Update

The following announcement was distributed to the Friends mailing list on December 18, 2003:

December 18, 2003

Dear Friends of Dicken Woods,

We provide below a quick update on developments regarding Dicken Woods (DW). Please contact any member of the Steering Committee with questions or comments (contact info available on the web site at http://dickenwoods.org). And for general updates, please see the minutes from meetings of the Friends, available on the website at: http://dickenwoods.org/thefriends/thefriends.shtml#minutes

Latest News:

1. Friends of Dicken Woods (FoDW) focus changing from preservation to stewardship. As DW will soon be purchased by the city as parkland, the Friends' focus will now be changing from the original efforts to preserve the woods to beginning an active stewardship program. Plans for stewardship are just now beginning, but will likely include annual clean up days, the removal of invasive species, and working with Dicken Elementary School to integrate DW into the school experience. Much more to come, stay tuned.

2. New committees forming. The FoDW Trails Committee has been created and is charged with designing and overseeing the implementation of a trails system while minimizing disruption of the wetlands and animal habitat. The Trails Committee includes representatives from FoDW, as well as from Dicken Elementary, the A2 Public Schools central Environmental Education Consultant, and representatives from the City Parks and Recreation Dept.

A second committee - the FoDW Budget Committee - will soon be appointed. The committee will be chaired by Deb Norbotten, FoDW Treasurer, and will consist of all Steering Committee members, and other interested members from the Friends general membership, to be nominated by the President and appointed by the Steering Committee. If you are interested in serving on the Budget Committee, please contact Erik Stalhandske (erik.stalhandske@med.va.gov, 769-1498) or Deb Norbotten (norbotten@earthlink.net, 663-3190).

3. Decision on Funds. The Friends will soon decide on the resolution of the funds that have been raised via events (garage sale, concert, Border's Benefit) and contributions. The funds will either be deposited into the City's park acquisition fund to reimburse the city for a portion of the cost of purchasing DW, or they will be kept in the FoDW bank account to be used for the improvement of DW, or a combination of these two basic options. Any funds that would be deposited in the City's park acquisition fund could only be used for parkland acquisition; they could not be used for general fund expenses by the City.

Although no specific decisions have been taken yet regarding how to use funds to improve DW, likely options would include expenses to support trail creation and maintenance; annual clean up days; removal of invasive species; planting of new trees; possibly the purchase of signs, park benches, etc. Another new idea under consideration is the creation of a grant-making program through which FoDW would provide small grants to Dicken classrooms to help integrate DW into the school experience, activities, curriculum, etc.

4. November 29th tree-planting celebration a a huge success! Over 85 people attended a tree planting ceremony on a cold and windy day. Three Dicken 5th graders read letters they wrote to the Bishop; Ken Monash, Dicken 5th grade teacher spoke on behalf of himself and Principal Mary Anne Jaeger; Erik Stalhandske spoke on behalf of FoDW; Ron Olson, Associate City Administrator and recently head of the Parks Dept. spoke on behalf of the City. Others attending the event included the Director of Properties for the Catholic Diocese of Lansing, as well as representatives from City Council, the City Park Advisory Commission and the City Planning Commission. After the tree planting ceremony the group returned to Dicken Elementary for coffee, hot chocolate and lots of cookies. A large banner had been made, and signed, by hundreds of Dicken students. The banner said "Thanks for Saving Our Woods!"

5. FoDW awarded the Sierra Club - Huron Valley Group's 2004 Conservation Activist Award! The Huron Valley Group presented their annual Conservation Activist Award to the Friends of Dicken Woods at the Sierra Club's monthly meeting on December 16. Nancy Shiffler, of the Sierra Club, offered words of praise for the job done by FoDW in helping preserve DW. We're honored by this award. And we're also very grateful for the critical support we received from the Sierra Club during the preservation efforts this past spring, summer and fall. For more information on the Sierra Club - Huron Valley Group, see their website at: http://michigan.sierraclub.org/huron/

6. Next meeting in February. Normally FoDW meets on the first Monday of each month. Given the holiday season, there will be no FoDW general meeting in January. The next monthly meeting will be in early February 2004, and we expect to take action at that meeting regarding the budget options outlined in point 3 above. Please plan to attend the February meeting or provide any thoughts to a Steering Committee member by early January.

7. Finally, it's almost tax time. Consider making a donation to Friends of Dicken Woods. FoDW is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization, so donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. You can make a pledge via the website pledge form at http://dickenwoods.org/thefriends/pledgeform.shtml and FoDW will follow up with you. Otherwise, you can also contact Deb Norbotten, FoDW Treasurer at norbotten@earthlink.net or by phone at 663-3190, or simply send a check (made out to "Friends of Dicken Woods") to Deb at 2304 Kent, Ann Arbor, 48103.

Congratulations to all the Friends of Dicken Woods on a very successful 2003. Happy Holidays to all!

-The FoDW Steering Committee