January 12, 2010

La. GCLA met at 7:00 pm at Oil City Town Hall with five Board members present including President, Vice President, and Treasurer for a total of 8 present. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved. Mardi Gras was discussed with all events planned going well. We will serve Red Beans and Rice for dinner. We will meet again on January 26th to finalize all the plans. There are no updates available on the Crappie USA tournament mentioned at the last meeting. There will be a meeting February 2, 2010 at the Karnack Community Center at 6:00 pm The topic of discussion will be "The State of the Caddo Lake Ramsar Wetlands" in connection with World Wetlands Day. A motion was made by Dana Casey to allow Dan Fulghum to purchase a new Banner from Victory Signs with the price not to exceed $125. The motion was seconded by Steve Riall and passed. Jack Canson gave an update on the progress being made at the National Refuge. Meting adjourned. The next meeting will be January 26, 2010 at 7 p.m. at the Oil City Town Hall to finalize Mardi Gras events.

November 2009 minutes

The LA GCLA met at 7 p.m. November 10 with three officers and approximately 15 members present. Minutes of the previous meeting were approved on a motion by Denise Gildon with second by Steve Riall. Approved. President Dan Fulghum reported he received the Treasurer's information from former Treasurer Ruth Johnston and acknowledged that she did a wonderful job in the past and we will miss her efficiency and accuracy. We greatly appreciate all the work she did as Treasurer. Motion was made by Steve Riall with second by Bob Roddey to elect Tom Foster as Treasurer and to appoint Tom Foster, Steve Riall and Dana Casey as signatories on the checking and savings accounts at Citizens Bank & Trust Company of Vivian with one signature out of the three required on each transaction. Unanimous approval. Each of the three are to provide a copy of these minutes at Citizens Bank and sign the two signature cards as soon as possible. Motion was made by Dana Casey and seconded by Steve Riall to reimburse Dan Fulghum and Tom Foster for their expenses in connection with the October Feast held at the Oil City Park. Unanimous approval. President Dan Fulghum discussed the wishlist of the group represented by Caddo Ward II, Caddo Commission, mayors of municipalities, Caddo Parks and Recreation and GCLA to construct a large pavilion with a kitchen, extend the sewer system and provide a spray park for children Members of GCLA will have a booth at Christmas on Caddo selling frito pies. Members interested in assisting with this project are asked to get with Dan Fulghum to make plans. GCLA has been asked to take over the planning and organizing of Oil City's Mardi Gras celebration and parade the last weekend in January 2010. There is a kick off dinner Friday night and the band is supplied by Mayor Chip Dickey. We are asked to organize the parade for Saturday and chose a King and Queen. Motion was made by Steve Riall with second by Tom Foster to take on the Mardi Gras project for the upcoming year and decide then if we wish to take it for another year. Unanimous approval. There has been no word from Wildlife & Fisheries since the lake has been in flood status. Respectfully Submitted, Denise Gildon, Secretary

October 13, 2009

The LA. GCLA met at 7 pm on October 13, 2009 at Oil City Town Hall with Dan Fulghum, President; three board members and five guests present.. Jesse Means from the Louisiana DEQ gave a presentation on the Drinking Water Protection Program for Caddo Lake and discussed the importance of maintaining the quality of water in Caddo Lake since there are seven different water intakes on the Louisiana side alone. Jesse also discussed different possible sources of contamination and how to prevent them.LA DEQ are looking for volunteers to work with them to keep the quality of drinking water sources free of contaminates. Kevin Houston with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries gave us a summary of the overall acres of giant salvinia sprayed to date. Over 2000 acres have been sprayed as of the end of September. WLF feels we are in better shape going into this winter than we have been since the plant arrived. They will continue the spraying efforts as soon as lake levels allow. The upcoming October Feast was discussed and final plans were made to honor our corporate members with a bar BBQ lunch at Earl Williamson Park on Saturday, October 24, 2009. Tom Foster will supply the grill and do the cooking. Tom and Dan Fulghum will purchase the food and supplies. A good group of people had a great time at the opening of the national wildlife refuge on Caddo Lake . Special thanks to Mayor Dickey, Chief Tom Bass, and the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Lake Patrol . Vice President Steve Riall has mailed all of our information in connection with the tax free status to the Caddo Lake Institute to be completed and sent to the IRS for review and approval.. Dan Fulghum met with representatives from the Caddo Commission, Parks and Recreation, Mayors of various municipalities, and representatives of the Ward II Industrial Park to form a plan on how to better develop the Earl Williamson Park . The main items discussed were a spray park for children and a large pavilion with rest rooms and kitchens that could be reserved and rented to groups. Tom Foster was nominated for the position of Treasurer and John Sautor nominated as a Board member. We will try to hold elections in November or December. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at the Old Community Center , now known as the S.O.C. Officers and members please make it a point to attend this meeting as we need a quorum to vote.

