Sierra Nevada Logging Museum

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

July 26, 2011

Meeting was called to order at 1: 07 by President Ginny

Those in attendance were , Ginny Kafka, Jim Behm, John Hofstetter, Pat Bradley, Pat Johnson, Bob Ash, Sharon Ash, Helen Tardif, and Mike Skenfield. Gaylord was somewhere in the wings, working away on a tall ladder.

Correspondence: Ginny said that she had sent a letter to Probation to tell them how well their juveniles worked at the museum. She also wrote the vintners to ask them if they would like to provide wines for the Jamboree. She said that there were negative comments at last year’s Jamboree about the Charles Shaw that was served. John, who believes in the power of the mind, said to himself that the label meant way more than the taste of the wine.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved after a motion by John and a second by Sharon.

Treasurer’s report: The report was approved after a motion by John and a second by Bob.

John reported that the plan to use Tina’s services to invoice CCOG for the Shay expenses was working very well. He also said that Tina’s entering of the memberships as they were received was also going very well. Tina is doing the invoicing at no additional charge to the Friends, and is charging us for her time doing the memberships. As of about the 23^rd of July, John reported that we had taken in about $2200 in memberships, in addition to some various generous donations.

Pat Johnson for the White Pines Park: Pat said that tickets for the raffle had been mailed to postal patrons as far west as Hathaway Pines. The raffle will be held at the Logging Jamboree, but tickets for that raffle will not be sold at that time. Pat described the generous donation by the Meadowmont Homeowners to both the Park and the Arnold Library. There was lengthy discussion both at this time and later in the meeting about the seemingly unsolvable problem of park garbage.

New Director Appointed: There was discussion about the fact that many of our directors haven’t been to meetings of the Board for a number of times. Our by-laws state that a director that misses three consecutive meetings will lose his/her directorship. No action was taken at this time, but Helen Tardif was reappointed to the Board and Pat Bradley was asked if she would return to the Board also. She gave no definite answer, but made a facial expression that seemed to indicate that she was going to decline. She muttered something about overtaxing one’s worker bee, and we understand that. We’ll see what she decides. In the meantime, directors who have not made meetings are going to have to decide on making more of an effort to attend, or give up their directorships.  We have to have a quorum to conduct business and we need to conduct business.

Exhibit Chair Report: Mike reported on the signs that will describe the outdoor exhibits. He has the sign production underway, and also the posts to hold the signs during the good-weather season are being built. John moved and Bob seconded a motion that was then approved to authorize Mike to proceed with due haste with the sign production as he now has it planned. In follow-up discussion the limbing saw that propels itself up and down the tree came up. Mike said that he wasn’t planning a sign for that exhibit, but the Board, after discussion about the item’s popularity with visitors asked Mike to include such a sign. Ginny will give Mike the information we have about the device.

While we were meeting, Gaylord was finishing the lighting improvements for the Incline exhibit and the area just under the huge Styrofoam chain saw.

USFS Report: Jim reported on the removal of hazard trees and the clearing of “stuff” along Highway 4, making the drive much more pleasant, as well as creating just a narrow strip of healthier forest. Jim has called out the U.S. Marines to do campground development at Union and Utica reservoirs. Jim donated two primers of forest management written by Gifford Pinchot in the very early 1900’s. The two little books are in very good condition and should be a wonderful addition to our historic Forest Service artifacts.

He indicated that the USFS would be at the Jamboree. He then discussed the bridge across San Antonio Creek that would make possible a complete walking trail around White Pines Lake and also give additional access to the Arnold Rim Trail. He said that $5000 was needed to produce an EIR, the first step toward actually building the bridge. Discussion indicated that the $5000 probably would have to come from a number of interested groups including ours.

Old Business:

Shay: The boiler is gone thanks to incredible work by a number of people. Bob Ash was able to get the 5 trees cut and moved so that the crane could reach the boiler. Ron has indicated that when the crane is back to put the boiler in place, it will place our new-to-us flatcar in place also. Ron and his boys did an incredible amount of work meeting the deadline for the crane arrival. Patrick, in addition to some helpers that he brought, also worked on the project. The volunteer, Doug, who was injured when he fell off the locomotive, has retained a lawyer, and our insurance company has told us to refer anything dealing with the accident to them. John made a valuable contribution to the project by looking at all the big studs that had broken off instead of just giving up their nuts, and shaking his head at the thought of drilling all those out and replacing them.

New Bleachers: The seats are ready and the iron supports are too, so will get done before the Jamboree.

Trail Progress: The ADA trail is going to be finished well before the Jamboree if our Bill Kafka doesn’t do himself in by working so hard. He just keeps doing one big project after another, no make that one big project while working on another. Amazing man that guy.

Pencil Repair: Bob Ash is going to repair the pencil. John will bring him some epoxy wood to fill in what is missing on the pencil.

Docent training: Pat reported that she has found no new docents, and needs some rather badly.

Jamboree: Everything was coming together for the Jamboree as far as we know.

New Business:    

Big Chain Saw Exhibit: The Kafka men have a log in place that will hold some of our collection of large chain saws, somewhat like the Dale Brooks small chain saw exhibit. This exhibit is funded by Ron Bradley memorial funds and will be known as the Ron

Bradley Chain Saw Exhibit.

Executive Director: Sharon moved, Bob seconded, and a motion was passed to name John Hofstetter as Executive Director of the FLM. John explained that he neither wanted or needed more responsibility, and didn’t want to boss people around (except for Ginny, and she won’t let him) any more after having done that for so many years, but could use the title when dealing with paper-work kinds of things. For example, he has been issuing purchase orders indicating that his authority to do so was because he was Acting Secretary Against His Will, a mighty impressive title. It worked at Redman Manufacturing and Equipment when John issued a P.O. for $40,000, but didn’t work for a letter to the editor at the Union Democrat.

Books: John showed two books for children that had been sent to him. The Board told John to order 100 of the coloring books and 10 of the non-coloring books.

Pickering Display: John said that he had been sent many slides and pdf’s of the Pickering Lumber Company and the West Side Lumber Company by Gerald French, author of “When Steam was King”. John and  Mike had agreed that showing them much the same way as we show the Pino Grande photos would probably be the best way to exhibit them. John moved, Sharon seconded, and a motion was passed to spend up to $1000 for a computer capable of mounting on the wall that would show the photos.

Sugar Pines: We had made a commitment to CCWD to replace the trees that were cut down for the Shay work with Sugar Pines. Steve Kafka will arrange for us to get the trees and see to planting them properly.

Angie’s Suggested Liability Policies and Form: Time and brain fatigue has probably overtaken the Board members and a discussion of Angie’s work was put off until the next meeting.

Next Board Meeting   August 23rd, 2011

Meeting adjourned at 2:48 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary, now Executive Director. As Executive Director, John, I hereby order you to resign as secretary, to be replaced by someone competent, which would be a change.

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

June 28, 2011

Meeting was called to order at 1:10 by Vice President Bob Ash.

Those in attendance were , Jim Behm, John Hofstetter, Pat Bradley, Donna Hanan, Bob Ash, Sharon Ash, and Angie Thompson.

Correspondence: Pat Bradley didn’t mention, but would like to now, that the Blue Lake Springs Homeowners Association held a money raiser and sent us a check for $187.  Our thanks to them for remembering us.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved after a motion by John and a second by Donna.

Treasurer’s report The report was approved after a motion by John and a second by Donna. John brought up two areas of the Shay Grant accounting that need attention. He suggested that we ask Tina, our bookkeeper to handle receiving our invoices and in turn invoice the County. This would mean paying her a stipend for the year and a half, or two years, that the project would be generating expenses. John’s aim here was to expedite the handling of the paper work, allowing Ron to know exactly where his invoices should go, and also allow all of us to know that invoicing the county would happen expeditiously. The second item involving Tina, if she agrees, would be to pay her for a couple of months to enter memberships and donations into our museum data base as she receives the checks. Richard has done this for a couple of years now, but he really doesn’t type and it has been a big chore for him. At the end of a couple of months, Richard and John can take over and enter memberships as they trickle in. These two concepts were included in the motion to approve the treasurer’s report.

Follow –up with Tina (Not really part of the minutes)

I talked with Tina this morning and she seems favorable to entering memberships for the limited time necessary. If she does this for us, she will do it at the museum because …….  well because it’s good for us and good for her. Tina already has the software to do the purchase orders and the invoices for the Shay grant. She will do both of these tasks for us. After I send out these minutes, I’m going to outline a procedure for Ron and Tina, a procedure that meets the requirements of the county and is as direct and simple as this can be.

Bob Ash for the White Pines Park: The Park will have to make some improvements to make access to the park and in particular the play area accessible for handicapped persons. He could have pointed out that the Park wants to avoid having mobility devices end up looking as beat up as John’s scooter which he believes can go anywhere, and the scooter ended up looking as if it had been everywhere. Bob also talked about raffle tickets going on sale in July and culminating in a drawing at the Logging Jamboree.

Exhibit Chair Report: Bob said that he had talked with Mike Skenfield and Mike said that he was working on post designs for the signs on the outdoor equipment. Mike wondered if we needed signs for Dale’s chainsaw exhibit and/or the Memorial Wall. The Board agreed that neither of those exhibits needed explanation but someone suggested that a tag with the date of each chainsaw would be a neat addition. John’s opinion for what it’s worth: Sounds like a lot of research but would be a great piece of information.

USFS Report: Before his report, Jim showed us a poster that he was donating to the museum. It was a fire prevention poster from 1917 (I think), and the artist who made this poster had also made the WW1 poster with Uncle Sam pointing his finger and telling young men that he needed them. Guess who the forester in the picture looks like?  Dead ringer. Jim also made a very generous cash donation to the museum. Jim talked about how few campgrounds would be open for the 4^th of July because of snow and ice on campgrounds that should be summery and ready for camping.  He talked about how short handed the district was and how hazard trees were being identified slowly because of the lack of manpower. Utica and Union Lakes will be getting new campgrounds shortly.

