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Iosco Conservation District190 W. M-55Tawas City, Mi. 48763 Minutes from the 2016 Annual MeetingHeld January 19, 2017, 6:00 p.m., at Camp Inn Lodge, OscodaMeeting opened at 6:10 p.m. by R Payea, Board Chairman. Thirty-one people attended including representatives from governmental units, community groups, conservation district partners and private citizens. S. Czaika led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.Presentation: Guest speaker and District Forester, Eric Brandon, was introduced by P. Jacques. E. Brandon performed an entertaining song before presenting a Powerpoint entitled “My Path to Iosco County”. Topics included in the comprehensive presentation ranged from statistics of national and state land ownership to forestry related government programs to responsible forest management. Dinner was served with S. Czaika providing the invocation.Minutes from the 2015 Annual Meeting were read by District Manager, Allen Pauly.District Overveiw: Chairman, R. Payea, spoke briefly regarding the District’s discontinuance of Fishing for the Future. Efforts from the district are being put toward other endeavors in the county.Ingalls Property: Director, P. Jacques, shared information on the status of the District owned Ingalls Property. There have been school groups and mixed public groups that have utilized the property for educational purposes. Recently, a group of around 30 people enjoyed the Fall Mushroom Hunt on the property. Continued use of the land for education and recreation is a focus of the conservation district. The short-term goals for this property include development of a trail system for hiking, skiing and fat tire biking, as well as the construction of a shelter structure. It has been three years since the property has been logged and the regeneration of oak and aspen looks very healthy.Fundraising: Director, S. Czaika, spoke about the fundraising efforts of the district through the annual tree sale. This year’s sale is scheduled for April 21 – 23 and will be held at the Tawas Inn on US 23. This is the primary source of revenue for the district. A variety of conifers, deciduous trees and shrubs are available. The sale is currently underway and ordering will continue into March. A comment from the audience was raised regarding the importance of stock offerings not being invasive and the wish for offerings to be native species. All species offered at the sale are researched to ensure they not be invasive and many, if not most of the offerings are native species.Invasive Species Control: Director, C. Miller, addressed the audience regarding invasive species and the conservation district’s efforts to control their spread. One of the species of concern is Phragmites that has become wide ranging within the county. Treatment of Phragmites on the border of the district office site took place in fall of 2016. A partnership built with Huron Pines is currently working on a project to address a Phragmites infested area on Tawas St. Joseph Health System property. The district is also seeking a means to treat Phragmites populations on a broader scale in the community.Getting Involved: Director, Brian Pritchett, shared how he had become involved in the conservation district and how the diverse background of Directors is a real asset for the Board overall. Associate Directors: Chairman, R. Payea, explained the establishment of Associate Director positions. Associate Directors have full access to district related information and communication and can participate in monthly meetings. However, they do not hold voting status. Currently the district has one Associate Director, Penny Payea.MDARD Update: Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Regional Coordinator, C. Savona, described his role related to the Iosco Conservation District. The conservation district is one of 77 such districts within Michigan, and is one of thirteen districts he oversees. A conservation district is a local unit of state government. Board members are unpaid. Iosco Conservation District is fortunate to have the Ingalls Property to showcase conservation efforts and to use as a venue for educational programming. C. Savona is available to the Board for advice and guidance as needed.District Achievements: Chairman, R. Payea, highlighted some of the achievements of the District. The district is currently working with two grants. The Hunting Access Program (HAP) grant allows private landowners to receive payment for opening their property to certain types of hunting. The district administers this grant and also has the Ingalls Property enrolled in the program. The Oak Wilt grant is administered by the district and with funds being made available to control the spread of oak wilt within Iosco County. L. Loeffler, former District Manager, was recognized for the great strides afforded to the District as a result of her efforts. A. Pauly, current District Manager hired in October, was recognized as the “glue” for the District. The audience was reminded that meetings of the Board are open meetings and everyone is invited to attend.Tree Sale: District Manager, Allen Pauly, shared more information of the upcoming tree sale. Early discount orders have already topped $4,000.00. Volunteers are needed for conducting the sale each year. Sorting, counting, tagging, filling orders and more are all areas where volunteers can be used. NRCS Report: Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservationist, K. Dalman, shared the achievements of his office over the past year. The main purpose of his position is to provide technical assistance to land owners related to sound conservation practices. Regardless of the size of land plot (city lot to expansive farm), free technical advice is available. Financial assistance is available to implement conservation plans in the form of EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) grants and CSP (Conservation Stewardship Program).Elections: Election Results were announced. Sixteen votes were tallied for each candidate: Sharon Czaika, Patrick Jacques and Brian Pritchett. The three returning directors will serve four year terms beginning at the next monthly board meeting on February 13.PRVEL: A guest presented an update of PRVEL Watershed Coalition efforts. They include invasive species control and installation of measuring gauges to monitor changes in lake conditions.Chairman, R. Payea thanked guests for attending.Meeting adjourned at 9:11 p.m. ................
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