The general members of AAPSE met in the evening of April 10, 1995 to discuss old business and to initiate new business. President Mac Horton opened the meeting with 56 in attendance. Mac discussed the need to get the association back on track with the election of new officers. The regions had not elected all the members of the nominations and elections committee and so therefore this issue needed to be resolved here. Two regions elected members (Western and North Central). The Southern and Northeast regions needed to meet to elect the remaining members. The committee had to then nominate names to submit to an election. The nominations had to be held 30 or more days after the names were announced to the membership. The membership would have to decide (here) how they were to be notified (by mail, e-mail, fax, etc.) and to also decide how they were going to return ballots to the committee. Mac reviewed the purpose of AAPSE and the progress of the AAPSE Board meeting and general informal meeting at the AAPCO joint meeting on March 12-15, 1995.
Mary Grodner indicated that our activities in the Washington (1995 AAPCO) meeting and in earlier contacts over the past few years have started to take effect and we are starting to be recognized.
John Impson presented some important points which were part of the Board of Directors meeting in March. He encouraged the Issues and Evaluation Committee to participate in the SFIREG meetings. He has been able to attend those meetings in the Washington area on AAPSE's behalf. Mac and Mary, through their efforts, have opened some doors at EPA and USDA. Mary spent time in January with USDA administrators. Kathy Kronopolis (EPA C & T Branch Chief) has also been one person who is now aware of the association and needs of the pesticide education program. John encouraged members to use e-mail. He then reviewed the FY96 USDA Pesticide Education budget. He informed the group that USDA had made pesticide education a FY96 area of emphasis. John handed out and explained a condensed version of a white paper on PAT for use by decision makers. He encouraged members to provide the paper to their Extension administrators to help them explain the importance of the program to the public and to encourage the Directors to support the PAT budget.
Mac described the discussions held at the March meeting. This information was summarized in the minutes handed out at tonight's meeting. (Mike Weaver handed out the minutes from the 1994 annual meeting and the informal 1995 meeting in March.) Mac discussed AAPSE accomplishments at the March 1995 meeting (documented in the minutes). Although not all of the original 44 groups invited to the roundtable discussions at the March meeting attended, a number of groups did participate. Mac discussed the need to resolve committee assignments outlined in an e-mail he sent to the membership at an earlier date.
Bud Paulsen (AAPCO President) encouraged members and the I&E committee to share the task of covering AAPCO and SFIREG meetings. Bud challenged the members to attend meetings. AAPSE input is critically needed and welcome. AAPSE members need to be very vocal at the meetings and with other groups.
A general discussion followed. Barry Brennen encouraged members to contribute to committees. Mac encouraged members to read and approve the minutes. Amy Brown was concerned about missing details from the minutes. Mike Weaver agreed to work with his notes and others to fill the gaps in the minutes if needed. However, several members pointed out to the membership that this wasn't appropriate and not in the Secretary's role; the purpose of the Secretary wasn't to document all the details of the general AAPSE meetings, but to document the events of the business meetings. Jim Egenrider of ARA put information about AAPSE in his monthly fax newsletter.
A motion was made to approve the minutes as is --- it was changed to approve after reading at the continuation of the business meeting on Wednesday. The motion passed.
