The regular meeting of the Board of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources was held at 10:00 am, on Friday, October 20, 2006, in Room 335 of the Rembert C. Dennis Building, Columbia, South Carolina. Notice of the date, time, and place of the meeting was posted and mailed to the news media. Chairman Mike McShane presided at the meeting. Board members present included Michael Campbell, Stephen Davis, John Evans, Frank Murray, and Norman Pulliam. Mr. Hank Stallworth and staff members of the Department of Natural Resources were present at the meeting, as were various guests.
Mr. Stallworth commended Buddy Baker and Jay Butfiloski for their work on the US Furbearer Conservation Technical Work Group and the Work Group’s receipt of the Ernest Thompson Seton Award at the annual meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Mr. Stallworth commended Emily Cope for her work on the acquisition of the Hamilton Ridge Tract.
Mr. Stallworth commended Skip Still, Lynwood Kearse, Terri Hallman, Bennie Owens, Ron Fleming, and Leslie Morgan for their work with the Outdoor Dream Foundation and for their involvement in fulfilling “outdoor dreams.” Skip Still serves on the Board of Directors of this Foundation.
Chairman McShane read several excerpts from the Board Resolution honoring Father Francis Kline and asked that the Resolution be entered into the minutes.
RESOLUTION
THE REVEREND FRANCIS KLINE
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES BOARDWhereas, The Right Reverend Francis Kline, abbot of Mepkin Abbey and influential spiritual leader in South Carolina, died on August 27, 2006 at the age of 57 after a three-year battle with cancer, and
Whereas, Reverend Kline, born Joseph Paul Kline, III in Philadelphia and better known to all as “Father Francis”, was a Juilliard trained organist and after joining the monastery of Gethsemani in Kentucky, adopted the name Francis, and
Whereas, He later studied theology in Rome, was ordained a priest in 1986 and became the third abbot of Mepkin Abbey in 1990, and
Whereas, Under Father Francis’ leadership, Mepkin Abbey, built on the site of an 18th Century rice plantation given to the Trappist order in 1949 by publisher Henry R. Luce and his wife Clare Boothe Luce, became a sought-after place of contemplation and education for people of all faiths, and
Whereas, Father Francis believed that the Abbey had a moral, ethical, and spiritual responsibility to be a good steward of the land and as part of such should be actively involved in ongoing conservation efforts, and
Whereas, Father Francis emerged as a leader in natural resource conservation issues and worked with the environmental community through the Cooper River Forum to bring sometimes conflicting parties together to preserve open space in Berkeley County, especially along the Cooper River, and
Whereas, Father Francis served as co-chair of the Cooper River Task Force and worked with conservation organizations, state agencies and private landowners to protect all properties along the Cooper River, and
Whereas, Through the leadership of Father Francis, Mepkin Abbey donated a conservation easement to Ducks Unlimited on its 3,120-acre monastery, to permanently protect the property and its 3.5 miles of river frontage on the Cooper River from development, and
Whereas, Father Francis lent his extraordinary powers of reason and persuasion toward the Bonneau Ferry Project, taking it upon himself to meet personally with the leadership of the MeadWestvaco Corporation, resulting in SCDNR’s acquisition of the 10,712-acre Bonneau Ferry tract, representing more than a third of the 30,000 acre Cooper River Historic District, and
Whereas, Governor Mark Sanford, citing Father Francis as the key to bringing together competing interests to preserve land along the upper reaches of the Cooper River, stated “He was someone that just had a remarkable level of personal grace in the way he handled himself; he was able to have this incredibly deep well of spirituality and the ability to look deeply at ideas of faith, and then this ability to care about what was happening in the world around him”, and
Whereas, In addition to his parents, Joseph P. Kline and Vanetta Hiltner Kline of Brigantine, New Jersey, Father Francis is survived by two brothers, Ronald Kline and his wife Carlene of Rochester, New York, and Mark Kline and his wife Kathy of Marlton, New Jersey, and 6 nieces and nephews.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources on this 20th day of October, 2006, honors the life and memory of Father Francis Kline, one of South Carolina’s great spiritual and conservation leaders.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be provided to his family and Mepkin Abbey, and that a copy be retained in the permanent archives of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Mr. Stallworth informed the Board that he and Mr. Frampton met with Weldon Schenck on Bonneau Ferry Issues on September 27.
Mr. Stallworth noted that Mr. Frampton traveled to Washington, DC, on October 11. He and Matt Hogan, Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, met with Paul Hoffman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Management and Budget, and later with staff of the Office of Management and Budget to discuss new federal aid requirements under the Program Assessment and Tracking Tools, a new policy directive that could substantially impact the department’s federal funding.
LegislationMr. Campbell made a motion that the Board return to open session. Mr. Davis seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Murray made a motion to approve the 521 acre addition in Lancaster County. Mr. Pulliam seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Campbell made a motion that the Board approve the Meritorious Service Award for two employees, to be presented at a later date. Mr. Davis seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.