 

Old Business:

Shay: The work days on the Shay were discussed including the accident to one of the volunteers. The need to get at least a couple of the trees removed before the crane comes in was discussed, and Bob is working on getting the trees out before the 12^th when the boiler will be removed and sent south. As it turns out, we shouldn’t have removed the protective fence until the work was further along. Missed communication, no body’s fault, but a problem with which we have to deal. We have more of the insurance company’s suggested signs which Bob will put up on the Shay.  While we were discussing liability, Angie talked to us about Corporate liability. This talk resulted in us asking her to give us a suggested liability policy ranging from an overall policy statement to specific project liability. (liability releases after safety training) John’s interpretation of the latter: Ron and/or Patrick would discuss how to work safely on the Shay, then ask volunteers to sign a statement that they had received safety instruction and release the museum from liability.

New Bleachers: The seats are ready and the iron supports are too (I think) so will get done before the Jamboree.

Company Store: We sell almost nothing out of the store. But we know that the store adds a dimension to our museum, so we don’t want to eliminate it. John moved, Donna seconded, and a motion passed to have a 20% off all merchandise through Labor Day. John is to have a banner made advertising this.

Pencil Repair: In the thinking stage right now.

New Business:

We talked about but took no action on a variety of topics, the need to clean up the pine needles, the recent donations particularly the large amount donated in Pete Bowman’s name, the need for more docents, the Jamboree, Bob’s striping of the parking lot, the bridge across the creek, and miscellaneous other items.  In particular, the bridge seems to be an amazing bureaucratic puzzle. It seems so simple to know that we should have a bridge across the creek so that the trail around the lake is complete. Simple it is not. A year ago the minutes said that Fish and Game seemed to be the big problem, we’re not sure what agencies are the biggest problem now.

Next Board Meeting   July 26, 2011

Meeting adjourned at 3:00 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

May 24, 2011

Meeting was called to order at 1:05 by President Ginny

Those in attendance were John Hofstetter, Pat Bradley, Ginny Kafka, Donna Hanan, Helen Tardif, Mike Skenfield, LuAnn Fulton, Sue Harmuth, Ron Glass, and Ted Shannon

Correspondence: Ginny read a letter from the Forest Foundation inviting attendance at their upcoming event.  Perhaps Mike Skenfield and Ted Shannon will attend.

Minutes of the previous meeting:  were approved after a motion by John and a second by LuAnn.

Treasurer’s report: Treasurer Jim was not present, but Tina’s report was.

Pat Johnson for the White Pines Park:  Pat was not in attendance.

Exhibit Chair Report: Mike showed examples of possible signs for the outdoor exhibits. The Board liked the idea of line drawings on the signs. John moved and Sue seconded a motion that was approved to authorize up to $2500 for the production and installation of the new signs. Mike’s plan is to have the signs removable in winter.

USFS Report: Jim was not present. Probably in Maui again.

Old Business:

Trees for display: Mike reminded Ron Glass that we were still in need of two fake trees for the interior exhibits. Ron said that he had one and that he needed a real log in order to make the other exhibit piece. Ginny will contact Dave Finn to see if we can use a log that he has. Mike stated that we needed a simulated tree about 24 “ in diameter and 16 feet long, or in this case high.

Shay: Ron Glass talked about the Shay restoration. He said that replacing the tubes in the boiler was not necessary at this time, the boiler can be rebuilt and certified without them. He said that Patrick was incorrect in his belief that the boiler could be used for storage of the compressed air to run the engines and blow the whistle. Ron is going to contact Melissa Eads of COG to ensure that he puts together the schedule and other necessary paper work correctly. He will also confirm what the Board believes Melissa said at the Shay meeting in regard to the invoices being paid by COG as they are sent in. John moved, Donna seconded, and the motion was approved to adopt the Financial Statement of Intent attached to the end of these minutes. The Board wants to be on record that no museum funds will be used for the locomotive. The statement asserts that if we fall behind schedule or in any other way endanger the payment, by the grant, of invoices, the Board will drop the restoration project. The Board indicated that it supports the restoration, but cannot allow that project to endanger having enough funds for the museum to continue its operation into the future. We certainly thank Ron for taking the time to come to the meeting in spite of his working in the Bay Area.

Memorial names: I said in last month’s minutes, “Our county’s names have mostly come to us through the hard work of a gentleman whose name I have forgotten. We appreciate his efforts so very much.”  His name is Don Ames and he resides in Glencoe.

Trail Progress: Thanks to Bill Kafka and his trips to the County Fair, we have the timbers needed to complete the trail. He is planning on completing that project shortly. Thanks Bill for all you do.

New Flat Car and Removal of Trees: It said in the last minutes and the minutes before that, that the flat car should be arriving before you got those minutes. Ron Glass talked about the flat car, although he had no delivery date. He talked about the removal of 5 trees in front of the Shay that would make the placing of the flat car easier, and also allow for better viewing of the Shay. Later in the meeting Forester, Mike Skenfield told us about the condition of the 5 trees and that they should be removed, leaving only the healthy dominant trees.  John moved, LuAnn seconded, and a motion was passed authorizing Ron and a forester that he is hiring to meet with Joone Lopez, General Manager of CCWD, to present the advisability of removing the trees. Mike Skenfield offered to help if he is needed.

New Bleachers: Ginny reports that new bleachers would be installed before the Jamboree.

Repair Pencil: Richard has made no progress on the pencil. Sue will ask Jim Harmuth if he would undertake the project. John uses a lot of epoxy filler in his various projects and thinks that would make an ideal long-lasting repair. He offered to give advice as needed.

Stripe new Parking Area: Bob is going to do this for us. The Board and other visitors to the meeting sent their heartfelt condolences to Ashes for the loss of Bob’s mother.

Angie’s Trail: Ginny showed the new “Angie’s Trail” sign that will be attached to the beginning of the trail.

New Business:

Clean-up Day: This upcoming Saturday and Sunday, probably before you get a chance to read the minutes, will be clean-up days for the museum.

Report on the Meeting with CCOG: John reported that he, and probably we, were well pleased by the meeting with CCOG and County officials in that the scope and use of the grant funds seemed to get clarified. It seems to now leave the project in our control as long as we follow the schedule we develop. There are no matching funds involved.

Brakes on our Loader: Everett has completed the repair of the brakes on our loader. The cost for parts was $102, about a quarter of what we expected. Discussion after the meeting resulted in authorization of a $100 gift certificate from Big Trees Market for Everett.

Docents: We certainly need more docents if we are going to keep the museum open on the days it is supposed to be open.  Pat announced that on June 5 from 12 noon to 4 pm there will be a birthday party at the museum for 92 year old John Wells. At 1:30 that day, John will do a quick lesson for docents on operation of the electronic displays in the museum. Following that, Mike Skenfield will do a lesson on the use of the Biltmore Stick.

Logging Jamboree: Ginny, Jim Harmuth, and Sue Harmuth will chair the Jamboree this year. They                   have a meeting scheduled, on a date that I didn’t get down.

Bridge Across the Creek: A bridge that would allow for circumnavigation of the Lake is being planned and will be built on Forest Service land once all the necessary bureaucratic stuff is completed.

Barrier for Memorial Wall: Jim Harmuth has suggested that in order to protect the wall, a couple of barrier poles be erected. Bill Kafka will do that

Next Board Meeting:  June 28, 2011

Nancy Eileen Muleady-Mecham’s visual tour of her adventures in Siberia at the Museum on May 10^th lived up to our expectations and more so. Thanks for sharing, Nancy.

Committee Reports: There were no reports except those done earlier in the agenda and minutes.

Discussion:  Obviously there was lots of discussion, none of it at this point.

Meeting adjourned at 2:50 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

  Statement of Intent

Friends of the Logging Museum

As adopted by the Board of Directors, May 24, 2011

 Although Board members have differing views of the importance of the Shay project, we all want the final result to be an artifact that we can be proud to show and demonstrate.

However, our primary concern must be to keep the museum operating and improving, and in order to ensure that that happens, we must protect the funds that are entrusted to us in order to accomplish that.

Therefore we assert that no funds other than those already in the Shay account will be expended on the locomotive restoration by the Board.

Furthermore, if the schedule that ensures that CalTrans will reimburse our invoices for work done on the Shay, is not adhered to, the Board will immediately halt the project and return unused funds to the County.

We also want to acknowledge the enthusiasm and work of Patrick Karnahan and Ron Glass in the project thus far, and for what we expect them to accomplish in the upcoming months, but they as the leaders of the project need to be aware that the protection of museum operating funds is even more important to this Board than the completion of the Shay restoration.

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

April 26, 2011

Meeting was called to order at 1:05 by President Ginny

Those in attendance were, Pat Johnson, John Hofstetter, Pat Bradley, Ginny Kafka, Donna Hanan, Helen Tardif, Richard Small, Mike Skenfield, Bob Ash, Sharon Ash, and Jim Behm

Correspondence: Ginny gave Pat Bradley numerous letters that had come in with donations in memoriam of Ron Bradley.

Minutes of the previous meeting:  were approved after a motion by Bob and a second by Donna.

Treasurer’s report: Treasurer Jim was not present, but Tina’s report was. The report was approved after a motion by Bob and a second by John.  Tina was complimented again for doing a great job for us. There was discussion about the items being sold, or given away, in the store and the need for us to keep some kind of accounting on those items for the purpose of paying the correct amount of sales tax. There also was discussion about the fact that the store probably loses money because of FLM discounting heavily items that are not selling, such as VHS tapes. It was discussed that if we are not losing substantial amounts of money in the store that the good will and knowledge gained about the museum might well be worth the cost. No action was taken. John  moved, Bob seconded and a motion was approved to buy a stock of Nancy’s Park Ranger books.

