FSMW Board Meeting (March 20, 2025)

Minutes:

Present: Michael Benham, Pat Frey, Phil Huhn, Sarah Redman, Judy Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Julie Steiff

1. Hellos / Introductions.
2. Adoption / Modification of Agenda. Agenda modified and adopted.
3. Approval of Minutes of Prior Meeting. Minutes approved.
4. News, Announcements and Reports
   • Boardwalk Installation: PH reported that Section A has been completed and work on Section B has begun. Work will continue April 5.
   • Nature Club: PF reported that she and the students did an inventory of black cherry trees in an area she designated as Section 1 and found around 50. Around half of them appeared to be dead. She doesn’t know if this is normal. Judy S said we should keep an eye on it. MB says he has a cherry tree in his yard that looks dead but gets leaves on the top every spring. MB said the City inventories trees, and he thinks it would be a good project for the Nature Club.
   • Outreach to Scarlett Middle School: PF met with SMS staff, gave them an overview of our group’s activities, and passed out brochures. Her presentation was well received. One of the science teachers approached her about involving the kids in community support project (e.g., picking up trash, planting trees) that we could potentially be involved with.
   • Change in AAPS Contact: Judy S learned that Amber Strong has left AAPS. Bernard Rice (Assistant Superintendent, Capital Programs & Physical Properties) answered her questions. If you need to call something to the attention of AAPS, start with Bernard Rice.
   • Deer enclosures: MB showed a picture of a donut-shaped fence made of cut-down buckthorn to keep deer out. Maybe this is something we could consider. SR said she has experience comparing the growth of trees inside and outside of deer exclosures. This is a good demonstration of how deer harm trees.
   • Treasurer’s Report: PF reported that there’s now a Treasurer’s folder in our Google Drive that contains summary statements from prior years and the current year. It also contains guidelines for making sales tax free purchases for FSMW. In March, we spent $270 in wood, so now we have a balance of $1863.
   • Webmaster’s Report. PH has updated the website with spring photos.
5. Old Business
   • NAP Work Plan. Judy S showed us the NAP work plan. (See the link.) She said there are a lot of good people at NAP and it’s been great to work with such young, enthusiastic people over the years. The downside is that there’s a lot of turnover; people tend to move on and do interesting things elsewhere. MB noted that the work plans seem to commit the stewards to specific tasks, whereas the City remains vague about what it will do. MB thanked Judy S and MS for their work as park stewards. MB wondered if our organization (rather than an individual) could be designated as the steward. Judy S thought that would be more than we can take on, and she would prefer to focus on caring for the central 40 acres. In addition, she doesn’t think the City would agree to it. PF said our group could always support the individual steward.
   • Naming of Manfred’s Pond. MB has been doing research to find out how to name a place. The City of Ann Arbor Planner he consulted with had no idea. MB researched the naming procedure for US places and found that there is an official naming board. The process takes around two years. In addition, you can’t name a place after a person until the person has been dead for two years. For now, we will informally refer to the pond as Manfred’s Pond and call it that on our website.
6. New Business
   • Mitchell PTO student tree planting. PF, MB, and Judy S met with a Mitchell parent who wants to lead a tree-planting activity. PF played a brief video made by the parent, who couldn’t attend the meeting. Students will receive free trees, and if they don’t have a place for them at home, they can plant them behind Scarlett Middle School along the edge of the woods or in the triangular space between sidewalks bordering Colonial Square. We discussed other possible tree-planting activities as well.
   • Suggestions for Spring Nature Walks / Activities Calendar. We reviewed and the activities calendar and updated it to include the spring-themed nature walks Judy S proposed last month.
   • Workdays. MB. On April 5, we will continue pallet removal and boardwalk construction. On May 3, we will spread woodchips if we can get them. PF said the Nature Club members could help.
7. Next Meeting: April 17, 2025
8. The meeting adjourned at 8:37 pm.
9. Minutes submitted by Julie Steiff.