September 8, 2009 Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. on September 8, 2009 with 11 present. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved on motion by Nancy Casey with second by Larry Livingstone. Approved. A letter of resignation dated August 19, 2009 from Ruth Johnston was read and accepted on a motion by Dana Casey with second by Larry Livingstone. Approved. Ms. Ruth has been Treasurer of this organization for nine years and LA GCLA will send an appreciation note for her faithful service. Nominations for Treasurer will be accepted at the October meeting. Dan Fulghum reported one new membership and one renewal for the month. Steve Riall reported the 501 (c)3 paperwork is almost ready to mail. It was confirmed that Board members are Dan Fulghum, Denise Gildon, Ruth Johnston, Steve Riall, Tim Brantley, Dana Casey, Larry Livingstone, Dez Hill, and Jack Canson. The official opening of the National Wildlife Refuge on September 26th was discussed. Oil City School is interested in attending. Sheriff Prator plans to send two lake patrol officers and the Tourism Bureau plans on sending a representative. Elected officials in the community have all been invited. Dan Fulghum reported he attended the recent TX GCLA meeting and was given a tour of the 8,500 acre wildlife refuge. It is for day use only, has driving tours, walking paths and paths for horseback riding. A long term goal of the LA GCLA will be to have direct access to the Refuge from Caddo Lake . Plans for the Eat, Meet & Greet set for October 24, 2009 as a thank-you to our corporate members was discussed. This will be held at the Oil City Park and further announcements will be made. Jesse Means of the DEQ plans to attend our next meeting October 13th and will present demonstrations. He will discuss the drinking water related grants that are available. The next meeting will be Oct. 13, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Oil City Town Hall . All interested are invited to attend. Respectfully submitted, Denise Gildon, Secretary

August 11, 2009

The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by President Dan Fulghum with three officers, 7 members and one guest present. Steve Riall reported he has a sample conflict of interest policy to be reviewed and approved by the Board in connection with applying for the 50(1c)3 status which is in progress. In the absence of the Treasurer, Ruth Johnston, Dan Fulghum presented the balance in the checking account reflected on the most recent bank statement. Checks for $100 for the "Get Hooked on Fishing" sponsorship and $27 to reimburse Steve Riall for expenses incurred in connection with the non profit status were approved on motion by Dan Fulghum with second by Denise Gildon. Approved. Dan Fulghum reported on the mechanical harvester trials conducted on the Texas side. It will be another month before the data is analyzed; however, the harvester operated 80 hours over a period of 10 days with no operational difficulties and several hundred thousand pounds of vegetation were harvested. This procedure is labor intensive and costly due to the fact that salvinia weighs approximately 2 1/2 tons per acre; consisting mostly of water. Wildlife & Fishery spray crews will be on Caddo the week of August 10th beginning at the south end of Jeems Bayou and working northward. It is expected that four crews will be working four days of that week. The recent flooding has caused the salvinia to be in easily accessible areas. Motion was made by Dana Casey with second by Denise Gildon to reimburse Steve Riall for expenses associated with attending the "Keep Louisiana Beautiful" seminar August 19-21st at the Shreveport Civic Center. Approved. For more details go to keeplouisianabeautiful.org. Elected officials are being invited by members of the LA GCLA to join in a caravan for the National Wildlife Refuge Grand Opening in Karnack, TX September 26 from 10-3. Doug Dominick of the Caddo Parish Commission and State Rep. Jim Morris have been invited to attend. GCLA members and any other interested parties are encouraged to attend. Plans for the GCLA to raffle bicycles at the OIl City National Nite Out Oct. 6 were discussed. An Eat, Meet & Greet event on Oct. 24 as a thank you to our corporate members was also discussed. Plans will be forthcoming. It was reported that the Tourism Bureau is having a nationwide crappie tournament on Caddo Lake Feb. 12 & 13, 2010 and the LA GCLA has been invited to participate. The next meeting will be September 8, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Oil City Town Hall. All interested parties are welcome to participate. Respectfully Submitted, Denise Gildon, Secretary

