Saturday, June 25, 2011

BTA Meeting with USFS, June 7, 2011


Meeting with USFS
Banadad Trail Plan 2011
Grand Marais USFS District Office

Present:  Ted Young, John and Barb Bottger, Pete Harris, Jon Benson (USFS Wilderness Manager, BTA ad-hoc), Steve Schug (USFS Asst. District Mgr,.))

Steve will be retiring in September.  Jon will be our new contact.  Contact information for Jon Benson:
218-663-8085

Ted presented general report for this past year.  Good snow but low count on skiers mainly because the snow was good all over the state.  The winter mix storm was costly. 

In reference to the 2011 Banadad Trail  Plan  IV. Page 6:

Interior Widening is done.

Green Up has been done.

Request for MCC crews.  USFS is using them for some major projects but believes we can get them on for the Banadad projects at the end of the season.  They are needed at the west end from the Bedew Lake Yurt to widen.  Ted figures it is a 6-day project.

West end reroute/easement is on hold until property sale goes through.

Prescribed Burn area.  WInchell Lake Fire Trail.   USFS will reopen fire trail and cut out all burnt trees…

Side note - Swamp Lake Portage to Poplar.  There is an easement (now the snowmobile trail) and people use it as a portage in the summer and end up at Ted’s house.  Request  to Forest Service to put up signs to correct traffic flow.  Forest Service will follow up.

Banadad Bridge – Got the beams in there..  Jim R. will take down trees from Ham Fire.  USFS will grant an administrative permit within the next two weeks  for a group of 8 people the weekend of September 17-18.  Entry point is the Skipper Entry Point.

Mowing – Only possible if some money comes along. 

Snow Season Emergency Cleaning – This is getting to be a regular need and it is expense and labor intensive.  We need to come up with a plan to address this.  The USFS agrees but cannot offer any aid.  We can always ask but their budget doesn’t hold much hope.

Steve had comments about the BTA.  He really likes the partnership with the association and the annual trail plan.  It really makes the partnership a working, accountable relationship. 

Meeting finished at 11:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted by Barb Bottger, Secretary

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Annual Meeting October 23, 2010 Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B (Draft)



(Karen asked Julie Kilpatrick to take minutes since the secretary was absent.)- 33 people present.

Call to order:  Karen Monson called the meeting to order shortly after 5:30 pm

Approval of agenda
Treasurer’s Report:  Karla Miller, treasurer, gave a brief financial report indicating that the BTA has a positive checking account balance.  Full financial report information will be distributed to the board soon after the meeting.

President’s Report 
            Karen showed the “Banadad Beavers” t-shirt and encouraged people to consider buying one.  The t-shirts were designed to thank trail volunteers from the  the Minnesota Conservation Corps (MCC) who helped with trail work this summer
            Karen thanked everyone for contributing to the BTA and presented gifts of appreciation to each of the founding trail association members.  She announced that she was finishing her term as chair.
            Karen introduced the new board members and slate of officers:  Linda Bosma President, Andy Jenks Vice President; Kate Kelnberger, Treasurer;; Barbara Bottger Secretary, Tom Rice, Peter Spink, Anne Rykken, Chris Matter, Wayne Monsen, and  Karla Miller.  Barb Bottger and John Bottger are also on the board but were uanble to attend the meeting.

Linda Bosma announced that BTA will be establishing a finance committee early in the year to ensure that BTA establishes sound financial producedures and record keeping process to maintain compliance with our impending non-profit status.

Trail Maintenance and slide show.  Ted Young gave an update on trail maintenance.  Over ten miles of trail were groomed over the weekend.  Most of the Banadad was not damaged by the prescribed burns conducted during the week by the Forest Service.  An area of red cedars was burned by mistake.

Jim  Rice showed a slide show of the weekend’s maintenance.

A comedy presentation was made by “The Looney Divas”.

Linda Bosma concluded the meeting, and thanked Karen Monson for her service as the founding Board President.  She also thanked all the volunteers in attendance at the meeting for their work grooming and clearing the trail.
           
Meeting Adjourned.

A potluck supper followed the meeting.

Board Meeting- October 23, 2010 at Poplar Creek Guesthouse




Present: Karen Monsen, Linda Bosma, Karla Miller, Kate Kelnberger, Tom Rice, Peter Spink, Anne Rykken, Chris Matter, Wayne Monsen, Andy Jenks, Julie Kilpatrick, Ted Young, Jim Morrison

Julie Kilpatrick took minutes since Secretary Barb Bottger was unable to attend the meeting.


