Annual Meeting 2016
The Annual Fall Meeting of the BCA was held on October 23, 2016 at the Discovery Center of the Bismarck Dakota Zoo. Thirty-one (31) members attended including the following Board members: Christine Hogan (president), Rich Brauhn, Lillian Crook, Craig Kilber, Lynn Morgenson and Laura Anhalt, and Jan Swenson (executive director). After a potluck dinner and introductions, the business meeting was convened by President Hogan at 2:15 PM CST.
A. Minutes of the November 1, 2015 Annual Meeting read and approved:
- Motion to approve the minutes was made by Rich Brauhn, seconded by Mary Ann Brauhn; motion approved unanimously.
B. Election of Board Members:
- Board member Craig Kilber counted the ballots for the four open Board positions and reported that Board members re-elected would be Craig Kilber, Christine Hogan, and Tama Smith with a new Board member, Connie Triplett. Forty-four ballots were cast.
C. Annual Financial Report:
- Executive Director (Jan Swenson) outlined the financial report which was provided in the documents given to the membership. The report covers the period from June 26, 2016 through October 18, 2016.
- Jan reported the following figures:
Total Balance & Receipts - $72,829.09
Total Expenditures - $15,356.30
Balance remaining for unrestricted use - $57,472.79
- Jan indicated that grant funds are no longer available through the Tortuga Foundation and operational & program expenses will need to be found elsewhere. Various small grants, awards, and donations have still come to BCA, many of them directed toward our Red River Valley Outreach campaign, but project-related funding is not sufficient for overall organizational expenses.
a. It will be a challenge to find a large grant to replace Tortuga funding. Larger foundations in the American West that fund conservation do not include North Dakota within their purview. BCA is currently exploring other opportunities for grant funding including through the Bush Foundation headquartered in St. Paul.
b. Funding will be sufficient for this year but will become increasingly difficult in the next year, 2017, unless a reliable source of income is found.
c. Ellen Chaffee and Denise Steinbach volunteered to form a Development Committee, including establishment of an endowment fund especially for legacy members with estate potential.
- Motion to approve Financial Report made by Jim Fuglie, seconded by Ellen Chaffee; motion approved unanimously.
D. Report from the Executive Director, Jan Swenson:
- Jan listed BCA’s accomplishments for 2016, including BCA’s newly designed and updated webpage and a major victory in blocking a new oil and gas rule defining “Interested Party” that would have disallowed open public comment at Oil and Gas Division hearings under the ND Industrial Commission.
Break: 3:05-3:20 PM
E. After the break, Jan and Mike McEnroe screened “Keeping all the Pieces,” a 15-minute film produced by BCA and the ND Wildlife Federation.
- The film was developed by a team including Mike McEnroe, Jan Swenson and Al Sapa along with David Swenson at Makoche Studio in Bismarck. It is intended as an outreach tool to prompt a public conversation about oil and gas development impacts in the Badlands, especially directed toward North Dakotans in the more populous Red River Valley. Three handouts distributed at showings include a survey questionnaire, involvement & action recommendations and a literature compilation to assist further learning.
- After completing a statewide round of showings, BCA and the Federation will finalize a well-considered dissemination strategy to release the film broadly.
- Three 30-second television spots are currently in production as companion pieces and further funding is sought to cover broadcast time on ND local TV stations.
F. Tom Dahle reported that he had attended a conference on the North Country Trail which goes from the Adirondack Mountains to Lake Sakakawea and asked BCA members to contact him if they want to hike segments of the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota.
G. Books, games and miscellaneous items were awarded as door prizes at the end of the meeting. Generous individual members, directors and BCA itself contribute to the fun and wealth of prizes.
Recipients:
- Astronomy Game - Buel Sonderland
- Oh Wilderness book - Lynn Morgenson
- Campfire Songs book - Jan Swenson
- Spooky Campfire Stories book - Greg Morgenson
- Heart of a Gorilla book - Laura Anhalt
- North Dakota Authors book - David Schwalbe
- The Way to Rainy Mountain book - Ellen Chaffee
- 8. Jar of Buffaloberry Syrup - David Swenson
- 9. Jar of Juneberry Syrup - Mike McEnroe
- Diamond Willow Walking Stick - Loraine Dopson
- “Mystery Bag” - Tom Dahle
- Camping Headlamp – Jeremy Duckwitz
- Theodore Roosevelt Medallion - Linda Weiss
- Roll of TRNP Quarters - Larry Heilmann
- Prairie Fire Pottery Bowl - Christine Hogan
- Set of Theodore Roosevelt National Monument Stamps - Jim Fuglie
- “Mystery Book” - Craig Kilber
- Sun, Moon, Earth book - Bonnie Palecek
- The Hour of Land book - Rich Brauhn
The meeting adjourned at 4:15 PM CDT.
Respectfully submitted by
Rich Brauhn, Board Member and Secretary
November 9, 2016
Download the PDF of Wild Badlands #40.