- The Board gave heartfelt thanks to Craig Merkel, Deb Nickerson, Steve Curry and Paul Moody for their years of service to BHAS as Board members. These folks will be honored at our annual picnic. Along with our returning officers and board members, two new members will be on the slate for Board of Directors at our May annual meeting: Rachel Hudson and Charlotte Persons.
- The June 13th annual picnic is being organized and will be held at the Rose Garden in Priest Point Park. There will be bird walks at 5 pm followed by a potluck and socializing.
- Kathleen Snyder and Rachel Hudson will be co-coordinators of the new Volunteer Coordinator position.
- Dalton Spencer has arranged for the shop teacher at Adna High School to have his classes make nesting bird boxes to be installed on City of Centralia tree farm property. BHAS will pay for materials and will form a work party to install them prior to 2020 spring nesting season. We are hoping to attract chickadees, swallows and wrens.
- Bob Wadsworth is our new Avian Science Coordinator and will be overseeing our community science projects like Christmas Bird Count and the Purple Martin nest box colony in Boston Harbor.
- Sam Merrill gave the Board an update on the Maytown development issue currently before the Thurston County Commissioners. A multi-million square foot warehousing complex is being considered for this area which is adjacent to West Rocky Prairie. BHAS signed a settlement agreement in 2005 concerning the gravel mine portion of the property in exchange for the then developer to sell a portion of the property to WDFW. The Conservation Committee used our SpeakOut! system, for the first time, to generate over 300 signatures on a petition to the Commissioners that this rezoning request not be added to this year’s docket.