CONSERVATION OFFICERS OF PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION

Board of Trustee’s Meeting Minutes

H.R. Stackhouse School

Bellefonte, PA

      October 14, 2007

Table of Contents

Roll Call……………………………………………………………………………………………...…………………………………………………1

Officer Reports…………………………………………………………………………………………………...……………………………2

     Secretary’s report………………………………………………………………………....………………………………2

     Treasurer’s report………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………2

     Membership Secretary’s report………………………………………..……………………………………2

     Media Secretary’s report…………………………………………………………………………………………2

     Fish & Boat Liaison………………………………………………………………………………………………………3

Game Liaison…………………………………………………………………………......…………………………………………3         

Ongoing Business…………………………………..……………………………………………..3

            Budget……………………………………………………………………………..3

            NAWEOA 2010 Update………..…………………………………………………3

Kayak Raffle………………...….…………………………………………………3

            2008 Patch Order……....………………………………………………………….4

            Inventory of Sale Items..............…………………………………………………..4

            Sale Items….…............……………………………………………………………4

            Cookbook.……...………….....................................................................................4

            Newsletter……...…..………………………………….…………………………..4

            Elections…...………................................................................................................4

            Framed Set of Patches……………………………………………………………..4

New Business……….…………………………………………………………………….4

            Game Warden Museum – HBG Sports Show……………………………………..4

Motions...............................……………………………………………………………….5

Good of the Order………………………………………………………………………..6

          Next Meeting – Date-Time-Place………………………………………………………...…6

Board meeting attendance………………………………………………………………………….6

The Meeting was called to order at 11:11 am.

  Roll Call of Board Members:  Present (Y/N)

President Tom Burrell                                                                                        Yes

Vice President Erin Czech                                                                                 Yes

Secretary Rich Cramer                                                                                      Yes

Treasurer Tim Marks                                                                                        Yes

Membership Secretary Jake Dingel                                                                    Yes

Media Secretary Patrick Snickles                                                                       No

Trustee Tom Grohol                                                                                          Yes

Trustee Tom McMann                                                                                       Yes

Trustee Colleen Shannon                                                                                   Yes

Trustee Martha Mackey                                                                                                Yes

Trustee Linda Swank                                                                                         No

Trustee Peter Thomas                                                                                       No

Trustee Brian Burger                                                                                         Yes

Trustee Matt Visosky                                                                                        Yes

Trustee John Pedrick                                                                                         Yes

Trustee Frank Parise                                                                                         Yes

Associate Member Trustee Ted Onufrak                                                                        No

OFFICER REPORTS:

Secretary’s Report:

Meeting agenda was passed out.  The reading of the minutes from the previous meeting was waived.  Motion to accept by Shannon, 2^nd by Czech, motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report:  Submitted by Tim Marks

• $11,495.09 in the checking account
• $75,286.28 in the Smith Barney Money Fund
• $86,781.37 in Total Funds
• $9,600.00 paid out to the Youth Field Day Shirt program (48 orders) so far in 2007.
• As of this date the Kayak Raffle has made $1,546.89.
• As of this date the Gun raffle has made $7046.96.  Final settlement with Gander Mtn. still has yet to be done.
• Motion to accept by Czech, 2^nd by Visosky, motion passed.

Membership Secretary’s Report:

Jake Dingel submitted the following report:

• Regular members – 399
• Lifetime Regular Members – 121
• Regular Associate – 72
• Lifetime Associate – 18
• Honorary Associate – 29                                                                      
• Junior Associate – 8                                                                             
• Family Associate – 1
• Total membership is 648
• 135 members have memberships that expired at the end of 2006 that are not included in this report.
• Motion to accept by McMann, 2^nd by Czech, motion passed.

Media Secretary’s Report:  Pat Snickles submitted the following report by e-mail.  Pat will be getting pocket calendars as in the past.  He needs the patch proof and the PFBC season dates.  Cost will be similar to last year.  Pat can do the next newsletter mailing but not until after deer season.

Fish & Boat Liaison:  Tom Burrell and Brian Burger report that ten cadets have graduated with all going to districts.  There are currently no vacant districts for PFBC.  Four assistant positions remain unfilled as well as Guy Bowersox’s position.  The administrative Officer’s position in the Bureau of LE remains unfilled as well.  WCO testing for the next cadet class was postponed until fall of 2008.  Steelhead details are beginning in Erie again.  This was a big year for BUIs.  There are currently 30 co-sponsors for the Youth Fishing License Bill.  This is more support than the measure has ever garnered.

Game Liaison:            Tim Marks and Tom Grohol report that the WCO class is currently out on Field Training for the next 10 to 12 weeks.  All 23 cadets still remain.  The PGC is in the process of conducting Deer Management open houses in each Region.  Testing will begin in January for the next RLSC class with enrollment scheduled for early in 2009.  Still no new contract, negotiations may begin in January.  Joe Neville was promoted to the Director of the Bureau of I&E.  Bert Eidonschoffer (?) is the new LMS in the SC Region.

ONGOING BUSINESS:                                                                                                       

Budget: 

The proposed 2008 budget was gone over in great detail.  An income of $22,300.00 and expenses of $47,750 were projected for 2008.  Motion to accept by Burger, 2^nd by Parise, motion passed.

