2005-2006 Meeting Archive
2006

July 2006 MINUTES

July 11, 2006

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Cockrell Butterfly Center

Members Attending:
David Henderson
Ednelza Henderson
Hugh Wedgeworth      
Farrar Stockton
Mary Ramsower
Steve Abbey
Diane Milano
Daniel Day
Wally Ward
Katie Emde
Kelly Walker

Visitors Attending:
Heidi Sheesley
Wendy Morris
Gail Carter
Kris Burgess

BEST President, David Henderson, called the meeting to order at 7:34pm.  He began by welcoming our visitors.

TREASURER’S REPORT – Farrar Stockton
$1,472.88

David Henderson mentioned that much of this was raised by DVD sales.  He also mentioned that he recently emailed Fuji, regarding their consideration in sponsoring a printed field guide from DVD, since many BESTers use Fuji cameras.

BUSINESS

Farrar Stockton gave us some news that wildlife officials from Mexico and the US have agreed to protect the Monarchs.

Katie Emde mentioned that you can opt out of having the mosquito trucks spray in front of your home.

The discussion then turned to recent counts.  The Magnolia count produced 46 species.  Hardly any skippers were seen and no Vanessas.  Farrar Stockton’s Spring Creek count produced 32 species, which was down from last year’s 36.  Rain may have been the cause of the count not being as high as last year.  Wally Ward’s Houston count was also down from last year’s numbers.

David Henderson showed us a Powerpoint presentation on the upcoming field trip to Trans Pecos on August 3-6.

Afterwards, Wally Ward introduced our speaker for the evening, Mr. Glen Laird from the Environmental Services Dept. of the Harris County Flood Control District.  www.hcfcd.org

The meeting adjourned at 8:17pm.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE AUGUST 1, 2006 AT 7:00pm IN THE COCKRELL BUTTERFLY CENTER THEATRE.

 
MARCH 2006 MINUTES

B.E.S.T. Board Meeting
March 7, 2006

The meeting was called to order at 6:01pm Cockrell Theatre at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Board members present were: President ­ David Henderson; Vice President ­ Wally Ward; Treasurer ­ Farrar Stockton; Secretary ­ Mary Ramsower; Caroline Day; Steve Abbey; Odie Asscherrick and Vic Hitchings.

The first order of business was to discuss the website. Vic has been working diligently on redesigning it and showed us the progress that has been made to this point. Everyone present was very impressed with the work that has been done, so far.

We then discussed the printing options for a field guide that goes along with David¹s Butterflies 101 dvds. Mary has contacted Kinko¹s several times. The weatherproof paper seems to be out of question, due to the cost. Mary has been attempting to get a quote on having it copied on regular paper, and laminated. She will continue trying to get an answer out of Kinko¹s.

Upcoming counts and field trips were briefly discussed.

Mary Ramsower did set up a table in mid-February at HMNS to attempt to promote the club. She wound up closing down early due to not a single person showing any interest in the group.

Carolyn Day has been contacting members who have not renewed since last. She has had great success contacting previous members and will be continuing her efforts. Thanks, Caroline!

David Henderson made a motion to close the meeting and Farrar Stockton seconded. The meeting ended at approximately 6:30pm. We plan to meet again on May 2nd, at 6:00pm, before the regular meeting.

Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas
March 7, 2006

Houston Museum of Natural Science
Cockrell Theatre

Members Attending: 22

Diane Milano
Hugh Wedgeworth
Mary Ramsower
Marie Asscherick
Odie Asscherick
Kelly Walker
Wally Ward
David Henderson
Carlton Collier
Stuart Marcus
Norma Barnes
Steve Abbey
Billie Strickland
Vic Hitching
Farrar Stockton
Pauline Singleton
April Proudfit
Jane Roy
Doris Graham
Ednelza Henderson
Caroline Day
Daniel Day

Visitors Attending: 3

Sonam Tshering
Jack Matson
Elizabeth Gorehan

The meeting was called to order by David Henderson at 7:00pm

Wally Ward introduced our speaker for the evening, Mr. Jim Blackburn, a local environmental lawyer who was successful in helping Kelly Walker with her city issues. Mr. Blackburn then introduced our visitors for the evening, who were visiting from ?????

Treasurers Report: $1123.84

David made a few announcements, including thanking Billie Strickland for bringing the refreshments for the evening and welcoming her back. Also, he mentioned that the DVDs were available for sale for those who have not already purchased a copy.

