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Annual Meeting
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Conservation Districts are required to hold an annual meeting and publish an annual report each year.
The 59th Annual Meeting of the Charlevoix Conservation District was held October 25, 2007. The room was full with 67 in attendance.
The meeting was held as were the last two meetings, at the Boyne City Schools Administration Building (former Middle School) located at 321 S. Park Street in Boyne City.
Dinner was prepared by Dennis Crissman's Boyne City High School Hospitality class, using locally grown, or Michigan produced foods. Dinner was at 6:30 p.m., followed by Guest Speaker Tom Bailey, Executive Director of the Little Traverse Conservancy,and a short business meeting/director election. Kelly Martin gave a very brief presentation on the 2006 Charlevoix County plat book highlighting it's not just a plat book, it's a recycling guide too!
The Hospitality Class did an outstanding job catering the meal! The Boyne City School system should be very proud!!
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Guest Speaker
Directors Election
Annual Report
Award Winner
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Guest Speaker
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Guest Speakers vary from year to year. The District attempts to focus presentations on natural resource issues within the county, current district projects and programs, and at times just plain old humor.
This year Tom Bailey, Executive Director of the Little Traverse Conservancy, began by thanking the audience for their stewardship of the land they farm and live on. He touched on the fact that our focus shouldn't be just on trying to preserve the farmland & open spaces, but preserving the farmer and the farming as well!
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Directors Election
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Directors serve 4 year terms.
At least 60 days prior to the Annual Meeting, a candidate for conservation district director must file at the conservation district office, a petition signed by five (5) residents of the district (Charlevoix County).
Directors with terms expiring in 2007 are Wayne Saunders and Dave Stolt.
Mr. Stolt has submitted a petition for re-election.
Mr. Saunders has decided not to run again.
Deadline for submitting a petition for district director is close of business on Monday, August 27th.
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Annual Report
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To view the Annual Report, please see the District Newsletter page.
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Award Winner
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![Chris & Jane Furness [Click here to view full size picture]](media/govern/tn_chris_jane_furness_cropped.jpg)
The Korthase Memorial Conservation Award is presented each year to a landowner in Charlevoix County who has put forth extra effort in land stewardship and conservation on their property.
This year's recipient was Chris (& Jane) Furness of Eveline Township. In the past year they have implemented many practices to conserve and greatly improve the quality of the natural resources on their property.
The Furness's own 103 acres along M-32 in Wilson Township. The land has a wide variety of forest and plant types. Thirty acres of the property is forested with the other 73 acres being open fields with scattered trees and shrubs. The northern half of the property has a few acres of lowland conifer forest with a stream running through it. The rest of the forested property is good quality northern hardwoods that is being managed to improve the overall forest health and provide future income from timber harvesting.
Chris started working with the Charlevoix C.D. in September 2006. He was interested in a management plan developed through the Forest Stewardship Program. This comprehensive plan gave him recommendations on how to achieve his management goals, which were to improve wildlife habitat and revitalize the old fields that cover a large area of the property. Developing a Forest Stewardship Plan also made him eligible to receive both federal and state cost-share funds.
In 2007 Chris received cost-share money through the MDNR's Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP) to plant trees and shrubs for timber production and wildlife habitat. This spring he planted 200 apple trees and 19,000 confier trees and shrubs in the open fields of the property. The apples and shrubs have greatly improved the wildlife habitat. The pine and spruce trees will create a future timber return as well as improve the wildlife cover and travel corridors. He is also working to remove autumn olive shrubs that have started to invade the open fields.
Chris & Jane Furness are landowners willing to put forth great effort to improve the environment for the future. Both are ambitious and a great example to other landowners who want to conserve and improve our natural resources. They are very deserving of this award. Congratulations!!
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This page last updated on 5/19/2008.
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![Chris & Jane Furness [Click here to view full size picture]](javascript:showPic(new picObj('media/govern/chris_jane_furness_cropped.jpg', 'Chris & Jane Furness',668,600));)