Pat Hipkins encouraged members to do committee work tonight or tomorrow and report back to the general meeting on Wednesday. Win Hock encouraged members to work here to get slate of nominees and give to members for elections. Mac Horton went over the list of committees as follows:
Auditing: George Hamilton, Chair (NJ), Paul Baker (AZ), Clyde Ogg (NE), Ron Gardner (NY)
Awards: Gene Burgess, Chair (TN), Rhonda Feree(IL), Kerry Hoffman (PA), Myron Shenk (OR), Fred Fishel (MO)
Constitution & By-Laws: Barry Brennen (HI), Amy Brown (MD), Tom Dean (FL), Fred Whitford (IN)
Membership: Rhonda Feree, Chair (IL), Wayne Vandre (AK), Ruth Morgan (MS), Ron Gardner (NY), Jim Wilson (SD)
Program Funding: Norm Nesheim, Chair (FL), Win Hock (PA), Pat Marer (CA), Larry Schultz (NE), Ed Vitzthum (NE)
1996 Program: George Hamilton, Chair (NJ), Gregory Dahl (ND), Howard Deer (UT), Pat Hipkins (VA), Paul Baker (AZ)
Public Infomation: Roger Flashinski, Chair (WI), John Baniecki (WV), Terry Miller (OR), Mike Weaver (VA), Mohammed S. Khan (DC), Guadalupe Sandoval (CA)
Resolutions: Don Cress, Chair (KS), Mary Grodner (LA), Terry Miller (OR), Candace Bartholomew (CT)
Issues & Evaluation: Jim Criswell, Chair (OK), Pat Hipkins, Co-chair, (VA), Talmadge Balch (AL), Dean Herzfeld (MN), Mike Stinmann (CA), Bud Paulsen (AZ)
Certification and Training: Bob Bellinger, Chair (SC), Natalia Clifton (MA), Robert Wolf (IL), Melanie Zavala (CA), Wanda Michalowicz (Canada), Carol Ramsey (WA), Julie Stachecki (MI)
Certified Crop Advisors: Joanne Kick-Raack, Chair (OH), Pat Marer (CA), Scott Harrison (PA), Ples Spradley (AR), Lynnae Jess (MI)
Endangered Species: Don Cress, Chair (KS), John Wilson (NC), Win Hock (PA), Mike Stinmman (CA), Ed Vitzthum (NE)
Food Safety: Fred Whitford, Chair (IN), Terry Miller (OR), Amy Brown (MD), Mary Grodner (LA), Kerry Hoffman (PA)
GLP's: Barry Brennan, Chair (HI), Al Shreiber (WA), George Hamilton (NJ), Mac Horton (SC)
RecordKeeping: George Hamilton, Chair (NJ), Bonnie Poli (VA), Don Cress (KS), Ruth Morgan (MS), Joy Landis (MI)
Reduced Risk: Dean Herzfeld, Chair (MN), Terry Miller (OR), Talmadge Balch (AL), Bill Smith (NY), Wanda Michalowicz (Canada), Mary Ann Wamsley (VA), Pat Haggerty (DC)
Water Quality: Amy Brown (MD), Jeff Jenkins (OR), Roger Flashinski (WI), Mike Weaver (VA), Mac Horton (SC), Fred Whitford (IN)
Worker Protection Standards: Larry Olsen, Chair (MI), Norm Nesheim (FL), Susan Whitney (DE), Gary Thomasson (WA), Sally McDonald (OH), Sandy Perry (MI)
IPM: Jim Dill, Chair (ME), Fred Zalom (WA), Bob Bellinger (SC), Fred Fishel (MO), Wanda Michalowicz (Canada)
Evaluation/Accountability: Susan Whitney, Chair (DE), Mac Horton (SC), Gregory Dahl (ND), Charles Nagamine (HI)
Mac encouraged groups to meet and be prepared to bring up names of nominees on Wednesday. The NE region elected Win Hock of Penn State to the nomination and elections committee.
John Impson informed members that he needed AAPSE input to EPA's suggestion that the PAT National Workshop be funded to meet every three years. If USDA funds pesticide education in FY96 budget, USDA could provide 50% of funds to support meeting every two years.
Mac Horton asked Mike Weaver and Barry Brennen to escort Mary Grodner to the front of the room. Mac then officially handed the duties of the presidency of AAPSE to Mary. Mary then presented her agenda to the members. Mary asked that the South and North Central states get a name for the nominations and elections committee. Mary then outlined the areas she would like to see covered by the various committees and working groups and the organization in general over the next two years. She asked each committee to meet and report back to the general business meeting on April 12th with a short presentation and plans for progress. She indicated she would like to see the various committees to do the following:
Mary indicated she looked forward to working with group and that the real work would be done by the committees. Mary indicated (at the suggestion of Barry Brennen) that the committees and working groups consider as to whether they should be changed from ad hoc status to standing committees. If this is considered, the committees should let Barry Brennen (Constitution & By-Laws Committee) know.
