State of the Society For 2009

By John Harrison, President

continued, page 5

Looking to the Future:: The HAS Officers, Directors, and other leaders gathered in January 2010 for the Annual Chapter Leaders' Retreat to discuss the state of HAS and how best to guide the organization in the coming year. This year's retreat featured a special focus on membership building, and we were fortunate to have a visit from Mike Corcoran, President of Gull Rock Services, with whom HAS recently has contracted to undertake a comprehensive membership development program. I look forward to reporting results of Mike's endeavors over the coming year as we make a concerted effort to communicate the achievements and needs of the Society to an ever-widening scope of members both locally and nationally. We also look forward to building capacity by expanding our services through enhanced programs that meet the needs of the State and the community in addressing environmental issues and through efforts to increase the visibility and accessibility of our programs. We also hope to continue expanding educational opportunities, with a particular focus on reaching out to young people.

Among ideas discussed at the retreat were a number of initiatives to extend the HAS presence to members on islands other than O`ahu, through creation of volunteer coordinator positions on each of the main Hawaiian islands. In the past, HAS offered field trips, hikes, and service excursions to important natural resource areas on the outer islands, and we look forward to reviving those opportunities through contacts with local representatives, for the benefit of both members and the general public on all islands. Also discussed was the idea to begin offering a regular series of HAS program presentations at other venues, such as Windward Community College. In addition to making these opportunities more convenient to members living outside of the Honolulu area, we are seeking ways to avoid increased parking fees faced by visitors to the UH Manoa campus.

In coordination with Mike Corcoran, the Board of Directors will be looking into transitioning to a rolling membership renewal process as a way of more effectively providing value for membership services to all of our community. The new system will hopefully allow us to better track our members, and we hope to use the reorganization process to get a better understanding of the interests and preferences that our members express. Many of you responded to our recent membership survey with suggestions on a variety of subjects, and we will make every effort to be responsive to your ideas. Please don't hesitate to continue to let us know of particular areas of interest or concern that you may have.

The Hawaiian Islands often are called the endangered species capital of the nation, drawing attention to the State's disproportionate share of both listed species in peril and historical extinctions. As noted earlier, many of the Society's activities serve to either directly support recovery efforts or to offer educational outreach to raise local and national awareness of endangered species issues. Through the programs and activities of HAS, the community has opportunities to become involved in some of the most pressing conservation issues of our time, including but not limited to ongoing efforts to control invasive species, the struggle to ensure the survival of Palila in the Big Island, and the challenge of bringing additional resources to bear on the recovery of the Hawaiian Monk Seal. Looking back on 70 years of continuous dedication by HAS members to solving environmental conservation challenges we face in Hawai`i, our commitment, expertise, and hard work have built an impressive record of accomplishment. Taking full advantage of the resourcefulness of our membership, as well as the incredible opportunities we have to pursue effective conservation at Black Point and elsewhere, we anticipate another year of exciting challenges and accomplishments as well as continued opportunities to build and expand conservation partnerships. On behalf of my fellow Officers and Directors, I sincerely thank each and every one of our members and supporters, and I look forward to effective and sustaining accomplishments in this, our 71st year of operations.