Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation Semi-annual Meeting
January 7, 2005

Present: Susan Agger, Jen Audley, David Brennan, Janet Burns, Jack Chun, Susan Coolidge, Lance Drane, Lisa Duffeck, Bob Forrester, Nancy Guppy, Lore Levitt, , Ellen Mass, Julie McDonald, Margaret Richardson, Jean Rogers, Barbara Strell, Louise Sullivan, Renee Toll-DuBois, Terry Votta, Marilyn Walpole, Elizabeth Wylde

The Winter Members' Meeting of the Friends group was held in the Maynard Ecology Center at Neville Place. Following a sumptuous potluck supper enjoyed by 21 members and guests, Elizabeth Wylde presented a summary of the year's accomplishments, and thanked the many members whose contributions of time, effort, and knowledge have helped create the programs and projects that are the life of the organization.

The group then divided around two tables to share thoughts in response to the questions, "What do we want the group to do in the coming year?" and "How can we help other people know what we are doing?" Many of the activities of the Friends group are based on suggestions offered by members during our meetings. All of the proposed ideas from this meeting are listed below.

Ideas generated from the east round table:
1. Approach Porter Square Book Store to do a program about books related to nature.
2. Post events in their store.
3. Host an author signing, i.e. Claire Walker Leslie.
4. Institute offering a bibliography at each program.
5. Consider recommending a book for attendees to read before a program.
6. Make a list of recommended bird books.
7. Add a book-related section to the Friends website.
8. Revive the Phenology Project. Make it more exciting.
9. Conduct seasonal programs for people of different ages to discover changes.
10. Program launch-SIGNS OF SPRING
11. Post pieces of the Friends website on the Reservation Info Boards on this topic, encouraging people to go to the website for more.
12. Perhaps a white board to encourage visitors to record what they see when they are here.
13. Newspaper article- be on the lookout for this in the coming weeks.
14. Post a month-long calendar page of anticipated phenomena on the web and info boards. Use photos to improve visual literacy.
15. Publicize a phone hot line for reporting observations.
16. Identify a group of "Pond Watchers" or a Phenology Club. Get a couple of people already doing this to offer a program and show others how to do it.
17. Phenology T shirts to promote awareness and visibility.
18. Friends of Fresh Pond T shirts etc. for same.
19. Biodiversity Days Inventory and Data Collection are important to continue.
20. Website--run a photo contest as a way to get people to give us photos of the Reservation. These can be displayed in the Ecology Center and Neville Place.
21. Continue programs like armchair bird watching with Neville Place and sponsor more intergenerational events.
22. Jen Audley to see about lending us her "spy" video camera for the bird feeders in back of Neville.
23. Do a program on birds that use the feeders on the Reservation during the winter, and those that do not.
24. Continue funding for buses for schools.
25. Approach area businesses about matching our donation and thereby offering round trip bus money for school groups.
26. Require that school groups using this bus ride program create something we can post on the FFPR website so that we can benefit by their experience here.
27. Perhaps cable TV could be used as a means of having people passively enjoy the Reservation by a live view on site, like the live cam in Central Square.

Ideas generated from the west round table:
1. Stewardship Program on Invasive Plant Removal from Black's Nook area
2. Birding Programs for Neville residents and those who visit them
3. Black's Nook Clean up
4. Bird Box Program for Neville (including children) with boxes sited near the building
5. Invite David Brown to offer a program on tracking
6. Co sponsor a docent program with FAR
7. Evening lectures
8. Programs on Master Plan project updates
9. Walks annotating Master Plan projects
10. Index card program for tree walks- participants build cumulative information resources for themselves.
11. Very early dawn warbler walk
12. Letter box project
13. Continue with Biodiversity Days programs. The State will once again fund the initiative.
14. Bat box program, including children
15. Maple sugaring program for families
16. Outreach- public schools, Cambridge Chronicle, cable TV- Cambridge Green program, table at Cambridge Fair, collaborate with Cambridge Historical Society on their 100th anniversary.
17. Include Brownies and Girl Scout Troops