osprey nest. Motion by Donna, seconded by Sharon, to donate $100 to the
Conservation Board. Motion carried. The board also discussed a proposal to print the brochure “Plants for Birds”.
DPNC would be able to print a brochure for16 cents/brochure. It would cost $56 to print 350 brochures for DPNC, for the Wild
Ones booth at the garden show, and for Adams Preserve. Motion by Anne, seconded by Donna, to print and distribute the brochures.
Anne will take responsibility in seeing that this is done. Motion carried.
A committee consisting of Paul Roisen, Rex Rundquist, and Dave Hoferer was formed to address IOU spring
meeting issues which have not yet been addressed, such as blocking off hotel rooms for IOU attendees, what would attendees
need to bring themselves if reserving a dorm room, putting together a package from the Chamber of Commerce, etc. Rex will
keep Pip informed about their progress.
The Board meeting was adjourned at 7:33 PM. Motion by Anne, seconded by Rex, to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried.Minutes from the General Meeting:
The General Meeting was called to order at 7:35 PM by President John Polifka. Donna encouraged those
who are not getting emails to write their email addresses on the clipboard.
The General Meeting was adjourned at 7:45 PM. Motion by Gracie Wagoner, seconded by Rex Rundquist.
Motion carried. The evening program was a DVD titled “American’s Darling: The Story of J.N. Ding Darling, a former
Sioux City resident, newspaper cartoonist for the Des Moines Register, and conservationist. 17 people were at the evening
program.
Submitted by Sharon Polifka
LHAS Secretary
Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - 4-5-18 - DPNC, Sioux City
Meeting called to order at 6:22 PM by President John Polifka
Board Members Present: Gerald (Jerry)Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna
Popp, Chuck Johnson, John and Sharon Polifka, Bill and Dotty Zales, Jeri Watkins, Rex Rundquist
Others Present: Jan Null, Dave Hoferer, Maria Rundquist, Paul Roisen,
Bob and Phyllis Nickolson
Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 3-1-18 meeting were
emailed to board members. Motion by Dotty, seconded by Jeri, to approve the minutes. Motion carried.
President’s Report - John: See discussions under New/Old Business
Vice-President/Program Chair Report - Rex: Rex shared his email from
Leesa and Jon McNeil with their ideas for next year’s programs. Program ideas were approved. Paul indicated that Dave
Swanson from the University of South Dakota is also willing to return as a presenter. Tucker Lutter will be May’s presenter.
Tyler Harms will be the presenter in September.
Treasurer‘s Report - Jeri: The current checkbook balance is $6,513.78.
There were deposits of $20 (donation to LHAS from Jon and Leesa McNeil), $145 from National, $25 (donation to LHAS from Rex).
His donation was added to the $75 donation from the February presenters which was sent to the Galapagos Conservancy. Checks
were written for $80.50 to DPNC for the “Plants for Birds” brochure (printing costs were slightly higher than
expected), $100 to Ida County Conservation Board to help fund the bird cam, $75 honorarium to Paul Roisen for his January
program on Madagascar, and $4.95 to PayPal (website). Jeri has also completed the IRS filing as a non-profit organization.
Newsletter - Anne: A reminder that submissions for the May/August newsletter
are due by April 25.
Membership - Donna: Nothing new from membership.
Publicity - Dawn: Four Trumpeter Swans were released on 4-5-18 at the
north end of the lake in Little Sioux Park as part of the Trumpeter Swan project. There was also a program and an opportunity
to see the swans close up.
Conservation - Bill: Bill cleaned several bird skulls for DPNC. He brought
these skulls to the meeting and board members had a chance to look at and see the differences between a Great Horned owl skull
and the skulls from a Red-tailed Hawk, a Cooper’s Hawk, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody was unable to make the board meeting.
Outing/Website - Jerry: The 3-17-18 Show and Go was cancelled due to
weather. The next Show and Go will be 4-21-18. The group will meet at 7:30 AM at the NW corner of the Singing Hills Walmart
in Sioux City. The website is up to date. The Bird of the Month is the Wood Duck.
Social - Carol No report. Thanks to Jan and Jerry and Jeri who brought
treats tonight.
Old Business: There is one board position (Secretary) up for re-election
this spring.
Board members were given a copy of the “To Discuss” list compiled by Paul Roisen which
helped with more planning for the IOU Spring meeting. Prior to the meeting, signs are needed to direct participants to BCU
and to the registration table (also for field trips and silent auction) and volunteers are needed to greet and direct participants
to dorm rooms, make decorations, and put together a welcome packet. Sharon will make signs, Participants will be greeted and
shown to dorm rooms (those who have dorm rooms) on Friday night by Maria and Anne, and on Saturday night, by Dotty and Donna.
Issues regarding dorms such as number of rooms needed, how to assign rooms, keys (including a master key), late arrivals,
etc. will be handled by IOU and/or BCU security /resident assistant. Names to contact, as well as phone numbers, will be needed.
Dotty and Donna will supply table decorations. Bob and Phyllis Nickolson will put together a welcome packet (around 60-70
packets should be enough). During the meeting, LHAS and IOU members should help with participant’s questions.
Dorm rooms will be $20/night per person. Linens will be provided but participants will need to bring
own toiletries. Blocks of rooms and deadlines for reserving rooms will need to be made at Country Inn/Suites, Victorian Inn,
Stoney Creek Hotel, and/or Delta Hotels by Marriott in South Sioux City. Camping would be available at Stone State Park or
KOA.
