The September NAS Board meeting was held in Tucson, AZ from Sept. 11-14, 1997. Directors from all state offices attended and participated in the discussions; each reported to the Field Committee. A copy of the official Board meeting minutes is available from Betsy Hax (see below).

A brief summary of major Committee discussions:

EDUCATION & COMMUNICATIONS: The status of AUDUBON magazine and NAS television programs was discussed. New directions for television and video productions were explored. David Heil, Director of the new Audubon Centers program, detailed the plans to recognize and certify Centers across the country. He shared their new Centers Tool Kit. A slide show on the Audubon Expedition Institute opened a discussion on this unique Audubon program. Details and plans for the National Convention were also discussed.

FIELD OPERATIONS: The meeting was highlighted by presentations from the fourteen state directors sharing the lessons they have learned in the creation of their offices. A number of other states were mentioned as working on management plans. Iowa will be the next state office to open. Bill Ross presented a report on Elections Task Force work to date (see article). Ted Eubanks gave a status report on the ongoing discussions re. "What Is a Chapter of NAS?".

SCIENCE: Impacts from increased snow goose populations were considered in detail, which resulted in a Board resolution. The concept was discussed and approved for NAS to develop a bird conservation plan that will involve all departments and aspects of NAS. A complete report on the status of BirdSource as a major computer database accessible on the World Wide Web was given. The goal is to have BirdSource "up and running" in February; it is being jointly developed by NAS and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

PUBLIC POLICY: A new NAS litigation policy was presented, discussed and subsequently approved by the Board. It establishes new policies and procedures for involving NAS in litigation. The NAS Office of the President will be more fully involved along with the Board's litigation review committee. Copies of the entire procedure are available on Audubon's World Wide Web page or from Dan Beard in the Washington, DC NAS office. [Note: This document is not available on the web, but can be requested via E*Mail to dbeard@audubon.org. --cp 01/28/97] There was a status report given for all NAS national issue campaigns. Audubon forest and habitat campaigns were also reviewed. The proposed "fast track for free trade negotiations" legislation was also discussed and supported, conditional upon its containing strong environmental standards.

These are the upcoming NAS Board Meetings that have been scheduled. Meetings are open to chapter and council members and the public. Committees meet the 2nd and 3rd days of Board meetings to discuss agenda items in detail. Your discussion items are welcome, but advance notification through Betsy Hax (see below) will help schedule the agenda. Directors convene for the formal Board meeting the last morning of each meeting shown.

* Tentative dates and locations. For specific information on meeting sites, dates, schedules and costs (if any), please contact Betsy Hax, c/o President's Office; National Audubon Society, 700 Broadway; New York, NY 10003; 212/979-3156; email bhax@audubon.org.