FIFTY YEARS AND COUNTING (CONT.)
Kathleen Snyder
The first Board meeting minutes of our organization were written in 1973 which made 2023 the fiftieth anniversary of the Black Hills Audubon Society. I have read and written about our first two decades and in this issue, I will cover the 1990’s. However, I have to cry uncle. I cannot read any more minutes; I have hit my proverbial wall. If there is anyone else out there who would like to read and write about the aughts (don’t you love that word?) and the teens, I will happily deliver the binders to you.
My overall impression of the 1990’s is how new technology was impacting the everyday functioning of our society. This was the decade when we started using email, set up our first webpage and purchased a computer. Even as these changes were evolving, the minutes also talked about a phone tree, mailing labels for the Echo, and a carousel of photographic slides. There was a great deal of adjusting over these ten years.
The photo above is of East Bay Bird Guide written by Scott Richardson, illustrated by Nikki McClure, and sponsored by BHAS. Published in 1997, it joined Birds of Ocean Shores by Glenn and Wanda Hoagg and also sponsored by BHAS in 1991. It’s nice to know we are a literate society. In addition, we had a sister city in Columbia to which we made two shipments of optical equipment and books. Unfortunately, the name of the city was not recorded. We also hosted a very successful garden tour for a few years that focused on native plants and wildlife habitat.
Grays Harbor Audubon’s chapter was operational in 1994 as it split apart from us. That year was also a highlight for sponsoring classroom curriculum (Audubon Adventures) and we had 30 classrooms enrolled. In 1996, our 501(c)3 paperwork was completed thanks to Susan Markey who is still an active chapter member. However, there came a time in 1997 that threw the Board into turmoil. It was hard to piece together but it had to do with a conflict of interest involving gillnet seabird by-catch and the Board President. Meetings were held, letters were written, and the president resigned. At this point, the details are not as important as knowing that BHAS weathered the storm and is going strong today.
Many of our conservation efforts revolved around waste management in this decade. Something called WIDCO, a waste landfill, was being proposed and would be big enough to accept waste from other states. It was to be located somewhere around Bucoda/Tenino. We went into high gear to fight it and eventually it was dropped. The Olympian credited our efforts for this defeat. We also received a state government grant to implement Wastebusters, a community demonstration program to encourage businesses, medical facilities and government offices to set up recycling protocols.
On avian matters, one of our members was involved in closing the hunting season for Band-tailed Pigeons in Washington. The numbers of this species were in decline. The recent absence of Upland Sandpipers in the state was also commented upon.
I found two humorous entries that are worth sharing. From August 1991: “Dave M attended the National Audubon meeting in Colorado. Ted Turner and Jane Fonda attended the meeting (although Dave didn’t see Jane). Ted’s pet peeves include organized religion, e.g. the Roman Catholic stand on birth control. He also hates cattle but the BLM won’t let him stop running cattle on some land he leases from them in Montana (he wants to run bison).”
From 1998: “Greg P and Tammy P showed us the new BHAS web-page. This can be found by using at least 2 web search engines: Yahoo and Alta Vista.”
In sum, our organization has accomplished much because dedicated and talented people were willing to contribute to it. There was a constant struggle to find volunteers to take on leadership roles, a struggle that continues to this day. In the end, though, people were found and the good fight goes on.