Pat Johnson for the White Pines Park:  Pat says that the park had a “good vibes” meeting and that things were going well for the park in general, although the several donation boxes fail to attract donations. Pat said that the Veterans presented a flag to the park. Not having to do with the park, but Pat said that the library system needs $6000 from the Arnold area to maintain adequate services.

Exhibit Chair Report:  After being congratulated for his part in the new Incline exhibit, Mike S. mentioned again that we were in need of two simulated trees, one for the scaling exhibit and one for the faller exhibit. Permanent signs for the outdoor exhibits were discussed and Mike is going to get with our new sign maker to come up with a best way, and a price to do the project that way.

USFS Report: Jim reported that the Feds are rolling in money and that anything the museum needed would be immediately forthcoming. You don’t remember him saying that? Maybe your secretary-against-his-will heard him incorrectly. Your secretary does remember for sure that Jim has been spending an inordinate amount of time in Maui.

Old Business:

Shay: Bob presented a summary of where he believes we stand on the Shay renovation. Bob moved, John seconded, and that report was accepted as the position statement that FLM takes in regard to the Shay renovation, with the deletion of the replacement of the boiler tubes. There was discussion in regard to running the Shay very short distances and enabling the use of the whistle with compressed air. John talked about the possibility of putting the air storage tank inside the boiler and using an external compressor to “air up” the system.

Memorial names: Ginny reported that we have gotten many more names of fallen loggers and that their names are being added to the memorial wall. We’ve gotten some cooperation from some of the areas we represent, but only Mariposa County was in a position to give us a list of names along with a description of what happened to each logger. Our county’s names have mostly come to us through the hard work of a gentleman whose name I have forgotten. We appreciate his efforts so very much.

Trail Progress: Ginny reported that her Bill would be working on completing the trail on our grounds probably after the Kafkas get back from Alaska. Angie’s Trail will be marked with flat signs screwed to the trail retaining timbers, thereby avoiding more sticking-out-of-the-ground obstructions. Jim Behm said that the trail making tractor may be coming back to our area, and probably would be available to work on our trail extensions.

Donations: Ginny reported that about $1500 had been donated to FLM in the name of Ron Bradley. So, even when he is gone, he continues to serve his museum. There were also very generous donations from the Arnold Angels and the Arnold Lions. I (we) continue to be amazed by the generosity of the community and the other friends of the logging museum.

New Flat Car: It said in the last minutes that the flat car should be arriving before you got those minutes. Let me repeat that with a change in tense. (These two sentences are directly from the December minutes) Still no flat car, but certainly the weather has been prohibitive.

New Bleachers: Ginny reports that Bill and others are going to install still more bleachers in the amphitheater, probably after the return from Alaska by the Kafkas.

Repair Pencil: Richard is going to repair the rotting pencil at our entrance.

Woodpeckers: Ginny showed the spiders that Bill K. has installed on the museum outside walls. They respond to noise by dropping several feet down and then slowly climbing back up into position.

New Business:

Clean-up Day: At this time, we’re pretty sure that we’ll need to have a day to clean up the areas around the bleachers, the trails, the parking area and others. However, we’re not sure enough about what outside groups may be able to do for us, and when the weather will allow us to work effectively, so no specific date was selected.

Brakes on our Loader: We will ask Everett to look at the loader and give us a price to repair the brakes. Don’t let Everett know that the loader is nearly invaluable to us, so that he gives us a very reasonable price.

Docents: We certainly need more docents if we are going to keep the museum open on the days it is supposed to be open.

White Pines Lake Sand: Bob moved, ??? seconded, and a motion was approved to donate $100 to buy sand for the Lake.

Logging Jamboree: Ginny, Jim Harmuth, and Sue Harmuth will chair the Jamboree this year.

Stripe Parking Lot: Ginny asked Bob, and Bob agreed to stripe the part of the museum parking lot that is not striped.

Angie’s Trail: See old business. Angie Thompson is supporting monetarily the development and upkeep of the trails on the museum grounds. Signs marking the trails were authorized, by general agreement of the Board.

Bridge Across the Creek: A bridge that would allow for circumnavigation of the Lake is being planned and will be built on Forest Service land once all the necessary bureaucratic stuff is completed.

Sweat Shirt for Bill Wakefield: Richard had been making wonderful Logging Museum sweat shirts with a picture of the old logger Bill Wakefield (and Carl Fields) splitting a big log on the back. The Board by general acclamation agreed to authorize Richard to make a sweat shirt specifically for Bill. Estimated cost is $50.

Keys: Ginny reminded everyone that the museum has been re-keyed and docents will need one of the new keys in order to get into the museum.

Newsletter: Not too surprisingly, our newsletter this year will focus on the life and contributions of Ron Bradley. We’ll also have an article on the El Portal Incline to go along with our new exhibit. Thank you Stu and Mike for producing such a wonderful exhibit. Besides being a wonderful model maker, Stu has the connections and prestige to get us things like the endless loop DVD that accompanies the exhibit. Probably to no one’s surprise, John H’s contribution was announcing that our next exhibit should be one on the Incline and convincing (not hard) the Board to fund it. Mike developed the concept and Stu built the exhibit and got the necessary film rights. Mikes explanatory sign, in John’s opinion was very well done. Jan has asked that I quit praising Mike as he is already hard enough to live with, so no more compliments. Thanks, Stu, for a much more impressive job than even we who know your skills expected.

Next Board Meeting:  May 24, 2011

Nancy Eileen Muleady-Mecham’s visual tour of her adventures in Siberia at the Museum on May 10^th, at 1:00 pm. Every one welcome. As a special attraction, the first 35 attendees will have the opportunity to purchase either of Nancy’s books at a 10% discount.

Committee Reports: There were no reports except those done earlier in the agenda and minutes.

Discussion:  Obviously there was lots of discussion, none of it at this point.

Meeting adjourned at 3:05 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

FRIENDS of THE LOGGING MUSEUM, BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Meeting of April 5, 2011

(March meeting intended but postponed because of snow)

President Ginny Kafka called the meeting to order at 1:00pm. Those in attendance were Ron Glass, Patrick Karnahan, Jim Behm, Richard Small, LuAnn Fulton, Sue & Jim Harmuth, Ginny, Bob Ash & Pat Bradley. Minutes of the previous meeting and the Treasurer’s Report were approved. (Ginny mentioned that $500-$600 has already been earned following the $45,000, invested last Fall at Edward R. Jones in Murphys.)

SHAY UPDATE: Scott Maas is no longer on the COCG Board but is still very interested in restoring the Shay’s engine, boiler, etc. The coming grant will amount to $111,000, and must be spent by 2013. The amount will also include wages for paid restorers of the Shay. Ron Glass is interested in knowing the difference in cost if the boiler is worked on locally or sent away. Steve Bechtel of Tuolumne County voluntarily built the “logger’s cabin” for FLM. It was unanimously agreed that Bechtel would be a likely candidate to act as supervisor of the Shay’s restoration; Ginny asked Patrick if he would contact Bechtel about this. A call was placed to Chris Allen during the meeting; Allen estimated the work required to satisfy being “State certificated” would take about three months….hopefully during the summer months ahead. Patrick will be the publicity contact with mike Taylor of the Enterprise. Ron Glass suggested that Ginny call CCWD. Ginny wil have the fence taken down.

USFS, Jim Behm: Jim said that the USFS has about 50 older picnic tables which will be restored and donated to FLM.

OLD BUSINESS: The Museum locks have been changed; hence the need for new keys which Ginny has had made. There will be just one place to record the names of those to whom keys are given and that will be in the FLM Accession Ledger. There have been about twelve new names added to the Memorial; many profiles of these men have been put in an album, available to the public. Re Trail Progress, CCC boys in Vallecito will be available again.

NEW BUSINESS: The new FLM season opened on April 3, thanks to Bill & Ginny; in spite of all the snow, they had 6 very enthusiastic visitors. A date is needed to be picked for spring cleanup on site. The pencil needs help; part of it has rotted. Richard said he has left over paint and will work on it. The new inside display recently installed by Stu Heller and Bill Kafka is beautiful and very unique. More than $1,400, was donated in memory of Ron Bradley. Other recent donations include $650, (Arnold Lions) & $200, (Arnold Angels). It was approved that a presentation could be made by Nancy Muleady Mecham, on May 10, at 1:00pm in the Museum of her Fulbright Scholarship trip to Siberia where she taught several subjects for more than a month. Sue announced that on June 4, the Arnold Moose is holding a beach party fund-raiser. The next BLM Board meeting will be April 26, 2011; meeting adjourned at 2:35pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Pat Bradley, FLM Substitute Secretary

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

Oct. 26, 2010

Meeting was called to order at 12:55 by President Ginny

Those in attendance were, Pat Johnson, John Hofstetter, Pat Bradley, Ron Bradley, LuAnn Fulton, Ginny Kafka, Donna Hanan, Helen Tardif, Richard Small, Mike Skenfield, Travis Glass, Bob Ash, Sharon Ash, and special invitees, Sabrina Julian and Barbara Larkin

Investment Conversation: The two ladies named above each gave a presentation on how we might invest some of our money in order to allow it to grow until we need it. Each presentation was well done. No action was taken at this time.

Correspondence: Pat Bradley read a letter from TuCare thanking Pat for her support. Pat talked about how informative the TuCare meetings are, and how much good TuCare does for the lumber industry, make that for sensible use and care of the forests.  Pat asked that the minutes encourage all its readers to participate in TuCare. I’m not sure how to get the minutes to do that, but consider your self encouraged.

Minutes of the previous meeting:  were approved after a motion by John and a second by Bob Ash.

Treasurer’s report: Treasurer Jim was not present, but Tina’s report was. The report was approved after a motion by John and a second by LuAnn.  Tina was complimented again for doing a great job for us. John mentioned that he thought that Angie’s request for specific accounting in regard to her $1000/year trail work was going to be a big job, but Tina had already indicated that this was something her software could easily do.

