Volume 11, Number 1, Jan. 1989, p.1

President's Letter

As WAAC enters its fourteenth year of existence, I think it's appropriate to reiterate our organization's philosophy as well as thank the many members who have contributed to this fine professional association.

The 1986 questionnaire and subsequent informal discussion have reinforced members' wishes that WAAC serve its membership by providing information exchange in the way of its newsletter and an annual meeting with a relaxed atmosphere. There is a tendency for professional organizations to become involved in bureaucracy, excess committee work, rules, and general formality. Since most of us are members of organizations that accomplish these functions quite successfully, it seems important to keep WAAC simple, basically a forum for informal exchange of ideas among conservators in the Western states. We aim to keep WAAC inexpensive, relaxed, and friendly while at the same time promoting a high level of information exchange.

The 1988 Yosemite meeting was a huge success by the above standards. Personally speaking, it was a hard act to follow! As of December, plans were to have the 1989 meeting at Asilomar, also a popular recent meeting site. Unfortunately, this appears to be impossible as the conference facility is booked solid from August through mid-December. Efforts are underway to select an alternate location. Honolulu is being considered as a possible meeting site, with the encouragement of a solid core of WAAC members at the Pacific Regional Conservation Center at the Bishop Museum. A mid-Pacific location could encourage papers on Pacific basin artifacts, Asian art, special environmental problems or some other appropriate theme. There are reasonable fall airfares to Honolulu, competitive room rates, and some low priced airfare/hotel packages. For example, recent Sunday Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle travel sections listed round trip airfare and 7 nights hotel for $389. I'll continue to explore the possibilities and keep you posted in a March mailing.

Members should feel free to contact officers with their feedback and ideas. The 1988-89 WAAC officers are: Debra Evans, President; Mark Watters, Vice-President; Joanne Page, Jerry Podany, and Karen Zukor, Members-at-Large; and Janice Schopfer, Secretary/Treasurer. I would also like to encourage you all to report on your interesting conservation activities to the regional reporters or directly to the Vice-President, Mark Watters. I would like to thank the hardworking crew of enthusiastic supporters who have contributed to WAAC's excellence in the past year. We appreciate past-president Rosamond Westmoreland's competence and great sense of humor; the dedication of members-at-large Elisabeth Cornu, Denise Domergue, and Mark Watters; the excellent abilities of our secretary/treasurer and newsletter copy editor, Joanne Page; Zora Pinney, Rosanna Zubiate, regional reporters and other newsletter contributors; and that hardworking and exacting editor who puts out the world's greatest conservation newsletter, Chris Stavroudis.

WAAC continues to be a great group of people and I am proud to serve as your president.