Meeting called to order at 7:35pm.

Ken explained where we stand with our status as a charitable organization. He defined what steps we need to take and they include getting the original members that signed the charitable organization document to re-sign as two members have been omitted. After all signatures have been collected we can send our application in for review. We do not know how long the whole process will take but it could be several months until all is finalized.

Nominations were closed for position of treasurer for the conservancy and Theresa was officially elected and now holds the position for the remainder of the year.

Theresa talked about the meadow restoration program and the dialog with the county that has been taking place. Theresa gave a presentation to the ECIA(Essex County Improvement Authority) with representatives from the county and the developers who were also in attendance. Theresa has done all the leg work in finding out the costs and benefits of a meadow restoration on the Hilltop. The presentation went extremely well and was approved by Joe Divencenzo. It now has to be approved by the board of freeholders. The developers were also very supportive of the program and offered help in getting the meadow restoration implemented. They offered ideas and are willing to work with us in getting areas of asphalt removed and hauling dirt up to the meadow. Theresa will give any updates at the next meeting.

Anne and Theresa represented the Hilltop Conservancy at the Backyard Habitat Fair in Montclair. The Fair had over four hundred visitors and many who have not heard of the Hilltop Reservation. There were many vendors and other groups who set up booths that had overlapping issues with our conservancy. The concept of the fair is to show people how they can create a habitat in their backyard that will attract birds and butterflies. This is one of the main goals of the conservancy. We want to create a natural habitat that will rid the reservation of foreign invasive plants and have native plants grow once again and support the habitat that should be on the Hilltop. Hopefully we can learn more from some of the other groups that were at the fair.

Some other topics that were discussed were: funding for our group(we need our non-profit status), school involvement( get in touch with teaches who have in interest in what the Hilltop has to offer and set up hikes with different schools and grade levels), upcoming events( Family bike ride 6/25, trail maintenance days, future table events?), saving native plants from development areas and transplanting into the reservation when the time is right. The last topic discussed was the North Caldwell Courter Lane access point. Is this a lost cause or something to fight for? All agreed that we need the latest plan map to see if the road is to be moved and how we can still gain access through that area. We need to study the new maps and make a determination on what steps to take.

Meeting adjourned at 9:10pm.

Minutes prepared by Secretary: Brian Glennon