Our monthly speaker program is the most widely enjoyed activity of Black Hills Audubon. We average between 40 and 100 people per program and were able to continue through the pandemic with the use of Zoom. Zoom has been a game changer. We are now able to access speakers and audiences throughout the world. We actually had someone attend from Scotland!
As much as we love the wider net that Zoom enables, we miss the interaction that happens when we meet in person. This summer, the Program Committee will investigate a hybrid meeting model. We envision setting up refreshments, chairs, and a large video screen in our old meeting place, Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia. The speaker will come to the room via Zoom and will be projected on the video screen. At the same time, people can also watch on their devices at home. We are hoping to offer the best of both worlds – personal interaction if desired, plus accessibility if that is not possible.
This will require some technical experimentation so we are looking for someone with computer skills to assist. This person need not be an expert – just someone who is not afraid of computers, cords, projectors, or audio speakers.
Finding program speakers is also part of the Program Committee’s work. Kathleen Snyder, Carla Miller, and Sally Nole have been arranging speakers for the past two years. Both Kathleen and Sally are stepping down from this role while Carla and Bruce Jacobs are stepping up to take over and they could use more help. We offer nine programs a year (none in June, July, or August), and the programs are scheduled for the second Thursday evening of the month. Speakers are found through a wide variety of sources. There is an Audubon WA speaker list to which we have access. Magazine articles, other Audubon chapters, Tweeters, and personal contacts have all resulted in wonderful programs.
If this is appealing to you, please contact Bruce to discuss further. You can reach him at treasurer@nullblackhills-audubon.org.
