FWT Board Meeting Minutes

November 10, 2025 7:00 pm

Author:

Sarah White

Attendees

Denise Bilsback, Pat Fulkerson, Ron Happ, Hal Harris, Chris Peterson, Norma Platt, Linda Siple, Pat Smally, Anna Taylor, Sarah White, Ben Wisniewski, and many guests

Adimistrative Reports

Welcome – Anna Taylor, President
Approval of October Meeting Minutes & November Agenda – Approved
Treasurer’s report – Chris Peterson, Treasurer
- Detailed report reviewed.
- Hojack grant spending has approximately $12k remaining.
- Investment income accounts for more than 10 percent of annual income, excluding grants.
- Finance Committee established this year.
- Budget planning underway for 2026.
Membership report – Denise Bilsback, Membership Chair
- Membership at 260.
- New members are slightly down YOY at 30, but retention of existing members has improved.
- Donations, excluding grants, are up significantly.
- Volunteer hours are incomplete, but once all hours are accounted for, they are likely on track with prior years. Hours are also now being categorized as field work or administrative time, with only the field work hours used in the historical tracking.
Member engagement – Sarah White, Secretary and social media coordinator
1. Email engagement with members is excellent, with most campaigns being opened by more than 60 percent of recipients.
2. Facebook engagement has increased with 30 percent increase in followers and individual posts gaining visibility.
3. Website traffic is more than 730 hits per week.
Vice President nomination. Anna nominated Pat Smally for Vice President. Motion seconded, and motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Trail Planning and Maintenance

Trails Report – Linda Siple, Trails Chair
- Six workdays completed a variety of projects this year, with Trail Stewards leading the way.
- Volunteers per workday increased from last year.
Hojack Trail Project – Ben Wisniewski
- Grant from Ralph C. Wilson, Jr Trails Maintenance Foundation received in June, with matching funds from a generous community member.
- Resurfacing work completed on nearly 3 miles of trail, and trail access-control bollards installed.
- Remaining work includes benches, kiosks, signage, and planting, with work to be completed by late spring 2026.
- Trail usage appears to be increased, but measuring to be done later.
Scout & Student Projects – Patrick Fulkerson, Scout & Youth Coordinator
- Record number of projects completed, including several in the new State Road Nature Preserve.
- Scouts receive mentoring from Patrick, but they must present to the Board to receive approval and coordinate the projects.
- Photos of projects are in the last newsletter.
Special Projects
- Trail Counting – John Boettcher: Presented the summary of counts on all trails and a snapshot of detail for Whiting Road Nature Preserve, including observational study of types of users.
- Structure Inventory – Linda Siple:
  - Reviewed the history of the project and types of data collected.
  - Presented the summary of structures by type.
- Updated kiosks and trail signs – Denise Bilsback
  - Ten kiosks with updated signage in process.
  - 150 new trail signs created.

Meeting Notes

Habitat and ReTree – Norma Platt & Sarah White
- Habitat celebrate 16 years of work with nearly 150 hours of work.
- ReTree added 146 native trees and shrubs, for a total of more than 600.
- Monitoring continued, showing a survival rate of approximately 70 percent.
President’s Report and Nomination – Anna Taylor: Highlighted the many contributions this year, and called out the Chain Saw Gang for their heavy workload, especially over the last several weeks.
2026 Plans
- Ribbon cuttings for State Road Nature Preserve and Hojack Trail improvements.
- Hojack Gateway from the NY Forward Grant
- New trails in Finn Park West
- Increased engagement.
- Increased membership.