Online Zoom Meeting May 22 7:30, Thursday
FSMW is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. In this meeting we will explore what we as a community can do to manage and care for Scarlett Mitchell Woods, the central 40 acres of the Scarlett Mitchell Nature Area. This area contains the heart of the woods and the pond, which was dredged in 1982. It is owned by the Ann Arbor Public Schools and is no longer managed by Nature Area Preservation. Help us to implement actions to fulfill our vision of Scarlett Mitchell Woods hosting native life, that contains no invasive species, and that invites community members to walk, enjoy and learn.
For more information contact: Judy Schmidt or phone Mike at: 734-395-8959
Agenda
- Hellos/ Introductions as needed
- Agenda: Adoption/ Modification – Approval
- Minutes of April 17 Meeting – Approval
- News, Announcements
- Recent FSMW Spring Activities – Brief reports
- Early Bird Nature Walk April 27 – Judy Schmidt
- First Saturday Work Day May 3 – Phil Huhn
- School Related Activities
- May 12 – Mitchell tree planting – brief report
- May 23 – Scarlett – Climate Justice Expo Description & Plans
- Jake Engels
- NAP/AADL Nature Walk – with Eleva Potter May 10- Judy Schmidt
- Miscellaneous information – if time permits: Fire Lane (Jason Bing)
- Recent FSMW Spring Activities – Brief reports
- Reports
- Webmaster’s Report – Phil Huhn
- Treasurer’s Report – Pat Frey
- Scarlett Nature Club Report – Pat Frey/Gwynne Fisher
- Old Business
- Workdays
- Trail Work – attempt to obtain wood chips – Janet Rieke (chip drop)
- Invasive plants: old and new
- Workdays
- New Business
- Workday Planning
- Finish Pond Trail Board Walks – June 7?
- Summer/Fall? New Life Church? Other possibilities?
- Impromptu work days and individual efforts
- Nature walks and activities planning for fall and winter?
- Workday Planning
- Next Meeting: June 19, 2025
- Adjournment
Attachment 2: Inventory of Ideas: Field Days! Lots of Options!
- (aka Ideas for Spring Unfolding and other seasonal walks in the woods)
Education and Fun
- Search for amphibians – learn their calls – March/April
- Identify Fungi – early spring – September/October Study Group
- Spring Ephemerals – (Spring Beauty, May Apples, Trillium, etc) April/May
- Insect relationships – Native bees; carrion beetles; mosquitoes, caterpillars
- Birding for beginners – Spring migration
- Owl prowl
- Pond dipping – May
- Vernal pools
- Geology of the woods – study group?
- Mosses and lichens – study group?
- Tree flowers and buds
- Bat house
Data Collection
- Library tool collection (?)
- Binoculars
- Measure highway noise in the woods – various seasons
- Solicit expertise from our Friends group and the wider community
- Using identification apps
- FSMW Walk to evaluate which areas to concentrate on next
Work Days
- Searching for and pulling garlic mustard, and other tender invasive plants
- Removing buckthorn baggies
- Obtaining and spreading wood chips on the trails
- Fixing boards on trails
- Coating benches
- Repainting signposts so they are readable
- Planting seeds and seedlings
- Repair or replace trail markers that are rotting. Do we have a scout troop we can contact?
- Remove poison ivy
- Pocket Forest planting and maintenance
Minutes of the Meeting
Present: Pat Frey, Phil Huhn, Judy Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Julie Steiff, Pat Petiet
- Hellos / Introductions.
- Adoption / Modification of Agenda. Agenda modified and adopted.
3) Approval of Minutes of Prior Meeting. Minutes approved.
4) News, Announcements, and Reports
- Early Bird Nature Walk: About 5 people came and had a good time.
- First Saturday Workday: Phil Huhn, Judy Schmidt, and Bill McNitt attended the work day. They looked for garlic mustard and found almost none.
- May 12 Mitchell Tree Planting: Participants planted 3 trees and had a scavenger hunt. Michael Benham fenced off the new trees to protect them from deer.
- May 23 Scarlett Climate Justice Expo Description & Plans: Judy S. will staff a table. Jake Engels says other people will be there to help.
- NAP/AADL Nature Walk with Eleva Potter May 10: There was a good turnout, around 20 people. It was very enjoyable. Judy S will make a photo collage.
- New Fire Lane: Judy S reported that the new Mitchell School will have a fire lane between Scarlett and the woods. Judy contacted Jason Bing who said there is no plan to use the space between the fire lane and the woods, but we will need to consult AAPS about future plantings, etc. in that area to make sure there’s no conflict.
- Webmaster’s Report: PH sent an email with a detailed update. Since then, he has also added a page on deer ticks and chiggers.
- Treasurer’s Report: PF shared the 2024 year-end report (I took picture). Our year-end balance was $2503.55 year-end balance. She also shared the 2025 sheet to date. Our current balance is $1,852.64. If we include the value of in-kind donations (including volunteer hours), the total is $27,125.10. PF asked whether/in how much detail this information should be published on the website. Judy S says if we post it, we’ll need to explain in-kind value—otherwise people might think we have $27,125.10 in cash. She asked whether similar organizations post this information. PF said that because we are a non-profit, our finances are public, and we should be transparent. PH recommended just posting the summary sheet, not details. PH explained the Microsoft grant that pays for our website. PF will think of a way to clarify that in-kind value does not equal money in the bank.
- Scarlett Nature Club Report: Nature Club is still going, even though PF hasn’t been there for 2 months. Gwynne Fischer has been doing a good job leading the club for the last two months. The students have been planting and identifying plants and wildflowers.
5) Old Business
- Work Days: We discussed options for upcoming work days. We could move pallets, remove invasives, or spread wood chips. A possible source of free wood chips is ChipDrop (https://getchipdrop.com/).
- Bird Feeders: MS tried to clean out bird feeders, but some had been nailed shut. No birds appear to be nesting there.
6) New Business
- Work Day Planning. We need to finish the pond trail board walks, maybe on June 7. MS would like to keep the pond area open (i.e., free from encroaching growth). Judy S said that might be a good project for the New Life Church work day in the fall. MS said we need to move the martin house.
- Nature Walks and Activities for Fall and Winter. Judy S has enjoyed them all, but we get better attendance for work days than for nature walks. It’s good to have nature walks, but Judy will need help in the future.
7) Next Meeting: 7:30 p.m., June 19, 2025
8) The meeting adjourned at 8:19 pm.
Minutes submitted by Julie Steiff.
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