[chapter-communicator] Newswire Board Meeting Summary Report

From: "TENNEFOSS, Lynn" <ltennefoss@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;
Date: Fri, 7 Oct 2005 17:18:11 -0400

Audubon Newswire
Volume 3, EXTRA 3
Friday, October 7, 2005
Audubon Board of Directors Meets at Aullwood Audubon Center in Dayton, Ohio --
Board Meeting Summary Report
Audubon's Board of Directors held its third meeting of 2005, from September
30th through October 2nd, at the Aullwood Audubon Center in Dayton, Ohio.
Center Director Charity Krueger and her staff pulled out all the stops to
welcome the Board, leading bird walks on the Center's many nature trails,
providing an opportunity to see its state-of-the-art environmental education
classrooms and facilities, and hosting a celebratory dinner for 100 in the
Aullwood Barn on Saturday night. Ohio US Senator Mike DeWine joined board
members, Audubon staff and guests at the pre-dinner reception on Saturday night.
Following are committee reports:
Planning and Finance Committee
The draft audit for FY 05 was presented along with a summary of the independent
auditors report. The audit opinion was unqualified and there were no material
weaknesses or reportable conditions noted. The auditors commented positively on
the organization's financial processes and noted that Audubon's close and audit
were completed quicker than that of most organizations. Overall net assets grew
from approximately $204,663,000 at June 30, 2004 to $217,162,000 at June 30,
2005.
The Committee closed out the FY '05 Budget, which, despite operating at a
deficit, marked an overall increase in revenue above projections. The Committee
reviewed the FY '06 Budget, noting that projections were on target for the
first two months of operations, with actual revenues slightly ahead of
projections.
Development Committee
The development committee is a subcommittee of the Planning and Finance
committee with the specific charge to have a detailed understanding of plans
and performance for producing contributed income. Topics discussed included:
· Progress and results on the Audubon Centennial Medal Award Gala.
· Progress and results from the pilot investments in Constituency Development
· Progress and results on giving from the National Board for FY 06
· Follow up action items from last May's meeting including fundraising
performance requirements and accelerating the Annual Appeal.
· Assessment of the growth of development capacity in field programs.
Governance Committee
The full Board took the following actions recommended by the Governance
Committee, chaired by Lloyd Semple, in Chris Harte's absence:
· Elected Doug Parker a Vice President of Audubon. Mr. Parker will serve as
Director of Audubon Vermont.
· Set the next Annual Meeting of Members for Friday, January 27, 2006, at 10am
at the Melrose Hotel in Dallas, Texas.
· Set December 9, 2005 as the Record Date for the Annual Meeting of Members
(the date used to determined the eligibility of members in good standing to
participate in the Annual Meeting)
· A slate of at-large candidates was nominated to stand for election at the
annual meeting of the membership on Friday, January 27, 2006, 10 am, at the
Melrose Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The new candidates include: Juliet V. Garcia,
David B. Hartwell, Adan A. Ortega, Jr., and David B. Ford.
Board Members standing for re-election are: Steve Beissinger, Allen J. Model,
Sarah Muyskens, Margery Nicolson, Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff and William P.
Yellowtail. Among regionally elected Board Members, Charles Kahle is up for
re-election, and Caroline Coe and A. Peter Cannon, Jr. have been nominated as
new candidates.
Conservation Committee
The Conservation Committee meeting chaired by Alan Wilson began by reviewing
materials outlining Audubon's Western Hemisphere Bird Conservation Vision,
which was developed in collaboration with BirdLife International.
Steve Beissinger introduced the members of the Pesticide Task Force (Steve
Zimmerman, John Anderson and Gini Stowe), and presented a draft Pesticide Task
Force Report for discussion. The draft will be revised and finalized at a
future meeting.
Betsy Loyless offered an update on critical environmental policy issues facing
legislators in Washington DC. This included overviews of recent activity on the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Audubon
is working to defeat provisions allowing drilling in the Arctic in the budget
reconciliation. Loyless also highlighted Audubon's participation in the recent
rally on Capital Hill to protect the Arctic, and outlined Audubon opposition to
Representative Pombo's (CA) proposed bill eliminating critical protections for
wildlife from the ESA. Unfortunately, the bill was passed by the House of
Representatives. The battle now moves to the Senate, where Audubon is working
to stop its passage.
The conservation committee heard a number of reports from Audubon Ohio staff.
