Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

1. Greg Wiggins offered to read the full minutes from 2013 meeting. Carey Minteer put forward a motion to approve and submit the minutes from last year without reading, Rob Wiedenmann seconded the motion. The motion passed. 2. Briefing by Jonathon Edelson: The project proposal for the Southern Group (SDC-351) is approved (revision just finished). Revision is not needed until 2017. The current Farm Bill authorization, does not tell us how much money is going to NIFA for Hatch, but there has been an increase in the funding for AFRI, NIFA. Areas of importance for AFRI have not been decided as of yet. Norm Leppla asked if Jonathon had seen any changes in trends in funding. Jonathan responded that tax payers want smaller government and recommended that the group should focus efforts on projects that will garner support from larger commodity boards in order to gain funding until research funding at the federal level increases. Project managers really want to see collaboration and multi-state research projects. An increase in the amount of funding for these types of projects is projected. Jon Edelson noted that you don?t have to be an official member of the group in order to participate; it is a public group. Anyone can have their name listed, do work with group etc. Formal members have to tie ¼ of the federal money received by the group needs to be spent on the formal member support (travel, salary etc.) 3. State reports State representatives/participants gave a brief verbal report highlighting the most important activities, and state reports were distributed, and discussed. 4. James Harwood described funding opportunities in Brazil with the group Science without borders. 5. It was mentioned that a potential collaborator for work on tropical pests is Mark Culik (Brazil representative) 6. Norm Leppa inquired about firewood regulations. The group consensus is that while it is regulated, more could be done (money for man power to regulate it and support from the industry); billboards not enough. Need more industry backing for certified firewood etc. Greg Wiggins discussed lack of enforcing fines for moving firewood, indicating that often the inspectors just burn the firewood and not fine the perpetrators. 7. Norm Leppla inquired about hemlock trees and hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). Greg Wiggins indicated that old growth trees are succumbing to the HWA more than younger trees. Beetle predators have been released in ~225 areas in Smokey Mountain National Park and some are still treating trees with imidacloprid. Greg also mentioned that it takes 3-5 years for the beetles to reached detectable population levels. Rob Wiedenmann suggested working with community ecologists for dealing with the after effects of both the HWA and the BC agents. He also mentioned that it would be good to work with people that may be suspicious of biological control. Greg indicated that there was not in the works, but was a good idea. 8. Officer nominations and elections A motion was made by Greg Wiggins to nominate Carey Minteer for Chair. James Harwood seconded. The motion passed. A motion was made by Norm Leppla to nominate Emma Weeks for Secretary. Seconded by Rob Wiedenmann. Nomination passed. 9. No other business was discussed. James Harwood moved to adjourn. Seconded by Rob Wiedenmann.

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