LA GCLA July 2009 meeting

The LA GCLA met July 14, 2009 at 7 p.m. with 13 present including two officers. Minutes of the June meeting were approved on motion by Dana Casey with a second by Tom Foster. Approved. President Dan Fulghum read the invitation for the official opening celebration of the “Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge” to be held September 26, 2009 at Karnack, TX from 10-3. Louisiana officials have also been invited to attend. The suggestion was made to have a caravan of cars with GCLA members driving over to attend. The recent newspaper article discussing the salvinia fight on Lake Bisteneau was reviewed and discussed. It is known that once a solution is found at Bisteneau it will come to Caddo Lake as well. Lake Bisteneau has a much worse problem with salvinia than Caddo Lake has. An herbicide “Galleon” is being used on Bisteneau. There was no spray crew on Caddo during June as the crew was sent to Bisteneau to fight their battle. According to an email from Jeff Sibley of LDWLF, the spray crew will be back on Caddo July 13-16. Direct foliar herbicide chemical applications will be ongoing on Caddo Lake; however, in this hot weather the salvinia multiplies faster than it can be killed with spray. The organization understands that WLF is doing all they can do and appreciates the efforts being made. In the absence of the Treasurer, Dan Fulghum presented the last bank statement. The 503(c) status was discussed. Steve Riall was unable to attend and give a report on this. Larry Raymond of Caddo Parish Parks presented a Get Hooked on Fishing Day Certificate of Appreciation to the LA GCLA for being on hand to assist in this annual event. A display of salvinia in various stages drew much attention from the approximate 300 who were in attendance. 150 children were registered to fish and it was a great day. GCLA is making plans to be even more involved in the event next year. The Caddo Lake Institute sent copies of their pocket naturalist guide “Caddo Lake Ramsar Wetlands,” an introduction to plants and animals in the area in order to advance awareness of Ramsar and the importance of wetlands. In 1993, 8,000 acres of Caddo Lake were designated as wetlands of “international importance” under the 1971 Ramsar Convention. In 1998, the Ramsar honor was expanded to another 12,000 acres. These wetlands include one of the best U. S. examples of a flooded cypress forest. For more information see www.caddolakeinstitute.us/ramsar.html Thank you letters with a mid-year update included are in the process of being generated to mail to corporate members of LA GCLA. The organization appreciates these corporate members who are listed on our website at www.caddolakela.com Plans for a fall Eat, Meet & Greet are underway. Tom Bunting of Shady Acres invited Dan Fulghum to speak at an Oil City Rotary meeting. Mr. Bunting is willing to have GCLA flyers distributed at the marina. The next meeting will be August 11, 2009 @ 7 p.m. at the Oil City Town Hall. Meeting adjourned. Respectfully Submitted, Denise Gildon, Secretary

June 2009

Meeting opened at 7 p.m. with six members and no guests present. Steve Riall reported he contacted the Secretary of State office regarding copies of our Articles of Incorporation. He will contact the Caddo Lake Institute for assistance in completing the non-profit status paperwork. Dan Fulghum reported we continue to receive membership renewals as well as corporate memberships. He also reported that Caddo Ward II Industrial Development Corporation is looking into projects to enhance the Earl Williamson Park and our organization would like to be involved. GCLA will have a booth at the Get Hooked on Fishing Day at the park on June 27th. Mechanical harvesting of giant salvinia on the Texas side of Caddo Lake took place in late May and results are not yet in. There was discussion about sending a letter of thanks with a project update to be sent to corporate members. Dan Fulghum

La GCLA Minutes May 12, 2009

The meeting was opened at 7:00 p.m. with ten members and one guest present.

