Spring 2006 Minutes

National Center for Preservation Technology and Training

National Park Service

Lee H. Nelson Hall

March 30, 2006

Minutes

Preservation Technology and Training Board

Preservation Technology and Training Board Members Present:

Mr. Robert Silman (chair), Mr. Jim Garrison, Mr. Rob Pahl, Dr. Frank Preusser, Ms. Suzanne Turner, Ms. Patricia O’Donnell, Mr. Horace Foxall and Mr. Norman Koonce

Members absent:

Designated Federal Official:

Northwestern State University of Louisiana Representatives:

National Center for Preservation Technology and Training Staff:

CALL TO ORDER:

Introduction of New Board Members and Special Guests:

Certification of the meeting:

Welcome:

Approval of the Minutes:

NPS National Report: Cultural Resource Program Status, Budget Outlook, Policy Trends, Status of PTTBoard Membership

Ms. O'Donnell asked about the review period for the newest version of the draft.

Mr. Burns will check into that.

Budget Outlook:

There has been a shuffling of responsibilities and positions at WASO with a lot of positions in acting status. The Chief Historian and Chief of National Register positions are to be advertised.

Policy Trends:

Ms. O'Donnell asked about the tone of the CR program offices these days. Mr. Burns said there is uncertainty because so many positions still have to be filled.

He also noted that being in the president’s budget means they will fight for your program, though it's still up to Congress to approve the budget. Mr. Silman said the agenda is focused on making NCPTT invulnerable to being zeroed out again.

Dr. Morgan asked if Mr. Burns foresaw a change anytime soon in the NPS travel policy prohibiting international travel. NCPTT is missing many important opportunities to share its research and expertise because of this policy.

Mr. Burns said he and Mr. Cordell supported a measure to allow Dr. Morgan to go to Belgium at the request of the National Guard. Most of the expenses were going to be reimbursed, but a deputy director in NPS denied the action.

NPS has been criticized for international travel in the past. Mr. Burns said requests are evaluated on an individual basis and other people are being approved for international travel, however. Many employees are taking personal leave or leave without pay to act on these opportunities.

Mr. Cordell said there have been four instances in the past six months in which the Center had international involvement where travel was denied. Mr. Burns said the issue is one of policy and not budget.

Mr. Silman asked what the board could do. Ms. O'Donnell said NPS employees should continue to make the travel requests to show the need for international travel and the board should draft a statement supporting lifting the restrictions due to the global impact of NCPTT's work and mission.

Dr. Preusser said requests should be documented well enough to make it tough to reject.

Dr. Morgan said the existing documents to justify international travel are already very extensive. Mr. Cordell said he has instructed his staff to request travel when it was needed regardless of policy.

Mr. Garrison moved that the board should send a letter of concern to the director of the Park Service regarding this policy. Mr. Pahl seconded.

Dr. Randy Webb, president of NSU, joined the meeting and welcomed the board members to Natchitoches. He expressed the importance of NCPTT to Natchitoches and NSU. Many changes have occurred. Dr. Kass Byrd, NSU's former NCPTT liaison, retired. Dr. Tom Hanson and Dr. Steve Horton will be the new co-liaisons. Dr. Webb said the new Master of Arts in Heritage Resources that started last fall is going well under the direction of Dr. ElizaBeth Guin and labeled it a cherished program. The destruction from 2005's hurricanes was devastating. Natchitoches was in the path of Rita. More than 1,400 evacuees stayed on campus, some for more than a month. Dr. Webb said he considers NSU's partnership with NCPTT one of the university's most valuable.

Mr. Silman expressed the board's appreciation for the University's support.

9:49 a.m. State of the Center:

Personnel:

Staff members continue to present papers and go to professional meetings to raise the Center's profile in the field of preservation and within NPS.

NCPTT's Summer Institute will begin in June, comprised of archeology, architecture and cemetery training. The regional CMC workshop will be held in Virginia City, Nevada in September.

Cordell and Lance Ellis attended a course on the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which will affect the board somewhat. These rules will be reviewed in tomorrow’s discussions.

With the departure of Lou Gallegos, the Center is looking for another board member.

Members were asked to have their pictures taken at some point in the meeting so that the pictures and bios could be posted on the website.