NAWEOA 2010 Update:

• Jack Lucas provided the following report by proxy:  A planning meeting was held at the Four Points Sheraton in Cranberry on the 27^th of August.  The IUP students are doing very well.  One of the students completed a registration database that is capable of keeping very detailed records for the entire conference.  Both Montana (08) and New Brunswick (09) were forwarded copies of the database for their use.  The other students are working on contact research.  They are completing a database of corporate contacts for future fundraising.  Dan Sitler, Fundraising Chair, is continually working on major sponsors.  Consol Mining has shown an interest in sponsoring the banquet night for $50,000.00.  Under advisement of one of the members of the board of the Mellon Foundation, we will be resubmitting a grant request later this week for almost $60,000.00.  Another new contact was made with the Shapiro family, owners of Giant Eagle Grocery stores.  We will begin filming next Friday with Comcast Cable.  Comcast is giving us 90 two-minute time slots that will be aired at 1758 hrs on all Comcast Cable channels across the Country.  We would like to use this first spot to promote COPA, NAWEOA and to solicit sponsors of all levels.  In all likelihood we will be given four more opportunities to film between now and 2010.  Our primary goals for the next few months are to continue to push for major fundraising and begin to lock in some key speakers.  The next planning meeting will be held sometime after the first of the year.
• Treasurer’s report for NAWEOA 2010

1.      Checking Account : $1,744.79

2.      CD: $5,272.97

3.      Total account balance: 7,017.76

Kayak Raffle:

            The drawing was held at 1425 hrs.  Ticket number 0665 was drawn.  Winning was Frank Emanuele of Oil City.  PGC DWCO Wilbur Lynam sold the winning ticket.  Mr. Emanuele chose a cash prize of $750.00 in lieu of the kayak package.  The entire Kayak package will be raffled off again beginning ASAP with the drawing to be held on March 2, 2008 at the Erie Sports Show.

2008 Patch Order:

            3000 of the 2008 COPA patches will be ordered so that we can have them in time for the show season.  The subject of the patch is the Pileated Woodpecker.  1000 of the 4” 2008 Ollie Otter patches will be ordered.  500 of the 6” 2008 Ollie Otter patches will be ordered.

Inventory of Sale Items:

• John Pedrick is continuing to put together a comprehensive inventory of all COPA sale items.  If anyone has any items they did not bring to the meeting, be sure to get the full list to John ASAP. 

Sale Items:

The 2^nd edition of “Rattlers and Snappers” is out.  We will order two dozen camo embroidered hats, three dozen youth hats, one dozen green/tan embroidered hats and one dozen medium, two dozen large, two dozen XL and two dozen XXL sized grey t-shirts.  There was discussion of putting together packages for youths to be given/sold at COPA booths at the shows in 08.  The packages may include a hat, a membership, a PLAY subscription, a junior WCO badge, etc.

Cookbook:

            Looking at a 2^nd edition of the cookbook and a reprinting of the first edition.  Martha is spearheading the effort.  Solicitation for recipes for the 2^nd edition will go out in the spring mailing to the membership.

Newsletter: 

The following information will be included in the next membership newsletter – announcement for elections, membership renewal form, patch order form, photo contest and Sport Show dates.

Elections: 

Six positions are up for election at the January meeting.  Cramer, Czech, Dingel, Snickles, Swank and the vacant retired game trustee terms will expire.  One of the trustee positions must go to a Game Deputy and one to a retired Game officer.  The other four may be “at-large”.  The nominating committee consists of Chairman Matt Visosky, Brian Burger and Tom Grohol.  Ron Stout was appointed to fill Bernie’s unexpired term.

Framed Set of Patches:

            Two sets were made with the first ten years patches included.  COPA will pursue having a set displayed at each agencies HQ building along with order forms for sale of these sets of patches.

NEW BUSINESS:

Game Warden Museum – Harrisburg Sports Show:

            Much discussion of this subject took place.  It was decided that the Museum could not use the COPA small games of chance license for their raffle.  It was also decided that Tom McMann will contact the promoters of the show to see if COPA can acquire additional space to house the museum folks assuming that the show would permit such an arrangement.  Rich Cramer will contact Tom Greene of the Museum Board to inform him of this decision.

MOTIONS:

Cookbook:

            That COPA immediately reprint the original cookbook in a quantity of 200 with cover modification indicating “1^st Edition”.  Initiate procedure to create a “2^nd Edition” cookbook focusing on completion/distribution in January 2009.  Motion by Burger, 2^nd by McMann, motion passed.

Sale Items:

            That COPA order 2 dozen embroidered camo hats, 1 dozen green/tan embroidered hats, grey t-shirts – 1 dozen medium, 2 dozen large, 2 dozen XL and 2 dozen XXL and a youth hat if it can be found without a seam (3 dozen).  Motion by Shannon, 2^nd by Mackey, motion passed.

Unexpired Trustee Position:

            That the Board cast a unanimous vote for Ron Stout to fill the vacancy on the Board.  Motion by Marks, 2^nd by Cramer, motion passed.

Display and Sale of 10 year Patch sets:

            That COPA approach PGC and PFBC to display the 10 year patch collection at their public lobby with ordering info attached @ $300.00 including shipping within the lower 48 states.  Motion by Burger, 2^nd by McMann, motion passed.

Patch sets for Sports Shows:

            That COPA have two more sets of patches made so that they can be displayed at the various sports shows, one for the east and one for the west.  Motion by Cramer, 2^nd by Burger, motion passed.

Proper Meeting Attire:

            That COPA institute a policy whereby the only approved and sanctioned NFL licensed clothing that can be worn to a COPA Board meeting is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Motion by Dingel with co-sponsors Shannon, Cramer, Marks, Grohol, McMann, Burrell and Parise, Motion passed!!!!!!

GOOD OF THE ORDER:

Next Meeting:  January 27, 2008 @

Board Meeting Attendance 2006-2007

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