The meeting was adjourned for the evening.
The Board met to discuss items for consideration by the full membership at the General Business Meeting on April 12. Mary called the group to order. Mary indicated that EPA wants a recommendation on the sequence of the national workshop. They are leaning toward every three years to save money. Currently we meet every other year. A discussion followed with many members indicating a need to meet every other year. Jake McKenzie indicated that the EPA needs input from the group and he is very willing to take the input back to EPA for their decision. Mary Ellen Setting (AAPCO representative) indicated that these were dollars well spent. The workshop is badly needed. It was mentioned that the Board should emphasize last year's motion and resolution from the membership to fund the meeting every two years. Pat Marer was asked to thank Kathy Kronopolis for the agency's support of this meeting and include the report from this meeting with the evaluations (regarding AAPSE's wishes to meet every other year).
The 1997 meeting location and date will be decided by the North Central region. Next year the AAPSE/AAPCO meeting will be at the Doubletree Hotel in Arlington on March 11-13, 1996. After a discussion, the program committee was asked to work with Phil Gray to establish the format. Phil Benedict is chair of SFIREG. A new yearbook is coming to members.
It was discussed that a historian should be elected to keep AAPSE archives. Mike Weaver volunteered to keep the archives at Virginia Tech. The depository and AAPSE World Wide Web Site are currently at Virginia Tech.
A discussion followed about forming a sustainable agriculture working group or to work SA into an existing WG. Others mentioned the need for input into non-agricultural areas such as urban/household/landscape/turf/right-of-way, etc. These items would be brought forward for discussion in the general meeting.
Several members mentioned the need for an APPSE newsletter to announce new categories, educational materials, AAPSE business, etc. Larry Schultze discussed the need to provide an electronic copy of a newsletter to save the cost of printing. The Board considered the need for a long tenure person to maintain the newsletter (editor type person). Fred Whitford volunteered since he has a person to help with this. Mike Weaver offered the use of the AAPSE Web Server for this purpose. There was a discussion on whether to use a paper copy or electronic or both.
Candace Bartholomew referred Barry Brennen's presentation (given earlier to the full PAT Workshop on the Role of AAPSE and PAT) to the I&E committee and John Impson which could then be forwarded to ECOP. Mary Grodner already asked for a copy for this use.
All of these items would be discussed further at the general meeting which meets on the 12th at 6:00 p.m. This would include reports of committee chairs and officers.
Group adjourned for the day.
Mary Grodner called the meeting to order. A motion was made to approve the 1994 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded and approved.
Jim Criswell reported that as of March 16, 1995 there was $3,516.33 in the treasury. A list of non-paid members and receipts for payment for 1995 dues are available from Jim Criswell. The member year runs from March to April. A motion was made to approve the report and was seconded. The motion was approved.
Acie Waldron requested a directory of the membership. A directory would be developed by the membership committee with support of the Secretary.
Comments by Mac Horton: In regards to the committee structure - only two are mandated (standing) committees. The rest are ad hoc and can be changed. If a person wants to be on a committee they only need to ask the committee chairs to serve. Mac Horton asked that committee chairs let the Secretary know of changes. If someone drops off, the committee should replace them with a person from the same region as the person leaving.
Nominations and Elections Committee- Win Hock, Chair (no written report provided)
The group met with members, Jeff Jenkins, Win Hock, Larry Schultze, and Tom Dean. The nominations included: Barry Brennen for President Elect, Larry Olsen for Treasurer, and Pat Hipkins for Secretary. This was the slate for consideration by the membership. The present secretary will send a ballot to each state pesticide coordinator for a state consensus. This was made into a form of a motion which was:
The motion was seconded and was passed.
"On April 12, 1995, the auditing committee met to audit the accounts of the association. Based on our review, the committee found the books to be in good order. The committee, however, made two recommendations regarding the ledger of the Treasurer. The first was to combine information pertaining to deposits, interest, and debits. The second was to maintain a running ledger balance. Both recommendations would facilitate greater ease in conducting future audits.
