KBC Board Mtg October 19th 2021
Important Reminder of the BCHPA Conference October 29th and 30th. Be sure to register through the BCHPA website: https://bchpaconference.ca
1. Order; 6:17pm via Zoom Present;(13 present) Bryce Herman, Duane Robinson, Dave Bruce, Gary Martin,Lawrence Bergstrand, Nancy Burkholder, Robert Hunter, Joanne Nicklas, Christine vanSolkema, Mikael Kjellstrom, Ian Farber, (who‘s missed?)
Absent; Klaus Voss
2. Agenda; “adopt as posted” m/Mikael, s/Nancy, carried
3. Minutes; “adopt Sept 21 m/Gary, s/Dave, carried
4. Action Items;
4.1) Operations Manual; final edits done, ready to be presented to membership at AGM. To be posted prior to AGM on the website as PDF. Accepted by BOD.
4.2) Recognition Plaque; Presentation to Marg & Joe Lomond postponed ‘til in-person meeting is possible
5. New Business;
5.1) Treasurer’s Report; 5.1.1) Dave reported that the Financial Statement 2021 has been prepared and made available. 2021 found the Branch in a deficit position with very little expenditure and a healthy balance, but membership transfer from BCHPA ($680) reduced the deficit to an acceptable amount under COVID constraints. Fundraising in 2022 should correct the deficit situation.
5.1.2) A draft of the 2022 Budget has been prepared and also circulated. Dave called for final additions or suggestions so that a Final Draft Budget 2022 should be prepared and posted prior to the AGM. Committees should make any further comments/additions to Dave ASAP. Attention was brought to the need to include Zoom ($240 + taxes) in the 2022 Budget. (Subsequent discussions led to addition of a Calendar 2022 Budget line item for $2500 following submission of project summary by Nancy/Calendar Committee to Dave and BOD. Also, Photo Contest prize seed money to $250).
5.2) Governance; Lawrence was reminded of the request for delayed start times for General and Board meetings. Following discussion it was agreed that a new start time of 6:30 pm would accommodate this concern. m/Rob, s/Gary, Carried.
5.3) Technology; Mikael reported on the posting of a Queen Rearing calendar to the website. Discussions around the Membership Registration page led to the decision to make all of the website open to the public, with the removal of members’ private contact info and name listing. Mikael to make these changes.
5.4) Board Development; Gary again raised the need to fill two vacancies, Secretary and Communications Director. Urgent appeal and action needed to find candidates. FB and email appeal to be made. Bryce informed the meeting that Murray Willis would stand for nomination to Regional Rep on the BCHPA Provincial Board, and by the Provincial Board. He indicated that the Provincial Board would accept other candidates’ nominations for the position, as well. This is to inform members of the nature of the Reg Rep protocols, to make the position of Regional Rep open to all BCHPA members within any region. Ian pointed out the tremendous value of having the Thompson Region represented by a Kamloops resident and member of our Branch. Suggestions for nominations for Regional Rep can be made to Past-President Kerry Clark (pastpresident@bchoneyproducers.ca) for the Provincial BCHPA Convention October 29/30.
5.5) Events; Nancy suggested that a 2022 Beekeepers’ Calendar be developed. In order to gather content, she would host a Photo Contest and garner prizes (Ian;500g honey, Bryce;Home Depot GC) with a Budget of $250 to be added to Budget 2022. Again, an appeal to members to get involved would be forthcoming from Nancy as she prepares a project outline and proposal for BOD and to inform membership.
5.6) Fundraising; Joanne is developing a Spring Nuc Sales Project by which members can donate and develop a small number of nucleus colonies to raise funds in the spring. A suitable yard and sponsor are required, and up to 10 nucs would be made available for sale to benefit the club, from member donations of livestock. Joanne would like to receive input from interested members regarding yard, stock, and related ideas. Also, the Pollinator Plants initiative ($1.00/plant sold by Art Knapp and Purity Feed in spring 2021) requires renewal to continue and further development for spring 2022.
5.7) Education; Ian reported that expenses for three top quality education sessions in 2021 at the cost of $175 in total was a very beneficial outcome for the club, but saw minimal engagement from the membership. Further promotion of these online events may help broaden their impact, however the recordings of the sessions remain available, and yet have received minimal use by members on the website. Ian informed the meeting of two more education opportunities that have only recently become available. Sue Colby, “Honeybee Breeding” webinar Wed. Oct.20th at 7pm through the Mt Baker BK Club, and Dana Stahlman’s monthly newsletter, from the link provided on the website of the Sept 2021 General meeting Minutes.
The Education Session for the November AGM was discussed and due to the important Business Component of that meeting, it was agreed that a recorded session should be adopted to allow flexibility of timing of Education/Business Components.
Duane, 2nd VP, will investigate the possibility of In-Person/Hybrid meeting format for the November AGM. TRU would be the location at 6:30pm should this option be realized. Finally, as Beekeeping Education is the fundamental purpose of our group, Ian will happily receive suggestions from members for topics, speakers, or concerns from members. It’s a constant challenge to keep a slate of these events and we very much appreciate Ian’s continuing efforts and success in providing these opportunities!
5.8) Communications; Christine reported that she will step down as Communications Director, and a new Chairperson is required. Membership to be alerted and canvassed for nominations. Christine would stand by to mentor the new Communications Chair. Thank you, Christine, for your enthusiasm and huge contributions to developing communications in these difficult times!
An earlier concern, raised at the beginning of the meeting, around Board members “notification” of meetings was brought forward. In order that the board attendance improve, some members request additional notification in advance of meetings. As online meetings are scheduled a year in advance, by Zoom registration on the permanent URL that the club employs, monthly reminders can be issued. Similarly board members can employ various software solutions to register these events on their calendars and get notifications, through their chosen media or platforms. Members might consult the webmaster to set up these notifications, but Mikael has, also, offered to send monthly notifications.
6. Next Meetings;
6.1) General Meeting; Kamloops Branch AGM November 16th 6:30pm; Zoom at same URL as all on-line meetings, but MAY be in-person/hybrid format, Details TBA
January 18th 2022 GM – Details to be announced, but 6:30pm
6.2) BOD; December or early January prior to Jan 18th, TBA but it’s 6:30pm and via Zoom, check the website.
7. Adjournment; 7:40pm, move to adjourn, m/Dave. Carried