VASWCD Educational Foundation Quarterly Board Meeting

June 20, 2017 – Staunton, VA

Foundation board meeting called to order at 8:00 by President Chaffin.

Introduction of Attendees: Chip Jones, Margie Davis, Linda Campbell, Laura Grape, David Kriz, Darryl Glover, Pete Farmer, John Peterson, Don Wells, Wilkie Chaffin, Suzie Brown, Ed Overton, Kevin McLean, Kendall Tyree, Elaine Tholen, Brianna Moring, Karen Fetty, Wayne Webb, Charlie Newton, Ashleigh Mcray, Jay Frankenfield, Pete Holden, Kris Dennen, Tara Williams, Carmie Savage, Tracy Culbertson, Granville Maitland, Franklin Zitta, Barbara Christian, Jim Christian, Andrew Gilmer, Lance Hill, Jim Gehlsen, Wayne Davis, Derwin Booker, Stephanie Martin, Marina Schumacher.

Minutes stand with no revisions recommended. Minutes were provided in advance and on the website and included in the meeting materials. Motion to approve the minutes from Peterson. Second by Campbell. Motion approved.

Ed Overton provided the Treasurers report. Budget report was included in packets and filed with the official minutes. Income funds were explained and highlighted regarding restricted and unrestricted dollars. It was explained expenses for Youth Camp and the Envirothon program cross the fiscal year. Therefore, income for youth camp is currently being collected though expenses shown are primarily for the program last July. Investment funding was highlighted as it impacts the approved FY18 budget. With no questions, motion to approve and file for audit by Peterson. Second by Wilkie Chaffin. Motion approved. President Chaffin thanked Treasurer Overton for his dedication and interest in learning more on the Foundation accounts in his new role as Treasurer.

Committee reports:

-Education Committee – Suzie Brown presented the report. Teacher of the Year applications are due in early September. Applications are available on the website. The committee assisted with development of the training program held in conjunction with the meeting.

-Fundraising – Executive Director, Dr. Kendall Tyree presented the report. Reminders were given to seek Annual Meeting auction items. Updates on last year’s auction and raffle income were provided. Annual Meeting planning session will be held next week. Reminders for Amazon Smile and Kroger rewards for Foundation fundraising shared. Details on these fundraising opportunities were provided in meeting materials. Final golf tournament report presented. Report included in packets and filed with the official minutes. The golf tournament has grown to be the largest single fundraiser raising over $8,000 with participation by 23 teams. In addition, this year the PGA will hold a tournament in central Virginia Oct 20-22, 2017 and the Foundation is a recognized “Birdies for Charity” organization. Donations made through the “Birdies for Charity” websitewill be matched by the PGA. Finally, yesterday’s raffle of a Stratford Hall gift basket raised $323 for the Foundation.

Scholarship Report:

-Ed Overton informed the group that,per the approved budget, funds are available for a $3,000 Dora Chaffin scholarship. Staff will advertise the award with applications due later this summer. This timeline should allow for review of applications and assignment of award in time for Fall 2017 semester.

-The Foundation was able to award five statewide scholarships this year thanks to additional funding from an anonymous donor. Final selections have been made and checks will be cut directly to the institutions they will be attending. A report on statewide scholarships as well as those scholarships in which the Foundation manages was made available in meeting binders and filed with the official minutes.

-Details on VNRLI scholarship were provided. The Foundation, per the approved budget, has allocated funding for two scholarships this upcoming year. Current 2016-2017 recipients are Richard Street and Kelly Snoddy. VNRLI has seen record numbers of applicants this year, including six SWCD employees.

Staff project updates:

-Envirothon competition was held at VSU May 21-22. Great turnout for the event and involvement from districts. Brent Hull gave an update on the competition yesterday; his Fort Defiance team will be moving on to the North American competition in Maryland. Dominion continues to be a strong supporter of the event.

-YCC will be held July 9-15. 50 students will be attending and would not be able to have the same experience without staff and the districts who allow them the time to serve as counselor for the week.

-YCLI program status update was given. Funding provided from a recently awarded Virginia Environmental Endowment grant. YCLI began as an opportunity to continue the great experience of YCC beyond week of camp. Entering our third year of the program and opening eligibility broader than youth camp.

-General updates were also given on Girl Scout patches and leadership guides. State Fair preparation has already begun in the VASWCD office. Other staff projects were highlighted.

President report provided by Richard Chaffin. President Chaffin shared information on the recent officer meeting with Ray Moore to learn about the investments. Additionally the officer team will be meeting again to discuss future funding needs and sustainable funding for Youth Conservation Camp and other programs.

Andrew Gilmer spoke to ideas of sponsorship for Youth Conservation Camp focused specifically around certain program components such as agriculture day. Additional support was received this year from First Bank and Trust thanks to the Clinch Valley SWCD contact and we’ll be pursuing additional ideas provided from the local district for 2018.

