# August 2023 Meeting (Sat 5th Aug @ 10:30am)

**URL:** <https://westcentralmnclimate.network/t/august-2023-meeting-sat-5th-aug-10-30am/230>\
**Category:** Monthly Meetings & Notes\
**Created:** [August 2, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/t/august-2023-meeting-sat-5th-aug-10-30am/230 "2023-08-02T15:19:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![syd](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/user_avatar/westcentralmnclimate.network/syd/32/19_2.png) [@syd](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/u/syd)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/t/august-2023-meeting-sat-5th-aug-10-30am/230/1 "2023-08-02T15:19:04Z")

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Meeting: Saturday 5th August 2023 @ 10:30am  
Join Zoom Meeting: - [Link to Zoom meeting](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://umn.zoom.us/j/98832463968?pwd%3DaCtlOTVvQTNqMzR0ZXE2T0hWWkpOQT09&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1691444181639650&usg=AOvVaw3CW9a-j5Lcnn9304Uqhhut)

Tentative agenda:

- Community
- Future goals? What do we view our time in the WCMNCN as? Why do we keep coming back? What do we value from this and would we/how would we like to see that grow?
- Calendar updates

* * *

**Notes:**

- **Community Check In**
  - Syd: excited about the thunderstorms, thinking about the community center as a place with potential
  - Sue: things are on fire!, lots of tax incentives coming out (they aren’t fully accessible, but they could be helpful)
  - Nic: garden is plentiful!, thinking lots about rainfall and adapting to a new kind of MN summer
  - Mary: thinking about their native planting, participating in [Ida Valley Farm CSA](https://minnesotagrown.com/member/ida-valley-farm/)!
  - Vern: Bernie Sanders letter was impactful, thinking about [Food Emergency Preparedness Plan](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/t/stevens-county-food-emergency-preparedness-plan/232), thinking about [Green Burial](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/t/green-burial-cemetaries/231) in MN

- **Future goals? What do we view our time in the WCMNCN as? Why do we keep coming back? What do we value from this and would we/how would we like to see that grow?**
  - We continue to meet because it refills our batteries, brings us motivation and optimism, and is valuable as a form of connection and conversation no matter how many of us there are
  - The Waste Meeting was a grand success in terms of taking a train that was already moving and helping it along. We strive to do more work like this, but struggle to find trains that are already moving
  - Mary: Thinking about No Mow May, Natural Landscapes, Native Gardens, etc. with Griffin!
    - Great idea! This is a train that is moving!
    - How can we start to move the city/community conversation/education forward regarding action on lawn regulations, native plants, and non-standard lawns? [WCMNCN Site Topic Page - Local Lawns](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/t/local-lawns-collecting-conversation/234)
    - Impacts lots of current conversations: drought/watering, no-mowing because of hot dry summers, brown lawns, amount of work it takes to upkeep turf grass (UMM/City Properties).
    - There are lots of local folks thinking about these things, how can we bring them together to make meaningful conversation that can translate into action?
      - Sally Finzel - [Morning Sky Greenery](https://www.morningskygreenery.com/) @mornsky
      - Master Gardeners - [Stevens County Extension](https://extension.umn.edu/local/stevens#contacts-for-gardening-2572763)
      - WCROC/Ester Jordan - [Native Prairie Restoration](https://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu/about-us/wcroc-news/building-native-prairie)
      - Griffin Peck - City of Morris Sustainability Coordinator
      - [Soil Water Conservation District](https://www.stevensswcd.org/) - Rain Gardens

    - How does the city keep the park green space so green??
    - We could host a tour of the folks in town who have these spaces already curated! Who might we invite to be on this list?
      - Nic & Sue!
      - South Oregon Avenue garden, im not sure the name of the folks who live there
      - SWCD list of folks with rain gardens?

**Next Meeting:**  
[Saturday September 9th @ 10:30AM on Zoom](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/t/september-2023-meeting-notes-sat-sep-9th-10-30am/233)  
Folks attending the meeting are to bring (1) thoughts they have had over the last month surrounding the native plants/non-turf lawn concept and (2) a friend to add to the conversation!  
Mary will bring some research surrounding what other MN communities have been doing.  
[Local Lawns - Collecting Conversation](https://westcentralmnclimate.network/t/local-lawns-collecting-conversation/234)