Ms. O'Donnell said the board members should write one-paragraph biographies illustrating their geographic and disciplinary diversity and send them to NCPTT for the website.

Mr. Silman instructed the board to write their 100-word bios within the next week and send them to Cordell electronically.

Kim Bowen left the Center recently to take a management position at LSU in Baton Rouge. The Heritage Education coordinator position was advertised and interviews are expected to begin next week.

The paperwork hiring Andy Ferrell's previous position is in Washington preparing to be advertised.

Paperwork for the chief of historic landscapes position is being prepared.

NCPTT has advertised for six summer interns and many quality applications have been received.

The Materials Research program was awarded a NPS diversity internship.

The National Cemetery Association is sending a fellow to NCPTT. NCA will be paying for travel and salary costs.

The NCPTT organizational chart has been reorganized and is in the board notebooks.

Building:

After Secretarial approval of the 2004 Annual Report, the publication was sent to the White House, the congressional delegation and NCPTT mailing list with NCPTT’s product catalog. A rough draft of the 2005 Report will be distributed to the Board today for comment.

About $400,000 has been budgeted for the PTTGrants program this year. Suzanne Turner is the Board representative to the grants review panel, which will be held April 12 in Natchitoches.

Marketing/Website:

A list of recent acquisitions for the library is in the board notebooks. Comments are invited for the library list.

Budget:

Program Activities:

In January Mr. Cordell and Mr. Ferrell participated in the annual face-to-face meeting of the Education Committee of AIA’s Historic Resources Committee, whose activities the Center supports with both staff and financial resources. Working with this group on such initiatives as the Cranbrook Seminar, which this year is devoted to Preservation Education. The Center was invited back for the AIA Sustainability Roundtable, which fit well with the Center’s current interest in this topic.

Proposed Cooperative Agreements with US/ICOMOS and APT, both still in early stages of development, both focused on partnerships, training, internships, and research.

The limewash durability study was expanded and research is now complete. Research Assistant Sarah Jackson and Dr. Striegel will present findings at the Traditional Building Conference in April and at the AIC meeting in June Dr. Morgan will meet with the Archeological Technology Research Consortium at the SAA meeting in Puerto Rico in April and present a paper there as well. The Center hopes for concrete plans to come out of this meeting for effecting change in remote sensing policy and practice.

After several years of false starts, the Western Region of the NPS successfully used NCPTT grant funds to host a preservation seminar in Pohnpei, Micronesia, with an excellent slate of instructors. Student evaluations were glowing and Dr. Morgan, as grant manager for the project, has plenty of documentation on it. Jason Church has completed phase one of the cemetery cleaning study for the Department of Veterans Affairs and is beginning his rounds of field visits for the next phase of the work.

Just over $47,000 has been allocated for Heritage Education grants for FY06. Transfer of money to the Louisiana SHPO has been arranged, though the SHPO says they may administer the grants in the Historic Preservation Division instead of the Archeology Division this year, as they expect to have their own heritage education grants program this year out of that Division

NSU Partner Reports:

Federal executives in the area meet regularly to discuss issues in dealing with management in the government, including budget issues.

CARI staff have attended the Summer Institute and provided tours for Summer Institute staff.

CARI annually hosts a Youth Conservation Corps group during which they visit the Center. Students are taught character and work ethic.

Dr. Nancy Morgan, executive director of the (CRNHA), distributed a briefing sheet and summarized the program's activities.

The City of Natchitoches and CRNHA received one of the first Preserve America grants to implement a signage program. Preserve America has been championed by the Bush administration.

The Heritage area is planning a visitor's center off of Interstate 49.

NCPTT and the Center will jointly sponsor an intern working with the GIS program.

Details are still to be worked out.

Ms. O'Donnell asked about how the visitors center will be handled, as an information center or something else and how sustainable the building would be.

Ms. Gates said the partnership has a place picked out for the building but there are many "ifs" at this point. Much depends on the organizations' ability to find funds for exhibits.

She reiterated the dire nature of the NPS budget.