The committee also identified two issues regarding the Treasury that must be addressed by the Association. The first pertains to membership dues by International members and acceptance of their checks by our bank. Currently, the problem is costing the Association money, i.e. - $10.00 service charge for a $25.00 check. The second issue involves the future transfer of accounts between banks. This can create problems and charges related to signatures, tax-exempt status, etc. The committee feels that this could be solved by a multi-year term (>2) for the Treasurer or by placing the accounts with a nationwide bank that would allow card/electronic banking from anywhere in the US. Respectfully submitted, George Hamilton, Chair, 1995."
Awards Committee - Gene Burgess, Chair
"The committee met on Wednesday, April 12, 1995 and discussed the following: The committee discussed recognizing professional accomplishments and outstanding contributions. We are still in the discussion stages and will be in the process of setting criteria for the various awards presented. The committee agreed to present a presidential plaque to all outgoing presidents. Members present included: Gene Burgess, Rhonda Feree, Kerry Hoffman, Myron Shenk, and Fred Fishel."
Constitution and By-laws Committee - Barry Brennen, Chair
"(The committee had two recommendations:)
Membership Committee - Rhonda Ferree, Chair
"Ron Gardner (Cornell), Jim Wilson (SD), Wayne Vandre (Alaska), and I met on Tuesday (4-11-95) as a membership committee. Ruth Morgan (MS) was absent.
We determined our role to be two-fold. First, we should maintain the current membership list and take that burden away from the AAPSE Secretary. The list should be maintained in varying formats to meet member needs. Distribution of the list will be discussed later and could include e-mail, web format (HTML), or hardcopy distribution or a combination of those. Hard copies are necessary for some.
Second, we must recruit new members. Our goal is to have at least one full member from each state/territory before the next annual meeting. We will work through those full members to solicit additional full and associate members in each state including county agents involved with pesticide education, other Extension specialists conducting other pesticide programs, and others such as private sector trainers. We will work with the public information committee to reach other potential full and associate members.
We will work closely with Mike Weaver and Jim Criswell to develop a procedure to receive and maintain new and renewal memberships.
Finally, since the membership committee will play such an important and ongoing role in the Association, it should be considered for standing committee status.
As we all know, we will have strength in numbers. We all must help to achieve this. Everyone please pick-up, not one, not two, but a handful of brochures to take back and distribute to potential new members."
Program Funding Committee - Norm Nesheim, Chair
"A primary purpose of the committee will be to provide recommendations on funds distribution related to USDA and pass-thru funds. This can include recommendations on formula distribution. The committee will also give recommendations on special projects funding when requested. The committee requests input from the membership on funding issues."
Program Committee - George Hamilton, Chair (no written report provided)
The committee asked for the input of the membership for speakers and issues to be placed on the 1996 meeting agenda. The program committee will work with AAPCO to develop and coordinate the 1996 meeting.
Public Information Committee- Roger Flashinski, Chair (no written report provided)
The committee picked up from Mary Grodner's points about the need to market the association. Committee recommendations included: develop a short news release to ag. Editors, take advantage of the AAPSE homepage, use the homepage for resolutions, develop a private AAPSE newsgroup.
Resolutions Committee- Don Cress, Chair (no written report provided)
The committee made resolutions to thank Mac Horton, Pat Marer, and Gale Perez for their contributions to AAPSE and the 1995 workshop. The committee also made a resolution to thank the hotel for its hospitality. The resolutions were to be submitted to the secretary for the minutes.
Issues and Evaluations Committee - Jim Criswell, Chair (no written report provided)
The committee reported that it would work with the various working groups and members to attend the appropriate SFIREG meetings to keep AAPSE abreast of developments. Reports will be sent to the membership from those attending the meetings. The committee is willing to accept issues to add to the working groups. The working groups reported as follows:
Certification and Training Working Group - Bob Bellinger, Chair (no written report provided)
The working group reported its plans to survey state programs on what training materials exist, whether they have bilingual materials, and what training techniques are being used. The WG will also develop a list of pesticide related newsletters, their frequency and audiences. The WG would like to evaluate media and promote good training programs. One suggestion from the membership was for the WG to submit a proposal to USDA/ES to develop training materials.