There should be 5 to 6 field trips. Paul’s list suggested possible leaders and field trip options.
There should be two people assigned to each field trip, the “official” guide and someone to help with directions.
There will be a social hour and a cash bar on Friday and Saturday night. Snacks will be provided by
BCU. Dining options include a breakfast buffet and a sack lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and a banquet on Saturday night.
There will be more discussion about the IOU Spring meeting at the next board meeting. We also need
to address clean up when the meeting ends (i.e. taking down signs and cleaning up). There will be a walk through on 5-11at
BCU Friday (a time will be determined at next board meeting) to familiarize LHAS members with the facility.
New Business: A motion was made by Dotty, seconded by Jeri, to pay for
the extra expense of printing the “Plants for Birds” brochure. Motion carried. Motion by Anne, seconded by Dotty,
to submit payment of $225 for newspaper advertising and motion by Dotty, seconded by John, to submit payment of $270 to DPNC
(annual donation). Motions carried. Board members recognized Gary Heineman for receiving WCCB’s Conservation Educator
award.
The Board meeting was adjourned at 7:22 PM. Motion by Anne, seconded by Dotty, to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried.
Minutes from the General Meeting:The General Meeting was called to order
at 7:32 PM and adjourned at 7:42 PM by President John Polifka. John informed members about the vacancy for the secretary position
and that elections will be held at the May meeting. Dave Hoferer, BCU, indicated that there will be a speaker at the St. Francis
Center at 7 PM on 4-24 who will talk about the intersection between science and faith in solving environmental issues. Paul
gave information about the IOU Spring meeting at BCU. You do not have to be a member of IOU to attend the IOU spring meeting.
The presenter for the evening program was Adam Janke, Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Natural Resource
Ecology and Management at Iowa State University. He shared his research on Bobwhites and offered recommendations for habitat
management and restoration. 31 people attended the program.
Submitted by Sharon Polifka,
LHAS Secretary
Loess Hills Audubon Meeting Minutes - 5-3-18 - DPNC, Sioux City
Meeting called to order at 6:20 PM by President John Polifka
Board Members Present: Gerald (Jerry)Von Ehwegen, Anne Shaner, Donna
Popp, Chuck Johnson, John and Sharon Polifka, Bill Zales, Jeri Watkins, Rex Rundquist, Carol Blair
Others Present: Jan Null, Dave Hoferer, Maria Rundquist, Paul Roisen,
Bob and Phyllis Nickolson, Jerry Probst, Brian Hazlett, Gary Heineman
Secretary’s Report - Sharon: Minutes for the 4-5-18 meeting were
emailed to board members. There were no additions or corrections on the final draft. Motion by Maria, seconded by Rex, to
approve the minutes. Motion carried.
President’s Report - John: Cornell Lab’s Global Big Day
is May 5th which runs from midnight to midnight. To participate, you will need to open an eBird account. You do
not have to commit to watching for 24 hours - 10 minutes or 2 hours counts as participating. You then enter what you have
seen or heard on the eBird website.
Elections will be held at the general meeting. Dave Hoferer has consented to being nominated for the
position of President, Paul Roisen for Vice-President, Randy Williams for Secretary, and Jeri Watkins for a second term as
Treasurer. Jerry will continue to be in charge of the Show and Go outings.
Vice-President/Program Chair Report - Rex: Tucker Lutter is tonight’s
presenter. Tyler Harms will be the presenter in September.
Treasurer‘s Report - Jeri: The current checkbook balance is $6,508.83.
There were no deposits. One check was written for $4.95 to PayPal (website).
Newsletter - Anne: The May-August newsletter has been sent out. Anne
passed around a clipping from the Wall Street Journal called “Birdwatching Tips from the Renaissance” from the
book “Pasta for Nightingales” written by Giovanni Pietro Olina.
Membership - Donna: Nothing new from membership.
Birdathon: Birdathon will be held on May 12th. Birders participating
in the Birdathon can meet at 7:30 AM at the NW corner of the Singing Hills Walmart in Sioux City. Teams of birders can be
formed at that time. Birders should meet at noon at Culvers to share results. Contact Donna for more information regarding
the Birdathon.
Publicity - Dawn: Dawn was unable to attend the meeting but has asked
to be notified by 5-15 if there any changes to be made in the WCCB newsletter ad (or the summer issue which runs from May
through September). Donna indicated that the LHAS contact person should be changed to Dave Hoferer. Payment will be needed
by September 2018 for next year’s series of three ads. Also, LHAS’s materials, which are currently stored in the
DPNC basement, will need to be moved as the space is needed by DPNC. Bill has agreed to store these materials.
Conservation - Bill: The Zales attended an excellent Earth Day celebration
while they were in Reno. Bill brought to the board meeting a box of bird wings which he restored for DPNC. There were wings
from a swan, snowy owl, red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, sharp-shinned hawk, long-eared owl, pheasant, screech owl, an immature
merlin, as well as a tail from a white-tail deer.
Education/Naturalist - Jody: Jody was unable to make the board meeting.
Outing/Website - Jerry: 96 species were counted by the ten birders who
attended the Show and Go on 4-21-18. The next outing will be the Birdathon on May 12th. The outings this summer
will be on June 9th, July 7th, and August 4th. The website is up to date. No Bird of the
Month yet.