Ms. O'Donnell said that there are rules for fit-outs that can help make the CARI and Heritage area efforts on the building sustainable. She said exhibits can be made to fit the budget and expanded later. She also said the iPod phenomenon can help make tours more

cost effective. Visitors can make a donation to have an interpretive sound file downloaded for them to tour on their own.

Ms. Gates said the hyperlink http://parkplanning.nps.gov contains a plan for the park, which is available for comment.

Ms. O'Donnell asked about how comprehensive the GIS mapping will be.

Dr. Nancy Morgan said the GIS program would be implemented as activities develop that will need it.

Dr. Greg Granger, acting head of the NSU School of Social Sciences, spoke about the Heritage Resources graduate program.

Graduates are required to complete service learning hours. Students attended NCPTT's wet recovery workshops. Local NPS staff members have lectured in the classes. The program has students from every region of the country except the Northwest. The state Board of Regents recently approved a new Bachelor’s of Heritage Resources at NSU, which will be a feeder for the Master’s Program School of Social Sciences faculty members have reviewed PTT Grants as well.

11:15-11:30 BREAK

Budget:

The Center is exploring a partnership that will allow some international cooperation through U.S. ICOMOS.

A new five-year agreement is being worked out with APT since the two organizations have very similar goals.

Printing and janitorial work are funded through NSU. Other funding includes the NPS Tel-Net satellite training system and a corneal imaging product.

2006 PTTGrants program:

Andy Ferrell reported improvement in the online process over the past three years. The review process includes sending grants to reviewers in categories, who rank the proposals. Twenty proposals will be going to the final review panel, of which approximately 12 will be funded.

Reviewer comments will be available online in the future for the benefit of those wishing to know why their proposals were not selected.

David Morgan said proposals have declined gradually over the past few years. The current application pool may be deciding that applying for a PTTGrant is not worth the effort. Morgan requested the board's expertise in reversing the trend, if needed.

Mr. Weiss said this could be a process of self-selection in which applicants are realizing their non-relevant or inferior proposals will never be funded.

Dr. Morgan said many of the grants he recently saw in review were not high quality.

Dr. Preusser said there was no problem getting enough high-quality projects to fund when he served on the review panel last year. As long as there are enough quality grants to fund, NCPTT shouldn't worry about how many poorer quality submissions it gets.

Mr. Koonce said the Call for Proposals requests should be very specific to grow certain areas of research.

Dr. Striegel said research priorities do this to a certain extent. She said it will be hard for NCPTT to request more funding when fewer proposals are coming in. She is concerned that the Center has too many repeat applicants who know how to successfully apply for a PTTGrant.

Ms. O'Donnell agreed with Weiss' comments about self-selection. She said the fact that past applicants were coming back for follow-up grants indicates confidence in the

NCPTT system and mentoring among the past grants recipients to extend research.

Mr. Weiss asked if staff were allowed to give information to applicants that will indicate potential partner programs that could match funds.

Dr. Morgan said this could only be done in a conversation before the application was submitted.

Dr. Preusser said we should not be involved in directing people to other organizations anyway. The applicant should be resourceful enough to figure those things out.

Mr. Foxall said the bar chart demonstrates that early on, there was a very small chance in getting a grant and many people aren't coming back because of that memory. He also mentioned shaking up the mailing list may help bring up numbers.

Architecture and Engineeering:

The Summer Institute has two additional programs that begin in June. This is a venue for NCPTT's partners as well.

NCPTT signed a five-year cooperative agreement to work with the AIA Historic Resources Committee to incorporate preservation training in architecture programs.

Mr. Ferrell is trying to find partners for a program on Sustainable Preservation.

An article on concrete is being developed to submit to the APT Bulletin as a product of the research being funded by NCPTT at the Athenaeum in Philadelphia.

The NCPTT landscape plan balances safety, functionality and faithfulness to the historic nature of the landscape. It is available for board members to review.

Archeology and Collections:

NCPTT participated in the Preserving the World's Heritage workshop with NPS and Hamline University. Mr. Cordell and Dr. Morgan both contributed papers to the

workshop, which will result in a publication through a university press.

Morgan discovered significant architectural remnants in a test trench during research on Creole identity formation. This information will be used in the “Prospection in Depth” Summer Institute training. Brochures were just distributed to over 8,000 archeology professionals. Three people have already applied.

