Santa Fe, New Mexico was the site of the March 19-22 Board meeting, which included a visit to the Randall Davey Audubon Center in Santa Fe (also the State Office) and a reception with their Stewardship Committee hosted by Steve Melander-Dayton. A brief summary of major Committee discussions:

Education & Communications: Presentations on the Greenwich (CT) and Randall Davey Audubon Centers helped compare two excellent, but different, Centers. A new master planning process begun by Tom Baptist, the Greenwich Center director, could serve as a model for others. How New Mexico State Director David Henderson established a Stewardship Committee was of special interest. Lisa Gosselin, new editor for AUDUBON magazine, outlined her goals for the magazine. New directions for NAS TV productions were discussed.

Science: The Committee reviewed the Snow Goose and Domestic Cat NAS Board resolutions and heard about many inquiries and responses from many chapters. An in-depth report on the status of BirdSource was discussed: the February weekend bird count generated an amazing 1.1 million visits to the BirdSource Web site, and 14,000 participants provided data on specific bird species. All Christmas Bird Count data is now "on line". The Committee also looked at how science is intertwined throughout Audubon (about 12% of the staff hold advanced science degrees).

Public Policy: Pat Waak, Population & Habitat Campaign Director, reviewed the past successful year for the Campaign; success measurement was discussed. Congressional restrictions on international population assistance were deflected, 4,000 new activists were identified, and there are now eight state Campaign directors.

Eric Draper outlined the proposed Audubon Citizenship Project. The Project would train/organize activists in targeted Congressional districts and upgrade technology to enable Audubon's members to communicate directly with elected officials. The initial draft budget for the public policy program in FY 1999 was reviewed to insure that the budget reflected priorities identified by the membership.

Bernie Yokel led discussion on a policy resolution raised by chapter leaders about population, centering on the U.S. Sustainable Population Policy Project. The Committee concluded it was premature to formally join the Project until Audubon had more fully developed its own position over the next six months.

Glenn Olson presented the new "Six Essential Elements for State Offices," an outline of major organizing goals/priorities for new state offices, which he developed with state office directors. Copies are available from him, any state office or the Chapter Services office. Dr. Alejandro Grajal, new director for the new NAS Latin American Programs, presented his plans. A revamping of the "Annual Chapter Recertification Report" was begun. It will be shorter this year, redesigned to reflect an "Annual Report," and mailed to chapters in April; chapter board discussion is encouraged for its completion. Dave Pardoe discussed ongoing task force work looking into new forms of memberships; final report due in June. National Convention details were reviewed.

Board of Directors Meeting Schedule

For More Info, Contact: Betsy Hax, NAS-HQ.