[Iesaf_palouse] meetings

[Arleen and Ned]

It is difficult for me as a golden member and past chapter chair to express my frustration over the need to cancel or reschedule the January meeting due to projected poor attendance. Travel to Lewiston should not have been a problem because Jo Ellen offered a car pool opportunity.

Poor attendance has become common for the Palouse/Snake River Chapter. It seems rare to have more than ten including students at meetings. Last Friday I gave a program on "Problems With Restoring Historic Fire Regimes" at the Selkirk Chapter meeting in Spokane. There was more than 30 in attendance. I gave a version of this program to the Palouse/Snake River Chapter meeting in September and attendance was 12 including four students. The December meeting featured Dean Pregitzer and if Rob Keefe had not encouraged student attendance the meeting would not have been worth while. Frankly, I was shocked at the lack of interest in learning about the new Dean's plans for the College of Natural Resources.

I have been a Chapter Chair four times. The work that has to go into a program is considerable. The January program required me to travel to Orofeno to meet with Randall and Supervisor Rick Brazel to line up the program, which should have been very interesting for anyone interested in where management of the Clearwater/Nez Perce National Forest is headed. The speaker had to spend a few hours in prepairing the program. The Chapter Chair has to spend some time prepairing remarks for the the meeting. It is very discouraging for a Chapter Chair to have to explain to the speaker why there was little interest in the topic.

I have given the poor attendance at meetings a lot of thought. Unfortunately, I do not know a solution. Perhaps the proposal to give it up as a chapter that was discussed last spring was the correct proposal. That is difficult for me to understand with two universities. If members are not willing to travel to Lewiston to attend a meeting I can not believe they would be willing to travel to a Selkirk Chapter meeting in Spokane or Coeur d' Alene. If the meals are too expensive as I have heard perhaps we could meet later in the evening without a meal. (The meal at the Selkirk Chapter meeting last Friday was $21.) If Wednesdays are a poor time are Fridays better? If the University Inn is not a good meeting place there are other places available. I received some critical remarks for not scheduling a meeting in Lewiston, but if most members are not willing to travel to Lewiston we can only hold meetings in Moscow or Pullman.

Please let Randall know your thoughts. As Chapter Chair he needs your help and Rob Keefe as Chair Elect in charge of programs needs your help. As the past chair and a golden member interested in Forest Management I am just frustrated.

Ned Pence

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