CCA Working Group - Joanne Kick-Raack, Chair (no written report provided)
Joanne indicated that suggestions and questions about CCA training should be directed to the American Society of Agronomy in Wisconsin. Discussion involved the exemption of CCA under WPS under the false assumption that PAT certification requirements are part of CCA curriculum. Recertification classes will be major part of CCA training. Some states approve PAT classes for recertification of CCA. The WG suggested to send a letter to ASA and offer AAPSE services.
Endangered Species Working Group - Don Cress, Chair (no written report provided)
Most endangered species issues relate to the act itself. The working group will wait and see if the act is reauthorized.
Food Safety Working Group - Fred Whitford, Chair
Food safety working group (FSWG) made the following suggestions:
Good Laboratory Practices (GLP's) Working Group - Barry Brennen, Chair
Recordkeeping Working Group- George Hamilton, Chair (no written report provided)
Suggested forming a discussion group on the Internet w/AMS.
Reduced Risk Working Group - Dean Herzfeld, Chair (no written report provided)
Was to meet the next week after the meeting.
Water Quality Working Group - Amy Brown, Chair (no written report provided)
Group will identify WQ concerns, promote WG, conduct business, liaison for AAPSE, distribute information to WQ coordinators, identify WQ publications, identify WQ experts in AAPSE and link them to members, coordinate activities with Andy Webber at USDA.
Worker Protection Standard Working Group- Larry Olsen, Chair
WG documented the purpose and plans for the WG as follows:
IPM Working Group, Jim Dill, Chair
Role to respond and to answer to I&E Committee on IPM issues. Issues include:
Statements:
Evaluation and Accountability Working Group, Susan Whitney, Chair
WG will:
Evaluation on back burner for time being. If members want to join the WG, let Susan know.
Committee reports were completed. Several suggestions were made for additions to the constitution and by-laws including: making membership a standing committee, and to allow the treasurer to serve more than two years.
A discussion followed on the cycle of the meetings. John Impson will report that most members would like to stay on the two year cycle for the national workshop. Jake McKenzie talked with Ed Jordon and Kathy Kronopolis and conveyed the need for continuing the two year meeting cycle and our appreciation to EPA for supporting the meetings. The conversation was a very positive one.
Barry Brennen presented Mac Horton with a gavel in appreciation of his term as AAPSE President. Mac presented another gavel to Mary as the new president. There was no other old business.
Discussion of the spring AAPCO/AAPSE meeting. The dates would be the same as last year in Arlington, VA. The issue of adding a separate day for AAPSE to meet will be discussed by the program committee in cooperation with APPCO. Jake McKenzie will discuss this with the AAPCO committee and will resolve the issue before the full SFIREG meeting. Mary will contact Mary Ellen Setting and Punk Bonner to coordinate meetings.
Mary indicated that AAPSE will establish a permanent archive for AAPSE materials at Virginia Tech (Mike Weaver had volunteered his services in Board meeting). There were no objections from the membership.
It was suggested that we add several new working groups including sustainable agriculture, non-agricultural/urban pesticide use. Jim Dill suggested adding sustainable agriculture to IPM. No further discussion followed.
A discussion was raised on fund raising. This would be taken up by the publicity and other appropriate committees and board. A group photo was announced for the next afternoon. A brief discussion on membership fees was forwarded to the membership committee. Another suggestion involved the development of an AAPSE newsletter. Fred Whitford volunteered Purdue to handle the newsletter twice yearly. Another suggestion was for the nomination committee to recognized old pesticide coordinators. Most of these new business items will be handled by committees and handled during the 1996 meeting in Arlington, VA.
John Impson handed out and discussed a fact sheet on the HELPS program (new name for PAT).
Meeting was adjourned.
Submitted by Mike Weaver, AAPSE Secretary. 3/12/96 (at 1996 Annual Business Meeting).