Since we are all sheltering in place, staying at least one turkey vulture wingspan apart, we could not have a regular Board meeting this quarter.

            A big part of the Board meeting is Board members and committees reporting on what they have been doing.  Instead of having that in person, we did it by email.

            The Fall Review committee reported that we have reserved space at Twin Falls State Park in Wyoming County for the week of October 16, 2020.  The theme is water.  The Committee is working on the program and will have more information as it develops.

            The Climate Change Committee reported on the results of the survey of the membership.  To see what all they said, see the story on page 5.  The Committee is also working on a policy position for the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.  This is hard because Climate Change is such a complicated issue.  Not being able to meet in person does not make it any easier.

            The Public Lands Committee has been monitoring several Forest Service Projects on the Monongahela National Forest: Beulah Wildlife Enhancement Project, Grassy Ridge Project, Greenbrier Southeast, Panther Ridge, Spruce Knob Grouse Management, and Upper Elk.  These are all in various stages of the planning process so we are making comments, reviewing responses to Forest Service responses, etc.  He also mentioned The Docks Wildlife Restoration; it was done under a Categorical Exclusion (will not go through the NEPA process with public participation, etc.) so we will not be participating in that.

            We are also keeping an eye out for the Ulysses Pump Storage Project.  It has failed at three locations and may soon qualify as a zombie project, lumbering around, looking for yet another (as yet unidentified) location.  It was most recently the subject of a story in the April edition of The Highlands Voice.