Pat Johnson for the White Pines Park:  Pat reports that the park is still being used even though it is officially closed. She stated that in regard to the constant improvement of the park the correct expression was, “Done Good!”  Your secretary-against-his-will is not responsible for linguistic lapses other than his own.

Exhibit Chair Report:  Mike S. pointed out that we were in need of two simulated trees, one for the scaling exhibit and one for the faller exhibit. Travis Glass said that he would pursue both projects. Mike went on to explain a possible new transportation exhibit showing the El Portal incline. He was authorized to pursue such an idea with Stu Heller, our model maker.  Mike said that Helen Miller had an historic map that would fit with his exhibit in the front of the museum. The Board felt that the map in that location would be an asset. John mentioned that the Outdoor Exhibit Binder should be a very useful tool for docents to use in understanding what we have on display out there. There are now photographs of each piece of equipment to aid in communication. There was considerable discussion on how best to display our proliferating memorial and honorary plaques.

USFS Report: Jim was not in attendance.

Old Business:

Update on memberships and donations: We continue to get memberships and donations, some of the donations being substantial amounts. After the meeting, John stayed and entered new rather-late memberships in the database. Interesting that most of them were Board members. I guess that Board members don’t read the membership parts of the newsletter. (giggle)

Membership income now approaches $5200.

Web site: John reported that the web site is still getting more information on it and continues to generate interest among its readers.

Shay Grant: Bob reported that there was no grant money appearing.

Trail Progress: We’re speaking of the trail to the outdoor exhibits, although the Rim Trail paving is done and looks great. Ginny had talked to Angie about naming the trail after her i.e. “Angie’s Trail”.  Angie said that she was honored and would contribute $1000 a year to the trail projects provided that we gave her an adequate accounting. John said that he would like the trail names to be on pieces of green material like many of the new house numbering signs are made of, and that they should be screwed flat to the retaining timbers of the trail.

Jamboree Report:  Tina’s calculations show that we had a net profit of about $5200 on the Jamboree. Bob said that Sue Waterman would donate a quilt for a future raffle, which would be a wonderful prize.

New Flat Car: It said in the last minutes that the flat car should be arriving before you got those minutes. Let me repeat that with a change in tense.

Dave Roberts: Pat reported that there will be a dedication ceremony for Dave on November 3^rd, at 2:00.

New Business:

Docent Dinner: This happened after the Board meeting, so technically shouldn’t be in the minutes of the meeting. However, it was very nice except for the fact that your secretary drank two glasses of wine and then came home to do the minutes. Well, now you will know. All the food was great, but John’s favorite was Helen’s tater salad. Wow!

Snagfaller’s Ball: November 6^th, starting at 5 pm. The Moose will cook tri-tip and all the other details seem to be under control. Board members and docents are asked to bring desserts. Pat Bradley, whose baby this has been for a long time, has done a great job getting the details taken care of. Even with the Moose, we will need member help that night. A special treat will be piano music to accompany dinner. I’ve forgotten the name of the pianist, but I’m sure that she is competent, well versed, and somewhat smaller than Swing Gitane’s singer/basketball star.

New Microphone: Ron purchased a new microphone for the sound system for $50. By the way, Bruce Tolakkson who had borrowed our PA system for a family wedding gave us a $50 donation.

Container and saws: Bill Kafka cleaned out our storage unit which was behind the ranger station, gave the dilapidated container to Ron Glass, salvaged the saws we wanted to keep, and came up with a plan for our electric saw and the generator that was in the container.

Bleacher Addition: John moved, Donna seconded a motion that was approved and authorized the purchase of the steel supports for our final section of bleachers.

Video Camera: John reported that Calaveras County Community Television (not peg access) had donated $275 for the purchase of a video camera. Someone asked what we were going to do with it, and John came up with some stuff that sounded pretty good. Admittedly, we already have equipment that doesn’t get much use, but a video camera that’s handy and easy to use could let us make some interesting “stuff”.  Editorial comment, not that there’s not been plenty of that already: We really should spend some time training our docents on how to use the equipment that we have. We have equipment available that our volunteers don’t even know we have. A good example of the need for some training is that the iMac that is running the Pino Grande photos loses its mind when the mouse is wiggled, leaving the screen without its slide show. Restoring the slide show is easy and even adults can do it.

Spiders for Woodpecker control: Bob Ash moved, Donna seconded, and the motion passed to purchase some fake spiders that may scare the woodpeckers away. The amount was about $125.

Expenditure Authorization: President Ginny asked that all except emergency expenditures be brought to the board for approval.

Tours: Mary Scott’s class will tour the museum on Nov. 4^th. Father Donohoe will visit the museum on Nov. 3^rd at 10:30.

Thanks: Thanks were extended to the Harmuths for Dales trees, to John Wells for about a 100 chicken dinners, Mark Luster from SPI for his presentation on sustainability, and Ted Shannon for, among other things, donating some Lars Sanders videos.

Memorial Names: Ginny reported that we had gotten a lot more names of fallen loggers from Mariposa County. Getting names from other counties is more difficult.

Re-key the door locks: New keys or new codes for the alarm system? It was decided to start with re-keying the locks. There was a lot of talk about being really careful about key issuing, but this is the kind of thing that an all-volunteer organization starts off doing pretty well, and then the process deteriorates because of that very volunteerism. We tend to be more interested in getting things done rather than the process. (again, editorial opinion, you should fire me) Witness the handling of new accessions. I’m not criticizing anyone else, I’m probably worse than anyone.

1^st Weekend in August Independence Hall Flea Market: The Flea Market has invited us to participate at not charge for our booth. Discussion suggested that this was something we could do, and appreciation was directed toward the Flea Market folks.

Last Board Meeting and Museum Closing: The last Board meeting of the year and the closing date for the museum is Nov. 23^rd. In addition to other business, there will be an election of officers. The nominating committee suggests that we cast a unanimous ballot for the existing officers with the exception of the secretary who should be replaced.

Committee Reports: There were no reports except those done earlier in the agenda and minutes.

Discussion: Obviously there was lots of discussion, none of it at this point.

Meeting adjourned at 3:05 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary and nominating committee.

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

August 25, 2010

Meeting was called to order at 1:10 by President Ginny

Those in attendance were , Pat Johnson , John Hofstetter, Pat Bradley, Ron Bradley, LuAnn Fulton, Sue Harmuth, Bob Ash, Sharon Ash, Travis Glass, Ron Glass, Ginny Kafka, Richard Small, plus two visitors from the EP Moose.

Correspondence: Ginny read a letter from CCWD’s Larry Diamond who said that the Museum could extend the track for the Shay 10 feet and remove a small tree.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved after a motion by John and a second by LuAnn.

Treasurer’s report: Treasurer Jim was not present, but Tina’s report was. John reported that membership now had reached over $4000, and donations as a result of the newsletter were now over $2000. This does not include generous donations that were not made on the newsletter form. Ginny reported that donations from visitors had also been generous and rather steady. John mentioned very diplomatically (for him) that Directors should be members and the non-members took the message to heart and to checkbook. The report was approved after a motion by John and a second by LuAnn.

Pat Johnson for the White Pines Park: The Park Committee will sell raffle tickets at the Logging Jamboree with prizes of $500, $250, and $250. The very complimentary newspaper article about the park was discussed.

Exhibit Chair Report: Our best wishes were sent out by some form of ethereal magic to Chairman Mike who underwent surgery perhaps as this meeting was being conducted. Jan’s good right hand man won’t be offering her his good right hand for a while. John talked about the new Exhibit Book that Mike and Jan put together, mentioned the excellent work by Ted Shannon that led to the book, talked about permanent signage, and also mentioned the temporary equipment explanations that will hang on the equipment for the Jamboree. Thanks so much Ted, Mike, Jan, and John who admitted having a couple of facts wrong in his Outdoor Exhibit report.

USFS Report: The very resilient Jim Behm discussed a variety of issues including cows, the still-not-very-good-but-better-than-most-other-Ranger-districts timber harvest, and the bridge across San Antonio Creek. He mentioned that talking over needed things with regular USFS employees was probably not productive and should be directed toward Jim or Teresa, who’s the chief district person, but John can’t quite remember her title.  

Old Business:

New Bleachers: Ron G. reported that the bleachers will be in place by Jamboree. Sealing the new wood will wait until after the Jambore.

Painting of IH truck: We’re not sure why there is a delay, but hopefully this will occur soon. By  Jamboree would be excellent.

Web site: John reported that there is new stuff on the web site, including a photo of Monte Wolfe cutting down the Porter Tree. The web site probably averages about 130 hits a day, with occasional spikes going up into the mid 200’s.

Newsletter: The Newsletter item now is really a membership item. The report on money that has come in is given above. The thank you letters for memberships and donations went into the mail today, as this is being written. Also happening at the same time, they had to poke both of Wanda’s arms in order to get blood, and the old turnip didn’t care for that, but mailed the letters anyway. Our membership numbers are up over recent years, but I doubt if we’ll ever get back to the numbers the original organizers had when the museum was new and enthusiasm was high. But, considering the economy and how busy families are now, we did very well, Actually, they, our supporters, did very well. This year John put all the membership entries into our data base, because he was trying to clean up entries in order to get more consistency for easier mailings, but Richard will continue to be the main data enterer in the future.

Chainsaw display: The display is now complete except for the final-fastening-in-the-slots stuff. It is spectacular. This next paragraph is from my June minutes and I didn’t get one comment. Does anyone read the minutes? Why do we bother with minutes if no one except Pat and Jan read them? Why do I bother to try to be humorous? Wanda asks me that all the time, but I think when she says it, it has a deeper meaning.

Chainsaw display: The display is complete except for the chainsaws which will be put in place when Bill K. returns from his midas expedition. If he is as successful as he’d like to be, he’ll probably be too busy trying to hide his gold to work on our many projects. No danger, you say. Remember, this is our Bill.