Foundation meeting adjourned at 8:45am.

Virginia Assn of Soil & Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD) Quarterly Board Meeting

June 20, 2017 – Staunton, VA

Association meeting called to order at 8:55am. Chip Jones, VASWCD 1st Vice President, presiding. Jones shared that President Steven Meeks is enroute to Nebraska for an NRCS-NACD Leadership Team meeting.

Minutes were reviewed and included in packets. Peterson moved minutes be approved as presented. Second by Wells. Motion approved.

Wells presented the Treasurer report. Income and expenses were highlighted. The Treasurer report was included in packets and filed with the official minutes. The current checking balance stands at $166,797.26. Support service fees will be invoiced to SWCDs in July. Moved to receive and file for audit by Wells. Second by Campbell. Motion approved.

Peterson shared the NACD report. Report included in minutes and filed with the official minutes. The Farm Bill will be drafted by November and needs to pass in 2018. Additional information in coming months from Peterson and NACD on Farm Bill efforts though outreach and advocacy is encouraged at this time. Peterson spoke to the President’s budget and proposed cuts. The President’s budget, while is concerning, should be seen as part of a larger picture as Congress will take action on budget items and this is subject to still change. NACD has reviewed Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s plan to restructure USDA’s mission areas. Additional information on issues from Loudoun SWCD regarding floodplain vs. floodway designation was discussed. Tree planting has been indicated as true rise in floodplain and would impact implementation of BMPs. NACD has offered some facilitation assistance with FEMA on this issue and a conference call is planned for tomorrow to discuss further. There is concern that this could impact other SWCDs in the Commonwealth as 75% of Virginia has been classified as a floodway. More information will be shared as available.

It was noted that Steven Meeks will be attending the NACD Summer Board in Iowa in July. Likewise, Steven Meeks, John Peterson and Kendall Tyree will be attending the SENACD meeting in August in Greenville, South Carolina. Clyde Cristman will be recognized as the Virginia Southeast NACD Hall of Fame inductee and will be joining. Additionally, the VASWCD has finalized the MOU with NACD regarding the 2018 SENACD/NACD Summer Board meeting and the hotel contract has been signed. The joint meeting will be held August 2-8, 2018 at the Williamsburg Lodge. Planning for the SENACD meeting portion will be underway this summer.

State legislative update provided by Don Wells. Normally the state legislative committee meets in August and develops a state legislative agenda draft that will be presented at the fall quarterly meeting. It was greatly encouraged that ‘off –season outreach’ occur with your local legislators. A memo on this effort was included in board packets and filed with the minutes. We ask districts share information about their work, annual reports, invite him/her to an event or board meeting. This type of relationship building is critical to SWCD efforts. VASWCD staff will be sending out a memo on this topic to the alldistrict list serve.

Wells noted that two studies from general assembly budget efforts are underway – Ag BMP funding stabilization and Resource ManaagementPlan (RMP) implementation. Richard Chaffin and Dr. Kendall Tyree serve on the Ag BMP funding stakeholder group. Dr. Kendall Tyree, Greg Wichelns and Leslie Anne Hinton serve on the RMP committee.

The stabilization committee has been discussing not only stabilization but adequate funding. The committee directed the Department of Conservation and Recreation to develop draft budget language for consideration to stabilize cost share and technical assistance at an estimated $35 million program annually with an estimated additional $4 million for technical assistance. The intent is to provide some stability to the current roller coaster of funding exemplified from a FY17 program at over $60 million and a FY18 program at an estimated $13 million.Dave Dowling shared information on the $10 recordation fee dollars currently supporting the cost share program and the possibility discussed by the committee to pursue the other half of the fee ($10) to increase cost share funding. Budget templates have also provided insight into the true district need and is framing the conversation of the committee and Department in development of strategies. Along the same lines, is the need for increased operations funding to support district programming. Lastly, Dowling spoke to the idea of a line of credit that was considered by the Senate Finance Committee this past General Assembly Session and the implications of implementation to ensure a steady revenue source is provided so that the cost share system is not collapsed. The next meeting of the Ag BMP funding study will be held in September and a final report is due by November 1.

The RMP study has been discussing implementation at all levels and where the onus falls on districts, the Department or the plan writer to push for implementation and certification of the plan. A survey will be conducted reaching out to RMP participants to discuss program concerns, issues of implementation, etc. The VASWCD will be working with the Department to assist with this messaging.

Jones asked Wells about a legislator of the year award and without recommendations the award may be foregone this year. If a district does have an individual they want to recognize they should reach out to Legislative Committee Chair Wells or VASWCD staff as soon as possible.