Mr. Jack Canson from Texas GCLA spoke briefly about the mechanical harvesting project to begin in the southwestern section of the lake on May 20, 2009. They will be working near Tucker's Landing gathering data on the viability of mechanical harvesting on Caddo Lake.

Mr. Rick Lowerre of the Caddo Lake Institute introduced himself and his organization. The Caddo Lake Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and betterment of Caddo Lake. CLI was a major player in the National Wildlife Refuge established and soon to open on Caddo Lake. We welcomed Mr. Lowerre to return and speak to us again at a future meeting.

Mr. Steve Riall reported some progress on our tax exempt status. He is still gathering all of the needed documents. Mr. Lowerre offered his assistance once we have all the materials gathered.

Our Greet, Meet, Eat meeting at the Oil City Park was discussed and deemed a success. We will try to have another this fall.

Dan Fulghum has been invited to represent our organization at the Gusher Day Luncheon. We will also have a float in the parade.

We voted to help sponsor Get Hooked on Fishing Day at Earl Williamson Park June 27, 2009. We will donate $100 and need volunteers to help on that date. More information will be available at our next meeting.

Our next meeting will be on June 16, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at Oil City Town Hall. The public is invited to attend.

La. GCLA April Minutes

La GCLA met April 14,2009 with three officers and ten members present. Kevin Houston of the WLF Department spoke to the group about positive research being conducted in connection with attacking salvinia.the research being conducted sounds promising but will take time. In the meantime, the permanent crew assigned to Caddo Lake continues to spray as the wind allows. He reported the lower part of the lake and bayou look pretty good but Jap Island and Green Break are heavily infested. Spraying of chemical allows the mats to break up and the wind can move it out.

Mr. Jack Canson, our Texas board member, spoke about a ten day mechanical removal of salvinia trial being conducted by the Caddo Lake Institute in mid- May. Rate of removal with a single operator compared to rate of removal with a water support team will be tested. Two sites will for testing; one for removal followed up by spraying of chemical and one for just spraying of chemical and results will be observed.

Mr. Bob Roddey discussed re-activating the Caddo Lake Watershed Commission originally appointed by the State. He has sent letters to all members and will start meeting again. One member is out of town and need a replacement.

Mr. Steve Riall reported the paperwork for tax exempt status has been taken to accountant for review and filing.

Mr. Dan fulghum reported meeting with Jim morris who had received a letter from WLF stating restocking of Florida Bass into the lake.

A Meet, Greet, and Eat Meet as well as elections for officers and directors will be held Saturday April 25, 2009 at the Oil Cit Park at 2:00 p.m. Renewal of memberships as well as a membership drive will be held. Look for the La. GCLA banner at the Park and join us for a "Taste of the Bayou."

The next meeting will be the second Tuesday in May, 2009 at Oil City Town Hall.

Respectfully Submitted,

Denise Gildon, Secretary

March 10, 2009 Minutes

Jeff Sibley and Kevin Houston of LA WLF met with the group and discussed what has been happening on the lake. In 2008, approximately 1,400 acres were sprayed on Caddo Lake and there is approximately 700-1,000 acres of giant salvinia on the lake now. The WLF stocked weevils in July and October 2008 in remote areas for nursery growth. They expect to do additional stocking in 2009. As far as weevils are concerned, the WLF is seeing positive signs on Lake Bisteneau. A dedicated crew has been assigned to Caddo Lake and plans to spray 4 10 hour days each week weather permitting. Kevin Houston will oversee this crew. The weevils and spray so far have just knocked back the growth and haven't created open water. Harvesters have been utilized in Califormia and may be feasible on a small scale in states with a slow growing season. It is felt it would not be feasible on Caddo Lake due to the sheer volume. Salvinia weighs in at 20 ton per acre and is 90% water. Questions were asked about salvinia in the Red River and it was reported that the River has a very low salinity and there was some salvinia seen in 2006; however, salvinia is a swamp plant and thrives in Cypress studded areas and not so much in moving water.