Morgan just presented at the "Who Owns the Past?" meeting at the Enome Center in Belgium, which was very informative and important. He traveled on his own time at the Louisiana National Guard’s expense, since the National Park Service would not approve the trip.

The Archeology and Collections web presence is being designed and will be improved in the coming months.

Research Investigations:

Laser diffraction particle size analyzer pedogenesis

A research priority for archeology is being developed. A draft was crafted last year.

Ms. Turner asked how many spots are available for Prospection in Depth.

Dr. Morgan said courses will have no more than 25 participants. Five student scholarships are available.

Mr. Silman asked if Dr. Morgan could develop some kind of training for the NPS since archeology is considered very important in the Park Service.

Dr. Morgan said the summer institute could fill some of this need

1:45 Materials Research:

A project on “Durability of Modified and Traditional Limewashes” has been undertaken in partnership with Cane River Creole National Historical Park. Research includes 12 limewash recipes applied to wood and brick samples. The preliminary report on wood is complete. Testing methods included ASTM standards. Final test results were complete this week.

Research is finished on the project for the General Services Administration, “Evaluation of Vitrification as a Treatment for Terrazzo,” and the report is complete. The project evaluated how the vitrification process changes terrazzo.

NCPTT’s research on air pollution deposition on consolidated stone will soon be on track after upgrades to the environmental chamber.

The Materials Research Program has also been researching alkoxygermanes as potential stone consolidants. Striegel said the synthesized mixtures did not result in an effective new consolidant, but one substance seems to add biocidal characteristics to one of the commercial products. Last week, the researchers received bacteria that will help further of this project.

Work has been done to develop new audiences, research, workshops and lectures for NCPTT’s National Cemetery Preservation Initiative. The Monument Builders of North America (MBNA) organization, which has been a strong advocate for the initiative to people in the field, has nominated NCPTT for the Association of Gravestone Studies’ Forbes award. MBNA has also invited NCPTT to hold a workshop at its next national conference.

Last weekend, MRP staff held a Cemetery Conservation Basics class in Oklahoma. This is the program's "public face." Registration was $25 per person and focused on amateur or non-preservationists who are interested in cemeteries

The 2006 Cemetery Monument Conservation workshop will be September 26-28 in Virginia City, Nevada. This year’s special focus is on the conservation of wooden headstones, which are common in the Southwest.

The CMC Advanced Cemetery Techniques workshop will be held as part of the Summer Institute. The workshop is open to people who previously took a CMC course.

NCPTT worked in conjunction with the American Institute for Conservation to produce the workshop series, “After the Storm: Recovery of Wet Collections,” which was held in March. Workshops were held throughout Louisiana:

March 17, LSU Rural Life Museum, Essen Lane, Baton Rouge

These workshops provided attendees with hands-on training in treating museum and archival objects that had been immersed in water.

Dr. Striegel said that during her FEMA detail, she visited the New Orleans Clerk of Court, which is responsible for the evidence rooms. The evidence rooms were submerged at levels of 8-10 feet. She also assisted at Dillard University and Dr. Michael White, who is a professor at Xavier University and a musician who lost all of his instruments.

Mr. Silman asked about the potential impact of the Terrazzo study and would anyone with a terrazzo floor be interested in this research. He said building managers groups may be interested in having a presentation of the research. Striegel said she believed the research does have that potential.

Dr. Preusser asked if abrasion tests were included in the terrazzo study, as it is a major concern. Striegel said that could be easily added to the project if the Center has enough samples left over.

Ms. O'Donnell asked about coefficient of friction standards. Striegel said this was considered.

Wingspread Conference:

Silman said he is interested in the "why" of this topic rather than the "how-to," which has already been covered many times. He wished to explore how to organize and implement the conference. He called for discussion.

Ms. O'Donnell said she has been in meetings in which such declarations have been made.

She said it takes much planning because position papers should be distributed and discussed. No one has crystallized the link between preservation and sustainability.

Preservation is inherently sustainable because it’s about reusing.

Mr. Foxall said proper management should be considered as key to sustainability.

Mr. Silman asked who among the board would participate in organizing the conference.

In addition to Silman, volunteers included Foxall, O'Donnell, Preusser, Garrison, Turner, Weiss, and Koonce.

