by Barbara Petersen
Our current Rainier Audubon Society Board of Directors is facing an uncomfortable decision. We hope you can help us. Since 1978 Rainier Audubon’s volunteers have enjoyed providing conservation opportunities and educational activities to our fellow residents of South King County. Our chapter serves the many people living in between the two large chapters to the north and south of us. We offer program nights, field trips, a newsletter, classes, an annual Nature Festival, and a presence at community outreach events. We on Rainier’s board earnestly want our conservation projects and education activities to continue to support birds and wildlife.
THE PROBLEM – The board terms of half our board members have expired long ago. Replacement board members are needed. Most of our ‘committees’ consist of just one person, who also serves as a board member. Committee members are needed. We have one person serving as chapter Treasurer, Membership chair, Nature Festival chair and Nest Box Project chair. Might you be able help in a few of these roles? We need volunteers in our booth at outreach events, and people to lead or co-lead field trips. We very much need a volunteer to help with technology at our programs, and with recording those. An assistant webmaster or replacement webmaster is needed. Rainier needs volunteers to join the board or its committees to help us continue our activities and plan new ones.
We do have a great new Christmas Bird Count committee that will help us continue participation in this longtime citizen community science project. Rainier Audubon is proud to have gathered data for the CBC for 47 years. We are currently in need of a CBC Field Coordinator for this fall.
POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCE – Rainier’s Board of Directors is proud of our chapter’s history, committed to ongoing actions on behalf of birds, wildlife, habitat conservation. However, we need fresh ideas, new energy – we need you! We are available to mentor others in each role and position needing to be filled. Tahoma Bird Alliance in Tacoma has offered to absorb our chapter into their very large one if necessary. We are giving their offer consideration, but we truly hate to see our small Rainier Audubon chapter serving South King County dissolve. Can you help?