The historic water trail on Caddo Lake was discussed. The Jeffersonian Institute has prepared a document entitled "Caddo Lake Heritage Awareness and Education Project" with Vivian's historian, Sam Collier, collaborating on the history on the Louisiana side.

The mailer regarding the annual meeting in April was presented by the Committee and reviewed. We will have our regularly scheduled meeting the second Tuesday in April for the nomination of officers and board members. Anyone interested in serving as an officer and/or board member is asked to contact Dan Fulghum by email.(available on this site) A tentative date of April 25th has been set for a dinner meeting at 2 p.m. at the Oil City Park (more details later) with a membership table, voting table and eating tables set up. Dan Fulghum chairs the Food Committee. The mailer will be sent out to invite everyone with a love for the lake to attend.

A letter was read by Dan Fulghum from Matthew Montgomery of Twin Cities Development asking to make a presentation in our community regarding the impact of the Haynesville Shale to our area. This issue will be explored for sometime after April.

Bob Roddey plans to contact all members of the Caddo Lake Watershed Commission in the near future to get this organization active again. The Watershed Commission has the right to enforce laws and regulations on Caddo Lake.

Steve Riall has been meeting with the various municipalities recently discussing the Greater Caddo Lake Association and inviting all to attend our meetings and informing them on what we're all about.

The LA GCLA extends its warmest wishes for recovery to our honorary board member, Kay Kline, who has been very ill.

Respectfully Submitted,

Denise Gildon, Secretary

Louisiana Greater Caddo Lake Association, Inc.

February 10, 2009 The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by Dan Fulghum with 11 people

present.


Minutes of the previous meeting were read by Secretary Denise Gildon and approved on motion by Dana Casey with second by Ruth Johnston. Approved. The minutes did not, but should have reflected that Kay Kline has been made an honorary board member and Dez Hill is our newest board member.

Dan discussed the historic water trail and how we could get members involved in various ways. He reported the Mardi Gras parade was a success with floats even though few members showed up. We plan to participate in the Gusher Days Parade as well. He reported that Steve Riall continues to work on the non-profit status with the completion of the required forms. Mr. Riall's CPA will review the forms before they are submitted.

Dan discussed a public notice regarding Blanchard water usage and expressed concern over the fact that their water usage from Caddo Lake could more than double.

Treasurer Ruth Johnston gave her report showing several memberships submitted as well as a check written to the Secretary of State for the annual report. Motion was made by Denise Gildon with second by T.C. Fulghum to approve the Treasurer's Report and expenditure. Citizens Bank & Trust Co. of Vivian joined as a corporate member.

Dan reported the WLF continues to spray. He has tried to contact James Seales for more information but has gotten no response. The Association would like to have WLF submit news or information for our website at www.caddolakela.com.

Discussion followed on appointing various committees, participation by members, mail outs to members and others, election of officers and directors at the annual meeting in April, food and entertainment for the annual meeting, and corporate members vs. corporate sponsors. We have 70 members who need to be notified of the annual meeting.

President Dan Fulghum appointed Larry and Cleo Livingstone and Dana & Nancy Casey as the Communication Committee with their duties including but not limited to a news letter, general mail outs, notice of annual meeting and brochure. This committee will bring their recommendations and potential cost to the next meeting. Mention was made of sending out communication to all owners of lakefront property sometime in the future.

Respectfully Submitted,

Denise Gildon, Secretary

Minutes from January La.GCLA

The meeting was opened at 7:00pm at the Senior Center in Oil City. Board members present Dan Fulghum, Denise Gildon, Steve Rial, Dana Casey, Tim Brantley, and Larry Livingstone. The minutes from the December meeting accepted. The new By-Laws were adopted. Kay Kline was appointed as Honorary Board Member. The new web-site was discussed. We talked about making a Historical boat Trail starting at the dam and running to Texas. We will see if we can get a booth for the Bass Master Classic. Steve Rial was given authority to spend up to $1000 for help with the 5013c form for Tax exempt status. Meeting was adjourned at 8:00pm.