Social - Carol No report. Thanks to those who brought treats for tonight’s
meeting.
Old Business: There was additional discussion about preparations for
the spring IOU meeting. Paul passed around a sheet which provided clarification concerning deadlines for reserving meals and
dorm rooms, responsibility for signage and who will be greeters/helpers/ask me people. There will be check-off and sign-off
sheets for dorm rooms. Registrations have been received from 73 people so will probably need decorations for at least 12 tables.
Field trips need to depart and return on time. One discussion centered around tables/displays. Tables are needed for DPNC
(1), Plymouth County Conservation Board (1), IOU (2), and IPN (1). The Wild Ones and Sierra Club also requested a table. Several
people will provide photos for a photo gallery. There will be no cash bar. Please meet at Briar Cliff at 4 PM on Friday for
a walk through and for setting up tables.
New Business: There was no new business to discuss.
The Board meeting was adjourned at 7:20 PM. Motion by Maria, seconded by Carol, to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried.
Minutes from the General Meeting:The General Meeting was called to order
at 7:30 PM. Donna passed around sign-up sheets for Birdathon and email addresses. Jerry had dates for the summer outings.
Next, elections for the vacant board positions were held. Nominations for the position of president
were opened. Donna nominated David Hoferer for president. There were no additional nominations for president, so President
Polifka entertained a motion to cease nominations. Maria so moved and the motion was seconded by Leesa. David Hoferer was
elected president. Nominations were then opened for the position of vice-president. Chuck nominated Paul Roisen. There were
no further nominations and a motion was entertained to cease nominations. Donna so moved and was seconded by Leesa. Paul was
elected vice-president. Nominations were then opened for secretary. Randy Williams was nominated. After no further nominations,
a motion to cease nominations was made. Leesa so moved and was seconded by Maria. Randy Williams was elected secretary. Finally,
nominations were opened for the position of treasurer. Rex nominated Jeri Watkins for a second term as treasurer. After nominations
were ceased, Jeri was elected treasurer. The general meeting was adjourned at 7:40 PM. Motion by Maria, seconded by Donna,
to adjourn. Motion carried.
The presenter for the evening program was Tucker Lutter. His program was titled “Swallow-tailed
Kite Symbolism in Native American Tribes of the Midwest”. He presented the research he has done in this area. 40 people
attended the program.
Submitted by Sharon Polifka, LHAS Secretary
There are no meetings during the summer, so there are no minutes for June, July, and August.
Loess Hills Audubon Society Meeting September 6, 2018, Dorothy Pecaut
Nature Center
BOARD MEETING AGENDA - 5:30
PM
Setup for the potluck can begin as early as 4:30 pm.
Chapter Officers present: David Hoferer, Paul Roisen, Randy Williams, Jeri Watkins, Donna Popp, Rex Rundquist, Bill Zales, Jody Moats,
Jerry Von Ehwegen, Dotty Zales, Carol Blair, Dawn Snyder, and John Polifka
Chapter Officers absent: Leesa McNeil, Anne Shaner, and Gary Heineman
Honored Guests:
Sharon Polifka, Gracie Wagoner, Bob & Phyllis Nickolson, Jan Null, and Chuck Johnson
I. Call to Order at 5:40 PM by David H. due to our annual start-the-year potluck.
II. Thank you to returning Board members and welcome to new members of Board
III. Secretary’s Report – Randy W.
A. Minutes from the 3 May 2018 were submitted by e-mail from Sharon P.
1. There were no additions or corrections to those minutes. Motion to approve from Dawn
S. , second Carol B.
2. Minutes were approved as submitted.
B. Thank you to Sharon P. for her work for the last two years.
C. See “New Business” below for discussion regarding LHAS laptop.
IV. President – David H. Please refer to “New Business” below.
V. Vice-President – Paul R. No
report
VI. Treasurer – Jeri W.
A. Credits - Birdathon $750
B. Debit
1. Newsletter - $43.02
2. Tucker Lutter - $75 for his May program
3. Monona County/Loess Hills Prairie Seminar - $250
4. Woodbury County Conservation Board
a) Newsletter Advertising - $225
b) Annual room use at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center - $270
5. PayPal charge - $4.95 per month for website hosting
C. Balance - $6376.01
D. New expense submitted for Microsoft Office upgrade ($62.99) and a USB Microdrive (19.99)
for the LHAS laptop, see discussion in “New Business” below for more information.
1. Motion to reimburse the secretary for these expenses by ________________ with second
by Paul Roisen.
2. Motion passed for reimbursement
E. See below in “New Business; Trumpeter Swan Project” for proposal to establish
a “grant application process” to be able to work within a budget and possibly provide further assistance for several
applicants.
VII. Membership – Donna P.
A. Donna Popp could not print the list today but she has the database and can look to
see your membership status.
B. Still problems with membership issues with National and two examples were given. According
to the National Audubon Society database we have 180 members.
C. Prior discussions about having local membership as well as being a National member
however it would be a nightmare to try and track. Will continue to next month for further discussion.
VIII. Newsletter - Sept-Oct is out by e-mail thanks to Anne. Let Anne or Donna P. Know if there are problems with electronic
communications.
