< Back | A to Z Index | Search | Home
Agenda
Agenda
Saint John’s Arboretum Advisory Council Meeting
Friday, December 2, 2005
Room 150 New Science Building, Saint John’s University
10:00-11:30 Visit to Cichy Pond and tour of Huschle house (on campus) which may be moved in spring. Evaluate its potential for moving to Cichy Pond for classes. (Optional, all are welcome-meet at in New Science Building)
11:30 – 12:30 Lunch (optional, meet at office in New Science Building)
12:30 – 1:00 Gather for refreshments and conversation (Meet in New Science Center, Room 150)
1:00 Full Council Meeting (Tom)
Welcome & Introductions & Good-byes
1:15 Revisit and reaffirm goals and existing accomplishments for FY 06 (Sarah)
1:30 Committee Reports:
Fundraising Committee:
Institutional Advancement update (IA staff)
Grants (Emily)
Update on silent auction at membership appreciation party (Scott)
Eduacation Committees:
1:45 Community Education: (Sarah)
February 4th Avon Hills Initiative Conference (Emily)
preK-12 Education: (Sarah)
Highlights and evaluations from fall season
Looking ahead to winter and spring
CSB/SJU Education: (Sarah)
Student Senate Representatives
Outdoor week update
2:00 Lands: (Tom Haeg)
Update on vision for Walz property (Tom)
Chapel trail and Chapel renovation update (Tom)
Update on Environmental Education/Ski building (Tom)
2:30 Admin/Volunteers:
Set schedule for future meeting dates in February and May (Tom)
Nominate new board members (Tom)
Sign up for open house duties (Sarah)
2:45 Time for other business
3:00 Meeting closes
Next Arboretum Council meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, February 6, 2006 and will be confirmed at this meeting.
Committee Updates – for December 2, 2005
K-12 Education
Fall classes finished for the season in mid-November. Numbers are still being totaled but we estimate our numbers are higher than last fall. The evaluations from teachers were very positive and offered good suggestions on how to improve.
The new Kindergarten and 1st grade trunks are nearing completion and we are working towards getting the trunks in the school after the holidays. Thanks for Kari Dombrovski and Alison Binsfeld for their hard work on the trunks!
Our winter week of classes is already full with teachers and students ready to explore with us in the winter!
CSB/SJU Education
The Arboretum partnered with other organizations such as the OLC and PRP to sponsor ‘Outdoor Week’-a week long of activities including a buckthorn pull, evening poetry reading, the Frozen Buns run, and the Polar Bear Plunge, where 45 students took one last dip in Lake Sagatagan!
A walk in the Arboretum is now an option for potential students who visit the campus on Saturdays. An Arboretum employee shares lunch with the students and their families and offers to take anyone on a walk on the trails.
Community Education
Sarah gave a talk on owls to the Central Minnesota Audubon group in November. Over 40 people attended the talk and was one of the biggest crowds the group has ever had.
Avon Hills Initiative is planning another conference for February 4th, which will include again both technical and natural history topics.
See website for listing of other upcoming events. http://www.csbsju.edu/arboretum
Public Relations and Membership Benefits
A student membership drive will be held before the close of the semester. Booths will be set up in Sexton and possibly the Refectory to solicit new student members and sell merchandise. We have gained over 40 new student members since September.
A mass e-mail was sent to CSB/SJU Faculty and Staff relative to the benefits of membership, upcoming events and services Arboretum staff can provide. This was sent in mid-November in order to promote Arboretum events during CSB/SJU Outdoor Week, as well as inform the community about the benefits of membership.
Fundraising
Emily attended a half-day grant writing workshop on October 26th at the Initiative Foundation in Little Falls. The workshop was very beneficial and provided Emily and the staff as a whole, with tools for future project planning and grant seeking efforts. Emily will also be attending an additional grant writing workshop on December 1st through the Minnesota Council on Foundations at the University of Minnesota.
A $10,000 proposal was submitted mid-November to the Environmental Protection Agency to fund a nonformal environmental education outreach program. This proposal will fund new programs targeted at students participating in local youth organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and 4-H. If funding is granted, the project will begin during the summer of 2006.
We received notice from the Gannet Foundation on November 1st that we were selected for funding. They will be sending us a check for $2,000 in the near future. This money was granted to duplicate our set of traveling trunks for each grade level.
Additional grant seeking will take place over the winter months to fund the nonformal outreach program, general operating funds (unrestricted funds) and continue to build the endowed fund.
Sarah and Emily will be working on the final report to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to close a previous grant.
Lands
Tom Kroll made a presentation regarding the Walz land on Nov 11 to 2 members of CSB president’s staff and 2 members of CSB IA staff. Thanks to Mark Conway for arranging this. The staff seemed quite favorable to the concept and will present the idea to President Baenninger in Nov.
Tom K and Br. Benedict met with the Abbot and his Senior council on Nov 15 regarding the Walz land and the proposed raid across the Sister’s land. The Council seemed quite interested.
Tom K met with SJUY design committee to discuss benches for the trails. The design committee endorsed the idea. They will get back to us on design types. The Design committee also endorsed the concept of upgrading the initial leg of he Chapel Trail starting at the beach and going around to the Prep School. It could be promoted as a morning walk area for guests of he new Guest House.
All conifer plantings were treated with both Deer-Away chemical treatment and with bud-caps to prevent deer damage this winter.
18 deer were harvested by 32 hunters during the deer hunt this year.
Gemini lakes are full again following the work of plant restoration being done by graduate student Mary Ellenbecker Johnson.
Program Administration and Volunteer Management
Saint John’s Arboretum was listed in the Central Minnesota Volunteer Resource Guide, a directory of year-round volunteer opportunities sponsored by the United Way and the Saint Cloud Times.
We will start taking applications for the two fellowship positions after the new year.