Photo by Nora Duncan
Tuesday, Nov 22nd, 11am-1pm (EST)
Hybrid, in-person location: Jay’s Conference Room 1151 S Otsego Ave, Gaylord, MI 49735
Introductions & Welcome
Attendees: Dave Borneman (private contractor), Kevin Reese (USFS Huron-Manistee), Dennis Ireland (MI Fireman’s Assoc), Amy Frye (USDA NRCS - Marquette, MPFC Chair), Jarod Reibel (Ed Lowe), Stephanie Diep (Kalamazoo Nature Center, MPFC Admin/Treasurer), Todd Aschenbach (GVSU), Steve Woods (Huron-Pines), Brian Stearns (Huron-Manistee), Bruce Miller (TNC), Glenn Palmgrenn (MI DNR), Katie Carlisle (Huron-Clinton MetroPark), Jack McGowan-Stinski (LSFSC), Michael Hahn (Ann Arbor Natural Areas Program), Michele Richard (MIARNG), Vic Bogosian (Pokagon Band Potawatomi), John Fomusa
Note Taker: Michele Richards (MPFC Secretary) and Stephanie Diep (MPFC Admin)
MI PFC to join WI PFC? (Jack McGowan-Stinski)
Jack sitting in on this and WIPFC. Overlaps and differences between councils. WI folks suggested a swap to listen in and have delegates attend each other’s meetings. They have a fee ($100 org), but they are willing to waive the fee to let us attend meetings without other benefits. If we pay it and become a member org, then we get logo and link on their website, access to clients, early notifications of trainings/events, 3 discounted registrations to events each year. Not really stuff we need so let’s try for free collaboration to attend meetings only.
Jack says some neat stuff going on with liability and considerations of how to run the council with a membership fee.
The WI chair is interested in being the delegate to our Council. Jeb Barzen is the current chair of WIPFC.
If anyone is interested in serving as MI PFC liaison, contact Stephanie Diep via info@firecouncil.org. Steve Woods, Michele Richards, Stephanie Diep expressed interest depending on time commitment, maybe rotate who attends meetings?
Resource: WI PFC website see membership benefits, etc. to consider for MI PFC
Jack shared FYI that some consortias and regional collaboratives are working on a possibly 3-day NE regional fire workshop in Either MSP, Madison or Milwaukee, WI August 14-18 (3 days) or August 21-25 (3 Days). More details to come.
NE-MW Regional Prescribed Fire Science and Management Workshop
Purpose: Provide a forum for all wildland fire management partners to share region-wide, science-based, fire ecology information oriented toward expanding and maintaining the use of prescribed fire across all landscapes, jurisdictions, and fire-dependent ecosystems. Provide an opportunity for scientists, managers, and practitioners across the 20-state region to share prescribed fire related experiences, successes, and potential solutions to implementation challenges. Provide an opportunity for agency leaders and managers to interact with state prescribed fire councils and other key partners. Serve has a model for future annual or biennial workshops.
Topic Areas: ½ day devoted to each area with an emphasis on presenting on-the-ground successes and/or lessons learned.
•Applied research and management practices
•Tools and Technology
•Prescribed Fire Programs Needs and Opportunities (Liability & Insurance, CPBMs, Training and Qualifications, PFCs and PBAs, etc.)
•Health and Safety
•Collaborative Planning & Resource Sharing
•Communication Strategies
Burning Issues Planning (Stephanie Diep/Michele Richards)
Updates from BI committee
Currently 10 registrants (2 of which will be online attendees, some are speakers), expect more registrants within next few months, deadline for in-person registration Jan 22, 2023, deadline for online registration Jan 29, 2023
All speakers for panels day 1 are confirmed, agenda is now posted on EventBrite and website and will send via an e-mail soon
A printable flyer is available on the website and linked in these notes. Please distribute to your colleagues and like/share our social media posts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) as they come out leading up to the event!
Sponsor Letter Contacts: please share contacts for organizations you think would be interested in offering monetary sponsorship to the Annual Meeting with Stephanie Diep (info@firecouncil.org) and she will send them a formal letter. We have had one interest so far from Pheasants Forever, Inc.
