FSMW Board Meeting (November 20, 2025)

Online Zoom Meeting November 20 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

1. Hellos/ Introductions as needed
2. Agenda: Adoption/ Modification – Approval
3. Approval of Minutes of Prior Meeting
4. Treasurer’s Report – Pat Frey
5. Old Business
   • –
6. New Business 
   • Next workday – December 6 – more wood chips and complete east boardwalk
   • Future large projects – see attachment
7. News, Announcements 
   • November 5  Full Moon walk – Phil
   • Ninebark planting – Michael
   • File archiving – Michael
   • Scarlett Climate Justice Expo -Tentative Date:  Friday, May 22, 2026 – Judy
   • The Stewardship Network – 11-12-25 Presentation by Mike Schuster: Using Plants to Control Buckthorn – Judy
   • How Nature Heals Us – Hidden Brain Podcast – Judy
8. Next Meeting: December 18, 2025
9. Adjournment

Minutes

Present: Peter Bednekoff,  Michael Benham, Pat Frey, Phil Huhn, Autumn Jackson, Bill McNitt, Sarah Redman, Janet Rieke, Judy Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Julie Steiff

1. Hellos / Introductions.  

2. Adoption / Modification of Agenda. Agenda modified to put new business before news, announcements, and reports.

3. Approval of Minutes of Prior Meeting. Minutes of last meeting approved. 

4. Treasurer’s Report – PF. The money from the Ann Arbor Guys for Good grant has been deposited. We now have a total of $5806.12. We had a discussion clarifying the difference between Ann Arbor Guys for Good (the group giving us the grant) and Grapevine (the platform used to transfer the funds).

5. Nature Club – PF. It’s a large group this year: 15 students attended the first day. PF had to dismiss a couple of students who weren’t paying attention, but overall the club is going very well.
6. New Business – MB
   • Next workday. On December 6 from 12-2, we will clean up along Old Ellsworth, spread woodchips, and continue boardwalk. PH advertised this event in the Ann Arbor Observer and on our website. MB will post it on NextDoor Mitchell.
   • Major projects. See Attachment 1: Projects for Consideration (at the very end of this document).
   • Prescribed burn.
   • Cost: MB got an estimate from David Mendel for a prescribed burn. They identified 4 target areas in the southern part of the school property. It would cost $2625 for three areas. Doing all four areas would cost $3250. We could cover it all with the funds we have.
   • Timing: We discussed when to do the burn: this fall or this spring? We decided there’s too much prep work for the fall. Judy S noted that we can’t do a burn while school is in session (in the past, the wind changed during a burn and students with vulnerable lungs had to be taken to the hospital).  Weather is a big factor too: wind and humidity conditions need to be right. PB said the area burned is very tightly controlled and the edge is very precisely demarcated.
   • Preparation: PF will talk to the principal of Scarlett Middle School. PH and Judy S will communicate with Colonial Square. We also need to let Turnberry know (through Facebook, monthly meetings, and NextDoor). PB recommended putting up signs around the area in advance of the burn. MS said it’s important to explain why we’re doing a burn. Looking to the future: MB said that Thurston does its own burns with trained volunteers; we might consider that in the future.
7. News, Announcements, and Reports
   • Judy S would like help representing FSMW at the Scarlett Climate Justice Expo. The tentative date is Friday, May 22, 2026.
   • Judy S went to an interesting Stewardship Network presentation by Mike Schuster: Using Plants to Control Buckthorn.
   • Judy S recommended the “How Nature Heals Us” Hidden Brain episode. 
   • PH reported that several people showed up for the Full Moon Walk, some of whom learned about it from the Ann Arbor Observer. The participants sang songs by the pond. It was fun! Battery-powered tealights on the trail worked well to light the way to the pond.
   • MS said someone should attend PTO meetings at Mitchell and Scarlett to explain what we’re doing.
   • MB planted four ninebark shrubs surrounded by deer protection by the northern entrance to the woods. They can grow to be eight feet tall. MB would like to continue planting in the area where we cleared out the buckthorn and honeysuckle.
   • File archiving – MB. We’re hitting our free Google limit, so MB suggested that we should archive our files on CD. Julie S suggested buying more storage from Google as that would be easier and it’s not very expensive. Judy S has historical materials she would like to have preserved and wondered if the Bentley Historical Library would be interested in it—maybe it could be used for a student project. BM, who worked as an archivist, will be happy to help with this project and liaise with the Bentley. PH already has a Bentley account if we need one. We discussed the difficulties that arise when digital formats change. PH prefers preserving things in Rich Text files.
   • PF suggested that Nature Club students could assist with some of the chores on our list, like removing buckthorn baggies. Judy S suggested having kids measure the noise-reduction impact of the woods.
   • MS opened the bird boxes along the edge of the woods. There were no birds nesting inside them. 

8) Next meeting: December 18, 2025

9) The meeting adjourned at 8:26 pm.

Minutes submitted by Julie Steiff. 

Project	Cost Estimate	Cost Estimate	Notes	Priority
Emergency set-aside	$1,000	$1,000		1
Dredge the pond
Plant natives on N edge of woods	$200		Assume plants donated. Cost is for deer protection	2
Install more benches	$2000-$5000
Rehab trail marker signposts	$100			2
Prescribed burn	^$3,500			1
Construct new boardwalk at the pond edge, north end		$800	Committed, funded by DTE grant
Complete recent boardwalk construction east of pond		$200		1
Pocket Forest planning and maintenance				3
Bird house rehab and new bird houses
Oak seedling protection	$200		Cost is for deer protection
Boardwalk at Platt Rd entrance			Talk to NAP first	1
TOTAL PROJECT COSTS		$2,000
Available Funds	Funds On Hand	Committed Funds
DTE grant	$1,000	$1,000
AA Guys for Good grant	$1,400	0
Bank account	$4,400	$1,000
TOTAL FUNDS AVAILABLE	$5,800	$2,000

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