Minutes 23 September 07 PDF Print
Present:   Niven McCrie, Alan Anderson, Gemina Anderson, Jenny Rivers, Strider, Jo Vandermark, Alan Scott, Peter Foster, Heather Boulden; Jeremy Hemphill and from 9.45, Ted Kilpatrick.

Apologies:  Leisa Baldwin, Cynthia and Philip Croft, Monica Osterkamp-Madsen, Denise Goodfellow, Colin Rivers, Michael Stott, Ted Warren.

1.    Opening. Heather opened the meeting at 9.10 am

2.    Minutes of the meeting on 26 August 2007 were accepted as a true record.
    Moved Jo, seconded Alan A.

3.    Business arising from minutes
a)    Monsoon Forest walk reforestation
b)    Membership kit
c)    Lanoline treatment of Woodland to Waterlily boardwalk
d)    Funding priorities
These were considered as separate agenda items later in the meeting.
     
4.    Correspondence In:   
·    28 Aug, email to Barry Scott: thanking him for giving FOFD the opportunity to lanoline the boardwalk, accepting offer; asking for replacement and upgrading of signs to be programmed for; seeking permission to have AGM at Fogg Dam and enquiring whether P&W would provide refreshments.
·    10 Sep, Email from Sign & Badge Centre with details and prices
·    10 Sep, letter from Signal Advantage with quotes, enclosing name badge samples
·    13 Sep, email from Pete Foster re NT Natural Resource Mgt project applications – close 26 Sep.
·    18 Sep, email forwarded by Pete Foster: Conservation Vol. Aust project application – close 12 Oct.
              Correspondence Out:
·    7 Sep, email notice of AGM
·    7 Sep, Fax to Sign & Badge Centre requesting information
·    22 Sep, email to Pete Foster re CDU students and lanoline project

Correspondence accepted: Moved  Jeremy, seconded Strider.

5.    FOFD Park Sign
Parks and Wildlife’s draft sign to notify the public of the Friends of Fogg Dam group which had been collected by Alan A was circulated. Agreed that while the concept was good he FOFD logo should to be added and the photos of group activities should be larger.

6.    Membership Kit.  
a)    Discussion on concepts provided by the sub-committee of Jenny, Leisa and Heather took place:
·    Letter of welcome to be emailed to members including information of FOFD and its activities. Rather than providing an information kit/manual it was agreed that new members should be encouraged to download detailed information from the FOFD website and that hard copies be provided only where necessary.
·    Member cards/badges: A membership card is considered to have limited value at this time and seems unnecessary. A badge could be useful to identify members at meetings and functions. Samples of magnetic and other badges (Sign & Badge Centre and Signal Advantage) were circulated. However, provision of these badges to all members would take most of FOFD’s funds. Noted that badges can be purchased at any time and that not all members wish to wear name badges.
Moved Jenny, seconded Alan S that name badges be optional and that members be asked if they wish to purchase them. Agreed.   
·    Membership contact list. It is common practice for associations to make their membership list available to members. This could be via the FOFD website (open access or a members only section) or be provided by email or hard copy. It was accepted that some members may not want to keep their membership or contact details confidential. Agreed that members be asked if they agree to their contact details being accessible to others.
·    FOFD flyer with application form. A draft was circulated and suggestions were made to improve its presentation and include a map. Niven offered to draw the map, which was accepted.
.  
7.    Monsoon Forest Walk Reforestation
Strider advised that following the meeting of 26 August, he and Alan A had examined the state of the forest along the monsoon forest walk. They consider that fire management is the key to the state of the forest and suggest this be discussed with parks at he next meeting. The noted the forest is recovering well and consider that FOFD needs to do nothing, other than occasional weeding. Agreed.

8.    FOFD Information Guides
Alan A provided a guide showing birds that might be found in the George Brown Botanical Gardens. Agreed a similar brochure/list would be useful for visitors to Fogg Dam. Niven suggested this might have a colour copy on a notice board with black and white copies for visitors to take. (Parks has previously offered FOFD the information structure located outside Middle Point Village). Whether the guide should concentrate on the difficult or easy to find birds was discussed.  Jo suggested there be information map sheets showing (eg with numbers) points of interest at Fogg Dam. Heather commented there was once a tree list for the monsoon forest walk. These ideas will be put to Parks.
Niven agreed to come up with a list of birds for the birding guide.

9.    Talk by Ted Kilpatrick
Ted Kilpatrick, a farmer on the rice project and elected a Life Member of FOFD at the 26 August General Meeting, made a detailed and thorough presentation on the history, problems establishing, methods adopted to overcome the problems and operation of the Humpty Doo Rice Project. Even so, there is much more for us to learn and we will invite Ted to speak again. After the meeting, Ted showed the location of the outfall pipe feeding the irrigation system and the spillway that was created each wet season at the eastern end of the causeway. He also signed FOFD’s two copies of his Rice Project book and stayed for lunch.

10.    Annual General Meeting
The meeting adjourned at 10.45 am for the First AGM of FOFD and resumed at 11.15am.

11.    Other business
a)    A suggestion was made by Parks in August that FOFD might spray the Woodlands to Waterlilly boardwalk with lanoline before the wet season with materials and equipment provided by Parks. FOFD advised Parks that FOFD would like to undertake the work. However the project has yet to be approved by Parks.

b)    Funding priorities. Three  projects put forward by members: (1) Provision of a large spotting scope at the Pandanus Lookout (need to protect from vandals?); (2)  identification of significant trees and preparation of interpretive signage along the walk; (3) Keeping funds to apply for a grant where equal funding is a requirement.

c)    Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve Plan of Management. Heather noted it is time for us to begin preparation of a formal submission to Government on the next Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve Plan of Management.

d)    Website maintenance. Peter Walker has agreed to modify the website to make it easier for Friends to input information.

12.    Thanks
Jenny proposed that the minutes record thanks to Heather for her time and effort in pursuing the objectives of FOFD and for achievements made to date.

13.    Next meeting: for committee and interested friends, Sunday 28th October 2007.

14.    Meeting closed at 11.25 am and was followed by a barbeque with drinks and sausages kindly provided by Parks and Wildlife.


Item    Person responsible    Completion date
Membership fees due for year Mar 07 to Feb 08.Input to Parks & Wildlife Plan of Management Respond re Parks FOFD posterBird list for visitor brochurePrepare map for FOFD flyerSignificant tree list for Monsoon Forest Walk and name signsAsk if members willing to have their contact details accessible to FOFD members and/or the public Seek orders for FOFD name badgesSeek ConocoPhillips funding criteriaOrganise a meeting with an Arafura Games school organiser Propose projects that FOFD might fundObtain Australian Business Number (ABN)Check tax exempt status    Please check if you’ve paidEveryone to thinkHeatherNivenNivenJeremyColinJennyEveryone    OctoberOctober meetingBefore oiling of boardwalks

 Action Items Completed since July Meeting:
a)    Examined reforestation of Monsoon Forest Walk
b)    Liaised with Parks re oiling of boardwalks and AGM
c)    Define membership kit information
d)    AGM organised and held
e)    Ted Kilpatrick talk arranged
f)    Several ideas for improving visitor experience at Fogg Dam generated
 
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