Volume XXXIII, Number 1
Spring 2012
Clark Reservation Opening Clark Reservation will open on Saturday May 5 with a Volunteer sign up for the Council of Park Friends for Clark Reservation 2012 season.
Native Garden volunteers will weed, shovel, etc and prepare the path for a topping of fine gravel. There will be an expert to help. Small weeders, clippers etc will be useful. Gloves a good idea.
On Saturday May 5 from 9:30 am to noon, volunteers will be welcomed to help with the upcoming season . Meet at the Pavillion overlooking the lake to sign up for this season as a volunteer. Opportunities to volunteer are: Nature Center staffing, mostly on weekends, Maintaining the Native Garden, Membership, Publicity, and Trail Guides.
Trail guides will learn about the various trails and walk them to pick up and identify areas of concern. They also will paint and number any guide posts that are in need of repair.
After registration volunteers will go to the area of interest to learn more about the season. Also at that time we will begin to do basic cleaning and maintence at each area.
This event is one of over 30 throughout the state on the same day to celebrate “I Love My Park Day” for volunteer events in New York State Parks organized by Parks and Trails New York and Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
On this day we will clean up from the winter. Nature Center volunteers will sweep, dust, wash windows etc. Extra clothes, window cleaner will be helpful, but materials will be provided.
At noon , all will gather at the pavilion for snacks, free t shirts and suggestions or comments on the various meetings and proposed plans for the season.
Pre-registration can be done on the Clark Reservation State Site This is recommended so we do not exceed our limit.
Fathers Day Fathers Day Walk and Annual Meeting at Clark Reservation State Park n Sunday, June 17 at 2:00 pm The Council of Park Friends will host the popular annual walk led by Don Leopold. Dr. Leopold is a forest ecologist from the State University College of Science and Forestry. He is the author of many books on native trees and plants, including “Native Plants of the Northeast”. Following the walk all are invited for light refreshments at the lake pavilion. The Annual Meeting will conclude the day. Meet at the Nature Center near the parking lot. Children and leashed dogs welcome.
JJoin US!! There is much to be done, so please check oput the membership and volunteer form in this newsletter. You do not have to be a member to volunteer, but financial resources are appreciated. In any case, your ideas and energy are always welcome so stop in or write.
Visit us at <Councilofparkfriends.org
CPF Memorial Bench If you have taken advantage of some of our wonderful weather this spring to walk the Mildred Faust Trail in Clark Reservation, you may have noticed this new bench that has been placed along the trail overlooking the Dry Lake Basin. The bench, so well-constructed and sited by Park personnel at the request of CPF, will soon have a plaque commemorating the contributions of deceased CPF members who during their lifetimes made special contributions to the Park and CPF. Office of Parks regulations do not allow individuals to be named on memorials within parks, but the plaque will indicate that the contributions of some of these special volunteers are detailed in a memorial book in the Nature Center. The most recent of our special volunteers to leave us was Allan Drew, whose life was honored in the summer 2011 Polypodium. development on Dry Lake.
One of Allanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projects was examining the impacts of
Thus, this location for the bench is especially appropriate.
Natural Resource Project Update Protecting American Hart’s-tongue Fern By Tom Hughes, NYS Park’s Biologist Clark Reservation and Chittenango Falls State Parks are home to about 88% of the U.S. population of the federally and state threatened American hart’s-tongue fern (AHTF). Regional efforts continue to protect this rare fern from invasive plants, most notably pale swallow-wort. For the fourth consecutive year, staff and volunteers have been working side by side hand pulling and digging swallow-wort in both parks. In addition, Jim Engel from White Oak Nursery has been applying herbicides to patches of swallow-wort where manual removal is not feasible. These efforts are making a difference, and they will continue in 2012. I will continue to work with ESF graduate student Tom Brumbelow as well as other partners, including USFWS, NY Natural Heritage Program and Council of Park Friends.
Volunteer Tyler Talone digs out first year swallow-wort seedlings with great care in close proximity to AHTF.
NOTICE OF PROPOSED BY-LAWS REVISIONS - COUNCIL OF PARK FRIENDS The Council of Park Friends operates under a set of by-laws last revised in 1988. Since then, there have been many changes affecting the operating nature of the Council. While there has been no change to the mission of the organization, changes in the by-laws are necessary to reflect a smaller overall membership and the need for greater efficiency in administrative procedures. Specifically, the changes include: 1. The elimination of outdated, sexist language; 2. The elimination of the “Board of Trustees” of up to 25 members with no assigned functional role within the organization. Furthermore, the original Trustees have not retained their membership and no new appointments have been made in years. Any active Trustees wishing to remain active will be offered membership on the Board of Stewards (the proposed “Board of Directors”); 3. The expansion and renaming of the “Board of Stewards.” The Board’s functions are substantially unchanged but its name would be changed to “Board of Directors.” The Board membership would be raised from eight to twelve members; 4. The officer functions named “President” and “Vice-President” are renamed “Chair” and “Vice-Chair.” 5. The establishment of the use of a simple majority of the members present as the standard for determining a quorum and for any decision making by vote. An exception exists for votes on by-laws amendments, which would require a two-thirds majority vote. 6. Clarification of procedures for appointments/elections of new Board members at other than annual meetings, when determined necessary by the President (the proposed “Chair”); 7. The addition of a requirement for a policy of accession, disposal, and periodic inventory of CPF property; and 8. Clarification of procedures for disposal of property in the event of the dissolution of CPF. Both the existing by-laws and the proposed revisions are available for inspection on the CPF website at www.councilofparkfriends.org . Any comments on the revisions should be delivered to the Council of Park Friends in writing prior to or at the CPF Annual Meeting on June 17, 2012 at Clark Reservation State Park. Ralph Manna, Jr. Council of Park Friends, Secretary
Volunteer Interests: ____Nature Center Staff ____Trail Guide ____Publicity ____Native Garden ____Web Site