The board decided to have the accompanying board meeting after the conference since planning would still be going on before.

Mr. Silman said the nature of the Wingspread Conference "traps" participants in a scenic and remote location that encourages interaction.

Mr. Foxall said the board should be a trendsetter in this area, since much of the focus has been on how to implement a concept without much thought into its meaning.

Mr. Silman asked who should be invited to the conference. The board's role should be as a convener of experts.

Ms. Turner said she thinks the conference should start off very conceptual before addressing policy issues as no one would want to hear two days of policy discussion.

Dr. Preusser said in architecture, this concept is about making a structure last longer.

Conversely, conservators' concepts of sustaining are putting something storage or archives.

O'Donnell said she participated in a conference in Vienna that was politically charged and sought to place its imprint on policy. However, there were some very good papers presented in advance, including Heritage Area case studies, so there was substantive material for discussion. She also cited the example one of her clients who used synergistic and common sense choices to accomplish sustainability on their farm property, despite having little money. Their mission is respect for the place, which is what preservation deals with. In order to go to the policy discussion and charter declaration, you need the shared examples of attendees.

Dr. Preusser said some conservation treatments are not reversible but have to be done.

These exceptions need to be considered in this conference.

Mr. Foxall said a variety of professionals need to be invited. Dr. Preusser said at least one person needs to come from outside preservation.

Mr. Silman said this event could be an internationally attended event since it will be funded privately. The purpose of this conference is to strengthen the Center and not the board. This conference goes back to the basics to provide a basis for sustainability that doesn't now exist.

Lee H. Nelson Award:

Mr. Cordell said APT is developing a Lee Nelson award as well. Mr. Weiss and Ms. O'Donnell said having two Lee Nelson awards would dilute its importance. Dr. Striegel said NCPTT being a part of the APT effort may result in more coverage for the Center.

Mr. Burns said APT founding members died recently and the organization is struggling with how to create awards in their names that are slightly different.

O'Donnell said the Center and board should begin discussions with APT about a joint effort. Mr. Weiss will approach APT.

Mr. Burns volunteered to talk to Pat Tiller about his continued involvement.

Preservation Crafts Training:

Mr. Cordell asked if the board had the resources to have a meeting on this scale.

Dr. Preusser stated that the need for this is too big for the Center or even the Getty to handle.

Mr. Cordell said the Center could help in convening part of the effort, but not the larger objectives.

Mr. Weiss said the National Trust abandoned a similar effort years ago.

O'Donnell said the NCPTT's representation of this could include having referral links on the website. This is a UNESCO topic that is global. Also, the technology component is missing.

Mr. Cordell said NCPTT is small enough that it has to focus.

Mr. Pahl said the market has to be developed in this area before people will be willing to make the investment.

Mr. Garrison said that in the West, there is a perception that hands-on people are leaving the National Park Service.

Mr. Burns relayed the information that Laura Gates was losing her trades people because many of them have been project funded rather than base funded. This is not unique to the West.

Establishing a 501(c) 3: Renewing the Friends of NCPTT:

Ms. Saidee Newell said there was a statewide effort to establish a group when the Center was formed. There are currently funds in the Northwestern State University Foundation, of which Newell is president. There was never a 501(c)3, but the funds are available for transfer if needed. A professional consultant was brought in who suggested spending $50,000 for a feasibility study, but the money was never raised.

Mr. Koonce initiated discussion on forming a group. He said it costs money to start and manage a group. It would have to be established and operated completely independently of NCPTT. He says contributions can be made from corporations, organizations and individuals. To qualify, there has to be a compelling need for support. The process includes a detailed 28-page document. Several attachments are required. It will take about 100 hours to compile, but odds of approval are good. The first step would be to incorporate the Friends group in Louisiana and then have incorporators to take over the legal formation of the group. A CPA and lawyer are recommended for the process. A management structure or board would have to be put in place for management of the group and fund. Bylaws would have to be clearly defined.

Dr. Preusser said the ideal board should consist of people with name recognition and connections. Someone has to be willing to actively ask for the money or otherwise raise funds. Two major expenditures exist: one for the legal aspect and one for the people who would establish the group.

