First 'official' meeting of the FOHP - 13 Jan

The 13 Jan meeting of the FOHP was the first 'official' meeting in that it was organized and managed by ...the Friends. The three meetings in the fall of 09 were sponsored by the DCR, but at this meeting the DCR let us fly solo. Attendance was good, with several dozen people including some new faces. (A few came because they heard incorrectly that this group was going to become a friends group for all the state forests in NE Mass - which is NOT the case. We're only involved with the Harold Parker State Forest.)

One of the first orders of business was to 'elect' the initial leadership team. There is still no formal organization (eg. incorporation), but in order to continue driving this effort as a friends group rather than as a DCR-driven organization we need leadership, and 4 people have volunteered to provide that leadership to get us started. These are:

Jim Sutton - president
Karen Kline - vice president
Frank Lane - treasurer
Matt Russell - webmaster

After asking if there was anyone else interested in any of these (or other) positions, a motion was made and seconded to elect this slate, and the vote was unanimously in favor, so we have an initial leadership team! (There's still plenty of opportunity to get involved, so let us know if you'd like to).

We then discussed the mission of the group and carried on a brainstorming session to collect ideas for the various things we might do. This list is below. We then conducted another brainstorming session to see what interest groups should be considered in planning the agenda of the FOHP. This list is also below. Please look these lists over and if you have any additions email matt@friendsofharoldparker to have them added to the list. The objective is to get everything up on the board, and then refine it and develop our mission and initial agenda from this, which is what we'll try to do at the next meeting on 10 February at REI at 7. (Note: there is a standing arrangement at REI to have the meetings on the second Wed of every month 7-8:30.

After the brainstorming session, our new treasurer, Frank Lane, who is also president of the North Shore chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA), gave a presentation of the significant work that NEMBA has done to help build and maintain trails in the forest. In addition, they contribute equipment and help to the park management. Thanks Frank.

IDEAS FOR OUR MISSION AND ACTIVITIES

Management
Advocate for the forest - politics
Become part of management planning
Coordinate various interest groups
Improve forest conservation
Manage publicity
Promote sustained recreation

Education related
Conduct hikes on focused topics
Create signs for trails: history, map, nature
Educating ourselves and others
Engage speakers on forestry, nature, etc.
Explore and document forest history (esp CCC effort)
Produce podcasts for hikes
Promote a safe outdoor experience. Help people feel safe.
Provide a repository of pictures (collections on Flickr?)
Write blogs ("Bob's Blog")

Wildlife-related
Collect wildlife spotting reports on our website
Identify and protect endangered species
Promote wildlife habitats
Special focus on Orioles

Misc
Canoe drive to get canoes for the park
Enforce forest rules
Fundraising effort
Provide eyes and ears on the park
Work on cleanup days

INTEREST GROUPS

Individuals
Artists/poets
Birders
Boaters
Campers
Cross-country skiiers
Dog walkers
Equestrians
Fishers
Hikers
Hunters
Mountain bikers
Photographers
Picnic

Groups
Homeschoolers
Neighbors
Scouts
Seniors
Andover and North Andover Trails Organizations
Audubon
AVIS
Bay Circuit
Builders and developers
Health clubs
Other forests and parks (eg. Trustees)
Outdoor shops (eg. REI, Moor & Mountain)
Town governments
YMCA