Sponsorship Levels:
Fire Cache Level (In-kind): donate an item for our silent auction (does not have to be fire related), your logo/name on item bid form
Drip Torch Level ($100): sponsor a student participant, your logo/name on sponsor slideshow
Backfire Level ($200): sponsor a speaker, custom slide on sponsor slideshow at event
Headfire Level ($500): sponsor a session, your logo/name on program material at event, name tagged on 1 social media post leading up to event, spoken recognition during a session, 1 free registration for your staff
Burn Boss Level ($1000): event sponsor, your logo/name on program material at event, spoken recognition during event open/close, name tagged on all social media posts related to the event, 2 free registrations for your staff
Auction Items Needed! Silent auction fundraiser to be done during Burning Issues day 1 with winners announced day 2. Can be anything (handmade art/photography, recreational gear, plants, gift cards, fire gear, fire-themed items, games, baked goods, etc.) Smaller items will be bundled into baskets to encourage competitive bidding. Any contributor will receive up to $25 credit to use in the auction. Please submit your items to this FORM by JAN 30, 2023 so we have time to curate. You can bring your items to the event or to Stephanie or Michele prior to the event. If we get gift cards or something easy to mail, we may consider a silent auction or raffle for the online attendees on one item/basket separate from in-person.
Volunteers Needed: Sign up to volunteer
Breakfast/Coffee set-up and monitoring
Set-up/Clean-up both days
In-Person moderators: coordinate the panel discussion and feed questions from the audience to the panelists
Virtual moderators: monitor online attendees sharing links to resources from presenters, possibly progressing the slideshows, and fielding questions from online attendees to the in-person moderator, must attend in-person
Tech assistance to online attendees, help them connect, troubleshoot any issues day of
Day 2 Introduction to 484-1 Burn Plan Writing with possibly a few follow-up virtual courses to flesh out skills and practice writing. Followed by MI PFC strategic planning workshop (what would everyone like to see addressed/discussed?)
Revisit mission and solidify mission-focused thinking
Mission and By-Laws review
Operation logistics/partnerships/steering memberships
Are there key things we can focus on to move the needle on getting more fire on the landscape?
Funding sources and annual budget
Events/Trainings (annual calendar/schedule)
Recruitment and training new generation
Edu Outreach updates (Stephanie Diep)
Update Learn & Burn for Oshtemo Township Parks now spring 2023
MPFC table and resources at event, staffed by Stephanie Diep or another MPFC representative
Will use some White Oak Funds for coordination and snacks, not much
White Oak Funds about halfway through, ~$4,000 remaining, need used by 8/1/2023
Fire History Field Trip with Mike Stambaugh: Red Pine and Oak stands (funding researcher travel)
Steve Woods and Jesse Lincoln presentation for Foresters and working on several field projects for potential field tour in Jack Pine and Oak stands and Brian Stearns Huron-Manistee may contribute as well
Michele Richards ($100 snacks and lots of match) Learn and Burn at FCTC
Jack, Steve, and Michele will flesh out ideas and discuss with Stephanie to get plans in motion.
Training Subcommittee updates (Steve Woods)
Steve Woods fire collaborative LSR grant plan just signed (provide NGOs and private orgs literacy of fire) using TREX at FCTC as Match with follow-up Camp Grayling TREX in a few years
Next training subcommittee meeting Dec 1, 2023. Contact Steve Woods if you want to join or need details.
Ed Lowe/GVSU S-130/S-190 or S-290 training slots for MPFC members, 0-3 slots usually available (Upcoming dates: S-290 March 6-10, 2023 cost $325; S-130/S-190 July 24-28, 2023 cost $350)
Perhaps tie the Ed Lowe course to a Learn & Burn event there afterwards to encourage student participation on the ground
Participation in this committee is hard because everyone is really busy. We don’t want involvement in T&Q as a subcommittee, but rather thinking of it as a part of what we’re doing in our jobs anyway. John Taylor and Jack and Steve discussed other ways to make the committee more efficient and organized. Need to see what we do in training where it fits in with whatever else is going on. Lots of opportunities just through the work that we do anyway.
Create a shared calendar of meetings/events (Steve and Stephanie will discuss)
Learn & Burn viewing and interpretation, partner with training/field experiences for burning at same event (volunteer event for fire students, fire field day for S-130/S-190)
(McGowan-Stinski, Jack) There are some great resources for Learn n Burns available from one of the last Forums by the NE MW Regional Prescribed Fire Council: NE-MW RX Council Forum September 28 2022 Recording
Steve can help with event coordinations but would need support of equipment and fire personnel to run a fire in northern MI (Forest Service - Brian Stearns may be able to support if there is an MOU)
Vic Bogosian suggested doing some training videos during Learn & Burns for distributions after, GoPro during burns, Photographer Nora Duncan from last Learn & Burn also created Off the Trail podcast for KNC/FCTC and could be a good contractor if funding is available
MI TREX @ FCTC Aug 2023 updates (Michele Richards)
The whole point of TREX is that you train together and become a fire community. It’s telling that it’s so hard to stand this up in Michigan. Needs to be one or two people as cadre or participants in the TREX. Excited to have new participation. If there are ways that your organization can get involved, we really need you. USFWS, USFS, MDNR, etc. We still have help from TNC. Bruce has a couple of meetings in Dec., including some with Jeremy Bailey.
