JROC December 2000 Meeting Minutes

	MEETING ATTENDEES: Dave Gunn, Ralph Hambrick, Monty McNiel, Jim J, Chip Atkins, Greg Velschky, Mike Elsea, Jon Montgomery, Brian Mutchler, Steve Ellison, Mike & Tisha McGuire, Buzz Kraft, Steve Barnard, John Rayfield, Jeff Ault, Suzanne Smith, Roger Sattler, John McCormack
	MINUTES Disclaimer: These minutes may or may not reflect the actions, words, or intentions of JROC, it's officers, members, friends or random observers. They are intended to inform and educate by misdirection. Any factual information contained in these writings is probably a mistake. Read them at your own risk. If you complain, we'll elect you Secretary.
	TREASURER'S REPORT appears current balance is around $2282 and we received $368 from Karen Abse from the Coastals/JROC swap meet, but this doesn't seem to have much to do with what we (reportedly) had last month. We need to send an executive committee to Aruba to investigate. Frosted drinks with little umbrellas would probably help the investigators attitude. Speaking of money - Jim is still looking into another way of handling our finances by working our checkbook with a different group - Currently with the Parks Foundation, but since they're a volunteer group, we don't get quick attention. May be able to go through the James River Association who has a paid book-keeper and have indicated they would help. Plaque for $1000 donors is still being looked at. We've been screwing with this for years and still don't seem to be any closer to getting it done than before. Let's go ahead and do something. If it's wrong we'll fix it later.
	PROJECT REPORT Jeff Ault and others have been working more on the missing link trail. Put in more sandbags and it's getting better and better. After careful consideration of Mr. Aults incredible perseverance, vast experience and helpful attitude, it has been decided to give him the title of "Grand and Glorious High Poobah" This honor comes with a 100% increase in pay. (OK Dawn, is that enough bragging on Jeff?)
	Reedy Creek put-in/takeout - RW has had a bunch of river rock dumped on the trail. Greg V and others spread it out so now we have a nice path down to the river instead of the muddy trail it used to be.
	The Geese Defenestration Project (Sounds bad doesn't it, look it up) is proceeding, but results to date are mixed to poor. Brian and Greg and some others spent a whole day near Pony Pasture with two itinerant goose defenestrators and their dogs, but they didn't have a permit, so they didn't get much done, except for locating lots of nests. But after complaining and whining to what must have been the right people, DCR sent two biologist-types out and they poked holes in 55 eggs. Now if that does any good, we could have easily done a lot more than that, but we didn't have a stinking permit or maybe they think we'd do it without sensitivity. I went goose egg hunting and found over 15 nests down near the Pipeline with an average of 5 eggs in each nest. There are goose-chicks running around everywhere. It's too late to do much more this year and poison ivy has taken over the islands, so next year lets see if we can't get a city-wide permit and a 55 gallon drum of Crisco and go wild. Later we can go oil some goose eggs.
	We voted to spend up to $100 on a jug (or several jugs) of goose repellent to experiment with in certain highly traveled areas (I'm really not sure where). This stuff is pretty nasty and will only be used where it can't wash into the river. It may be worse than the geese.
	On May 20, 2002, two things are going on. In the afternoon, at 3:30 at Tredegar Street (near our new access ramp) there will be a celebration of the 30 year anniversary of the Scenic River designation for the wild and wooly James River through Richmond. Our own Greg V has been appointed to the board of the Falls of the James Scenic River Advisory Board by the Governor and should now be referred to as the Grand and Glorious High Po?..(wait a minute, that one's already taken - we'll have to make up something else)
	May 20, 2002 at 7 PM, there is a public meeting with US Fish and Wildlife at the Comfort Inn at 3200 W Broad Street to discuss the non-migratory geese issue. Supposedly, they want to discuss giving up Federal control. Now this is just one more of those stupid things the Feds do, make up some rules that are impossible to follow and have completely unintended consequences, then say "OK, Virginia, or Richmond or whoever, here's the rules, go out and enforce them. We won't let you change the rules and we aren't going to give you any money. If you screw up, we all get to yell at you and call you names in public." We should probably push for them to keep it so we can yell at them for not spending money they extorted from California and North Dakota on our goose problem.
	Now if they would let us do something sensible, like specifying "If they're nesting here, they are non-migratory and the Migratory Bird Act and it's $5,000 an egg fine doesn't apply", maybe that would be OK. But what I see coming is another poop grenade from Washington (this time it's goose poop).
	The ramp at Pony Pasture has been widened by moving some of the larger rocks.
	Ralph Hambrick is investigating ownership of lot at North Shore parking lot. There is lots of information going around that may be incorrect.
	John McC mentioned that the local National Guard Engineers unit might be interested in a project that requires heavy machinery. This could be in the Boulevard bridge area where we're trying to widen/improve the trail headed for the railroad bridge and the Powhite bridge area. What it looks like we need is big pieces of rip-rap/large amounts of gravel put alongside the railroad and widen out the edge to allow foot/bike traffic.
	Monty's marketing type brochure is coming along. He should have another draft ready for the next meeting.
	Future projects The biggest one planned is on June 8th - the big river cleanup. This is a good karma activity so get ready, we want to get to the river banks and lots of the islands. There are other groups involved and there is the rumor of free food at Reedy Creek in the afternoon.
	At the risk of losing our reputation as a "one of Ralph's less cerebral groups", we spent some time talking about things we'd like to see done. . Kiosks for display of maps, rules and other information are run down and need upgrading . Bike trail near the Blvd Bridge is going to need some work in preparation for the Xterra games . Trash cans at strategic spots . Hispanic signs . Poison Ivy eradication at strategic spots . Park Users survey - Steve Ellison volunteered to look into this perhaps with a link to our website . Make park and river more usable at low water . Extend riverside trail to Pony Pasture . Replace rafters at the pump house to shore up the sagging roof. . Trash cleanups . City Council meetings and a look at what they're doing - Greg will e-mail
	Next meeting is Wednesday June 5, 2002 David M. Gunn

JROC May 1, 2002 Meeting Minutes