Shay Grant: Money may be near. CCWD concerns probably warrant a discussion among the Shay enthusiasts. New Flat Car for Shay: Ron reports that this is moving along. The FLM thanks Ron for the work that he is going to have to put into compensating for us getting the flat car.

Jamboree: The Jamboree will be Saturday, Sept. 4. Bob reported that the Moose will do the food (hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken) and our two Moose visitors confirmed their enthusiasm for that task. The Moose guys then left to go to work on the planning, or maybe to have a drink at the Lodge. Snowshoe will provide the beer and John asked that Richard save him at least one glass of beer. Sue and LuAnn will slice the tomatoes and onions for the burgers.

Endowment: John moved and Ron seconded a motion to postpone indefinitely any more discussion about hiring Patricia Jones to help us with setting up an endowment. John apologizes to Patricia for the untimely and untrue report about the death of her mother.

Trail: Our end of the Rim Trail is really coming along. It will end up costing us the use of at least one of our parking spaces. Ginny and Bill have asked the USFS to pave the upper entry (or exit) driveway to give us two more parking spaces.

Family Day Report: The Big Trees State Park event was a huge success and our interactive log sawing station saw a lot of action. Lots of fun! Thanks to those who put that on for us, I only remember three of them, so I’m not going to get in trouble by naming them and leaving one name out. Kate Gonzales of the Enterprise was intercepted by Ginny and gave us some nice coverage.

Clean Up Day: Very successful and the specific work done by individuals or couples was mentioned. Our grounds look very nice indeed! Thanks to you all.

Rotary Dinner: Without going into great detail, our Pat fixed and served dinner to the Arnold Rotary.  It was absolutely great, and I can’t describe how much work Pat did to make it so nice.  Thanks, LuAnn for all your help in putting on that dinner. Pat tells us all that she couldn’t have done it without you.

New Business:

Dave Roberts: Pat talked about the passing of this fine old gentleman and great benefactor to the museum. It was agreed that Pat should proceed with some kind of recognition to go outdoors. Follow-up news: Pat and Floy talked about what would be appropriate and Pat is going to pursue a really nice plaque with Dave’s photo on it.

Outdoor Stuff: Bill is planning on adding at least a couple of our large chain saws to our exhibits by embedding them in a large horizontal log. Our limbing chainsaw that looks like a crab machine is going to go up a tree. A collection of loose things on our grounds is going to go on a concrete pad that Bill will pour. The  M3 tank Cadillac motor powered sawmill is going to be set up so that it looks as if it could work. Yep, that motor is out of a WWI tank. Actually, each tank had two of these flat head V8’s in them. The fire hydrant from the old Blagen Mill is in place and will have an explanatory plaque on it.

School visit: A Modesto school will visit the museum on Sept. 11^th, and help will be needed.

Meeting adjourned at 2:50 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

I find it interesting how I move from 1^st person to 3^rd person in reporting the minutes. Probably bothers grammarians and those who are particular about such things.

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

June 22nd, 2010

Meeting was called to order at 1:10 by Vice President Bob Ash.

Those in attendance were , Pat Johnson , John Hofstetter, Pat Bradley, Ron Bradley, LuAnn Fulton, Sue Harmuth, Jim Harmuth , Bob Ash, Sharon Ash

Deviation from Agenda for selection of new Board Members

John H. moved and Sharon A. seconded a motion that Sue Harmuth, Jim Harmuth, and LuAnn Fulton be named as new Board Members. Motion passed unanimously.

Correspondence: None

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved after a motion by John and a second by Sharon.

Treasurer’s report The report was approved after a motion by John and a second by LuAnn. Jim will leave change in the cash register on Sunday for use the next open day. Probably about $40. There was discussion about leaving change in what passes for a safe in the archive room. Unless someone were to steal the whole cash register, the money is probably more secure there than in the safe. Well, to be fair, maybe the “safe” is safer because what thief could believe that it is a safe.

Pat Johnson for the White Pines Park: She’s still euphoric! She talked about what an impossible journey the whole project had been, ending up with a meeting the previous night that could have been a source of controversy, but was handled constructively and without rancor from the attendees, even though most of what had been viewed as extra project money had to be given to the playground contractor who had essentially bid on a project that was not the one that was built. Playground equipment manufacturer error in setting the parameters for what ended up being sent and installed.

Pat reminisced about when the park committee was down to 4 people and just maintaining seemed impossible, and that good people rose to the occasion and managed to get to where they are today. Sounded a lot to your secretary like the progress of the logging museum.

Exhibit Chair Report: John mentioned that he had made a small display from a piece of the camphor wood that the museum had gotten from the Calaveras County Historical Society. Came to California in 1849 from China as part of our county’s first court house.

USFS Report: There was no report.

Old Business and New Business are mixed up because that’s the way we dealt with the items.  Again, no criticism intended as it worked out OK.

Logging truck painting: Jeff at Autosmith will paint the truck in place as soon as the pollen quits raining on our truck.  Maybe this week.

Web site: John is updating the list of directors and officers of the FLM. He also put the 2010 Spring/Summer newsletter on the web site. He also pointed out that the recipe for black eyed pea salad is on the web site. Our web site has a very good search function. You can search for any subject in the site from any page that is opened.

Newsletter: Thanks to Pat, LuAnn, Sharon, and Ron, (did I leave out anyone?) the newsletter is in the mail, or in most cases already delivered.

Chainsaw display: The display is complete except for the chainsaws which will be put in place when Bill K. returns from his midas expedition. If he is as successful as he’d like to be, he’ll probably be too busy trying to hide his gold to work on our many projects. No danger, you say. Remember, this is our Bill.

Loggers Memorial Wall: The dedication was very nice. We discussed for a bit the number of fallen loggers that Dave Turnboo has known over his years as a logger.  He brought us 5 names but said that knew more.

Shay Grant: No money yet. We have received a bid from a boiler rebuilder in Torrance, CA to rebuild our boiler in his shop for $38,950. We’d be responsible for getting the boiler down to him.

New Flat Car for Shay: Still in the works.

Celebration of Life for Dale. There was agreement that Dale’s celebration of life turned out well indeed. Dale would have been proud of being associated with such a nice event. We all also agreed that Ginny did a spectacular job of putting it all together.

Jamboree: The Jamboree will be Saturday, Sept. 4. If they can find a drummer in the next few weeks, Chains Required will do the evening concert for the contract price of $650. Bob reported that the Moose will do the food, Snowshoe will provide the beer, we have the permit to close Dunbar Road, and Bob will arrange for the outdoor toilets, and work with Pat Bradley to get the liquor license.

Peckerwoods: Fortunately for our building, the woodpeckers seem to be done pecking on us for the season. John mentioned a device that emits a sound that scares woodpeckers, but Nancy M-M has said that it would be illegal to use it in or near the National Forest because harassment of wildlife is forbidden. Nancy is pursuing a possible answer from a Cornell ornithologist with whom she is acquainted. Jim H. says that he thinks there is a woodpecker repellent paint.

Foundation exploration: Pat says that instead of “foundation”, that what she was pursuing was an endowment, not a foundation. A Patricia Jones from Sonora met with an FLM committee in early June to discuss possibilities on how we might do this. She was to get back to us with a proposal by this meeting, but as VP Bob said, her mother wasn’t doing well, health wise. Died is what he meant.

Touch Screen: John will contact Greg, a computer repair guy who has been looking at our touch screen computer. There is general antipathy toward trying to do much with the whole touch screen business.

4^th of July: Sue is even more anxious to get some progress moving in regard to our parade entry in the annual 4^th event. It seems that a first thing that needs to happen is to tie down the date of the parade. Is it really June 30^th? Sue has a plan for our entry, but needs Jim’s truck to pull it off the way she wants.

Meeting adjourned at 2:10 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

May 25, 2010

Meeting was called to order at 1:10 by Vice President Bob Ash.

Those in attendance were , Pat Johnson , John Hofstetter, Pat Bradley, Ron Bradley, LuAnn Fulton, Sue Harmuth, Donna Hanan, Bob Ash, Sharon Ash

Correspondence: John mentioned a letter from Total Timber Logging  (Quin Murk) in Siletz, Oregon. In response to a phone call from John, Quin sent a business membership check, and several newsletters regarding a new logging museum at Brooks, Oregon, just north of Salem, that Quin is working on. John will inspect that museum the third weekend in July.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved after a motion by John and a second by Sharon.

Treasurer’s report The report was approved after a motion by John and a second by Donna.

Pat Johnson for the White Pines Park: This meeting the word dominating every fiber of Pat’s body and language was “Euphoric”!  The playground equipment is in and a dedication of the “new” park will be held at 11:00 Saturday, May 29. Pat mentioned that Naomi L. donated money for a dogwood in Dale’s memory to be placed in the park. She also said that Mike Spinske and his forestry crew had done a lot of magnificent work.

Exhibit Chair Report: No report

USFS Report: There was no report.

Old Business and New Business are mixed up because that’s the way we dealt with the items. No criticism intended as it worked out OK.

Logging truck painting: Jeff at Autosmith will paint the truck in place as soon as the weather gets better.

Web site: John said that a couple of Sundays ago, we had 273 hits on our web site which is a remarkably high number considering there is no porn and very little cheesecake on the site.

Newsletter: John said that he would get the newsletter out, and mentioned a discussion about whether or not the bulk mailing permit was worth the hassle and even the money that it costs. We should use the current permit before it runs out, so John needs to get hopping. All day, today, he cursed his computer upon which he is trying to run Windows so that he can run the museum software at home.

Chainsaw display: Bill Kafka will complete Dale’s concept of getting our display chainsaws mounted on two upright logs. The concrete base is poured. We will put a plaque about Dale on one of the logs.

Loggers Memorial Wall: Bill Kafka has completed the wall and it is absolutely gorgeous. Nancy’s name didn’t get attached to the picture of the kneeling logger as I had told her it would, but it perfectly illustrates the thought behind the wall. The wall will be dedicated at 2:00 on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend after the dedication at the park and a tri-tip lunch.