Audubon Ohio Director Jerry Tinianow summarized efforts to coordinate Ohio's
Important Bird Area (IBA) program with state Watershed Planning. John
Ritzenthaler presented an overview of the Important Bird Area program in Ohio,
which includes 63 established IBAs, ranging in size from 100 square miles to a
few acres. Ohio's grassroots coordinator Marnie Urso highlighted her work with
volunteers in support of Great Lake water resources planning and IBA
stewardship.
Aububon Chief Operating Officer Bob Perciaspepe presented an overview of
Louisiana coastal conservation issues; including the need for wetland
restoration and preservation to help Gulf coast communities withstand
hurricanes, and the critical importance of the Mississippi migratory corridor
for birds. Perciasepe outlined the following actions for Audubon:
· Coordinating restoration planning and implementation with Audubon Chapters,
state and local government and other conservation organizations
· Preserving wetlands at Audubon's Rainey Sanctuary
· Creating a new Audubon staff position, based in Louisiana and charged with
leading Audubon's overall Mississippi River ecosystem conservation efforts
· Establishing a larger 10-State effort to advocate for Mississippi River
restoration funding
The Real Estate Subcommittee (Geoffrey Cobb Ryan, Roger Wolf, Alan Wilson, and
John Whittle) recommended that four real estate projects move to the full board
for approval. The committee also recognized Audubon's Director of Real Estate,
Jeff Francell, for his exceptional talent, thoughtfulness, diligence and
dedication, expressed regret at Francell's departure from Audubon, and extended
best wishes for his future endeavors.
Centers & Education Committee
The Committee, chaired by Sarah Muyskens, reviewed the status of Audubon
Centers in development. They also approved an improved review process for
bringing center projects to the Board.
Meeting of the Full Board
Carol Browner, Chair of the Board, welcomed everyone to the meeting and called
for each committee to report.
The Board of Directors approved the following real estate transactions:
· California - Kern County: Purchase of Cyrus Canyon, 1,666 acres located
approximately three miles northwest of the Kern River Preserve in Kern County,
California, with funds provided by the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation through
its Preserving Wild California Program. It was also resolved that Audubon may
transfer the property to the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service
or the State of California with appropriate restrictions to ensure that the
property is maintained in its natural state.
· Connecticut - Town of Southbury: Acceptance of a conservation easement on
approximately 9 acres of property located in Southbury, New Haven County,
Connecticut, adjacent to 86 additional acres of property under the same
ownership, and presently also subject to a conservation easement held by
Audubon.
· Florida - Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary: Transfer of development rights on
approximately 90.1 acres of land located on the eastern edge of Corkscrew Swamp
Sanctuary in Collier County, Florida and granting to Collier County of a
conservation easement on this property.
· South Carolina - Frances Beidler Forest:
- Approved for $3,000,000 a conservation easement on up to 6,200 acres of land
at the Francis Beidler Forest to the Natural Resources Conservation Service of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Wetlands Reserve Program. Proceeds
will be used for expenses related to Francis Beidler Forest.
- Approved Audubon's purchase of 2,381 acres adjacent to Francis Beidler
Forest, for an estimated purchase price of $4,400,000. This acquisition will be
funded by a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant and South Carolina
State Conservation Bank grant, sale of the conservation easement described
previously, purchase by Pine Tree Conservation Society of an interest in the
property, and private fundraising by The Nature Conservancy.
During the Board's discussion session, several presentations were made. John
Flicker summarized the status of Audubon Centers that are operating, in
development, or in planning, that will serve diverse communities not
traditionally served by nature education opportunities. The number of centers
contributing to this goal has steadily increased over the last several years
and when the centers in planning are included, they number 15, from Los Angeles
to Columbus, Ohio.
The Board then heard a presentation from Jerry Tinianow, Executive Director of
Audubon Ohio along with Heather Starck, on the status and plans for the Audubon
Center in Columbus. Located in a "brownfields" site this center will not only
serve an underserved community, but contribute to the revitalization of the
Columbus Waterfront.

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[chapter-communicator] Newswire Board Meeting Summary Report

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