MCAS Board: Then and now
Olive-sided Flycatcher, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Roger Adamson.
Where Did We Come From, Where Are We Going? The MCAS Family Journey
Every family has a history. Some of that history is recorded, perhaps in the family Bible, or old letters, or old press clippings, but most is passed down through the selective memory of one member to another. Key events may change in the retelling while others are completely forgotten. Like a family, this chapter has a history. Some of us have witnessed more than others, but none of us have a complete reliable record of where we came from and how we got here.
Fortunately, we recently received a collection of historic material from the estate of Warren and Ginny Wade, dating from their earliest involvement with MCAS. It includes copies of our newsletters dating back to March of 1994. Fortunately, there are still a few members from those earliest days who may be able to fill in the missing pages.
In future newsletters I will draft brief vignettes that highlight various facets of your chapter’s history. It is my sincere hope that readers will not only correct any errors, but also add more details or nuance to the telling. Hopefully, this collection of memories will begin to form a more complete history of the MCAS family.
MCAS Board Planning Sessions, Then and Now
The Wade archives included the minutes of the MCAS Board Planning Session of September 28, 1998. This was the earliest such meeting recovered. In fact it is the earliest set of recorded MCAS minutes known to exist. Since then, annual planning sessions have been an important chapter tradition. The following excerpts are taken from the minutes of that 1998 session, followed by highlights from the 2024 planning session:
September 28, 1998
Attendees: Ginny Rorby, Dorothy “Toby” Tobkin, Jane and Larry Dutton, Esther Meskis, Art Morley, Jan Stickle, Rich Kuehn and Kris Carter.
Rich Kuehn, who chaired this initial planning session, suggested minutes of the MCAS BOD meetings be kept/filed by the Secretary and that we attempt to operate more by Robert’s Rules of Order. Rich proposed developing a year-end appeal letter which would be sent to our MCAS members and targeted businesses in the area in order to solicit contributions for future activities. Possible use of the funds generated include money for Audubon Adventures [does anyone remember what that was?] and Pam Huntley’s programs. It was felt that while local businesses won’t donate for conservation, they often will donate for education.
Conservation Chair, Jan Stickle, suggested working with Parks & Rec. to develop a species list or list of the more common birds for placement in local parks. Toby discussed her desire to have docents or volunteers in the state parks to advise about “dos and don’ts” regarding wildlife. It was suggested we might have someone there with cellular telephone to aid in enforcement. During nesting season this could protect the eggs/young. Toby desired to protect the endangered Snowy Plovers as well as the migrating shorebirds, which feed and to rest.
Setting Priorities: Jan Stickle felt providing a source of education was critical to any long-range plans MCAS makes. Armchair Activist Chair, Larry Dutton indicated few people are interested in writing letters. We only have 14 or 15 people who do it. Field Trips Chair, Art Morley, discussed we need to do extra mailings to people who express an interest in field trips.
Budget: It was discussed that we don’t set one. This makes it difficult to follow through with planning after a solicitation letter. It was pointed out we don’t remind people to designate MCAS in their wills.
July 21, 2024
Attendees: Tim Bray, Dave Jensen, Roger Adamson, Mary Glanville, Matt Franks, Megan Smithyman, Pam Huntley, Jim Havlena (by phone for budget discussion).
Old Business: Review of election results from May membership meeting. Matt Franks, Mary Glanville, and Megan Smithyman are our newly elected members. We are working on a revised bird list for the Gardens, to be followed by a revision to the MacKerricher list. Megan is correcting some links in new website.
New Business: 2024-25 budget adopted. Matt will lead effort to create new membership brochure, possibly with QR code. Megan is working on PayPal link for donations. MCAS will host two marine biologists on joint pelagic trips with Noyo Center. Tim will contact Mendocino College to confirm scholarship awards. Pam will research High School schedules to facilitate student involvement. The board will pursue the installation of a MOTUS Wildlife Tracking System. Program schedules for 2024-25 and 2025-26 were set. 2024-25 field trips were set. Directors shared their personal goals for coming year.
Final Thoughts
In the 26 years since that earlier planning session, your chapter has worked hard to pursue those original goals and priorities. Thanks to the kindness of those who have included MCAS in their estate planning, we are now able to devote our efforts to education and conservation rather than fundraising. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Becky Bowen, Toby Tobkin, Alison Cebula, Angela Liebenberg and many other volunteers, and together with the support of State Parks, we have raised local awareness about the plight of Snowy Plovers and have helped increase their chances for survival along our coast. Ditto and more for the other shorebirds. Our education efforts have continued to grow. Together with our scholarships, they make up the largest commitment in our annual budget. This was the work envisioned by our early leaders who laid the foundation for our successes.
First published MCAS Black Oystercatcher September 2024