Mr. Koonce said a quality-consulting firm is the best method to go about establishing such a group. It takes a large investment to get a quality expert on board to manage the group. Dr. Preusser agreed and said it is an interactive process.

Dr. Striegel said the process should be broken down into small steps to get the friends group off the ground. The need exists, as NCPTT is unable to take money for its training and products.

Ms. Newell said NSU exceeded its goal in raising capital and had a consultant come up from New Orleans to get the effort started one and a half years ago. She suggested getting all the money in one place before initiating the 501(c)3. Ms. Turner asked if the NSU staff are professional fundraisers. Ms. Newell said they are not, though they have some training.

Ms. Turner said this is not an effort that should be undertaken unless there is a larger purpose than moving money around. No one would want to be on a board that is essentially a façade.

Mr. Weiss said the possible uses of 501(c)3 funds should be listed as a first step in determining the worth of establishing one.

Mr. Pahl said the "friends" would have to be identified initially. Mr. Weiss said many past board members are looking for a way to be involved and could potentially be involved.

Mr. Cordell said there are 501(c)3 groups affiliated with many NPS groups.

New Directions for Heritage Education:

Mr. Silman was glad to see the Heritage Education job description included fundraising.

It should not be hard to raise funds because it is a great idea.

Mr. Weiss said Senator Landrieu's office should be pressed to help this idea that was initially her idea.

Ms. Turner asked how the program is connected with the Louisiana Department of Cultural Recreation and Tourism. Lt. Governor Landrieu (Senator Landrieu's brother) has a major interest in this area. There are many grants opportunities in the CRT office that could help reposition the program.

Mr. Silman asked Mr. Cordell to follow up with CRT. The new coordinator should go into the position with a national focus.

Ms. O'Donnell said we should look for programs that NCPTT's Heritage Education program can learn from or partner with.

Mr. Cordell said his goal is to make the program self-sustaining.

Mr. Foxall said some small heritage education programs may be willing to adopt the program if the website was useful and portable enough.

Dr. Striegel said the program was developed not as extracurricular activities, but as a standards-based program that will work best in the core curriculum. The program would have to be incorporated to each state's curriculum.

March 31, 2006

Committee Discussion Minutes

Preservation Technology and Training Board

Sustainability Conference:

Ms. O’Donnell said the result of this conference would be a charter, or statement of principles in the practice of preservation. This effort intersects preservation and sustainability. The audience is both communities.

Mr. Weiss pointed to a triangle model of considerations, balancing environment, sustainability and preservation.

Mr. Ferrell said people have different ideas about the scope of sustainability, including ecological, cultural, historical, etc.

Mr. Weiss said there is a struggle between preservation and environmentalism, citing an example where environmental laws have prohibited him from sustaining and repairing

objects with certain materials. These objects will probably crumble in a decade and have to be replaced with stones from overseas quarries.

Mr. Silman asked about the topic of deliverables for the conference.

Ms. O'Donnell said the triangular model mentioned by Mr. Weiss should be addressed.

She says in her personal practice, she records inspecting and maintaining where conservation treatments have been applied. The ICOMOS Natchitoches declaration from two years ago was two pages. The New Orleans declaration addressed the intersection of collections and historic museum structures. There are usually philosophical and action statements with supporting precedent documents. In ICOMOS meetings, papers are presented before the conference. She suggested this would be the way to go in planning a conference on sustainability.

Dr. Morgan said if people have a good mission statement to begin with, they have a good idea of where to start with their papers. Mr. Silman asked what would be done with the resulting document.

Morgan said the NCPTT website would be a good venue for public consideration. Mr. Cordell said the Center could fund a publication. Mr. Silman said publication costs would be included in the conference budget. A University Press may be interested in publishing the document.

Ms. Turner said podcasts should be considered to help make the program more inclusive to interested people worldwide.

O'Donnell said the Natchitoches ICOMOS meeting including writing all the pre-papers to a CD, including PowerPoint presentations. She was asked to write a 20-page paper in Sept. 04 and reissued the CD to gather the data from the meeting. The CD is available for purchase through US/ICOMOS. She doesn't know how practical it would be for this meeting. The information is also available through the website.