Committee reports:

-Marketing Committee – Report provided in packets and filed with the official minutes. Derwin Booker shared the report. The committee last met on May 31 with great attendance and representation from districts. The group met with Dr. Gochenhour to frame the training held yesterday and will continue to work with Dr. Gochenhour for communication plan and outreach support. Additional details were shared about the VDOT approved SWCD road signs. Handouts showed a photo of the first installed sign in the pilot Piedmont SWCD. A first draft guidance document on signage installation for other district usage was reviewed at the committee meeting but will be made available once additional district issues with installation of remaining signage are handled. Margie Davis asked about refurbishing VA State Park signs. Wilkie Chaffin noted that we have been told only VDOT signage is approved for installation. The committee has also reviewed websites and is hopeful that in the future a training will be held for WordPress. The next committee will be held on August 31 and all are invited to attend.

-IT Committee – Report included in packets and filed with the official minutes. Kris Dennen, IT Committee Vice Chair, shared the committee desire to survey district capacity and need. IT security was discussed and annual meeting training topics were shared.

-Urban Committee - Laura Grape provided information on the committee as urban committee chair. A draft work plan is in development which also focuses on equine items. There continues to be interest in supporting equine operators understand the land management and water quality issues that arise. NACD Urban & Community Program webinars were encouraged and are a wonderful way to see a wide variety of initiatives taking place across the United States. The June 15 webinar focused on pollinators and is available for viewing on the NACD website. The Chesapeake Landscape Professional Certification is accepting applications and was encouraged as a valuable training opportunity. On June 10, the inaugural Back to the Bay event was held at Mason Neck State Park to celebrate Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. The Urban Committee chair does attend the VCAP monthly steering committee meetings. Attending these sessions prove beneficial to furthering urban committee efforts in general.

-Agriculture Committee – Richard Chaffin had no report at this time and will work to further committee efforts by the September meeting.

Area Reports:

-Area I – Linda Campbell provided the Area report. Handout was provided and filed with the official minutes. Highlights were provided from the Shenandoah Valley intern program, Headwaters Envirothon program and the Chesapeake Bay Awareness week event with Senator Hanger with a producer in Middlebrook, VA.

-Area II – Jim Gehlsen provided the report. Handout was provided and filed with the official minutes. Highlights were provided regarding the Area II meeting on April 11. New directors and staff in Northern VA were noted. The retirement of Jennifer Hoysa of the John Marshall SWCD after 33 years was celebrated. Additional information from Area II spotlighted in the Area II handout newsletter.

-Area III - Due to a new job the Area Chair was unavailable to join us today. Please congratulate Herb Dunford in his new position. Unfortunately the Vice Chair was also unable to join the meeting. A report was included in packets and filed with the official minutes.

-Area IV – Pete Farmer presented the area report. A handout was provided and included in packets. Districts have been working significantly on SL6 stream exclusion projects. The Area IV Envirothon was a larger competition than previous history, a great accomplishment, with ten teams in the area. Pete Farmer noted a concern with spot checks and ensuring practices are kept in compliance.

-Area V – Wilkie Chaffin presented the report. He has visited districts at local board meeting prior to today’s meeting. PW Morgan of Blue Ridge SWCD has recently retired. Southside SWCD has many summer programs – elementary camp, tree program, watershed adventure camp that is a joint student program with other local SWCDs, etc. Piedmont SWCD is holding a nature camp and just recently finished its strategic plan. Piedmont SWCD hosted a recent Women Landowner Circle with the American Farmland Trust. Emily Gibbs in Piedmont SWCD has become a full time employee and taken over the role of Robin Buckalew who has retired. Emily has stepped up to serve on VCAP and will participate as a youth counselor. Richard Chaffin also introduced the new Peaks of Otter SWCD District Manager, Tracy Culbertson.

-Area VI – Margie Davis presented the report. The new District Manager of James River SWCD was introduced.

Partner Reports:

-Chesapeake Bay Commission – Ann Jennings was unavailable to attend today but a report is included in packets regarding presidential budget cut proposals and the Bay Commission response.

-Department of Environmental Quality - Nesha McRae with the DEQ Valley Regional Office provided the agency report. Grant updates were provided including many with partnership at SWCD level.

-Natural Resource Conservation Service – David Kriz provided the report on behalf of Jack Bricker. A report was provided as a handout and filed with the official minutes. EQIP efforts were shared indicating an initial allocation of nearly $28 million for FY17. An additional $2.6 million has been requested and currently waiting to determine if those dollars will be provided. Nearly 1,500 applications have been received totaling $51.7 million on 151,728 acres. NRCS has until September to move applications into contracts. Virginia NRCS is also partnering with FEMA and USGS for LiDAR acquisition. A map of this LiDAR data was included in the handout.

-VACDE – Andrew Gilmer provided the report for the Virginia Association of Conservation District Employees. Gilmer thanked the Foundation and Association for support of Graves Mountain Training and financial support. Scholarship opportunities are available as a result of Foundation support. Full registration was sent out via all district in the past week and the registration was also included in meeting binders and filed with the official minutes. Spencer Yager will serve as the VACDE on the TAC and Luke Longaker will serve as the secondary representative.