Next on the agenda was a powerpoint presentation on the upcoming Spring counts and field trips. We have many wonderful opportunities within the next few months to enjoy some of the harder-to-find species.

Afterwards, Mr. Blackburn gave a presentation on the Bio-Diversity of Harris County and the surrounding regions. It was very interesting and we thank him for taking the time to come out and challenge us to be more of a force for the environment.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE APRIL 4th AT 7:00pm.

 

 

2005

OCTOBER 2005 MINUTES


BEST-NABA MINUTES

October 2005 MINUTES

October 4, 2005
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Cockrell Butterfly Theater

Members Attending:

David Henderson
Ednelza Henderson
Hugh Wedgeworth
Farrar Stockton
Mary Ramsower
Steve Abbey
Diane Milano
Daniel Day
Wally Ward
Kathie Cook
Odie Asscherick
Marie Asscherick
Carlton Collier
Kelly Walker

Visitors Attending:

Susan Sessions
Ada Johnson
David Johnson
Rosa McCaviness


BEST President, David Henderson, called the meeting to order at 7:40pm. He began by welcoming our speaker for the evening, Karen Breneman, MG. He, then mentioned to everyone that the Christmas Social will be held December 6, 2005 and to keep an eye on the website for information.

TREASURER¹S REPORT ­ Farrar Stockton
$1,027.98

CLUB BUSINESS

David mentioned that the Butterfly 101 cds are ready for review.

The Association has two positions that are vacant, at this time.

We are looking for someone to fill the position of Publicity Chair and someone else to fill the Member-At-Large position. If interested in either of these positions, please contact David Henderson as soon as possible.


David mentioned the upcoming field trips. The Coastal Bend field trip will meet in Victoria, at the airport, at 9:30am on Saturday, 10/8. Ro Wauer is hosting this trip. The following weekend is the Trinity River National Refuge Count. This is the location where David and Carlton both became interested in butterflies.

DISCUSSION

David repeated a story that Mary Ramsower had told, regarding the Friday that Hurricane Rita came ashore.

She was outside watching the butterflies, after moving all her potted plants into the garage.

Around 3pm, a female Black Swallowtail was frantically rushing through the yard, particularly in the area where the Rue had been sitting. She went in and grabbed two of the small plants and sat down on the steps to the deck.

This little butterfly was so frantic, she didn¹t seem to care that she was ovipositing repeatedly, just inches from Mary¹s face. Mary attempted to count how many eggs she left, but gave up at 40.

She wound up bringing out a third plant at one point and she oviposited a few on that plant, nectared on a lantana and flew away.
- - - - - - - - - -
Brenda Pennington observed 2 dozen Io moths (Automeris io) clustering on an orchid-tree (Bauhinia lunaroides) in south Texas.
- - - - - - - - - -
Hugh Wedgeworth said 165 butterflies were released in Cut 'N Shoot during the month of SEP.
David Henderson asked what species?

Gulf Fritillaries (f) 76, (m) 65
Black Swallowtails (f) 10,(m) 7
Cloudless sulfur 4
Sleepy orange   3
- - - - - - - - - -
After the discussions ended, our speaker, Karen Breneman gave a lecture on native plants.

OUR NEXT GET TOGETHER WILL BE DECEMBER 6, 2005, FOR THE CHRISTMAS SOCIAL.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE MARCH 7, 2006 AT 7:00pm IN THE COCKRELL BUTTERFLY CENTER THEATRE.
 

 

 

SEPTEMBER 2005 MEETING

September 2005 MINUTES

September 6, 2005
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Cockrell Butterfly Center

Members Attending:

Ednelza Henderson
David Henderson
Hugh Wedgeworth
Farrar Stockton
Mary Ramsower
Steve Abbey
Diane Milano
Caroline Day
Daniel Day
Wally Ward
Kathie Cook
Odie Asscherick
Marie Asscherick
Billie Strickland
Stuart Marcus
Sergio Henao
Wanda Hanao
Bob Honig

BEST President, David Henderson, called the meeting to order at 7:30pm. He began the meeting by thanking Billie Strickland for bringing refreshments and requesting that someone sign up for October.

