Green Saves Green Member Meeting Minutes

Monday, November 6, 2024

5:30 p.m., Pasquotank County Library


Present:  Gerry Anderson, Karl Brandspigel, Mark Brothers, Sharon Burtner, Anna Cherry, Nita Coleman, Shelly Cox, Jane Elfring, Marlene Greer, Blair Jackson, George Jackson, Rodney Johnson, Charles Jordan, Steve King, Bill Kruse, Sue Kruse, Cody Marks, Bob Pippen, Ali Rooney, Cheryl Squire, Steve VanGiesen, Ruth Wells, Holly White, Sheila Wrenn, Terry


Chair Report

Nita provided an overview of all GSG has accomplished since 2017. 

Nita will step down as chair, and Sheila will step down as treasurer next year. The nominating committee has nominated Marlene Greer to be the incoming chair and Woody Garthwaite to be treasurer. We are looking for a secretary, and will need to replace our outgoing board members. Nita and Sheila have agreed to remain on the board.

In October and early November, we had several events.

  • Pasquotank High School litter cleanup. Two students wanted to clean up before homecoming. We showed up with supplies and helped out.

  • Dismal Day exhibit. We had a pinecone bird feeder craft for kids, and a display on how trees provide food, water, and shelter for wildlife. Lots of people attended, and families enjoyed the nature-based craft.

  • Splash Art Festival. We were invited back because our crafts were so popular last year. At our table, visitors made pinecone bird feeders and painted tree cookies.

  • Paddle tour of the upper Pasquotank with the county attorney and planner. We were not able to begin where we intended due to downed trees, but managed to find an alternate location. The county officials were shown a few potential launch sites and enjoyed the scenic beauty of the upper Pasquotank River. They expressed support for a paddle trail.

  • NC Native Plant Act. GSG was invited to speak to Pasquotank County Commissioners on the 2023 law and how the county might begin incorporating it here. We suggested the county target Newland Park to start. Commissioners were receptive to the idea.

  • Fall Litter Sweep. We had 14 volunteers collect 460 pounds of trash. Parking and using the Speedway as a starting point worked out well.


Albemarle Watershed Watch

Our teams completed their final water testing in October. The grant funding for the six-year project has ended. Rodney will look for additional funding to collect water samples when an algal bloom occurs in our local waterways.

GSG Action Grants

Marlene reported the awarding of a grant to ECSU graduate student Christian Jones to study the microbial diversity, including algal blooms, in the Pasquotank River basin and the Great Dismal Swamp. When his research is complete, Christian will develop an educational outreach program for use in the classroom. 

We contacted Central Elementary School and discussed the pollinator garden project with teacher Rebecca Masters. She is taking over the project from the grant recipient who left the school to teach overseas. She’s looking at creating an edible garden.

We’ve made progress with the Action Grant awarded Tammy Sawyer at Northside Elementary. We’ve secured two bat houses for her project from a local craftsman. Tammy is working on setting up a day for the students to paint the bat houses and getting approval for a location to install them on campus.

Upcoming Events

Fall Foliage Festival, Fenwick-Hollowell Wetlands Trail, Saturday, Nov. 9, 10am-2pm. A family fun festival celebrating trees put on by the Urban Forestry Commission. GSG will offer a kid-friendly exhibit. Volunteers are Nita and Bill and Sue Kruse.

Planning for Our Climate Future

Holly White, who works for the NC Office of Resiliency and Recovery, talked about how the office provides technical support to local governments for flood mitigation and climate resiliency, helps identify funding, and provides outreach and education. People can check out local climate projects and observations and vulnerability maps at the NC Resiliency Exchange website, https://www.resilienceexchange.nc.gov/.


GSG Meeting Schedule

No meeting in December.

5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13 at the Pasquotank County Library.