Trail to Outdoor Exhibits: The rough trail is in place and Bill Kafka arranged for us to buy some very cheap cedar that will be used to contain the road base that is going to give the trail stability. We’re hoping the forestry crew can help put the timbers in place and maybe distribute the road base.

Shay Grant: The grant is still somewhat mired in bureaucracy.  Surprise!

New Flat Car for Shay: Bob mentioned that a crane would have to put the flat car in place, but that the track needs to be extended to enable the 40 foot flat car to fit in behind the Shay.  A problem with some trees in the way of the crane is unresolved.  While on the subject of the Shay, the need for a pole barn was brought up.

Memorial Day Weekend: Among the other publicity efforts, the museum will send announcement postcards to all paid members telling them the details of the Park dedication, lunch, the Memorial wall dedication, and the June 5^th

Celebration of Life for Dale. We’re hoping to have the wood chips in place by Dale’s memorial.  A meeting at 9:00 on June 2^nd will be held to work on more plans for the Jamboree, and following that, work on getting the chips distributed will take place. Hopefully the forestry crew can do most of this being as the mean age of the chip volunteers is 78.3 years.

Jamboree: The Jamboree will be Saturday, Sept. 4. Discussion was held on the evening entertainment for the event, and we decided to first ask “Chains Required” if they would do it for a thousand dollars. If they are booked or are not interested, we will try to reach a price with Joni Morris. We will need to hurry with a yeah or nay from Chains or neither Joni or the Black Irish Band will be available.

Peckerwoods: nothing has worked so far. Still searching for a solution that is legal.

Bridge across the creek: Merita Calaway and Don Stump are working on getting approval to build a bridge. Biggest hurdle seems to be Fish and Game.

Foundation exploration: Pat and Ron Bradley accompanied by Bob Ash are meeting with a lawyer on Thursday to discuss the pros and cons of having a foundation for the FLM.

Touch Screen: Bob Ash is moving our touch screen computer from Blastronix who didn’t have time for John to think, to a fellow in Angels Camp who thinks that John should spend more time thinking and less time talking.

4^th of July: Sue is anxious to get some progress moving in regard to our parade entry in the annual 4^th event. About the only planning so far is to dominate the Grand Marshall situation with our own Ginny and Bill. Well deserved, both of you! Ginny didn’t get Volunteer of the Year award, which was a travesty, but all of us know she is #1 for the school, the park, and the museum. Interesting mathematics here:  In this case 3 X 1 = 1.  How about that.

Meeting adjourned at 2:50 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

April 27, 2010

Meeting was called to order at 1:00 by President Ginny Kafka.

Those in attendance were , Pat Johnson , John Hofstetter, Ginny Kafka, Pat Bradley, Ron Bradley, Ron Glass, LuAnn Fulton, Helen Miller, Angie Thompson, Ann, friend of Angie

Correspondence: A letter and photos from a Jeff Terry told about and showed our Shay locomotive when it was being operated in Heber, Utah. A letter of sorts from Don Ames gave us more names of lumbermen killed in action, logging action that is.

Minutes of the previous meeting were corrected by John noting that our huge new desk was arranged for and transported here through the efforts of Merita Callaway, who had known that is was surplus at an Amador County agency. John moved approval of the minutes Ron G. seconded, and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s report The report from Tina was discussed and there was also discussion of the goods in the company store that weren’t selling. John observed that even the items that didn’t sell often evoked visitor interest. Two items that we probably should move out at little or no cost are the Book “Trees” and the polo shirts that aren’t selling. There were several suggestions for getting rid of the items, but no action was taken. Ron G. moved approval, John seconded, and the motion passed.

Pat Johnson for the White Pines Park: Pat said that the word for the park was “CELEBRATE” and they are going to do just that on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Exhibit Chair Report: No report

USFS Report: There was no report.

Old Business:

New Bleachers: Ron G. said that as soon as the weather gets better he and                     others will get the new bleachers installed.

Logging truck painting: Bob Ash has said that he will paint the logging truck, but Ron Glass is going to pursue having an auto body shop spray it instead. If not, we’ll buy Bob a new paint brush.

Getting logs on truck: Ron said that we won’t need a crane as he believes it can be done with our new loader. But, we should wait until the truck is painted.

Newsletter: Ginny indicated that memberships continue to trickle in.

Chainsaw display: Bill Kafka will complete Dale’s concept of getting our display chainsaws mounted on two upright logs.

Loggers Memorial Wall: Bill Kafka is nearing completion of the construction of the wall, but Gateway is not meeting their own deadline for the laser etching of the granite. The wall will be dedicated at 2:00 on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend after the dedication at the park and a tri-tip lunch.

Trail to Outdoor Exhibits: The Forest Service will use their trail machine to put in the trail, and then we will put road base on the trail to make it disabled accessible. We may hold the road base with pressure treated lumber. John moved, and Ron seconded a motion that we authorize up to a $1000 for the trail. Motion passed.

Shay Grant: The wording of the approved grant needs to be changed and re-signed. Cross words were said in regard to bureaucracy.

New Flat Car for Shay: We will have a log car attached to the Shay. In order to do this Ron G. had to commit to provide the lumber for restoration of another car, and the details of how he pulled that off got too complicated for your secretary to follow. Thanks, Ron.

Memorial Day Weekend: Among the other publicity efforts, the museum will send announcement postcards to all paid members telling them the details of the Park dedication, lunch, the Memorial wall dedicaton, and the June 5^th Celebration of Life for Dale. Ron G. moved, John seconded a motion to authorize the necessary expenditures for carrying this out.

Jamboree: Bob Ash is chairman of that event. Bob was not in attendance today as Sharon was pursuing getting  herself made even more gorgeous than she already was. Be still my heart!

New Business:

Wash Windows: After some discussion, John moved, and Ron seconded a motion to pay $400. as bid. for all the windows and screens, both inside and out to be cleaned. Motion passed.

County Fair Volunteers: We need, and have passes for, volunteers to sit with our booth at the Frog Jump. The Fair’s theme is again Logging.

Donation to Rotary for their sign with our name on it: Rotary asked fo $100 to help with the sign at the edge of Arnold that has a redwood plaque for the Logging Museum attached to it. Ron moved approval, John seconded, and the motion passed.

Foundation: Pat Bradley is pursuing the advantages to the FLM of creating a foundation much as Mark Twain Hospital has. She will consult with a lawyer at no cost to FLM initially. John looked at Pat’s foundation materials a few years ago and didn’t see any particular advantage to FLM since we were already a non-profit organization. However, he has an open mind on the subject.

Peckerwoods: When John was growing up as a boy in Jenny Lind, all his friends were either Arkies or Okies. For whatever reason, they and I called those birds Peckerwoods. A similar name was used in high school to denote people we didn’t like. Oh, I digress, the point is that we have a peckerwood working on our back wall again, and no one has any suggestions other than assassination (illegal  and probably immoral as well) on how to deal with it.

Mark Twain Kgn. Tour: Mike Skenfield’s grandson is bringing his Kindergarten class to tour the museum for 3 and a half hours. Whatever you do, Mike and Jan, don’t call John. Kids that young intimidate him, however he admires your courage.

Charger: After discussion with Bill K. , John purchased a maintenance charger for the 4 very expensive 6 volt batteries in our new-to-us loader.

Printer: On the day of this meeting, Ginny spent too much time trying to get the printer at the main desk to work, and after the meeting, John spent a half hour trying to cure its terminal illness, to no avail. Ginny authorized the emergency purchase of a new printer. Printers are so cheap that repair by a professional printer guy seldom makes any sense. It’s pretty obvious that companies pretty much give their printers away, so that they can sell the ink. As you would expect, I didn’t buy the cheapest available printer, but a medium priced one that should give us long service. I also bought extra ink for it, and the ink cost nearly as much as the printer. Strange world we live in.

Meeting adjourned at 2:10 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

Addendum: I’m not sure that this is an addendum, but it is extra information.

I composed a story about Dale for the newspapers and sent it out today. Robert, Dale’s stepson, told me that what had passed for an obituary was close to nothing. So, I consulted with Robert and his wife, put together a story about Dale, including information about our Celebration of Life, and sent it off to the local papers.

I can’t tell you how much I miss him.

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

October 27, 2009

Meeting was called to order at 1:00 by President Ginny Kafka.

Those in attendance were Dale Brooks, Pat Bradley, Ron Bradley, Donna

Hanan, John Hofstetter, Ginny Kafka, Ron Glass, Helen Tardif, and Pat

Johnson.

Correspondence: It seems as if there was a letter read, but ……….

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved by a unanimous vote following a

motion by Donna and a second by Ron.

Treasurer’s report: The Treasurer’s report was approved after a motion by John and

a second by Ron.

Pat Johnson, wearing only one observable hat for this meeting, reported that the

park is closing Nov. 2nd, and that Bertha Underhill is the new chairperson for

the park committee. The reasons behind her dancing around while saying

that, were probably not apparent to all.

Exhibit Chair Report: Mike was not able to attend the meeting. There was some

discussion about exhibits both inside and outside, with, the acting secretary

thinks, some satisfaction about how things were moving along. Much of what

needs to still be done depends on Ron Glass being able to find some time.

Ginny reported that Mike seemed delighted and relieved to find Craig

Mattson would likely help him with exhibits.

USFS Report: The Board was dismayed to learn about Jim’s injuries. Our best wishes

and “get back soon, we need you” were extended to him.

Old Business:

Ginny reported that the additional bleacher seats are still waiting for Ron Glass

to make the benches, but installation of the supports will be done soon.

Ginny reported that jack stands, made by Butch Bray, for the logging truck and

trailer are finished.

The wood chip delivery will probably be postponed until next spring.

Bob Ash has purchased the paint for the logging truck, but the painting of the

truck will probably wait until spring.