We need to keep the fire conversation alive in northern Michigan.
First planning meeting in first week of Dec
Working on scholarships for indigenous peoples and college students
Funding and paperwork all set to go
Partnership with Ember Alliance
Need to keep partners engaged and active to continue offering TREX in MI
Todd Aschenbach could create tuition credits for students who commit to participate in TREX
Maybe some Urban WildFIRE students for part of TREX as well
MPFC Financial update (general overview of account & expenses YTD) (Stephanie Diep)
Historical inaccuracies clarifications: last meetings notes have been updated to clarify that historical trend graphs may have some inaccuracies due to missing data but can still be considered for general trends/planning, Stephanie is keeping better records 2019 to current but an annual budget with confirmed categories will also help with long-term trend tracking
Review Budget to date (same as quarter 2 but some expenses/income from Burning Issues starting to come in, budget created to try to get close to 0 profit margin, can have up to $5,000 profit before needing to file taxes) and budget for BI23 (aimed $5,000 profit for annual spending with aggressive fundraising beyond admission)
Suggestions for income opportunities
Burning Issues Sponsors (see above BI update)
Silent Auction (item/monetary donations really needed, see BI update)
Grant applications:
White Oak grant $4,000 remaining for outreach/education events to promote fire in MI in 2023
Kalamazoo Nature Center tried for an AIM grant working in some money for supporting MI PFC Admin role but was not selected for the award.
If you are working on grants for your own org, consider working in task items that align with MI PFC missions to do joint events/projects and increase capacity for MI PFC projects/collaboration.
Keep in mind that MI PFC cannot apply for grant funds, must go through a non-profit org as fiscal sponsor such as Kalamazoo Nature Center
Keep in mind that time/resources paid for by Federal money cannot be used as match value for federal grants
In-kind time/fees reporting form
By tracking time contributions to MI PFC (planning/meetings/events for MI PFC) we can better understand time needs/capacity for MI PFC to function. Can help us see where funding needs are and how much.
Form access: https://forms.gle/WBLhV2gRr1CTi24f8
Please specify if it is time funded by federal money or used as match already so we can parcel out if using for grant match, but still report so we can see capacity needs.
Form asks to report your billable rate (contracted rate for your time, not the amount you are paid, includes fringe/overhead) if known otherwise we can use State/Fed volunteer rates.
Keep organization contributions confidential or only within Steering Committee discussions. Some grant match reporting may require signed forms by each volunteer/contributor. White Oak can be general reporting of match.
Do not need to fill out for attending Quarterly Steering Committee Meetings. Steph will keep track of this time from meeting notes. Do let Steph know if your time paid during the meeting is federally funded or counted as match for another grant.
This process still needs refined and can be revised as needed, but it is important to track.
2023 Quarterly Meeting Schedule
Next Meeting: Feb 28, 2023
Don’t forget to promote and attend the Annual Meeting Feb 7 & 8!
Fully virtual? Field trips planned several months in advance or more, for committee members only, costs?
Mostly southern MI participants, a map of our members might be helpful, 1-2 hour drive okay with in-person hybrid, set calendar in advance needed
Hosting locations can consider doing a field tour after the meeting with in-person participants
Last/First Tuesdays 11am-2pm every 3 months: Set calendar of dates: Feb 28, May 30, (avoid Aug TREX) Sept 5, (avoid Thanksgiving) Dec 5
Jarod has an OWL camera and speaker from Ed Lowe Foundation, Michele Richards has a Jabra speaker, coordinate for people to take tech to meetings prior to, in-person sign-ups include phone numbers and dietary restrictions, budget for lunches or have all in-person bring cash to contribute
Will solidify plans/calendar during Annual Strategic Meeting
SE: City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation Office, 3875 E Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (Feb 28) - Michael Hahn
SE: MetroParks, Kensington (May 30) - Katie Carlisle
UP: Biomass Innovation Center, Escanaba (Sept 5) - Amy Frye
SW: Ed Lowe (Dec 5) - Jarod Reibel
