Minutes of the Texas Aquatic Plant Management Society Board Meeting

DATE: February 7, 2007

PRESENT: Blake Kellum, Howard Elder, LeeAnn Glomski, Patrick Moran, David Sauer, Paul Williams, Gary Brown, Mary Gilroy, Larry Hartman, A.J. Thibodeaux, Dian Smith, Joe Snow, Kelly Duffie, Earl Chilton, Michael Masser, Mack Chapman

President Blake Kellum called the meeting to order at 10:05 AM

Minutes: The minutes from the TAPMS Board meeting held on September 12, 2006 were delivered via email. Patrick Moran made a motion to approve the report and Joe Snow seconded the motion. The motion passed.

Financial Report: David Sauer reported that he and Wilfred Korth have not been able to get together yet, but plan to meet soon. The Wells Fargo CD has matured and David will look into reinvesting the money and will report back to the board with recommendations. Dian Smith made a motion to approve the report and the motion was seconded by Mary Gilroy. The motion passed.

Editor: Patrick Moran provided a report to the board via email. TAPMS currently has 130 members and one new corporate sponsor. Not all of the corporate sponsors have paid this year but Patrick hopes to receive payment from them soon. The next newsletter will be published in early May. Information on the 2007 TAPMS conference will be needed for that issue. Conference information will also be included in the July issue. Joe Snow recommended an article on AVM in Texas be included in the next newsletter. Larry Hartman agreed to contact Susan Wilde about writing one.

Unfinished Business: None

New Business:

Conference Site Selection: Mary Gilroy reported to the board several options for the next conference.

1. McKinney Rough: They have dorm style lodging and all meals would

have to be catered.

2. Guadalupe River Ranch: They are closed for the winter so Mary was

unable to get information.

3. Rough Creek Lodge: The board decided this was too expensive.

4. Canyon of the Eagles: This is one hour outside of Austin. Room rates

ranged from $109 to $135. They have rooms in the lodge as well as

cabins. The conference room seats 100 people. Possible outside

activities include kayak rentals, river cruises and hiking.

5. MO Ranch: To be looked into.

Mary will also look into a couple of hotels in downtown Austin. David Sauer suggested chuckwagon style catering as one of the evening social events. A decision about conference site will be made at the next board meeting. The date for the next conference was set for September 17-19, 2007.

Public Education: TAPMS does support the APMS student workbook but other outreach initiatives need to be made in Texas. Suggestions included:

1. A glossy magazine similar to FAPMS’ Aquatics – Patrick Moran voiced

concern that Aquatics wasn’t geared toward the public.

2. An ad in the annual TPWD fish and game manual – Earl Chilton checked into

this prior to the meeting. We cannot have a half-page ad due to space.

The board would like to have whatever little space they can have.

3. An ad or article in the TPWD magazine.

4. A TAPMS display that could be set up at meetings and conferences. Michael

Masser indicated the cost of this display would be $200-250. Michael

volunteered his graduate student to come up with a design by the next

board meeting. Joe Snow volunteered to help.

5. A public information section added to the TAPMS newsletter. Patrick Moran

suggested having more articles geared toward the public and mentioned

that he needs people to write articles for the newsletter. Kelly Duffie

mentioned corporate sponsors would like to see more articles informing

the public about how aquatic weed problems affect them. It was also

mentioned that the newsletter should be more prominent on the website.

6. A glossy tri-fold brochure.

7. Publish information through BASS.

8. Have local scout troops pass out information at boat ramps while inspecting

boat trailers for aquatic weeds. Could have local TV and newspaper

reporters cover the event.

9. Website improvements. It was suggested that information sheets should be

added to the website. Information sheets should be in PDF format for easy

downloading. Pictures of aquatic plant problems should also be added to

the site to catch people’s attention. Other suggestions included adding

plant identification information and information about specific aquatic

weeds in Texas. Any photos and information should be sent to Joe Snow.

10. Calendar of aquatic plant photos. Dian Smith suggested putting together a

calendar that could be given out to conference attendees as well as

marinas. Dian will look into cost and report back to the board.

Money for education could come from state management plan. Earl Chilton urged members to write letters to the state legislature to get the management plan passed. Dian Smith made a motion for Blake Kellum to write a letter on behalf of TAPMS. The motion was seconded by David Sauer. The motion passed.

According to the bylaws, the president-elect needs to serve as chair of the Membership and Publicity committee. Howard Elder will take over as chair and Dian Smith will serve on the committee.

The board agreed that conference calls can be considered a form of electronic communication.

Committee Reports:

1. Auditing – No report

2. Conference Program – No report

3. Editorial – Information already given in editor’s report

4. Governmental Affairs – No report

5. Industrial Affairs – No report

6. Membership/Publicity – Information discussed during new business

7. Nominating – No report

8. Public Education – Information discussed during new business

9. Scholarships/Awards – No report

10. Website – Joe reported that he updated the officers list on the website.

Dian Smith made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Gary Brown. The meeting ended at 11:30 AM.

The next board meeting will be a conference call on Wednesday, April 4 at 10:00 AM. The phone number and access code will remain the same.