Montana Society of American Foresters
Executive Committee Meeting Notes
June 19, 1998
Attendees: Russ Gautreaux, Cait Faulkner, Warren Appelhans, David Delsordo, Frank Cuff, Bryan Donner, Ed Lieser, Rick Franke, Dennis Davaz, Jim Mountjoy, Tim Love, Fred Ebel, Greg Schildwachter, Dale Kerkvliet, Sam Gilbert
Frank opened the meeting by asking that attendees introduce themselves. New faces today include Cait Faulkner,our current newsletter editor and Fred Ebel, Inland Empire Society member and candidate for SAF vice president. Additions to the last meetings minutes were distributed.
Treasurer's Report- $2852.45 in checking, $410 in savings (Dick Guth Memorial Fund). The state treasury was recently bolstered by its share of the receipts from the annual state meeting ($1803.80). Distributed an updated budget for the year based on an increase in revenues from state meeting.
Montana Natural Resources Youth Camp- The group discussed a proposal for the state society to contribute $100 towards the general fund of the camp, in addition to the scholarships currently being offered by individual chapters.The tuition for attendance at camp is $175. Missoula chapter splits the costs of two students, Eastside splits costs of 1 student, Libby Chapter donated $175 ($125 in student assistance, $50 to general fund), Flathead Chapter is donating $175. Sam and Dennis felt that information on the camp is not getting out to some communities and schools. Also, there is a need for at least one additional instructor to assist Dale Kerkvliet. A motion was passed for the state society to contribute $100 in 1998 to the general fund of the MNRYC.
Scholarship-Bryan distributed a proposal for an annual scholarship for a student at the University of Montana, School of Forestry.Using the current Flathead Chapter Scholarship Fund as a model, it is proposed that a $200 scholarship be awarded annually. It would be funded by each chapter donating a minimum of $75 annually. Of this amount, $50 would go towards the scholarship and the remaining $25 into the general fund. Over time it is expected that the fund would be self-sustaining, as is the Flathead Chapter fund. The group felt that this was an excellant idea and it would be presented to the members at the chapter level. Frank and Russ felt it was prudent to monitor the progress in developing the funding for our communication plan prior to committing additional scholarship monies.
BLM Resource Advisory Council- David Delsordo has taken a position with the Park Service in Seattle and will not be available to continue serving on this advisory council. The council has 15 individuals representing 3 distinct constituencies: Grazing/Foresty/Outfitter-Guides, Envir. Groups/Recreation/Non-Commercial, State and Local Govt. With his leaving, David recommends the continuation of an SAF member representing Commercial Forestry. A current issue on the table is travel mgt on public lands. It was mentioned that Dan Pitman and Brian Quinn were two very capable individuals that were conveniently located in areas where meeting are generally held. Interested individuals should be nominated by July 10. This is two year term that can be renewed for up to four years. Many thanks to David for the time and energy devoted to this group.
Fred Ebel- Mr. Ebel announced his candidacy for Vice President in this next General Election. He is a private consultant, a University of Montana graduate, and a member of the Inland Empire Society with an impressive record of involvement with SAF. He spoke briefly of his views on forest managment, the issues we all face in management of forestlands, and candidly answered questions. Mr. Ebel circulated a petition amongst the group in order to obtain the required number of signatures to validate his nomination.
Policy Update- Greg and Tim summarized the status of regional issues and their involvement to date. Please contact them for more details.
Columbia River Basin Project- Rep. Rick Hill has sent a letter to congressional leaders with the SAF position on this. Collectively, we need to think about how to communicate this position to the public. He predicts that no decision will come out this year. Most people admit the basic work represents good science and should be used in Forest Plan revisions.
Bull Trout- Tim and Greg attended the presentation by Bruce Babbitt and felt it resulted in strained state-federal relations due to Montana's lack of support for the listing. What began as a celebration of the Blackfoot Challenge evolved into the federal government showcasing its advocacy for listing the bull trout. On a related note, Greg noted that ongoing activities under current Forest Plans have received a 'likely to adversely affect' determination based on a recent FS biological evaluation. This impact on the bull trout is largely due to the inconsistant ways projects are being administered. The Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing a biological opinion that will either agree or disagree with this assessment.
Westslope Cutthroat- Tim passed out a copy of the draft conservation strategy and management plan. This is the beginning of a one year assessment prior to any listing. SAF will participate in this dialogue and a committee has been formed to comment on the conservation strategy. Members of the committee include: Frank Cuff, Tim Love, Gordon Sanders, Carl Fieldler, John Casselli and Greg Schildwachter. Tim noted that legal precedents makes it difficult for a state to avoid listing a species through the use of a conservation strategy as it implies that there is a determination of its effectiveness as a management plan.
Grizzly Bear- Tim attended a recent interagency committee meeting. State officials want to see progress in delisting the grizzly bear in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem or it will no longer participate.
Miscellaneous- Tim attended a recent luncheon where Larry Hill met with local officials and industry leaders. A lot of general info was discussed but Tim noted that there is not much Congressional support for reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act. Greg noted that purchaser road credits are no longer available for road projects on Forest Service lands. Rep. Hill communicated his disappointment with the FS on the road moratorium.
Forest Stewardship Council- Ed Lieser was asked to be part of a committee charged with developing regional guidelines for certifying forest products based on the implementation of ten standards and principles . SAF involvement in this issue is very contentious. While attending the National Leadership Academy Ed Lieser had the opportunity to speak with other SAF members concerning their experience and opinion related to our pending involvement in the FSC. The feedback was mixed, however, folks from the national office encouraged SAF participation in developing standards for certifying forest products. In fact there is a task force addressing this issue but it has yet developed a position statement. Based on the feedback from the national office and voting results on a motion (7 in favor, 5 voted no) , Ed will continue his involvement in FSC as a liason, bringing back information to the executive committee for review. If at any time the standards being developed do not meet approval of the State executive committee, the involvement of SAF in this matter will cease.
Grant Proposal- Frank passed out a proposal for a Forester's Fund Special Grant to be used as seed money for implementing the communications plan. The proposal requests $5,000 to be used in increasing and improving our communications with the public on issues and opportunities related to forestry and resource management.
Montana Forester Newsletter- Cait Faulkner outlined some plans for the next issue of the newsletter and asked that items of interest be sent to her by July 10. She is also interested in using photographs that may be of interest to the Montana Society members.
Member Handbook- Ed Lieser passed out copies of the completed handbook. Members of the executive committee are asked to copy and distribute copies to their chapter members. This is a dynamic document that will be periodically updated. It was already suggested that the Montana Society vision statement be included in future distribution of this handbook. Give a thank you to Ed for this great product and communication tool.
** The 1999 annual state meeting will be hosted by the Flathead Chapter and is scheduled for March 10-12 at Cavanaugh's in Kalispel.
** Next executive committee meeting is scheduled for Oct 9, 9am at the Smoke Jump Base in Missoula. Plan on the meeting lasting until 3pm. Lunch will be ordered in.
Russ Gautreaux
Montana SAF Secretary-Treasurer