Karen Monson gave the nominating committee report.  The Nominating Committee was Karen and Ted Young.  Officers nominated were Linda Bosma, President; Andy Jenks, Vice President;Kate Kelnberger, Treasure; Barb Bottger, Secretary.  Karen asked for a vote of acclimation for the slate of officers.   Slate elected by acclimation.

Karen said she would like to stay involved as ex officio past president member.

Non Profit Designation
            Wayne Monson reported that the application is done and an attorney is reviewing it.  When feedback is received from the attorney, application will be submitted as soon as needed revisions can be made.

Membership Committee
            Peter Spink gave the membership committee report.  The committee has identified the following tasks to undertake immediately:
            Staff Midwest Mountaineering both only if sufficient number of volunteers are able to staff the booth; cost is $70 (Peter, Linda, Chris, Wayne, Karen, and Karla volunteered; Peter will send out a schedule to try to recruit more help; Linda stressed the importance of staffing the event and that BTA should not pay the fee and plan to do it unless enough people can help.)
            Committee will work with BCT to send letter to ski guests who use the Trail  and through an arrangement with BCT when they book guests. 
Linda will work with Ted to incorporate member info in the press release for Cook Co paper.
Chris will take the lead on researching and installation of a contribution box that can be placed at the trailheads to accept donations. 
Outreach to North Stars Ski Touring Club to solicit memberships.
Business memberships/sponsorships will be created in the following categories:  $500 level receive link on BTA website and ad in newsletters, $250 level receive website link, $100 level have name listed on website; Midwest         

Motion:  BTA will pay the $70 fee for a table at Midwest Mountaineering Expo contingent on sufficient volunteers committing to staff the table.  Motion passed.
           
Finance Committee
            Linda announced that a Finance Committee will be established.  This is needed so that we ensure we are monitoring the grants BTA receives and establishing sound financial and accounting procedures to stay in good standing.  Linda will be contacting members to invite them to be part of the Finance Committee soon after the meeting.  Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Linda.

Re-Printing Needs: Motion carried to do the following:
            BTA Brochure 1000 8.5x11 will cost between $200-250
                        Need edits and phone no. Ann will revise brochure
            Banadad Trail Maps 500 8.5x14 will cost $200 to 300
                        In a month we need new maps. Tom and Andy will make new maps.

Motion: Brochure should be redesigned and maps should be redesigned.  Motion passed.

Events
Volkski 500 will take place this year on February 12, 2011.  BTA participated last year and much of the trail was skied. All are encouraged to come and ski that weekend, as it will be a good opportunity for publicity.  Members decided BTA should participate and encourage people to ski all sections of the trail.  It was also agreed that it should be advertised in the BTA newsletter.

Trail Plan
Linda reminded the board that the BTA, with Ted’s leadership, created a detailed Trail Plan for the Banadad last spring.  The Trail Plan was created in part in response to a request from the Forest Service for all trail organizations in Cook County to provide up-to-date trail planning information.  The Forest Service was very impressed with the BTA Trail Plan and reported that they planned to use it with other trail organizations as an example of what a trial plan should look like and include.  Linda told people to let her or Ted know if they need a copy of the plan, as it did not seem that everyone had seen it.  The Trail Plan will need to be updated this year, based on current plans, conditions, and resources. 

Equipment Lease
The BTA applied for and received an equipment grant to purchase a snowmobile and drag for tracking the Banadad Trail. BTA will own the equipment until the lease arrangements are successful fulfilled by Boundary Country Trekking whereupon Boundary Country Trekking would become Co-owner of the equipment with BTA  Ted and Linda B, Karen M, and Chris M. have negotiated and/or reviewed the lease conditions.

Approval of preliminary Budget
Karla Miller presented a preliminary budget to the group, which was approved.  More detailed, written budget information will be sent out to the board shortly after the annual meeting, for approval by email.
           
The agenda for the annual meeting was reviewed and approved.

Other Business:  Karen modeled the new Banadad Beavers t-shirt.  Shirts are for sale for $20.  They were designed and printed originally to present to MCC who worked on the  trail this past summer doing maintenance. 
           

Meeting adjourned.