Mr. Foxall said practicing people don't have time to read long journal articles. Better parsed information in a newsletters and informational flyers (brochures) will better focus the information and make it palatable to the practitioners that don't have time for a lot of reading. Mr. Pahl said the expertise of the board and their affiliations can help disseminate the information.

Mr. Koonce asked if there was clarity on the principles of the conference.

Mr. Silman said discussion would have to continue between the board meetings to completely iron out this issue. However, deadlines have to be set to get the concept and

conference plan in place. Ms. Turner said specific names for the conference should be agreed on while the entire board was in the same room.

Mr. Silman asked who should lead the conference. Should it be someone from the inside or outside. This person will literally run the whole conference. O'Donnell said people who are event organizers usually don't have a grasp on the subject matter. The moderators should come from the board.

Cordell said Mr. Silman should organize the event because of his expertise and interpersonal skills.

Mr. Burns said he is concerned about the lack of sustainability people involved. If the board is organizing and moderating, preservation would be well represented but not the field of sustainability. The persons should ideally include sustainability people who have dealt with preservation issues.

O'Donnell recommended Mr. Wiess should write a background paper, connecting the dots between sustainability and environmentalism. Weiss was concerned his experience is too technology oriented.

BREAK: Tour of Labs

11:01 Federal Advisory Committee Act.

When the board meets in full, it has to be listed in the Federal Register. Subcommittees are not required to follow these rules, but records must be kept and reported to the full board. All information regarding the meeting has to be made public. The Center intends to put the information on the web. O'Donnell agreed that members should get the information from the web, print it and bring it to the meeting. Mr. Silman agreed and the board agreed that they could print the board report contents at home and bring them to the meeting. NCPTT can save the money on binders and shipping this way.

Mr. Silman asked if the board knew how to use the board forum and encouraged them to frequent the site.

Reprise of Wingspread Discussion:

Mr. Silman said the conference would range in $20-25,000; Travel is $10-15,000 range.

He will send a copy of the budget to the board members.

Mr. Silman said the first task is to research what has been done so this conference does not duplicate it. He asked who would like to do the initial gathering of information, including related charters. O'Donnell said she would take care of this task.

Mr. Silman asked who was interested in taking care of the budget. Since he has put in an initial draft of the budget, he would take over this task.

Mr. Cordell asked what kind of person the board intended to keynote the conference. Mr. Silman said they would lean toward a sustainability person who has dealt with preservation issues, though that person may not exist.

Reprise of 501(c)3 Discussion:

Mr. Cordell said the NSU Foundation could help with some administrative tasks in the beginning.

Mr. Koonce said there should be clear separation between NCPTT and the Friends group.

He will look into legal and accounting advice and will report back on how to move forward.

Dr. Striegel said there were two efforts to get such a group off the ground. The first effort was to raise funds to do a feasibility study. The second effort tried to make an endowed position. Money from both efforts are in two different places. Mr. Silman said he would work with Mr. Cordell to look at getting this money into the same place.

Mr. Silman brought up the topic of picking board members to be a part of the Friends group. Ms. O'Donnell said all former board members should be approached for their interest. Mr. Silman suggested former NPS employees who were affiliated with the Center may have an interest in serving. Mr. Cordell suggested Roger or Frances Kennedy to serve as honorary chairs.

Mr. Silman said the forum is necessary for the board to be effective and that depends on the entire board being involved in the discussion. He also asked if there were any ideas for long-term initiatives. He hopes to make the boards actions focused internally rather than solely on the Center's business.

Ms. Turner said the Center needs to help other NPS units, starting with the organizations in Natchitoches who are strapped for money.

Dr. Preusser suggested having a meeting of NPS personnel at the Center to show them how NCPTT can help them.

Cordell said focusing on the issues of Parks could be done, but not the budget problems.

The issue of neglected resources is a hot issue throughout the National Park Service.

Mr. Silman thanked everyone for contributing to the meeting and encouraged everyone to continue to participate.

Mr. Burns gave Mr. Cordell an award for 25 years of service to the National Park Service.

Wrap-up:

Mr. Silman asked for a motion to adjourn. Ms. Turner made the motion and Dr. Preusser seconded.

The motion passed unanimously.

The meeting was adjourned.