Hillsdale County Conservation Club, 3835 S. Bird Lake Road, Osseo MI, 517-523-3900

Officers

Chairperson – Ted LoPresto, lpresto@frontiernet.net
Vice Chair – Greg Peter, docrat@hughes.net
Region III Vice President – Paul Earl, paulearl@mei.net
MUCC President – Don Meixner, donmeixner@comcast.net

Directors

Mike Boyer (08)
Julia Meixner (09) juliameixner@comcast.net
Dan Hovater (10), hovaterdan@yahoo.com

Alternate Directors

Frank Barber
Bob Jenson
Tom Hankinson

Notice:

If you received this notice in the mail, I do not have a valid email address for you. Please help District 3 save money by providing me with your email address. You will get notices and minutes much faster. Send an email message to juliameixner@comcast.net, include your name and the club you represent. Thanks for your help!

Also, if you have an email address, you can sign up for the MUCC Policy Reports. Send an email request to muccpolicy@mucc.org

Upcoming Meetings and Events

MUCC Convention: 6/20-22/08, Quality Inn and Suites, Sault Ste. Marie Michigan - www.staysaultstemarie.com;

Vans Pines Tree Give-Away for MUCC Clubs on 5/17/08 from 9am-2pm;

Guided Lake Sturgeon Tour: May 9, 2008 Please R.S.V.P. by May 2nd, 2008 by contacting April (517/346-6472 or abennett@mucc.org

Agenda

I. Call to Order
II. Pledge of Allegiance and Conservation Pledge
III. Remarks by Host Club
IV. Introduction of MUCC Officers, DNR Personnel and Guests
V. Roll Call of District Clubs and Officers
VI. Approval of Minutes of January 13, 2007
VII. Remarks by MUCC Regional Representative
VIII. Remarks by MUCC Officers
IX. Remarks by Chairman, Vice Chairman and Guests
X. District Directors Reports
XI. District Field Representative Report
XII. Treasurer Report
XIII. Old Business
XIV. New Business
XV. Election of District Officers
XVI. Adjournment

MUCC District 3 Minutes
North Adams-Jerome FFA
January 12, 2008

Meeting called to order at 6:05 p.m. by Chair Ted LoPresto. Pledges and introductions of officers, club representatives and guests.

Minutes and Treasury report were approved.

REPORTS

Don Meixner – MUCC President

• Region III annual meeting on February 16 at St. Joseph County Conservation and Sportsmen's Club, 23640 Featherstone Rd, Sturgis, MI 49091. Bring any resolutions to establish or amend current MUCC policy.
• MDNR budget issues. Substantial spending and program cutbacks have resulted in a temporary budget surplus of $10 million. At the District 10 meeting, DNR personnel indicated they had significantly reduced non-critical spending, community outreach, and transportation expenses and returned the remaining funds.
• Kennecott /Eagle Mines. This proposed mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula regards concerns about sulfide mining in an important watershed. This project is the first to be subject to Michigan's new Nonferrous Metallic Mineral Mining rules that were enacted in response to concerns over potential environmental impacts from mining of metallic sulfide ores. The rules, among the most stringent in the nation, were drafted and agreed to by a multi-stakeholder work group that included MUCC, as well as representatives from environmental, business, and mining organizations. DEQ was required to sign this permit if the proposal met these rules.
• MUCC Executive Director Dennis Muchmore has been approved as a representative to the Michigan Climate Council.
• See the MUCC webpage to participate in the National Wild Turkey Federation survey regarding hunter access. You can link through the MUCC website, policy report, or directly at www.zoomerang.com.
• The Farm Bill, which is about supporting conservation, such as strips of land taken out of active farm production to support wildlife habitat and corridors, passed out of the Senate.