IX. Conservation - Bill Z.
A. Traditional activist tools of letter
writing and telephone calls may not be working with this Federal administration. Instead, try to belong to as many conservation
groups as possible to try and get something done via group lawsuits against federal legislation or policy.
B. Checking of bird ID of a couple
bird mounts. Are they Swainson’s or Wood thrush ?? Expert opinion leans to Grey-cheeked Thrush and Swainson’s
Thrush.
X. Naturalist/Education – Jody M. No report.
XI. Outings – Jerry V. June July August outings were reviewed and reports are posted
to the website. The next outing is Saturday, 15 September, meet at the northwest corner of the Singing Hills Walmart at 7:30
AM.
XII. Publicity – Dawn S.
A. If we need to get anything to local media, let Dawn S. know about a week to 10 days
prior to the event. We usually just cover meetings until the Christmas Bird Count is coming close.
B. Discussion regarding the Woodbury County Conservation Board newsletter and bird food
sales. WCCB has to watch their non-profit status. A link can be added to the WCCB website.
XIII. Social - Carol B. A sheet is going
around to board members to sign up for providing treats for future meetings. Request to have sign up sheets available for the general meeting.
XIV. Audubon Adventures – Gary H. No report
XV. Old Business
A. Publicity - payment needed by September 2018 (from May Board meeting). This was accomplished.
XVI. New Business
A. A Roseate Spoonbill was seen in Minnesota.
B. Donna P. – Birdathon and more.
1. Birdathon – 15 teams and 160 species with $800 for the treasurer.
2. Wish to possibly auction a bird surveyor sign for posterity. She also found some copies
of the Siouxland bird map and guide. The map copies will be given to Rex, let him know if someone might want one.
C. Paul R. - May IOU meeting wrap-up.
1. Should we join with IOU for a birding competition among state IOU/Audubon chapters?
Someone will have to organize this if we wish to participate. Further discussion for next meeting.
2. IOU Wrap up
a) Compliments to Paul R. for his work in set up of the meeting.
b) Mason City Fall IOU meeting coming up at the end of this month.
c) Paul thanks the volunteers at Sioux City for the Spring meeting.
d) 185 species for the Spring meeting weekend and the list is posted to the IOU website.
D. Dawn S. - Trumpeter Swan project at Little Sioux Park and more
1. DPNC has a new audio/visual system!
2. Good turnout for Swan release.
3. WCCB is looking at an aerator and interpretive signage for the swan pen at Little Sioux
also possibly providing benches at the area.
a) Request to consider providing some funds to the aerator/signage/bench project for the
swans at Little Sioux.
b) We do have a good balance in our account.
c) Some donations received for the signage but no info for what information will be on
the signage as of yet.
d) Install aerator (including electrical work and plumbing) no later than November. This
will prevent water in the swan enclosure from freezing in winter.
e) What do we have for yearly income and yearly debits?
(1) We’ve been running about $6000 in the checking account.
(2) Discussion to provide partial versus full amount for the aerator
(a) Possibly provide a smaller amount now and then provide more for later?
(b) Motion by Donna Popp to provide $1339.14 (full amount) to the aerator and electrical
connections. second by S Polifka.
(c) If the motion to provide the full amount does not pass, then there would be a motion
to provide a partial amount with the option of providing more funds at a later time.
(3) Vote for full amount required a show of hands: Yay-6,
Nay – 5 Motion passes to provide full amount.
4. During this discussion Paul R. proposed a “grant-application process” in
the future to help plan the LHAS budget. Would like to work within a budget to plan for this as well as other things that
MAY come in later this season.
E. Dotty Z. – Wild Ones and bird food
1. Looking for someone to be a Wild Ones birding presenter to provide a program for what
type of plants would attract birds in this area. Contact Dotty Z. if you are interested in being a presenter.
2. Bird Food Sale – Dotty is waiting for price lists. She will also investigate
the new Fleet Farms store for prices.
F. Randy W. – Laptop software and hardware
1. Microsoft Office and the LHAS laptop.
a) Attempt made to access Microsoft Office software on the LHAS laptop prior to the 9/6
meeting and a message came up that the software needed to be downloaded or a code was required to access the Office software.
b) Further investigation revealed Office 365 was installed.
(1) This is a subscription-based software that needs to be renewed annually. No renewal
had been performed since the acquisition of the laptop in 2016.
(2) E-mail discussion with David H., Paul R., and Sharon P. The laptop was purchased as
a backup system for any presenter that did not bring or could not use their own hardware/software for a presentation to LHAS.
If we cannot access PowerPoint we could not provide hardware or software for a presenter.
(3) Paul R. found an online source for a stand-alone (non-subscription based) new version
of Office Classic. David H. and Paul R. agreed to have Randy pay for and download this version and install and reimbursement
would be discussed at the 9/6 meeting. See above
(4) This was accomplished and a stand-alone version of Office is installed and working
on the LHAS laptop.
c) Randy also purchased a USB microdrive in order to back up secretary duties and documentation
and transfer to another system as an additional back up. Request for reimbursement was submitted (see above).
d) Future plans to use the laptop as the primary source and storage of LHAS business.
(1) Past meeting minutes have been downloaded in .pdf from the website and are on the laptop.
(2) Latest version of the bylaws is in .pdf format on the laptop.
e) Request from Paul R. for Randy to look for a portable hard drive to serve as the primary
back up of LHAS documents and could be easily transferred from the current secretary to subsequent secretaries. Randy will
investigate this for the next meeting.
