New Year updates on National Advocacy efforts & SE PCA materials; options for periodic newsletter and website features; overview and brainstorming of tentative plans for 2021.
Meeting Agenda (with notes added):
- Updates
- National advocacy updates
- New administration transition team letters
- Sign up for NPCC email updates
- National advocacy updates
- SE PCA materials
- Info-sheet for public (cover letter for new administration being drafted)
- Membership catalog survey (open)
- ~180 responses so far
- Can combine with 2016 survey and replace duplicates
- Website development
- https://atlantabg.org/the-southeastern-plant-conservation-alliance/ (temporary website – SePPCon will stay, but SePCA will come off)
- www.se-pca.org (new site – in progress)
- Outline
- Home page
- Contact & email list sign up
- News (will change to “Updates”)
- Meetings (summaries & materials)
- Plant Conservation Resources (links)
- Regional Contacts (will be populated by survey)
- Strategic Planning (will be added as developed)
- Rare Plant Permitting (will be compiled/ listed by state)
- Other pages (we can have up to 10 at current price paid)
- Suggestions
- Add page dedicated to PCA links and contacts
- Master calendar with conferences, meetings, etc.
- Mississippi Plant Conservation Alliance does have a website– https://mississippiplantconservation.org/ – this can be added to the Resources page
- Outline
- Periodic newsletter/ website features
- Newsletters will require more time and effort to compose and design
- Feature periodic stories to highlight partners/ projects on the new website
- Develop a template for submissions
- Limited text – 500-1,000 words?
- Photos with credits
- Create an example/ mock-up?
- Develop a template for submissions
- Tentative plans for 2021
- Leadership call in February – Will set up Doodle Poll
- Discuss strategic planning participation and timeline
- Decide on meeting plans and task team activities
- Leadership call in February – Will set up Doodle Poll
- Bi-monthly calls
- March tentative plans
- BGCI ex situ gap analysis results
- NatureServe species prioritization scheme
- SE Plant Species of Greatest Conservation Need
- Improving plant conservation recovery outcomes through the Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance with FWS SE
- March tentative plans
- May – summer meetings
- Likely to include some interactive planning activities
- Can shift schedule to be less often and/ or change format
- Consider task teams utilizing time to meet/ work
- Email Carrie with suggestions
- Consider field work, possibly switch to quarterly calls at some point
- SWAP updates
- From Tara Littlefield – Kentucky NH met with their state F&W and set up a committee to add Plants to their SWAP!
- From Lesley Starke – North Carolina tried to amend their SWAP by adding their state priority plant list but is creating a committee to get Plants added to their SWAP for 2025!
- From Patrick Thompson – Alabama is also working to add plants to their SWAP – an amendment should be added this year!
- From Jon Ambrose – the goal is to have 25 or more states with plants in SWAPs, and this many states do have something in the works for the next revision (2025)
- Legislation updates
- From Jon – RAWA is currently being re-drafted by Sean Seville with AFWA for reintroduction as a standalone Bill
- This will include the broader definition of Species of Greatest Conservation Need from H.R. 2 (Moving Forward/ Infrastructure Act) that included flora, as well as fauna
- Also includes 5% funding incentive for states with Plants as SGCN
- From Jon – RAWA is currently being re-drafted by Sean Seville with AFWA for reintroduction as a standalone Bill
- H.R. 6395 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021
- Became law – full text available here
- Includes language about native plants and pollinators