TREASURER¹S REPORT ­ Farrar Stockton
$1,027.98

PRESENTATIONS

After some discussion about the recent Attwater and Katy Prairie counts, David presented his 101: Lesson on Spread-wing Skippers. Some suggestions for changing specific type colors and such were made. David has done an incredible job putting these lessons together. Afterwards, Wally gave us a presentation on dragonflies, which was also very interesting.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE OCTOBER 4, 2005 AT 7:00pm IN THE COCKRELL BUTTERFLY CENTER THEATRE.
 
   

 

 

August 2005 Minutes


August 2, 2005
Houston Museum of Natural Science
  
Members Attending:
     
Ednelza Henderson
      David Henderson
      Hugh Wedgeworth
      Farrar Stockton
       Mary Ramsower
     Steve Abbey
       Diane Milano
      Caroline Day
       Daniel Day
       Wally Ward
       Kathie Cook
       Odie Asscherick
       Marie Asscherick
       Billie Strickland
       Gail Carter
       Vic Hitchings
       Kelly Walker
       April Proudfit

The meeting was called to order by BEST President, David Henderson, at 7:35pm.

The meeting began with David thanking Caroline and Daniel Day for a wonderful refreshment spread. Then, we all welcomed Billie Strickland back.
David then requested that someone sign up for refreshments for September and October meetings.

TREASURER¹S REPORT
As of 6/30 - $942.98

KELLY WALKER

Kelly expressed the need for members to mail handwritten letters to the Mayor, not only requesting that those using native plants in their yards not be prosecuted, but that the city actually encourage this since the native plants have so many benefits to the area. She is scheduled to attend the court hearing on August 18th. Several members are planning on attending to support Kelly during this ordeal.

DISCUSSION

After some discussion about who has been seeing which species of butterflies the last few weeks,

David showed us a Powerpoint presentation of the Oregon trip that he and Ednelza recently took with Kelly, Carlton, Wally and Steve. We also were able to view some photos Kelly had taken during the same trip. They were all incredible!
David then discussed the upcoming field trips.

The field trips are as follows. Please contact the host for more information or to sign up.

August 27 ­ Deep East Texas ­ David Henderson

September 4 ­ Attwater NWR ­ Kelly Walker       kellywalker@sbcglobal.net

September 5 ­ Katy Prairie ­ Kelly Walker   kellywalker@sbcglobal.net

September 10 ­ Freeport ­ Gardner Campbell gardnercampbell@sbcglobal.net

September 17 ­ Galveston ­ Lynne Ray   Lynne@softwarehelpline.com

September 24 ­ Danciger - ­ Gardner Campbell gardnercampbell@sbcglobal.net

September 25 ­ David Heinicke ­ David.Heinicke@twpd.state.tx.us

October 1 ­ Baytown ­ Sallie Sherman ssherman@baytown.org

October 15 ­ Trinity River NWR ­ Stuart Marcus stuartma@sbcglobal.net

David also did a small presentation regarding the upcoming El Cielo Butterfly Festival, being held November 3-6. For information on this incredible trip go to
http://dot-elcielofestival.com-1151903.namezero.com/butterflyfest2005/

We then had a short show and tell, where Marie Asscherick showed some butterfly items they have found recently. She also mentioned that on September 14th, the author of the book ³The Grail Bird² will be at the Audubon meeting held at the Children¹s Museum. Also, she had a catalog from National Wildlife showing a gorgeous bedding set with realistic butterflies on it.

Caroline Day brought a 5 gallon paint strainer that she uses as a sleeve for her plants to keep parasitization and predation down.

And, on a final note, Odie mentioned that if you put sulphur into a sock and pat it on your shoes at the ankles and lower pants legs before these counts, it will keep the chiggers away.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE SEPTEMBER 6, 2005 AT 7:00pm IN THE COCKRELL BUTTERFLY CENTER THEATRE.
 
   

 

 

JULY MEETING


BEST-NABA MINUTES
July 2005 MINUTES
July 5, 2005
Houston Museum of Natural Science

Members Attending:

Farrar Stockton
Mary Ramsower
Wally Ward
Diane Milano
Hugh Wedgeworth
Susie Ham
Steve Abbey
Vic Hitchings
Carlton Collier
Kelly Walker
Maggie Honig
Bob Honig
Nancy Greig
Gail Carter

Visitors Attending:
 
Caroline Day
Daniel Day

The meeting was called to order by BEST Vice-President, Wally Ward.

