Annual General Meeting Recap…

Last Sunday’s Annual Meeting was well-attended by about 40 CMNA members. After some light refreshments, we received reports from our Board of Directors. Colin Hocking, our president, provided a review of the association year. Our treasurer, Stephanie Cantle, presented the financial report. Nicki Turano, Events Chair, previewed upcoming events we can expect, and Noel Williams delivered updates to our membership numbers and shared highlights of her time as Membership Chair as she ends her service on the board.

We welcomed new board members: Nicki Turano will add Vice President to her role as Events Chair, Elizabeth Bray is our new Membership Chair, Julie Gillett is our Secretary, we have two new Members at Large, Mike Southgate and Dianne Kincaid. And finally, Sarah Elaine Arnold (that’s me!) will serve as the Communications Committee Chair. For more thorough introductions to our Board, please visit the Meet Our Team page.

We also heard from Mallory Maher, the South Carolina Master Naturalist program coordinator, and learned that the Charleston Master Naturalists have contributed volunteer hours far and beyond our other SC regions! The reporting year for Mallory is ongoing (the Clemson fiscal year is July-June) so please remember to record those volunteer hours and maybe we can keep our lead. A brief summary and link to her recorded presentation can be found in our News blog.

The real highlight of our time together was celebrating Valerie Luzadder’s incredible contributions to education and conservation here in the Lowcountry. This year’s recipient of the Carl Cole Service Award, Valerie’s dedication has really exemplified Carl’s legacy. For more information please see our Carl Cole Service Award page, and our post recognizing Valerie.

We ended our meeting indoors with a very fun raffle with items donated by the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, the Charleston National History Society, and Colin Hocking. And then of course, no meeting of naturalists is complete without a ramble outdoors. Kristina Wheeler led us on a small loop and we examined the fruit of a red maple, chatted about backyard birds, and witnessed a tree full of rows of yellow-bellied sapsucker holes. I’m already looking forward to next year’s General meeting!