Agendas and Minutes

Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission (View All)

Bee City USA Minutes 10-20-2015

Agenda
Tuesday, October 20, 2015

 

 
MINUTES FOR BEE CITY USA - ASHLAND MEETING
 
October 20, 2015
North Mountain Park Nature Center
620 North Mountain Ave.
 
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
 
  1. CALL TO ORDER
Attended Shari Shattuck, Kristina LeFever, Mike Gardiner
Staff Liaison: Libby VanWyhe
Staff Support: Rachel Dials, Brigette Cooke
Kristina called the meeting to order at 3:15pm
 
  1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
    1. Approve Minutes
Kristina thanked Libby for putting the agenda together and made a motion to approve them. Mike seconded. Agenda approved. 
  1. Review Action Items
Kristina said everything has been completed or has been added to the current agenda. Action items are approved, completed, reviewed.
 
  1. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
    1. Open Forum
No public participants or comments.
 
  1. ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
   No

 
  1. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
    1. Discuss purpose and content for the www.ashland.or.us/BeeCity  website
Libby gave a quick update to how the website works. Libby said she’d be happy to include additional content in regards to the City of Ashland and links concerning BCU.
Kristina talked about what she’d like to see on the website, including reference material and various links to press releases and pesticide education.  Her wishes for content include pollinator garden and bee hive maps, various local nurseries, recommended plant lists. Also the website should include a list of “BCU approved” pollinator gardens and the application form.
Rachel commented that the website should keep the focus on how pesticides influence pollinators specifically. Also Rachel asked we be cognizant of the amount of content we can put on the City Website, and make sure that all reference links are verifiable and relevant. Libby thought that linking to published peer reviewed journal articles, would not be problematic. Libby also mentioned that we should try to link to partner organizations which are maintaining their own resource lists, to prevent duplication.
  Kristina will send an email to Libby with the additional content to be added to the BCU website.
    
  1. Update on the status of Ashland Creek Park Pollinator/Rain Garden collaborative project.
Libby said she got a call from Dan today saying he’s coordinating the purchase of the plants from shooting star nursery. Parks staff will pick up the plants close to the date of the planting party, which is 10:30 on Oct 30th.
  Kristina will confirm details for the planting party including start times and materials etc, with Lori Ainsworth. 
  Rachel will confirm whether parks staff will be available on the ACP planting day to provide guidance about the planting plan layout, and planting tips.  
 
  1. Park staff to report on the feasibility of designating a “bee tree” to protect feral hive.
Rachel looked at the tree, there is definitely a hive. However the tree is on private property and the property owner not local. We need to get permission from property owner to do anything. Rachel has name and information. The owner is Gregory Wood of California.
  Shari will write a letter to the owner explaining that we would like to put up hardware cloth to protect the feral hive. She will send the letter to the group to edit.
  Park staff will send the finished letter to Gregory Wood.
Shari and Mike discussed other trees around the city and the possibility of mapping them out.
 
  1. Review and discuss proposed BCU-A approval criteria for recognizing local pollinator gardens. 
For a local garden to quality it was decided that the garden must meet all the “requirements” and at least one criteria from a “suggested” list. Participants must meet all requirements and at least one suggested item.
Required criteria could include: 1) no pesticide or herbicide use, 2) year round flowering, 3), presence of a water source.
Suggested criteria could include 1) acquisition of neonicanoid-free seeds, 2) a high diversity of plant types, 3) at least three native plants, 4) presence of additional bee habitat including uncultivated areas or bee hotels for mason bees.
Also, the application form should have a check box to identify whether the garden is visivle from the street.  It was discussed that those that are visible from the street can be included on a tour map of pollinator gardens in Ashland.
  Kristina will send Libby an edited version of these criteria.
  Libby will format these criteria into a form which can be filled out by the public.    
 
  1. Review and discuss the draft recommendation and supplemental research intended for submittal into the Parks Commission IPM strategy discussion in November.
Rachel said there will be a public, televised meeting on Nov 23rd to review the policy and exceptions to the policy.
The group would like to propose further curtailment or elimination of glyphosate products and to suggest alternatives such as “Burn Out” or horticultural vinegar.
  Kristina will send a wordsmithed version of the recommendation. 
  Libby will submit the recommendation into the Park’s Commission Packet (via Susan Dyssegard) by November 15th.
 
 
  1. NEW BUSINESS
    1. Decide to request that funds for a BCU-A banner be included in the 2016 Parks Budget.
Libby said this is possible but we need specifics such as size and cost.
  Kristina will ask Phyllis of Bee City USA if the organization already has a standard banner template we can use.
   Kristina will determine the cost of either a small table banner, or a street ready banner.
 
  1. Review applications for new committee member, and select one for recommendation to Parks Commission.
The committee members reviewed three applications. 
Mike recommended Katherine Womack for the committee.  Shari Seconded
The committee agreed to invite Katherine Womack into the Bee City USA subcommittee.
  Libby, will call Kate and make sure she is still interested and available for our regularly scheduled meeting times.
 
  1. Discuss BCU-A sponsorship of herbicide and pollinators forum this spring.
Tabled till next meeting, due to lack of time.
  Libby will add BCU-A sponsorship of herbicide and pollinators forum to the next agenda.
 
  1. Discuss changing to a bi-monthly meeting schedule rather than quarterly.
Rachel recommends meeting 4 times per year unless it’s absolutely essential.  Additional meetings might be required if the commission requests we put additional effort into planning specific events, activities, projects.
Mike concurs.
 
  1. OTHER ITEMS FROM COMMITTIEE MEMBERS
Not at this time.
 
  1. UPCOMING MEETING DATES
            Next meeting will be in January, exact date to be determined via doodle poll.
 

IX.           ADJOURNMENT

 
            Meeting adjourned at 4:36
 
 

X.             ACTION ITEMS

 
  Kristina will send an email to Libby with the additional content to be added to the BCU website.
  Kristina will confirm details for the planting party including start times and materials etc, with Lori Ainsworth. 
  Rachel will confirm that parks staff will be available on the ACP planting day to provide guidance about the planting plan layout, and planting tips. 
   Shari will write a letter to the feral hive property owner, explaining that we would like to put up hardware cloth to protect the hive. She will send the letter to the group to edit.
  Park staff will send the finished letter to Gregory Wood.
  Kristina will send Libby an edited version of the BCUA Approved garden criteria.
  Libby will format these criteria into a pollinator garden nomination form which can be filled out by the public.   
  Kristina will send out a wordsmithed version of the IPM recommendation to the Parks Commission. 
  Libby will submit the recommendation into the Park’s Commission Packet (via Susan Dyssegard) by November 15th.
  Kristina will ask Phyllis of Bee City USA, if the organization already has a standard banner template we can use.
   Kristina will determine the cost of either a small table banner, or a street ready banner.
  Libby will call Kate Womack and make sure she is still interested and available for our regularly scheduled meeting times.
  Libby will add BCU-A sponsorship of herbicide and pollinators forum to the next agenda.
  Libby will send a doodle poll for our next meeting date.

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