Attending: Mike Smith, Donnie Turner, George Santucci, Colin Deschamps, Llyn Sharp, Bill Gardner

§ Thanks to Amanda for coffee and snacks!

Notes and Decisions

§ The cleanup will begin at 9:30 am on September 23, 2006 at the New River Trail State Park at Foster Falls. This location is advantageous because there is ample parking, a pavilion and toilets.

§ Access points have been secured at Bill and Debbie Gardner’s and Little Bertha Falls. We will hopefully secure access at the inner-tube takeout point.

§ Possible site captains are: Donnie, Mitch, Wayne, Forest, Eric.

§ Obtaining equipment will be a mix of corporate (e.g., water, food, hats) and state (e.g., gloves, trash-bags) sponsorship. Llyn will check on volume of DCR provided materials and arrange for delivery to the Park, after OK from Park. George will find out where to get rubber coated work gloves.

§ Wildlife hazards will be included in the safety presentation given by Donnie (see #9). Donnie will also ask volunteers with relevant medical conditions to let an organizer know.

§ It seems that obtaining enough volunteers will not be a problem as there will be at least 40 and possibly up to 150. This includes individuals from the Boy Scouts, churches, fraternities/sororities and students (who may be able to receive extra-credit from professors).

§ Following the cleanup we will need to complete data sheets with information regarding the quantity and types of trash collected. It may be easier to have site captains fill these out for their location and then sum the information.

§ The back of the New River News newsletter already has an announcement of the cleanup. NRWR website is already publicizing also.

§ Donnie is willing to be Mike’s alternate for the New River Roundtable Board.

Action Items

1. We need to find a volunteer registrar to field questions from potential volunteers and sign people up. We are seeking support for this from Board and TAC connections. As a backup, MaryAnn in the DCR Dublin New River Watershed Office may be able to help. Since community involvement is a goal of the cleanup, it is preferable to find someone outside of the DCR to fill this role. This person should be easy to contact, especially in the weeks prior to the cleanup. Mike and Donnie will contact local possibilities. [Llyn contacted Board, TAC, MaryAnn]

2. George coordinates with Bill Gardner for publicity. This may include posters, flyers and/or leaflets. Possible items to include contact phone number and email, directions, date, location and directions. We may be able to entice donors by adding their logo to PR. Publicity might focus on schools, parks and the New River Challenge.

3. George emails Colin with publicity examples from past cleanup initiatives.

4. Donnie works on securing dumpsters.

5. Donnie speaks with Mark Taylor about ___________________.

6. Donnie gets trained at site safety meeting thru New River SWCD, Galax. He will then be able to train volunteers the morning of the cleanup.

7. Colin contacts Kelly regarding corporate sponsorship information. [Colin and Kelly met]

8. Colin will prepare an information sheet that can be emailed or post-mailed to interested individuals. This sheet will include directions, recommended clothing, an overview of the cleanup, time and place, safety information, web addresses to the Roundtable, and requirements for the participation of minors.

9. Once a coordinator is secured (see #1) and their availability determined, Mike will set a June meeting.

10. Donnie or Mike reserves the pavilion at Foster Falls State Park and notifies rangers of the magnitude of the event.

11. We will need to alert area emergency responders that this event will take place. Perhaps we will be able to recruit some Wilderness First Responders to attend the cleanup.