G. LHAS manual - Dave, Paul, Randy put all info onto the LHAS laptop (see above) to have
everything in a central location – with backup! This discussion tabled to next month.
H. Holiday protocol discussion – tabled to next month.
I. Potential VP to President transition no objections – tabled to next month.
J. Again, many thanks to John and Sharon for their work.
XVII. Adjourn motion and second at 6 :40
PM so everyone can enjoy the food !
General Meeting Notes
I. Fun with the new AV system in DPNC !
II. General Meeting was called to order at 7 :30 PM by David
H.
A. Introduction and welcome.
B. Thanks to John and Sharon for their work.
III. Announcements
A. Dawn S. - Nature Calls on 9/22.
B. Leesa McNeil - Iowa Prairie Heritage Week next week. Information available
on counter. Pre-registration is required for a hike beginning at Five Ridge Prairie and going up to the Nylen-McNeil residence
for sunset over the prairie.
C. Jerry V. Next outing is 9/15 at 7 :30 AM at the Singing Hills Walmart.
D. Carol B. - Treat list is passing around for the next season.
E. Donna P. – There was e-mail notice of tonight’s meeting. If you’re
not getting the information, let her know, please.
F. Rex R. - Siouxland Bird Guides remain available. They are old but it is a
good map of the area for birding/nature.
IV. No other business as of 7 :35 PM.
V. Our program tonight :
Tips for Training Your Warbler and Vireo Eyes by Tyler Harms.
VI. General adjourn at 8 :35 PM. Attendance=45.
Loess Hills Audubon Society Meeting, Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, October 4, 2018
BOARD MEETING AGENDA
6:15 pm
Chapter Officers present: David Hoferer, Paul Roisen, Randy Williams, Jeri Watkins, Anne Shaner, Donna Popp, Rex Rundquist, Bill Zales,
Jerry Von Ehwegen, Dotty Zales, Carol Blair, and John Polifka
Chapter Officers absent: Leesa McNeil, Dawn Snyder, Jody Moats, and Gary Heineman
Honored Guests:
Sharon Polifka, Maria Rundquist, Jan Null, Bob & Phyllis Nickolson, and Chuck Johnson
I. Call to Order at 6:15 PM
II. Secretary’s Report – Randy W.
A. Motion and second to approve the corrected minutes.
B. Looked online for external hard drive for this PC.
C. Look for a 1 TB hard drive from the best source (Best Buy, Staples) and bring in receipt
III. President – David H., refer to “New Business”, below
IV. Vice-President – Paul R. – No specific report, see “New Business“, below.
V. Treasurer – Jeri W.
A. Credit $50
B. Debit $82.98 reimbursement to the Secretary for a thumb drive and acquiring a stand-along
Microsoft Office package for the LHAS laptop.
C. $6238.08 balance
VI. Membership – Donna P.
A. Membership lists from National
1. Many LHAS officers are not NAS members according to our current list.
2. How does this affect serving the chapter if one is not a NAS member?
3. Continuing issues with National regarding membership
a) No telephone for National. Have to e-mail questions.
b) Renewal date not added to mailing label of the magazine any more. This makes it difficult
to monitor when one’s membership is due.
B. NAS membership reimbursement
1. LHAS had close to 300 members at one time.
2. Unknown how the reimbursement is calculated.
3. According to our annual report we receive currently receive the same amount of money
from NAS as we did back in 2003, about $575.
4. A new member for LHAS – 100% of that of that membership returns to the chapter.
C. Renewals
1. Accidentally discovered that if one renews a membership within 6-months prior to expiration,
then NAS provides an extra year membership
2. No extra time if the renewal is outside of the 6-month period. And, one does not necessarily
know the expiration date of their membership.
D. Have all members contact NAS regarding their status.
E. Communication issues
1. Cable One will not allow email sending of attachments for large groups of people.
2. Mail Chimp allows this but not everyone can download or open the attachments, even
when going to the posted web link.
3. Looking for a work around with another tech savvy guru.
VII. Conservation – Bill Z.
A. Groups are using lawsuits to do
the right thing.
B. Money is being spent in order to
do the right thing.
C. Time to purchase federal duck stamp.
1. Money goes to wetland preserves
2. Can pay fee for habitat conservation
in place of hunting
D. New tax laws related to deductions
may affect people with normal incomes from giving to charities. The tax deductions under the new laws will not be the same
as in the past.
VIII. Naturalist/Education – Jody M. – no report.
IX. Outings – Jerry V.
A. 12 people with 50 species sighted on the September outing.
B. October outing: 10/20/18 at the SuperWalmart
at Singing Hills at 7:30 AM. Lunch with Polifka family
C. Website up to date for outings and bird food
X. Publicity – Dawn C. – no report
XI. Social – Carol B.
A. 4 months of this season with only
1 person signed for goodies.
B. Will announce at general meeting
to try and recruit some helpers.
XII. Audubon Adventures – Gary H. – no report.
XIII. Old Business
A. LHAS manual - Dave, Paul, Randy
1. Use this PC as part of the transition between past-term and new-term elected officers.
2. Wish to put together an “operations and transitions manual”
a) For every officer and committee chair and to have a job aid for every position.
b) What does the next person need to know to take over?
(1) Provide not just what is listed in the bylaws
(2) Also include the “nuts-and-bolts” of the position operates and duties performed.
