ACC’s spring meeting
convened at approximately
John Wilson reported that we
received our Charter and EID# for the Appalachian Cave Conservancy. 501 C3 status is
pending. Work is underway on the ACC
website. Tanya was asked to represent
the ACC at the
Several adjustments have
been made to the draft management agreement thanks to constructive comments
from the Board. Terri volunteered to
work on the brochure and send a draft out for review. We agreed that a Powerpoint/slide
show is needed for our public outreach effort.
A worthy goal might be to schedule presentations to the Hayters Gap Ruritan Club and the Holston River Soil & Water Conservation District
sometime this fall. Another would be to
compile a mailing list. John wondered if
we could use the Cave Board or VSS mailing lists.
Tony suggested that we put
together a display booth that we could take to events such as the Highlands
Festival and the big outdoor equipment exposition coming up at the Bristol
Motor Speedway.
Don has a line on
economically priced t-shirts and ball caps.
Everyone was encouraged to send in logo ideas, even in rough form. ACC needs a unique logo before the brochure
and items like t-shirts and hats can be printed.
Tanya will set up a checking
account for the Conservancy at Highlands Union Bank. We reviewed the need to get a donation
program set up for future use.
A discussion of fundraising
options ensued. Small grant applications
to
Neighboring landowners have
been advised of a major property boundary dispute along the eastern slope of
Mrs. Nicely’s
barn, located on the secondary access road, needs some repair. The group agreed to inspect the damage and
come up with a plan as soon as possible.
Tanya met an adjacent property owner who also has a cave. A small group agreed to make contact later
that afternoon.
John hopes to get a crew to
work on the mud routes at our next work day.
He needs 8-12 people for rock breaking and hauling, etc.
We discussed Emily’s
horticultural report, the main objectives of which are to stabilize soil and
regulate temperature around the main cave entrance. Weed control will be important around the
young trees, and can be accomplished using vinegar, Roundup, or a physical weed
barrier. If we begin site preparation on
the next work day, perhaps we can get trees from DOF or other sources in time
to plant this fall. Terri volunteered to
coordinate with Jason and Emily Lachniet on that
project.
Paul sent word that he wants
to drive a stake at the entrance and get started on the re-survey. He will send out proposed survey standards
for the Board’s review a.s.a.p. Since we
could have a number of visiting groups participating in the survey, it was
suggested that we also come up with a general set of rules for entering,
parking, camping and otherwise using the property during survey trips.
Since both old business and
new business had been addressed during committee reports, we voted to adjourn
and move on to outdoor activities. The
ACC meeting was adjourned at approximately
Draft minutes submitted on