John’s web site report stated that there is new and more information on the two

West Point area mills. Also, thanks mostly to Mike Figone, Fresno, Madera,

and Tulare Counties now have histories of their earliest mills on our web site.

John also encouraged members to read the new history of the Manuel Mill

that was taken from the 1945 American Eagle.

John reported that we had reached $6015 in memberships and a bit less than

$3000 in donations that accompanied the memberships. This doesn’t include

any of the donations that came by other means.

Pat reported on the preparations for, and details of, the Snagfallers Ball. Some of

what we thought had been planned turned out not to have been carried

through on, including having the Moose help with the dinner.

New Business:

Watershed Day John said that Hazel Fischer School’s Watershed Day would be

on May 28th, next year, and that Nancy Muleady‐Mecham had already agreed

to put on the program for the kids. The Board thanks her for stepping up.

John especially thanks her as he, as liason for the program, can now smile at

how clever he was in getting such a good program without actually doing

anything. Nancy, of course, will do a great job.

Tu‐Care: Pat B. reported on the up‐coming Tu‐Care conference and stated that

she and Ron will be attending. We thank them for their continued diligence

on behalf of the Museum and the Friends of the Logging Museum

Michelson Field Trip: Craig Mattson and others will serve as guides when Mrs.

Mattson’s Michelson School class visits on the date which I have forgotten.

Pete Voinich visit: Mr. Voinich will visit the museum on Wednesday, the 28th.

We will provide a light lunch and pay his caretaker a fee of $80, after a

motion by John, a second by Helen, and a unanimous aye vote. There are

some subtle factors leading to this that I’m not going to include in the

minutes, let’s leave it at, it seemed like the right thing to do

Memorial Wall: After considerable discussion, a committee consisting of Donna,

John, Ginny, Dale, Annette, and Marge Bowman was formed to deal with the

details. Ron Glass mentioned that we should have short biographies of the

people whose names go on the wall. All agreed that such biographies would

be a good idea.

Chainsaw display: Dale showed the group what he had in mind for the outdoor

chainsaw exhibit.

Trail through the outdoor exhibits: A number of aspects in getting the trail in

shape for mobility scooter travel would mostly be done next spring, but some

work would have to be done this fall so that the trail doesn’t completely wash

away.

Desks: The going‐out‐of‐business Market Force offered us either or both of two

desks that they need to dispose of. When John called, only the huge oak desk

was available and John politely declined to accept that one . Anyway, thanks

to Bob of that business for thinking of us.

Election of officers: Next months Board meeting. Helen, sadly, has resigned her

several positions so we will, at the very least, need a new treasurer and a

new secretary.

Outdoor Exhibit Guide: John showed the new Outdoor Exhibit Guide that he has

prepared with map help from Nancy M‐M. It does not replace the on site

signs that Mike Skenfield is working on, but offers more detail on the exhbits

for those that want more detail Helen moved, Donna seconded, and a motion

was approved to have Foothills print 250 copies in a tri‐fold format. John

didn’t report because it hadn’t totally happened yet, at how many revisions

the guide had to have. Actually, after it had gone to the printer, Gary Petts

called and John had to stop the presses, so to speak, while another revision

was done. This pseudo historian task that I have undertaken can get strange

some of the time, make that most of the time. You (I in this case) never have

it quite right. Very close now, I hope.

Committee Reports: These ended up being included in either the old or the new

business.

Discussion: The woodpecker attacks on our building, and the need to have the

windows washed were discussed.

Meeting adjourned at 2:40 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

September 22, 2009

Meeting was called to order at 1:00 by President Ginny Kafka.

Those in attendance were Dale Brooks, Pat Bradley, Ron Bradley, Donna Hanan, John Hofstetter, Ginny Kafka, Pat Johnson, and Helen Tardif.

Correspondence: Pat Bradley’s letter to Ginny thanking all the Kafkas for their consistent hard work was read. Ginny read her letter to the Auburn Journal telling them about the donation to the museum of our new-to-us jammer.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved by a unanimous vote following a motion by Bob and a second by Dale.

Treasurer’s report: The Treasurer’s report was approved after a motion by John and a second by Bob.

Pat Johnson, wearing only two observable hats for this meeting said that the book sale for the library on Labor Day weekend went very well indeed. She thought that the Jamboree being only one day may have contributed to that success. In speaking about the White Pines Park she emphasized how beautiful the area is. A number of times she emphasized it, which is OK with all of us.

Exhibit Chair Report: Mike was not able to attend the meeting. There was some discussion about exhibits both inside and outside, with, the acting secretary thinks, some satisfaction about how things were moving along. Much of what needs to still be done depends on Ron Glass being able to find some time.

Old Business:

Ginny reported that the Gin Pole, more properly called a “Jammer” because it is self powered, is here and the Kafka men would be working on it as this meeting was underway. There was discussion about paint for the logging truck, and John suggested contacting Ebbetts Pass Lumber for Rustoleum paint since they are a dealer for that company.

Ginny reported that the additional bleacher seats are still waiting for Ron Glass to make the benches.

Ginny reported that jack stands for the logging truck and trailer are being made.

The wood chip delivery was delayed by the driver being called out to a fire.

Ginny reported on the visit to our museum by Senator Dave Cox, who seemed to be delighted with his visit.

John reported that there were many more photos on the web site’s 2009 Logging Jamboree section. He also encouraged everyone to visit the “One Darn Good Guy” piece under the heading of “The Museum”.

John reported that we had reached $6000 in memberships and a bit less than $3000 in donations that accompanied the memberships. This doesn’t include any of the donations that came by other means.

Pat reported on the luncheon that she held at the museum for the Native Daughters.  John, who helped entertain the ladies, emphasized the enormous amount of work that Pat put into setting up, doing the luncheon, then cleaning up.  Pat also thanked Connie for helping that day.

Ginny talked about the visit to the museum by a bus full of senior citizens from Foothill Village. They had a good time and so did we.

New Business:

Snagfallers’s Ball. The date will be Nov. 7 at Independence Hall. The DJ is already arranged for, and it was decided that we will serve Pat B’s spaghetti. The Moose will be asked to provide the salad, the bread, and the desserts, as well as doing the serving.

Brother label maker: John showed the Brother P-Touch label maker that he bought for the museum at a greatly reduced price. The label maker is stored in the media center, and the additional label tapes are in the top drawer of the file cabinet in that room.

Tee Shirts: It was agreed that we would sell the new T shirts for $10 since we were getting them for $5.

Our sign at Parsons Ranch: Pat said that the Parsons would store the Jamboree part of our sign on Highway 49 until next year, but it will have to be retrieved by us and the date changed before it is again hung up.

Meeting adjourned at 2:40 pm.

The most interesting part of the meeting occurred after adjournment. Some of us stayed to watch Bill and Steve Kafka plus Robert Sapien move the Petts Caterpillar up to its new location in front of the logging arch. The right side friction was frozen up so the right track wouldn’t move at all. Even the K.W. Emerson log loader couldn’t pull the tractor uphill with that track not moving. So, Bill, Steve, and Robert put short pieces of log under that right track after the log loader had raised that side, and the tractor began its journey up the hill.  Every so often Steve had to quit pulling, run the loader around to where it could raise that side of the Cat again, so logs could be put under that track. Then up the hill a dozen feet or so, then a repositioning of the logs, then up the hill some more. Finally close enough to being in place that Steve could push on the Cat’s blade and nudge it into position in front of the arch.

Probably because of the amount of off roading I do with other vehicles that end up needing a winch, I thought I knew a lot about moving loads. I was astounded by the fact that those three guys, plus the Emerson log loader were able to move what was essentially a dead weight. Wow! All this after Steve and Bill had raised the boom on the Jammer and then added the log boom that is part of the total operation. Even that part was an amazing job by the guys. Pretty good afternoon’s work Bill and Steve. Thanks Robert for being there to watch and pitching in. You were invaluable.

Amazing afternoon!

John Hofstetter, acting secretary

Minutes

Friends of the Logging Museum, Board of Directors Meeting

August 25, 2009

Meeting was called to order at 1:00 by President Ginny Kafka.

Those in attendance were Dale Brooks, Pat Bradley, Ron Bradley, Donna Hanan, John Hofstetter, Ginny Kafka, Pat Johnson, and Helen Tardif. Helen Miller, member and new docent recruit, joined us.

Correspondence: A letter from Supervisor Calloway was read. She thanked FLM for completing the driveway and the overall project ending with a complete approval from the County. A letter from the Scenic Byway Committee was read advising us of their plans and asking for our participation. A letter from TuCARE was read announcing their National Resources Tour on Oct.29, and their Summit meeting on Oct. 30. Pat Bradley pointed out that TuCARE perhaps does more than any other group in educating children and adults about their forest environment and the timber industry.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved by a unanimous vote following a motion by Helen and a second by Dale. John thanks Pat B. for doing a much better job when he is gone, than he does when he is here.

Treasurer’s report: It was obvious to any serious observer that the thunderous applause following the minutes approval was really meant for the treasurer’s report which showed the FLM to be fiscally solvent. Helen suggested that Tina’s (bookkeeper) monthly salary be raised up as high as $450 for extra work designed to relieve the burden on Helen. Donna moved, John seconded, and the motion passed. Helen asked that all reimbursement forms be put in Tina’s folder.

Pat Johnson, wearing at least three hats, told us that at the Logging Jamboree, the White Pines Park would be holding a raffle with a cash prize of $1000. She also announced that the Friends of the Library would be holding a used book sale during the Labor Day Weekend. She asked that a multi-name plaque honoring those who worked for the White Pines Park be put up in the Logging Museum because the Park has no enclosed buildings suitable for the plaque. Donna moved approval, John seconded, motion passed.

