Suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the site of the June 4-6 Board meeting, which included a visit and dinner to historic Mill Grove, the first American home of John James Audubon, now run as a museum by Montgomery County. It was accepted as an Audubon Center during the visit. Major discussion summary:

Board Forum & Meeting: A report on NAS Strategic Plan implementation activities was presented by Board members Jack Dempsey and Martha Blue. They worked for McKinsey & Co. and led Audubon through the 1995 Strategic Plan process. The Plan implementation was credited with: strengthening Audubon's financial status; bringing "birds, wildlife & habitat" back to the forefront of Audubon's agenda; creating the momentum to open state offices; setting internal reorganization opportunities into motion with clear measures of success; integration of many Audubon programs; strengthening fundraising skills and activities; establishing the Audubon Centers program; and upgrading Communication functions. This analysis, the original Strategic Plan and its recommendations are now available on the NAS Web page at http://www.audubon.org/nas/plan95/. Major Board action included acceptance of the FY '98/'99 $52 million budget. The remaining three Regional Offices will be closed early in the upcoming fiscal year. Expansions in chapter assistance and chapter services, and growth in state office activities to offset these closings are explained in other Networker articles. The purchase of the O'Brien Ranch native tall-grass prairie near Lincoln, Nebraska was approved. The progress of the Membership Task Force, which is looking at new and exciting membership opportunities for Audubon, chapters, centers and sanctuaries, was reviewed.

Education & Communications: Review of Strategic Plan Education recommendations occurred, focusing primarily on a clarity of vision for Audubon's Education programs and the strengths and momentum of the new Audubon Centers program. Twenty Centers are planning capital fundraising campaigns totaling $50 million. The new Audubon Adventures package and promotional materials were reviewed. Eighty percent (80%) of Audubon chapters now sponsor Audubon Adventures classes. The CSX Corporation cooperative program with Audubon, providing college scholarships and Audubon internships, was discussed, and some of the interns were introduced. It is a cooperative program of Audubon, CSX, and the United Negro College Fund.

Field Operations: A status report from chapter leaders in New Jersey and their plans to develop state programs in cooperation with the New Jersey Audubon Society was presented. Other state program reports were presented from Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Mississippi. The transition to state offices and additional field support was presented by Glenn Olson. The final Regional Elections Task Force report was presented by Bill Ross.

Science: A thorough presentation and discussion about the impacts of an overpopulation of White-tailed Deer on Pennsylvania's ecosystem was led by invited biologists. This led to a Board letter to Pennsylvania State Executive Director Cindy Dunn with recommendations on how Audubon can become engaged in this public policy debate. A review was done in the field (earlier in the week) and at the Committee meeting on the cooperative Audubon / Procter & Gamble forestry research study.

Public Policy: A Strategic Plan review showed how policy activities with national and regional campaigns and within state programs are much more focused on "birds, wildlife and habitat". The process for chapters to get involved in all aspects of these campaigns has also been strengthened.

Board of Directors Meeting Schedule

For copies of agenda or minutes from the Board meetings, or for more info, contact: Betsy Hax, NAS-HQ.