The meeting began with Wally welcoming our visitors to the meeting. Caroline and Daniel are from the gardenweb forum, online.

TREASURER¹S REPORT:

As of 5/31 - $607.98, not including the money from the binocular auction, which will be included for the next report.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Wally gave us a report on the Houston count, that was held on July 4, 2005. Last year they found 43 species and 837 individuals. This year they found 37 species and 464 individuals.

Wally has been speaking with a Fuji representative who may present a program at one of our meetings, later in the year.

Farrar Stockton reported on the Spring/Woodlands count from several weeks ago:

Their count at Klein High School and the Montgomery County Preserve along with a few other places netted 36 species identified and 338 individuals.

The weekend of 7/22 there will be a moth count at Anahuac. There will be 8 lighting stations set up for Friday and Saturday night. Contact Wally for more information.

The Oregon trip is fast approaching and the attendees are really looking forward to it, as this is the best time of the year for butterflies in Oregon.

Diane Milano spoke with Billie Strickland recently and she has just recently started driving again. She had hoped to attend this meeting, but could not. We hope to see Billie very soon.

After all the announcements were made, Farrar gave a marvelous program on raising butterflies, as well as, swallowtails, monarchs in Michoacan, etc.

THE NEXT MEETINGS WILL BE AUGUST 2, 2005 AND SEPTEMBER 6, 2005 AT 7:00pm IN THE COCKRELL BUTTERFLY CENTER THEATRE
 
   

 

 

JUNE MEETING


BEST-NABA - JUNE MINUTES

June 7, 2005

Houston Museum of Natural Science ­ Cockrell Butterfly Theatre

Members Attending:
Diane Milano
Hugh Wedgeworth
Mary Ramsower
Vic Hitchings
David Henderson
Ednelza Henderson
Marie Asscherick
Odie Asscherick
Wally Ward
Kelly Walker
Wanda Henao
Don DuBois
Chris DuBois
Kathie Cook
Carlton Collier
Gail Carter

Visitors:
Bonita Pernell
Valentina Fontiveros
David Johnson
Ada Johnson
  
The meeting was called to order by BEST President, David Henderson, at 7:33pm. The meeting began with David welcoming our visitors.

Treasurers Report: BEST has $477.98.

Auction: The bidding on the Celestron 8x32 binoculars closed at the end of
this meeting. The winner was Don DuBois at $320.00. This will be added to the treasurer¹s report for the July meeting.

David is working on the butterfly tutorial. He will begin the skippers soon and will be sending out emails with the list of skippers of which he doesn't have photographs.

Bylaws: Copies of the bylaws were passed out to all members present. Hugh

Wedgeworth made a motion to pass the bylaws as they are written and this was seconded by Don DuBois. Motion passed unanimously. [by those voting]

Our President opened the floor asking if anyone had been seeing any spectacular butterflies.

Hugh had gone on a dry run last weekend to check out the location for the upcoming count and was thrilled to find Summer Azures.

Wally reported that there was a large population of Black Swallowtails at West 11th park in Timbergrove Manor.

Kelly reported that Monarch Watch has started a program called Monarch Waystation, where you can get your home certified if it fits all the criteria. Go to www.monarchwatch.org and click on Monarch Waystation for more information.

  Field Trips and Counts:

  There are two upcoming out-of-state field trips and a number of upcoming counts. David passed out handouts showing the different counts and their contacts. If you are interested in either of the field trips, contact the coordinator immediately. All parties interested in the Oregon trip need to contact Wally before June 12, so that he can give proper advance notice to our NABA connection in Oregon to obtain group rates for lodging.

UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS

June 24-26 ­ Southwest Arkansas (looking for Diana) Contact David Henderson - dandewild@ev1.net

July 16-17 ­ Central Oregon
Contact Wally Ward­ ampyx901@yahoo.com OR wtw3arb@aol.com

UPCOMING COUNTS

6/11 ­ Raven Count
Contact Hugh Wedgeworth ­ hewedge@yahoo.com

6/12 ­ Sea Rim Count
Contact Ken Strzaky ­ kens@ih2000.net

6/18 ­ Spring Creek Circle
Contact Farrar Stockton ­ hugahabi@swbell.net

6/19 ­ Orange County Count
Contact Ken Strzaky ­ kens@ih2000.net

6/26 ­ Tyrell Park Count
Contact Ken Strzaky ­ kens@ih2000.net

7/4 ­ Houston Count
Contact Wally Ward - ­ ampyx901@yahoo.com OR wtw3arb@aol.com

7/9 ­ Magnolia Count
Contact Don DuBois ­ dondubois@aol.com

7/10 ­ High Island Count
Contact David Sarkozi ­ david@sarkozi.net 7/10 ­

Sandylands Count
Contact Ken Strzaky ­ kens@ih2000.net

7/23 ­ Brazos Valley Count
Contact David Henderson ­ dandewild@ev1.net

Other business:

Billie Strickland is doing very well and has been able to sit outside and use her binoculars some.