3. Request
a) Put together a list of the jobs for chapter officers and committee chairs
b) What would a new person need to know to get up and running immediately?
c) Coordinate with what’s in the bylaws with what the person in the position REALLY
does to make it work well
d) Work on producing job aids
B. Holiday protocol discussion
1. The January 2019 meeting is so close to the holiday.
2. Attendance be down because of the holiday?
3. Do we move 2019? 2020? Should we also consider Maundy Thursday as well?
4. If we decide on a move, it will probably move back to the second TH of the month
5. Have to coordinate with DPNC and program chair
C. Potential VP to President transition
1. Finding people can be a problem
2. Look at bylaws and propose the change to general membership
3. Just elect a Vice President who then transitions to President and then Past President
a) President would then serve only 1 year, per se
b) Consider this and bring back at some point.
c) We will continue with a program coordinator under the supervision of the VP.
4. The objective is to try and make seamless transitions from one set of officers and
committee chairs to the next.
5. Dave, Paul and Randy to begin.
D. Get some training in making the new projection system work if there is no DPNC staff
available.
E. Setting a budget
1. Plan for projects
2. Allow our budget to adsorb the requests and allocate accordingly
3. There is a question in this regard in the annual report to NAS
4. Will look at expenses from past years to plan for this coming season.
XIV. New Business
A. Iowa Young Birders
1. Email from Tyler Harms
2. Potential donation to Iowa Young Birders
3. 3 programs to which we could donate to help
4. $100 to Tyler as honorarium for a Young Birders program
5. Table until budget proposal put together
B. Bird Food Sale – Dotty Z.
1. Notices sent
2. Website and Facebook updated with the order form.
3. Food will be coming from Bomgaars and the Feed Shed.
C. Items for Nov./Dec. newsletter due on October 24. Per Anne S. we need to stick closely
to the deadline, please
D. Year of the bird Count all birds on Saturday, 10/6 and submit to eBird.
XV. Announcements:
A. Jerry V. for outings
B. Carol B. for treats
C. Donna P. for email communications
D. Dotty Z. for bird food
XVI. Adjourn 7 :25 PM
General Meeting
I. Call to Order at 7:36 PM
II. Announcements (as above)
III. Leesa M. announced upcoming programs
A. Tonight’s program by Paul Weihe, “Stories From the Slough”
B. Check Paul’s website/blog at: 99wetlands.wordpress.com
IV. 36 Attendees at tonight’s general meeting
V. Adjourn at 8:40 PM
Loess Hills Audubon Society Meeting Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center November 1, 2018
BOARD MEETING AGENDA 6:15 pm
Board Members Present: David Hoferer, Paul Roisen, Randy Williams, Jeri Watkins, Donna Popp, Ann Shaner, Rex Rundquist, Bill Zales,
Jerry Von Ehwegen, Dotty Zales, Dawn Snyder, Gary Heineman, John Polifka
Board Members Absent: Leesa McNeil, Jody Moats,
Carol Blair
Honored Guests: Sharon Polifka, Chuck Johnson,
Maria Rundquist, Bob Nickolson, Phyllis Nickolson
I. Call to Order 6:17 PM
II. Approve minutes from October meeting with the following corrections (bold and underlined)
below:
1. Item XIV, B, 3: “…Bomgaars and
Feed Shed“ for bird food suppliers
2. Item XIV, C: “… October 24”
for newsletter due date
3. Approve and second for the corrections.
III. Secretary’s Report – Randy W.
A. One terabyte external hard drive purchased for backup of the LHAS laptop with receipt
submitted for reimbursement.
B. Available hard copies of:
1. Tonight’s agenda
2. Tyler Harms letter
3. Paul R.’s request for job descriptions.
IV. President – David H.: see new business
V. Vice-President – Paul R.
A. Request for job descriptions from
officers and committees heads
B. There are inconsistencies and tweaks
need to be made to the bylaws
C. Everyone to write a job description
and submit to all 3 of us (Paul, David, Randy)
1. Good start provided by an excellent
job description from Ann S.
2. Descriptions will allow a smooth
transition from
a) Election to election
b) If a member cannot complete a term
and someone needs to take over.
D. Everyone to get a copy of the most
recent bylaws.
1. It appears there are some older
copies available.
2. Older copies need to be replaced
with the most recent version
E. Please consider this revision of
the bylaws as interactive for all officers and committee chairs
F. Will have to notify general membership
of changes.
VI. Treasurer – Jeri W.
A. Credit - $1935.20
B. Debit - $3060.90
C. Balance - $5112.38
D. Letter from Dawn S. for our contribution to the trumpeter swans.
VII. Membership – Donna P.
A. No real changes from October
B. It is not easy to work with National Audubon.
VIII. Conservation – Bill Z.
A. Try to have a look at the recent
National Geographic magazine article regarding the pervasiveness of plastics.
B. David H., a recent report on bird
populations shows individual bird numbers are down by 60%.
IX. Naturalist/Education – Jody M., no report.
X. Outings – Jerry V.
A. 12 people saw 54 species on the 20 Oct outing with a wonder lunch at the home of John
and Sharon Polifka
B. Next outing is 11/10 and we’ll meet at 7:30 AM at the Singing Hills Walmart.
C. LHAS website is up to date
D. A scheduling conflict was noted with our November outing date and the Adams Homestead
Christmas celebration.
