Minutes from March 3, 2005 Meeting

MASKGI Meeting Minutes:
Date: March 3, 2005
Location: Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport
Attendees: Dave Legere, Laura Carter, Bill Baker, Jodi Miller, Ben Fuller, Chuck Herrick, Dave Lenz, Robert Shaw, Jeff Walls, Jon Wescott, Dave Mention (MITA), Jeff Strout, Lt. Kevin King (USCG), Alice Bean Andrenyak, Scott Shea (with an intern, Andrew), Natatlie Springuel (Maine Sea Grant) and Karen Francoeur

Leadership Reports

President Report: David Legere

Rack Cards:

to be printed with 4 less members
same printing company
amount: 6,000
As soon as the new rack cards come out Maskgi members are asked to dispose of 04 brochures

Website:

Outfitters alphabetized
Individual member list needs to be updated so that outfitters owners will be on both lists
Progress of tasks at hand to be posted on website (ie. Radar Trials, etc)

Upcoming events

Jersey Paddler Show: March 18-20. Jeff Walls, Dave Legere will volunteer, brochures will be taken, please make sure that we have plenty of your brochures before March 17th to take to the show.
Paddle Smart Safety Symposium: May 14 Looking for volunteers for booth
Cape Elizabeth Paddle Safety Symposium, March 26 Friday
New England paddle Sport Show, April 19, payment made $100 (Karen will be contact)

Vice President’s Report: David Lenz

Accepting Position
Insurance issues

Treasurer's Report: Laura Carter

Amount taken in: $ 1,530.00
Current Balance $ 4,532.53

Secretary's Report: Karen Francouer

Last meeting notes presented and accepted

Membership Report: Ben Fuller

28 paid individuals & 19 Outfitters paid (still 4 outfitters not paid)
Outfitters that have not renewed: Maine Sport, Compass Rose, H2Outfitters, Frozen Paddler. May have new outfitter member as well, Sea Myst. ( payment received by Maine Sport prior to posting minutes)

MITA Update: Dave Mention (Dave’s contact at MITA is trail@mita.org)

Mita has hired new office manager: Trish
New Director of Marketing: Tom Franklin
New Trail Director: Dave Mention
Major Fund Raiser: Karen Stimpson
Closing the Rockland Office /will be located in Portland
Increase marketing
Three Areas of Focus for MITA

Access to islands
Education of Users
Conservation

Ways that MITA Supports Maskgi

Directs folks to Maskgi Website in support of Guides supporting MITA goals
Distributes the Maskgi brochures at events

Dave will check into the Fragile Islands Brochure which members felt was a very useful

Maine Coast Protections Initiative: Dave Mention

Dave discussed being at a land trust meeting that involved Land Trust organizations to partner.
Dave Suggested MASKGI showing its support as a supporting organizations
To show support organization can become supporting organizations by writing a letter that includes … on their letter head “supports the goals of the Maine Protection Organization”
Benefit to MASKGI would be to join the table of key members
Dave Mention will send notes to MASKGI for review
Looking for support by May 1st.
Three Goals:

Increase the pace of conservation of land along the coast
Protecting Scenic areas and helping organizations to pool resources
Funding and Public Support

Coast Guard Report: Kevin King

New Representive who will be working closely with Al Johnson.

Recent Incidents:

Kennebunk - Two kayaks capsize and had to swim to shore - presented by Scott Shea

2 paddlers ended up in the water unable to get back into boat and swam to shore
Media did not promote safety message
Media had incorrect information
Article include message of survival rate of 2 hours….. Members felt that is an incorrect message that should not be distributed
Maskgi was not contacted as a source of safety message
Membership agreed that we need to work on an accessible safety message

Swannee Florida: presented by David Legere

2 teenage boys died in Florida, lost from group and died of exposure
This was a supervised camping adventure for a school group
Weather was report was not heavy weighted

Radar Report: Natalie Springel

Conducted Tests in 3 Settings with controls in place
Results: Click here for PDF version of Results

The most consistent Radar seen was a foil hat with the least distance variable
Found that the radar did not seem to be effected much by calm or choppy seas perhaps due to height
Boat visibility dropped off significantly after about .17 of a mile and almost completely at .3 of a mile.

Plans for information is to be disseminated to Paddling magazines as well as fisherman and boating Magazines and publications. Ideas and contacts can be sent to Natalie.

Logo Samples: David Legere

Thanks to all that contributed designs to be considered: Chuck Herrick, David Legere, Jeff Walls, Ben Fuller, Alice Bean Andreyan and one other design with a paddler (please let me know who presented this one so that I can properly thank for the help). Click here to see some of the designs we had to work with.
Many Samples were presented and commented on
Patches were voted on and two were voted on to go back to make some changes

MASKGI’s Future Goals, Mission and Focus: Just some food for thought at the close of the meeting. Before we prioritize what we really want to accomplish this year, lets take a good look at what we do well as a association and what we should focus on independantly. I would like to see the many excellent ideas that have been presented in the past come to reality, but many of the educational and outreach components could be better served at the outfitter level with the backing of MASKGI as the non-profit to sponsor these events through grant funding.

Dave suggested leaving education to outfitters and members

Suggested that Maskgi can be the non-profit overseer of grants written and granted for educational endeavors. Outfitters will be paid to promote their events if they are willing to write the grants and submit them through MASKGI.

Maskgi should be a voice at the State Level
Safety Programs: such as Sink or Float Programs developed by Castine Kayak should be emphasized at Symposiums,
Public Awareness through PSA’s
Legislation and Advocacy Issues: for safer boats with Manufacturers
Trade Shows: great opportunity to pool resources together and collaboratively market our Maine offerings.
Marketing
Promote Outfitter

Announcements:

Hearing about Casco Bay hand carried boats being banned from launch point - Alice Bean Andrenyak

March 28 7:00pm Brunswick Atrium at Cook’s Corner
Location: Mire Point Launch
Plan for parking for boats without trailers has been taken out of the plan.
Dock is environmentally challenging as it is in an eel grass bed

Baywide Management Meeting - Natalie Springuel

March 16th, 6pm At Ellsworth High School:
Meeting - looking for input from coastal users
For more information on the study, go to http://www.state.me.us/dmr/baystudy/baystudy.htm or call Lorraine Lessard at 207-287-1486.

Things To Do:

Create Links with paddling organizations with Maskgi Website
Authorize printers to send Rack card to the presses ( need to rush order to be completed by March 16th so that we may have them for the NJ Paddlesport 2005 show)
Update individual members listing on website
Gather promotional items from outfitter members for the upcoming tradeshows.
NJ Paddlesport 2005 Show
Cape Elizabeth Sea Kayak Safety Seminar

Motions:

Made to do 6,000 brochures with same company - PASSED
Eliminate Credit Card Payment Option for membership - PASSED

Checks Issued:

$100 to Kittery Trading Booth (to Kittery Trading Post)