We are hoping she will be able to attend a meeting soon.

Wally Ward introduced our speaker for the evening. Vic Hitchings spoke on the Butterfly Lucky Bag which was a combination of many butterfly related topics and gave out lucky bags to the attendees at the end of the meeting.

Thank you, Vic, for a fascinating talk and for your generosity.

On a final note, we will be meeting in the Cockrell Butterfly Theatre from here forward. We found this to be a nice place to meet and we will not have to be displaced whenever there are camps or other things happening at the museum that would be using the conference room.

Thank you to Nancy Greig for this recommendation.

The meeting ended at 9:08pm, at which time it was announced that Don had won the binocular auction.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE JULY 5, 2005 AND AUGUST 2, 2005 AT 7:00pm IN THE COCKRELL BUTTERFLY THEATRE. THERE WILL BE A SIGN THAT SAYS IT IS CLOSED, BUT THE DOOR SHOULD NOT BE LOCKED.
 
   

 

 

MAY Meeting


Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas
Meeting Minutes
May 3rd, 2005
Houston Museum of Natural Science
 
Members Attending:

Marie Asscherick
Odie Asscherick
Norma Barnes
Carlton Collier
Kathy Cook
Doris Graham
David Henderson
Ednelza Henderson
Vic Hitchings
Diane Milano
Kelly Walker
Wally Ward
Hugh Wedgeworth
 
        Call to Order: David Henderson welcomed everyone and shared with the group the latest update that he had from Billie Strickland.  He told us that she advised him that she is still some time away from getting back with the group.  David also advised that he, along with Ednelza Henderson, Hugh Wedgeworth, and Diane Milano saw some wonderful butterflies at Diane's yard the day before.  We saw Ligustrum japonicum, Striped Hairstreak, Oak Hairstreak and Banded Hairstreak!
 
       Refreshment note:  David thanked Norma Barnes for supplying the refreshments.
 
       Treasurer's report: with Farrar Stockton absent, David guessed that our bank account stood at around $500.00. (Actually, Farrar emailed that it currently stands at $ 477.98.) We hope to recoup some of our funds in 2 ways: 1) with the Auction from the binoculars that were donated to the group by David for that purpose; and 2) sales generated from the CD tutorials that David is currently preparing. The binoculars are Celestron 8x32 Nobles, and they focus down to 5 feet! The auction on these will continue through the June meeting, ending at 9:00pm that night.
 
       By-Laws: David passed around to the group the By- Laws that were prepared by the board and he wants for everyone to review it and give Wally any inputs on it.  We will vote on it at our next meeting.
 
       Resignation Notice and Nomination: Katy Emde emailed David to advise that her responsibilities and time requirements have changed, and she regrets to have to resign from the BEST Board and as Garden Tour Coordinator.  She did not feel that she could properly serve the Board and the members and she believes that there are others who can contribute more. 

David asked the members for suggestion for a replacement and Carlton Collier nominated Kelly Walker and Norma seconded the motion. She accepted the nomination and Wally Ward suggested for us to close the nomination.  We voted on it and she was unanimously elected. 

Please welcome our new board member: Kelly Walker
 
       News from the Floor:

Ø       Wally invited all the BEST members to come to Anahuac NWR Saturday, May 7th for the inauguration of the new Butterfly and Hummingbird Habitat.  He has put many volunteer hours on this project and he would love to have several BEST Members to be able to come to it.  The event starts at 10 AM.

Ø       Kelly had 13 Monarch caterpillars to donate to anyone that was interested.  Marie Asscherick took the babies.
 
       Speaker:  David presented his CD tutorial series, "Identifying SE Texas Butterflies".  He asked everyone for suggestions and criticisms.  He got the idea from Mary Ramsower.  She told him that if he made a CD of it she would buy it and he decided to do it.