XI. Publicity – Dawn S.
A. Need dates and some background information or contact information for area Christmas
Bird Counts
B. Dates in newsletter but no details for individual counts
C. More information provided later by Jerry Probst.
XII. Social – Carol B. No report.
XIII. Audubon Adventures – Gary H.: Audubon
Adventures are essentially no longer available
XIV. Old Business
A. LHAS manual - Dave, Paul, Randy
1. Committees
a) Should have 3 members per bylaws
(1) Many committees have only 1 member
(2) Possibly combine some committees
(3) Spread the work from committee chair to others interested in the committee
(4) Reach out to our membership to involve them in our committees and become inclusive
with our membership
b) Based on past bylaws
(1) There should be a large number of people on the LHAS Board of Directors.
(2) This calls into question the ability to make a quorum.
(3) Board decisions could be impacted by whether a quorum was reached under the current
bylaws.
2. By-laws – See V, above, for details.
3. Job descriptions – See V, above, for details
4. Ask for one submitted report from the Board members and committee chairs
a) Might facilitate the Board meetings
b) Prevent misconceptions during verbal reports
c) Alleviate transcription errors in the Board minutes
5. Post Office box
a) Remains available
b) Keys with David H. and Jeri W.
c) Can this be better utilized?
B. Budget
1. Needs to be put together
2. Plan for things as well as have a buffer for unexpected things
3. In times past, an August meeting called by the President and was used to put together
a budget every year.
4. LHAS should continue to follow a fiscal year
5. Will need to set a deadline for submissions.
C. Holiday protocol discussion - tabled
D. Potential VP to President transition - tabled
E. Iowa Young Birders
1. Email from Tyler Harms
2. Donation request to Iowa Young Birders
a) Unique programs starting in 2019
b) New field notebook or guide for attendees
c) Will wait for budget to be determined before responding to the donation request.
F. Bird Food Sale – Dotty Z.: There are a
few extra bags available of some bird foods.
XV. New Business
A. Nature Center Renovation & LHAS Meetings – Dawn S.
1. New HVAC system replacement for DPNC starts after 1st of the year
2. Offices to move upstairs
3. LHAS can continue with DPNC if our meetings can be compacted in one room, if possible,
for Feb., Mar. and maybe April?
4. Alternatives could be
a) Briar Cliff?
b) Adams Homestead?
B. Christmas Bird Count – Dotty and Jerry Probst
1. Date, time, place, etc. for Dawn S. for publicity.
2. Jerry P. has sign up sheets available for the counts
C. Format for General Meetings – David H.
1. Share sightings, questions, announcements, etc.
a) Call to order
b) Announcements
c) Program
d) Questions from general membership
2. Annual meeting format
a) Formal presentation of this past year’s activities/accomplishments to general
membership?
b) Election of officers
c) Review of what we did for the general membership
d) Add a report to the newsletter
D. End of calendar year report due in December for National Audubon
1. Jerry V tracks many things for this, based on his prior experience.
2. Another reason for monthly tracking of committee reports
E. End of year fiscal report for the chapter (and National) in June
F. Butterfly ID from Gracie’s garden
XVI. Adjourn – Moved and second
to adjourn at 7 :15 PM
General Meeting
I. Call to Order 7:30 PM
II. Announcement
A. Christmas Bird Counts – Jerry P.
1. Dates, times, and contacts for the region.
2. Sign up sheet going around
B. Bird food extras – Bill and Dotty Z.
III. Bird sightings in the area
IV. Upcoming programs – Leesa M.
V. Tonight:
A. Jordan Giese – Prairie Strips and Birds
B. Have a look at: www.prairiestrips.org
C. Project also reviewed on National Audubon Society website and in Audubon magazine.
VI. 38 attendees
VII. Adjourn – 8:33 PM
Loess Hills Audubon Society Meeting Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center December 6, 2018
BOARD MEETING AGENDA
6:15 pm
Officers Present: David Hoferer, Paul Roisen, Randy
Williams, Jerry Watkins, Donna Popp, Ann Shaner, Rex Rundquist, Bill Zales, Jody Moats, Jerry Von Ehwegen, Dotty Zales, Carol
Blair, Dawn Snyder
Officers Absent: John Polifka, Gary Heineman, Leesa
McNeil
Honored Guests: Jan Null, Bob & Phyllis Nickolson,
Chuck Johnson, Maria Rundquist
I. Call to Order at 6:20 PM
II. Minutes from the November meeting were approved by consensus
III. Secretary’s Report – Randy W.
A. Only one correction noted for the November minutes
B. The date of the October outing was corrected from 10
October to 20 October.
IV. President – David H.
A. Annual report to National Audubon
is being compiled and worked on
B. Due by June 2019 but typically sent
in at the end of the calendar year
C. Information coming to David for
the report.
D. A copy of the compiled report will
be submitted to the Board members for approval
V. Vice-President – Paul R.
A. Job descriptions are being received
1. This is a work-in-progress
2. Just send a first draft at this
time we will fine tune
B. Updating bylaws
1. Some updates have been sent
2. Some appear to require some serious
work, for example there is no mention of our particpation in Iowa Audubon.
3. The newest version is available
on the website
C. Submission formats
1. When sending versions of the bylaws
or job descriptions, please do not use .pdf format
2. The submission may need to be edited and/or copied and pasted into another document.
3. Not all versions of .pdfs can be
easily edited, copied or pasted.