• Kennecott mine is in Marquette and Baraga Counties and borders the Yellow Dog River, the West Huron River and the small Salmon Trout River which has a population of coaster brook trout. Before Kennecott came up, MUCC worked with a consortium of environmental and outdoor clubs and legislators and DNR and DEQ to create rules for solution mining which would apply in this instance. Kennecott still needs DNR permits to allow use of 120 acres of public land. DNR will probably take this up in February of this year. Even in the UP there is still a lot of division on this issue.
• Dennis Muchmore has attended his first Climate Council meeting. We will have to get stronger on energy and land use issues. Dennis plans ahead and is as concerned where we will be in ten yeas as with this year.
• DNR proposed funding increases. We at MUCC worked to convene people because we believed there was a DNR funding crisis. The problem still exists, so we will continue to advocate for a better way to finance outdoor programs in Michigan. We no longer get the financial support form general funding; however, as an organization, we feel somewhat betrayed. We believed their numbers, so we advocated on that basis. Now all of the groups that advocated have lost credibility. Now we have to get back to addressing the issues of how the programs are funded. It was known in July that the problem was going to be ameliorated, so we wonder why it took so long to let us know, especially before we went to the Governor to plead for help for DNR.
• Leadership Training will be at the end of this month.
• Starting in March, MUCC is bringing leadership development programs to the Districts. These will be held locally for at least a full day.
• MUCC is hoping to dedicate a portion of each district meeting to have a significant guest speaker. Then we can invite the general public to these meetings. We may generate new club members through this outreach. For example, the fellow in the thumb who found and studied the wolverine in Michigan has created a fascinating presentation.
• To this end, it would be most helpful for the Districts to schedule a full year of meeting times and locations in advance to facilitate lining up speakers. Contact MUCC to see what/who is available in our Speakers Bureau.
• The Club Connection quarterly newsletter is well-received.
• MUCC is trying to reach out more to Clubs and members with multiple benefit opportunities. Watch for more information.
• We now have very good packets to provide to any potential new clubs.
• Waterfowl hunting bans where riparian owners are warring with goose hunters. MUCC is doing more advocacy to keep hunting. So far we are prevailing. One area that was a problem turned out to be more of a personal neighbor feud.
• Club Info Forms. We need to keep our electronic info up to speed. This information should soon be available online.
• Dennis Muchmore was a speaker this morning on the WHTC radio in Holland, Michigan. It's a call-in program sponsored by Chick-o-Wa Sportsmans Club in District 5.
• We are trying to encourage the Ruffed Grouse Society to join MUCC.
• A new Range Stewardship program will be offered on February 23 from 11am – 2 pm at MUCC headquarters in Lansing. Hosted by Linn Duling.
• Check the MUCC website, which has been much improved.

David Wilson wondered if anyone in attendance knew why the Chief Okemos indoor shooting range was shut down. No one at the meeting had any knowledge about this.

MUCC site was down for a while, but since has been brought back up and seems to be working well. If anyone is having difficulties with the website, they may contact John Robertson through the website and he will respond with a note indicating how long it took to reach him.

Board of Directors meetings are on the website, but the minutes are not posted until they are approved at the subsequent meeting. Attendees agreed that it would be more useful if these minutes were posted in draft form until they are approved, so the information could be available while it is still useful. Tom Hankinson also suggested that the minutes be delivered to him directly in an email inasmuch as they are posted in WordPerfect, and not everyone can open a WP document attachment.

Ted LoPresto talked about the potential voluntary State Park entrance fee tagged onto license plate fee renewals. John Robertson indicated that Montana tried this as an optional fee and it was so well received that they regretted that they had not made the optional fee higher. Michigan is discussing setting the fee about $7-9. Ted LoPresto indicated a preference to have a parks pass which could be shared between personal vehicles, but Robertson explained that inasmuch as the fee is voluntary, access would apply to all State license plates.

Old Business

Dave Wilson discussed the high cost of club insurance. The NRA insurance covers only NRA members. Ted LoPresto suggested Clubs get a local agent to cover their non-NRA members. Don Meixner stated that MUCC has aligned with Heritage Insurance to offer coverage to MUCC member clubs that sign up.

New Business

Moment of silence for John Sherk.

Club Updates

• No resolutions brought forward to send to the Region meeting
• Kellogg having rimfire shoots. Hunter Safety numbers were down.
• Jackson County Outdoor. 61 Hunter Safety students. Having an ice fishing contest on February 10 and a bake sale and men swap meet on March 8, and a March 16 St. Patrick's Trap Shoot.
• Brooklyn Sportsmans Club is having a February 19 clinic, a kid's shooting sports program, Hunter Safety will be first weekend in April and another last week of August. Women's sporting clays class in July. Club membership is growing. Club President and Treasurer will be attending MUCC Leadership Training. Club is working on creating a website. Will have a spring pistol range. Shooting sports costs are increasing. Bob Jenson reminded us that NRC meetings are very important to attend.
• Chelsea Hunter Safety numbers are up. The new building is almost done. CPL classes in June. April 6 will have Flint Knappers. Will have a St. Pat's day dinner and scholarship fundraiser.
• Red Fox Hunt Club will have Whitetails Unlimited banquet on February 9.
• Hillsdale County is sponsoring the Big Buck Contest at the North Adams/Jerome High School. The NAJ/FFA chapter is the only school that can bring guns in. The money they make at this event sends kids to competitions. Hillsdale Tip-up in a couple of weeks, their Women in Outdoors on April 19. Will have a Spring Fling on May 3 instead of the mushroom festival.