       Summer Butterfly Count: Sign-up sheets were made available for the counts that are occurring in June and July.
        
Next Meeting will be Tuesday, June 7th.  We hope to see you there!

 

BEST-NABA - APRIL MINUTES


April 5, 2005
Houston Museum of Natural Science

 Members Attending:

Farrar Stockton
Mary Ramsower
Steve Abbey
Diane Milano
Hugh Wedgewood
Wally Ward
Robert J. Nuelle, Jr.
Robert J. Nuelle III
Bob Honig
David Kent
Gail Carter
David Henderson
Ednelza Henderson

Visitors:

Linda Mercer

The meeting was called to order by BEST President, David Henderson, at 7:30pm

The meeting began with David welcoming Linda Mercer to the meeting. She had searched the internet for Texas Butterfly and found the group.
Farrar Stockton announced several upcoming events at HMNS.

On April 18th at 6:30pm, Lincoln P. Brower, Ph.D. will be speaking on ³The Grand Saga of the Monarch Butterfly.² Cost is usually $15.00, but they are offering tickets for members of BEST for $12.00. Call 713-639-4629 to make a reservation.

Also, April 8th and 9th, HMNS is having a butterfly plant sale, from 9am-3pm up on the 7th floor of the parking garage. For those that purchase at least $20.00 worth of plants, they will give you a ticket to get you out of the parking garage at no charge.

Treasurers Report: BEST had $868.56 as of 2/28/05. The only expense has been to purchase a tabletop display to be used at different educational events and promote BEST and butterflying. Cost was $376.58.

Counts:

The Spring counts have had great attendance.
Houston Lakes Count ­ 322 individuals; 31 species; 1 immature orangetip

Sabine National Forest ­ 650 individuals; 38 species They saw 50+ salt & pepper skippers. After some research it was found that only 1 had been seen in the last 3 consecutive years.

The next count is Sunday, April 10th at the Angelina National Forest. It is being coordinated by David Henderson Contact at dandewild@ev1.net $3 pp

Carlton Collier is hosting an overnight count in Woodville, Texas. For more information, contact SprtWalkr@aol.com
$2.00 BEST members; $5.00 non-members

Other business:

Billie Strickland is doing very well and has had a chance to go outside for a bit. We are hoping she¹ll be back within a few months.

Ednelza Henderson is taking over the hospitality coordinator position, for the time being. There is only one person signed up to bring refreshments for the May and June meetings. Please contact Ednelza if you can help with refreshments for either meeting.

Anahuac National Refuge is still looking for sponsors to help with some of their gardens. Also, they purchased a bunch of milkweed plants for the gardens and they were destroyed in the freezes. They are asking for milkweed plants, if anyone has extra.

Our speakers for the evening were Robert J. Nuelle, Jr. and Robert J. Nuelle III. You can check their website at texaninsect.com.

They spoke on Moth Watching ³Butterflies After Dark. Thanks to both for a very interesting and informative lecture.

After a question and answer period, Mary Ramsower showed the attendees the butterfly castle that is sold through LiveMonarch.com and the meeting was adjourned.

THE NEXT MEETINGS WILL BE MAY 3, 2005 AND JUNE 7, 2005 AT 7:00pm.
 

BEST BOARD MEETINGS

B.E.S.T. Board Meeting
March 28, 2005

The meeting was called to order at 7:04pm in the home of Farrar Stockton.

Board members present were: President ­ David Henderson; Vice President ­ Wally Ward; Treasurer ­ Farrar Stockton; and Secretary ­ Mary Ramsower.

David offered a congratulations to Wally for an exceptional Spring Count held the previous weekend. There were 10 attendees. So far, all the counts have had double digit attendance, which is great.

Bylaws ­ After some discussion about the bylaws as they are currently written, Mary Ramsower made a motion to approve the bylaws with the corrections being made, subject to the approval by the general membership. Farrar seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

Hospitality coordinator ­Wally made a motion that Ednelza Henderson serve in this position during Billie Strickland¹s convalescence. Mary Ramsower seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Public Relations Chair ­ After much discussion about the importance of having a public relations chair, Jennifer Lorenz was nominated for the position. David will contact her and see if she is interested in the position.

Speaker schedule ­ There was some discussion about upcoming speakers and topics. Wally is doing a marvelous job.