Exhibit Chair Report: In Mike’s absence, John reported on the meeting that he, Mike, and Bob Ash had discussing the next stage in the building of the exhibits. The Board either nodded approval of the whole idea, or were simply nodding off during John’s report, but came conscious long enough to appoint John to arrange for a cork board to go in the hallway to the media center for temporary display of photographs. Donna moved approval of that appointment, second by Dale, motion passed. John reported that he jokingly had told Mike that he, John, had no real authority and now is afraid that Mike won’t bother to talk to him.

Old Business:

County Road Project: John moved, Helen seconded, and the motion passed to provide a plaque honoring Dan Emerson for his huge contribution in finally getting the project finished. It has just occurred to John that like the state names freeway sections after people you’ve never heard of, we could call our new road, the Danny Emerson Byway.

Ginny reported that the Gin Pole is now supposed to come next Tuesday, Sept. 1^st. At that time while Dan Emerson is putting up the gin pole, he will try to move the D7 Cat up the hill to be attached to the large logging arch.

Dale was lauded for his outstanding work getting the trailer and the bed attached to the logging truck, and finding tires for the old truck. Painting of the truck should happen before the Jamboree.

Discussion of signs telling about the outside exhibits: John reported that Mike Skenfield was working on such signs and he thought that Mike might have at least one or two in place by the Jamboree.

John reported that there would be 5 new old chainsaws arriving on Jamboree day and asked where to have them put. The Board said to put them down by the logging competition as contrast to the newer saws. These saws are the best (meaning most interesting) of a considerably larger collection of a chain saw shop in Carmichael. Why is this old business? Because the old business item was Dale’s chainsaw display, and it seemed to fit.

New Business:

Keep Off Signs: Ginny reported that Keith’s sign shop is working on the rather large lot but it is going to take some time.

Web Site: John reported that about every 3 or 4 days, we are getting around 250 hits on the web site, mostly looking at the historical photos of the Blagen Mill and the Tuolumne lumber industries. John forgot to report that Don Hewlett whose Dad was bookkeeper and his Mother was the nurse at the Blagen Mill gave us some wonderful photos of the old Dunbar Meadows settlement. These photos are now on the web site in the section on White Pines. 9 feet of snow in some of those photos.

Membership income: John reported in Richard’s absence that this years membership income totaled $5700, and the donations that came in with the memberships total $2375. Helen corrected the computer and the computer operators and said the membership total was only $2685, but we may have entered some membership that didn’t go through Helen as it should have.

Snagfallers Ball: Independence Hall is reserved for this event on Nov. 7.

Clean-Up: Ginny reported on the excellent job the probation kids did in cleaning up our grounds. She said that she hopes to have them back on more time.

Meeting adjourned at 2:50 pm.

John Hofstetter, acting secretary, and purveyor of attempts at humor in this serious business of reporting all the news that’s news today.

This document was proofread by Champ, the Yorkie, and any errors remaining are attributable to his carelessness. Stop licking me, Champ! Champ is relatively new to us, and unlike the older dogs, hasn’t realized that licking me isn’t necessarily sanitary.

FRIENDS of THE LOGGING MUSEUM, BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The Minutes for

June 23, 2009

“Where More Happens Than Ever Really Happened”

The meeting was called to order by Vice-President Bob Ash at 1:05 PM

Those present were Helen, Pat B., Ron Glass, Richard, Jim, Ron B, Dale, John, Mike Skenfield, Luann Fulton, Bob Ash, and last but certainly not least Sharon Ash.

Correspondence: A package was received from Phil Berry containing a history of his grandfather’s attendance at the Biltmore School, his entry into the USFS, and his eventual becoming General Manager of the Michigan California Lumber Company in Amador County. The Pino Grande operation was a part of this company’s operations in Eldorado County. We have on display a section of the cable that lowered the cut lumber from the mill, high on the mountain, to the rail landing where trains would take the lumber to Camino. There is a story about that operation on the web site, and an explanation of the same on the wall behind the cable exhibit. In Mr. Berry’s materials there was a history of his grandfather’s work there, and your webmaster may end up putting part of that history on the website.

A letter of appreciation for the participation of the SNLM in the Calaveras County Fair, from Laurie Gianinni was read.

A letter in regard to our account with AT&T was given to John by Helen.

IN A FOLLOWUP PHONE CALL TO AT&T: an account manager told John that the previous offer of unlimited long distance for $10/mo. had to include both of our phone lines, so therefore would be $20/mo. John authorized a new plan that gives us 200 minutes/mo. for $10 which would include both lines.  That should work OK for us.

Minutes: The minutes of the last meeting were corrected to properly title Teresa McClung , Calaveras District Ranger, rather than Forest Supervisor. Helen moved, Sharon seconded, and approval was given to approve the minutes.

Treasurer’s Report: Helen reported that the mailing of the Spring Newsletter cost $88.99.  She also reported that enough money was in the bank to pay the $42,000 for the driveway and Dunbar Road.  John moved, Ron seconded, and approval of the report was given.

White Pines Park Report: The Park people are still waiting for the State Bond money which will buy playground equipment for the park.

Forest Service Report:  Jim Behm is going to ask Brian Kerman, a USFS landscape architect, to look at our outdoor exhibits, their location, and ask him to make suggestions for how to make the area more usable, including ADA access.

Exhibit Report: Mike Skenfield brought a list of proposed projects that needed funding and other support if they were to move forward. Moral support plus $2000 was authorized to allow Mike to proceed. The Board felt that changing the transportation exhibit to a diorama of logging in the late 1800’s was counter to our theme of logging in the 1930’s 40”s, and 50’s. Your secretary has taken the liberty of expanding our coverage years because so much of our museum, our docenting, and our collection of materials cover the era of the Blagen Mill.  I think saying that we cover these 3 decades pretty much describes what we emphasize. There was also discussion about changing the 4 photo display with Pat’s narration. John thought, and there seemed to be mostly agreement that the display served a valuable function as is, and that only the narration needed to be greatly shortened, so that people would listen all the way through. There was discussion about the need for a tree to scale, a tree to fall, and a way to display various wood samples. John will research a folding display much as the ones used to display posters.

John reported on his discussion via e-mail with Stu Heller in regard to the sawmill diorama not operating properly. Following the Board meeting, Richard covered the insides of the cabinet doors with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Note: I worked the following Thursday, and the display never went all the way through without messing up. It seemed to always fail in pretty much the same spot, losing the sound but continuing the activation of the saws and such. I don’t know enough about the control mechanism to be allowed an opinion, but I have one anyway. I don’t think it’s the wireless network. I believe the wireless network interference would be more random.

Old Business:

Road Project: Danny Emerson worked 3 more days getting the driveway ready for the asphalt. As these minutes are being written, the asphalt layer is in our parking lot waiting to put the driveway in.

Cutting 4 Trees: We’re going to try and exchange our small logs for larger logs in order to put them on our logging trailer.

Gin Pole: Still waiting for the Tanners to move for us.

Jamboree: We have many, many fliers announcing the Jamboree. Bob Ash is chairman.

Vacant or overworked Board positions: The Treasurer is working on more jobs and spending too many hours , and needs help, preferably, according to her, someone to take the position. Your long-suffering acting-secretary also would welcome being relieved of his duties.

Parade:  There will be a committee meeting of people willing to work on the float for the 4^th of July parade.

Bleachers: Ron Glass is working on expanding the seating that we have. Barry Shires brought in a large quantity of dirt to make access to the new seats easier and safer. The steel is at the Herd welding shop in San Andreas.

Our new-to-us 1945 International Logging Truck is now here. Numerous photos of the truck are up on our web site. Take a look!

Website: It keeps growing and growing and gets kudos from across the country, which of course, is fuel to the webmaster’s obsessive pursuit of more and better stuff. Your webmaster/docent/acting secretary notes that many visitors to the museum find us as a result of finding our web site. Usually tooting my own horn is this way precedes my asking for money, but right now I don’t need any. Sorry, so sorry, such a waste.

The Avery School/Hazel Fischer section of our website now has copies of two mid-eighties stories about Miss Fischer. Interesting and includes some comments from our own Dale Brooks. My thanks to Richard for getting the stories from his friend, Nancy.

New Business:

From the last meeting: , Among other pressing requests, Helen said that we need someone to take over “Thank Yous”, a more automated process for the “Thank Yous”, and someone to do the purchasing. Only the automation of the Thank Yous seemed solvable without the addition of more and younger volunteers. End of quote.  John has composed a thank you letter for memberships, and a thank you letter for donations. When Richard enters a membership or donation, he can ask the computer to print out a personalized letter of thank you. Then that letter can be mailed using a label from the labels that John will make for all the people on our museum data base. Should be infinitely easier.  Boy, does this secretary take liberties with minute categories. But you needed to know this, and it happened after the Board meeting.

Outdoor Displays:

There seemed to be a general feeling, expressed to Mike Skenfield, that some signs explaining the equipment that we have on display outside would be in order.

Symposium Report: Pat Bradley reported on a symposium that she attended that explained how we are wasting so much biofuel, and how our forests could be used to help solve some of our environmental problems, while at the same time, creating healthier forests. Among other points, Pat said, that about 70 trees should exist on an acre of healthy forest. It was noted by the acting-secretary that it must have been a powerful presentation, because it certainly lit Pat’s fire, without, however, creating a carbon emissions problem.

Ken Jones Video: The Board viewed part of Ken’s Calaveras Gold video, and even though the quality of the video was admired by all of us, it was decided to not purchase a web version for our web site, but to purchase a dozen CD’s for sale in the store.  John moved, Sharon seconded, and a motion to purchase the videos was approved.

Meeting adjourned at 3:00.

To the best of my knowledge and belief, that’s what happened, plus a bit more than what actually happened, and I respectfully submit these minutes for your approval.

For your knowledge and enlightenment, UCLA made a film about Bodie about 25 years ago. In the opening dialog, the announcer said the in the case of Bodie’s history, more happens than ever really happened. I loved that line and borrowed for the about a dozen slide shows I did over the years on Bodie.

John Hofstetter, Acting Secretary, whom at least some of us think should be fired.

Minutes