4. Microsoft Word format seems to work
best for most people.
D. Leesa McNeil will step down from
the programs position as of May 2019.
1. Programs and speakers Leesa has
found for us have been outstanding. Thank you!
2. Rex will work on a job aid for what
to do to obtain speakers
3. If one does not exist, we need to
have an archive of speakers and programs
E. Combining of committees with 1 chair
and several members working on the subgroups
VI. Treasurer – Jeri W.
A. Who is the registered agent for LHAS?
1. This needs to be filed with Iowa Secretary of State.
2. The agent needs a physical address (not a PO Box) and live in Iowa.
3. Registration is required in the odd-numbered year.
4. Registration is accepted from 1 January to 1 April.
B. Biennial Report
1. Needs to be filed with Iowa Secretary of State on odd numbered years
2. Notice with a code to use when filing the report is sent to the Registered Agent for
Loess Hills Audubon in January
3. Registered Agent needs a physical address (not a PO Box) and to live in Iowa.
4. Who is he Registered Agent for LHAS?
5. ADDENDUM: Per e-correspondence with John Polifka,
9 Dec 2018
a) Current document on file lists Chuck Johnson as Registered Agent for LHAS.
b) Bylaws do not address as to who should serve in that capacity, (e.g. current board
member)
C. Renewal for PO Box was received.
D. Credits - $395
E. Debits – $163.79
F. Balance – $5343.59
VII. Membership – Donna P. No report.
VIII. Conservation – Bill Z.
A. The second firearm season for deer
begins Saturday, 12/8. Watch yourself in the woods !
B. Flyers on display from Iowa Prairie
Network
C. Information also available for birding
tour vacations.
IX. Naturalist/Education – Jody M. Identification assistance with a cell phone photo
of a color morph of a grackle?
X. Outings – Jerry V.
A. A record of 2 people for the November outing!
B. Thirty-two species were seen.
C. Dec is Christmas Bird Count on 15th – Jerry Probst has more information
D. Area CBCs are on the LHAS website.
E. The website is up to date for outings, outing reports, bylaws, chapter minutes, bird
of the month.
XI. Publicity – Dawn S.
A. Press release to media for various CBCs and meetings.
XII. Social – Carol B. No report.
XIII. Audubon Adventures – Gary H. No report.
XIV. Old Business
A. LHAS manual - Dave, Paul, Randy. See Paul’s VP report, above.
B. Holiday protocol discussion
1. Jan 3 for next meeting
2. Need to set a policy for meetings that fall on or very near a holiday
a) Decide at first meeting of the season
b) Probably move the affected meeting to the second Thursday of the appropriate month
c) New Year and Easter would be the most likely conflicts
C. Potential VP to President transition
1. VP – President – Past President
2. Essentially, we would need to find a new VP every year?
3. Does the President need to be an active President for 2 years?
a) Should this transition be:
(1) 1 – 1 – 1 for the active President?
(2) 1 – 2 – 1 for the active President?
(3) Should we go longer?
(4) The idea is that sometimes it takes longer to accomplish the President’s goals
than the one year as the active President.
4. Board members and meetings
a) Although everyone is welcome to attend Board meetings, how many Board members are REQUIRED
to attend every month?
b) Do committee members need to be at the Board meetings?
c) Do the committees need to report to the Board every month?
d) This may be related to submitting reports for agenda items and accuracy of the minutes
of the Board meetings.
5. It may be better to combine some of the committees to provide several individuals and
depth. More efficient. Tasks are more delineated
D. Iowa Young Birders
1. email from Tyler Harms
2. donation to Iowa Young Birders
3. Putting together grant proposals for a budget. Further discussion and action tabled
to later.
E. Nature Center Construction & Meetings – Dawn
1. Smaller space for Jan and Feb meetings (about half the size of our current space)
2. New HVAC system being installed for the DPNC
3. The work could possibly last through April.
4. We will try to make do with DPNC
F. Format for General Meetings
1. Share sightings, questions, announcements, etc.
2. Annual meeting format
3. Formal presentation of this past year’s activities/accomplishments to general
membership?
XV. New Business
A. Newsletter – Anne S.
1. Please get all items for the Jan/Feb newsletter to Anne by December 27
2. Great Backyard Bird Count in Feb.
B. Bird Food Report – Dotty Z.
1. The final tally
2. $750.34 from 25 orders
3. More competition from commercial sources than previous years.
4. No orders from website, most support from LHAS members.
5. Donations to the chapter also came from the orders.
6. Is all the effort worth it? It was originally started to encourage support of the chapter.
7. Re-purpose this
a) As a project to raise money?
b) Such as raise money to take bird food to nursing homes?
c) This could also provide positive publicity for the chapter
8. Partner with a supplier?
a) A sale means a portion of that will go to LHAS?
b) This idea was not well received at Bomgaars.
9. 3 bags left to sell – tonight?
C. Christmas Bird Count reminder – Dawn S.
XVI. Adjourn at 7 :25 PM
GENERAL MEETING
AGENDA
7:30 pm
I. Call to Order at 7:38 PM
II. Member slide show and Christmas treats tonight!
III. Announcements
A. Jerry P.
B. Outings
IV. Area bird sightings
V. Adjourn – 9:20 PM.
33 attendees.
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