Booth ­ In the past it has been discussed that we needed to get a display to use when we attend events such as NatureFest, educational events, etc. After much discussion, Mary Ramsower agreed to find a display in the club¹s price range, before the following weekend.

Board meetings ­ The Board decided that we will meet in January, March, July and October of 2005. The next Board meeting will be July 25th. The October meeting will be held right after the October general membership meeting.

With all the necessary business having been discussed, the meeting concluded and the Board members were able to take a few moments to oooh and aaah at the butterfly collection Farrar Stockton has in his home.


BEST Board Meeting:
March 1, 2005
Houston Museum of Natural Science

After the general membership meeting ended, the Board members who were present met. Those present were:

President ­ David Henderson,
Vice President ­ Wally Ward,
Treasurer ­ Farrar Stockton,
Secretary ­ Mary Ramsower
Member at Large ­ Katy Emde.

The first order of business was to discuss the BEST account at Frost National Bank. Due to changes that have occurred, some changes were required to the account.

1. Add to the account ­ Farrar Stockton and Wally Ward

2. Delete from account ­ Nancy Greig and Ednelza Henderson

3. Change from needing two signatures to only one

4. Have a separate member audit the checks yearly

5. Change address to 2514 Bycreek, Houston, Texas 77068 from 6122 Abington Way, Houston, Texas 77008

6. Approval for Frost Bank to transfer existing account to free checking account when it is set up
A motion to make all proposed changes was made by Wally Ward and seconded by Katy Emde. Motion passed unanimously.

We then discussed when the Board would meet next and how often. We are considering every 3 months, but will meet again on March 28th at Farrar Stockton¹s home and decide at that time.
With no further business, David Henderson adjourned the meeting.
______________________________________________
BEST-NABA MINUTES
March 1, 2005

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Members Attending:

Marie Asscherick
Odie Asscherick
Diane Milano
Hugh Wedgeworth
Wally Ward
Steve Abbey
Carlton Collier
Norma Barnes
Doris Graham
Mary Ramsower
Kathie Cook
Katy Emde
Bob Honig
Maggie Honig
Kelly Walker
David Henderson
Ednelza Henderson
Farrar Stockton

Visitors Attending:
Bob
Mary Ann Piacentini

The meeting was called to order by BEST President, David Henderson, at 7:30pm

The first order of business was to let everyone know that Billie Strickland, the hospitality coordinator, has shattered her tibia and will be hospitalized and then rehabilitating for the next 3 months or so.

Ednelza Henderson has volunteered to take over that position, for the time being. We signed up for refreshments again, so Billie wouldn¹t worry about it. If you have not signed up to bring refreshments, please contact Ednelza and find out what spots are still needing to be filled.

Thank you, Ednelza and Kathy for bringing refreshments for this meeting!

There was a short discussion of which species of butterflies have been seen recently including a short report on the field trip to Mexico to see the Monarchs, by Kelly and Steve.

It is now time for the butterfly counts to begin. There are 16 species that are usually seen only in the Spring, so this is just one reason why the counts begin in the Spring instead of Summer.

The upcoming counts are as follows:

March 5 ­ Piney Woods
March 12 ­ Conroe
March 19 ­ San Jacinto
March 26 ­ Harris County Lakes
April 3 ­ Sabine National Forest
April 10 ­ Angelina National Forest

All are being coordinated by David Henderson except the March 26th count. It is being coordinated by Wally Ward. Please contact David at dandewild@ev1.net or Wally at ampyx901@yahoo.com for more information or to sign up. There is a $3.00 NABA charge for each count attendee to cover the processing costs of each count.
Alternate dates are April 2nd and April 9th for rain/freeze outs.

Wally Ward then announced that the Oregon trip for July is still being planned. If you are interested in more information on that trip, please contact him at ampyx901@yahoo.com. Also, he is keeping an informal library of information on raising butterflies and problems that can occur.

Our speaker for the evening was Mary Anne Piacentini from the Katy Prairie Conservancy.

She spoke about the different types of wildlife that can be seen on the prairie, reasons why we need to protect the prairie lands and how they are trying to obtain more land before more subdivisions and other business take over those important lands.

After a question and answer period, David requested that attendees sign up for any field trips they are planning on attending and then the meeting was adjourned.

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE APRIL 5, 2005 AT 7:00pm.