Houston Canoe Club
Board Meeting Minutes
May 3, 2023
Recorder: Alice Nissen
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Officers in attendance were Brent Hwang, Commodore; Greg Fan, Vice Commodore; Tim Brooking, Boatswain; Christy Long, Newsletter Editor; Alice Nissen, Recorder. The last board meeting minutes were approved.
Tim gave the membership report and stated there were five new members and 10 renewals for a total membership of 149. Facebook continues to increase in membership with a total of 904.
Christy stated that due to her 10-day vacation as well as her knee replacement, the newsletter was a bit rushed. Brent stated he liked the photo in this month’s Waterline.
Brent stated that Bob plans to retire from his purser position at the end of his term in December. He stated that Bob has been a great contributor for a long time and his reports are on a professional level.
Natalie stated that she will talk about the upcoming trip to Lake Charlotte on the 13th. She also stated the paddle on the San Bernard was great because of the high-water level, enabling them to go further up the river than they had ever gone before.
Greg gave the vice-commodore report and stated that Kent Walters will be the speaker next week at the general meeting and will talk about Big Bend/Rio Grande trips. Bruce is scheduled to speak at the July meeting. Discussion over June speakers included someone to talk about safety. Joe Coker will be the speaker for August and will talk about alligators. Several other suggestions were made for upcoming speakers. Kent may be remote next week, so Greg will do an audio check before the meeting, even though he stated we are doing okay with our equipment and our speakers are good. Brent will bring a Bluetooth speaker to the meeting.
Brent gave Tom’s conservation report and stated that Tom will be talking about Earth Week, the East Fork of the San Jacinto Watershed Partnership, the septic systems along Cypress Creek, and the amazing Arctic kayak expedition PBS documentary. Brent stated that Tom is a great contributor and questioned if he should be made an official board member.
Christy stated she has three tee shirts to give out at the meeting next week for Clarissa Wu, Pharr Smith, and David Burnett. She mentioned that HASK has a permanent merchandise ordering page on their website with Logo Sportswear. It does not make money for the club, but it is a much easier way for members to buy shirts and hats with their logo. She will investigate this further to see if this would be an option for HCC. Christy stated it would be very easy to set up as the company will help with that.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00.
Houston Canoe Club
General Meeting
May 10, 2023
The meeting at Bayland Community Center was called to order at 7:05. Officers in attendance were Brent Hwang, Commodore; Greg Fan, Vice Commodore; Bob Naeger, Purser; Christy Long, Newsletter Editor; Alice Nissen, Recorder; and Tom Douglas, Conservation Chairman. Bruce Bodson, Fleet Captain, and Natalie Wiest, Ex-Officio, attended via Zoom. A total of 18 people attended the meeting in person and 14 via Zoom. Last month’s general meeting minutes were approved.
Alice gave the boatswain report in Tim Brooking’s absence and stated that we have five new members and 10 renewing members for a total membership of 149. Facebook has 904 members.
Christy stated the newsletter is going well. She has been receiving lots of trip reports.
Bob gave the purser report and stated at the end of April we had $975 in membership income, total expense was $1361 ($590 insurance, $466 race, $239 website), for a net loss of $386. HASK has reimbursed HCC for their share of the race expense.
Tom gave the conservation report and stated that April 14 through 22 is Earth week, with lots of events happening in Houston. Earth Day HTX speaker series on April 17 and 18 at Julia Idesen Library and Earth Day Festival on April 19at Discovery Green. A meeting will be held on May 17 of the East Fork of the San Jacinto Watershed Partnership to discuss water quality. Harris County Watershed will have a seminar on May 18 on septic tanks. A meeting of the bacteria implementation group on May 23 for plans to improve our water quality. Tom recommended the PBS film, “Beneath the Polar Sun,” about a five-man Arctic expedition.
Bruce gave the fleet captain’s report and stated there have been three events since our last meeting with 13 participants (all members) for a total of 47.8 miles and a total for the year of 240 miles. (See his report on the Waterline for detailed data.) On April 16, Natalie and Joe lead a trip on Champion Lake for a total of 5.8 miles. Joe stated it was a short but beautiful trip. Very few nesting birds were seen. Kent said the Buffalo River trip for 36 miles was a great trip, with good water, good people, and great campsites. It rained during the 6-mile Caddo River trip. Upcoming trips: this Saturday Natalie and Joe will lead a trip with 19 paddlers on the Trinity Delta. On May 20, a trip is planned on the Colorado River, 35 miles, from La Grange to Columbus, scouting out a potential location for our next race.
Harmon gave the safety minute and recommended wart cream for poison ivy irritation.
Christy announced the speaker, Kent Walters, a long-time member of HCC, who will speak about paddling three Rio Grande Canyons: Colorado Canyon, Santa Elena Canyon, and Boquillas Canyon. It is a 10-hour drive from Houston. He stated that paddling the Rio Grande is a sensory overload at its finest. The weather is unpredictable: it can snow, rain, be very windy, and be extremely hot. Half of the experience is enjoying the people you are paddling with. The scenery is “spectacular” as well as the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Lots of wildlife to be seen, including wild horses. Some amazing archeology sites. He warned about a negative: “don’t get near the cane as it will reach out and grab you.” Sometimes the trips have begun with a potluck dinner. The put ins are easy. The paddling includes both wide and small spaces. There are no alligators. Normally, his trips were in February during the workweek. There are five to six outfitters available. The pictures Kent showed from various trips were awe inspiring and beautiful. Everyone who attended the meeting now wants to take a paddling trip on the beautiful Rio Grande. Thanks to Kent for all the wonderful trips he has led over the years and for a great presentation which was enjoyed by all.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.