On February 2, PDP held its annual board meeting, immediately followed by the general membership meeting. Both were held at our usual venue, the James Joseph Dwyer Police Substation, which coincidentally sits adjacent to a prairie dog colony. Here are the highlights of the meetings:

Elections: Board members for the 2016-2018 term are: President – Yvonne B., Treasurer – Ray W., Private Rescue – Margaret D., Stewardship – Graziella S., Artistic Content and Media – Sharyn D., Secretary and Head of Operations – Ed U., Intergroup Coordination – Phil C. Yvonne thanked Clifford J. and Annabeth F. for their service (They had resigned their positions during the previous term.)

Stewardship: The board approved continuing through 2016 a supplemental feeding stipend. This program provides food for prairie dogs along the I-40 and Tramway Blvd. corridors. Yvonne thanked the caregivers for their dedicated efforts.

Outreach: Yvonne recognized Margaret and Jim T. for their contributions to our outreach program. Jim gave his “Prairie Dogs in Peril” presentation to a wide variety of audiences from elementary school classes to senior centers. In 2014 Margaret guided a Girl Scout troop through the tasks involved in prairie dog rescue. Yvonne urged other members to get involved. PDP will support any and all efforts for outreach. Jim could use help, as he is frequently on his own when performing outreach and has to carry prairie dogs, handouts, and audio/visual equipment.

Rescue: Priorities for rescue operations are always a contentious issue – members are adamant about which colonies are in greatest danger. Ed emphasized that rescue operations have to be contingent on available resources (manpower, equipment, and funds). He stated that we are not actively pursuing removal of the prairie dogs along the I-40 freeway because 1) trapping and flushing are minimally effective in these areas and 2) the Department of Transportation (DOT) is not particularly concerned with moving the prairie dogs, and thus will not reimburse us for it unless they have a federally funded project. As usual, we planned to do some work in Bosque Farms. Ray stated that he was optimistic about getting city and Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) contracts. It was agreed that Chelwood, Kirtland, and Wherry Elementary Schools would be given priority in the coming season if the contracts came through.

 

 

 

 

 

You can read the minutes at: 2016 GM Minutes 3.20.16 final