National Audubon Society Regional Director for the Central Region

The fall meeting of the National Audubon Society Board was at Randall Davey Audubon Center in Santa Fe, NM, October 10-12. As you might guess, a substantial amount of the board's time was spent discussing the state of the country's economy and the impact the economic downturn was having on the organization.  As we have been working for 7 years to balance the national budget, there are few easy choices left to make.  No decisions were made at this meeting because most of the bad economic news happened in the ten days just prior to the beginning of the meeting and we're not sure of the magnitude of the problem.  I would appreciate any comments you have on what you consider essential.  What is the last thing we should cut?

I am writing to share initial thoughts on the outcome of this historic election and its meaning for some of our most pressing conservation issues.  I have attached below a statement that I released to the press just moments ago.  I hope you find it informative.

Additionally, I want to offer you the opportunity to learn even more.  On Monday night, November 10, I will host an invitation-only teleconference to enable our most important supporters to speak with me, Betsy Loyless, our Donal C. O’Brian Chair for Advocacy and Public Policy, and other members of our national policy team about the implications of the election and Audubon’s plans for ensuring conservation progress in the months ahead.  This is your chance to question our most experienced national policy experts about the issues that you care about.