Western Forest Economists, Inc.

Dear friends and colleagues,

You are receiving this email because you have attended the Western Forest Economists Annual Meeting at least once in the last 10 years. I was recently elected as Chair of the Board of Directors after Keith Blatner stepped down. I am pleased and honored to be taking over as chair.

However, my first task is a difficult one. We are, after 45 continuous years of successful meetings, in financial trouble. Enrollment and post-meeting bank balances for the last few years are approximately:

The bottom line is that we need your help to pay this year’s bills at the Resort and remain solvent. To that end, we are asking you, as a WFE supporter, to help out by making a donation to WFE in the amount of:

You can help ensure the future of WFE through a contribution . Our target is $4,500. This amount will cover our 2010 debt and provide a minimal buffer for the next year. There are 3 ways to contribute:

• Please mail your check to Western Forest Economists c/o John Mills, Treasurer, 7110 SW 32nd Ave., Portland, OR 97219.
• Click here to DONATE on-line using your credit card.
• Call Western Forestry and Conservation (WFCA) at 503-226-4562 and use your credit card over the phone. WFCA serves as our annual meeting manager.

Please include a mailing address so we can send you a receipt.

Why the dramatic losses in 2009 and 2010? The fundamental problem is low attendance. We commit to “room blocks” when we contract with the resort. If the rooms are not used, we pay for them. That guarantees a conference rate for WFE attendees. For 2009 and 2010, our room block commitment was based on 2008 which, at the time, was the lowest attendance we had recorded in 20 years. We thought we were being conservative. In addition, there is a “fixed cost” component in our contract for food and meeting rooms. In 2010, our registration fee income was insufficient to cover that obligation.

What else are we doing to fix this problem? In addition to asking for your financial support:

• We thank our conference hotel for forgiving a substantial portion of our past debt in return for signing a contract to come back next year. The above debt is what we owe after this credit to our account.
• We reduced the fixed cost component of the meeting and “room block” commitment for 2010. To break even in 2010, we need at least 60 attendees who pay the current full registration fee. We also need to use at least 30 rooms for two nights each. Please stay at the hotel if you can.
• We are soliciting sponsorships from agencies and firms that benefit from the networking and educational functions we serve.

What is the future of WFE? Next year is a decision point for WFE. We are committed to holding our meetings one more time at our conference hotel. We heard at this year’s meeting that “the recession ended during summer 2009” so, hopefully, you all will be freer to participate next year.

We, the Board, are in the process of identifying a President and Vice President for next year who will “go the extra mile” to recruit speakers and promote attendance. We, the Board, will be helping in every way we can and will put much more than the “business as usual” effort into it. We ask the same of you. In fact, I have already recruited a session of speakers on fire economics for next year!

Between now and then, you will hear from us. We will be asking you to respond to a survey so that we can understand why attendance has been declining and what we can do to revitalize the group. We are eager to hear your ideas!

If next year’s meeting is healthy, we will figure out what we did right and build on that for the future.

If next year’s meeting continues the trend of the last 3 years, we will have to change how we do business. At that point, we will present the membership with options that may include merging with other regional or disciplinary groups, holding meetings less frequently, or even disbanding entirely. The latter option will be forced on us if we have to declare bankruptcy.

Those of us who have treasured our association with WFE over the years (decades!) will do our best to turn this tide so that we can continue in the future. Please call me with your concerns or any suggestions for fundraising opportunities: 541-737-5533.

Thanks!

Claire Montgomery
Executive Board Chair
Western Forest Economists, Inc.

Contacts:

WFE Interim President:
Marc Vomocil
Forestry Manager
Starker Forests, Inc.
P.O. Box 809
Corvallis, OR 97339

phone: (541) 929-2477 Office
fax: (541) 929-2178
email: marc@starkerforests.com

Program Manager:
Richard Zabel
WF&CA
4033 SW Canyon Rd.
Portland, OR 97221-2760
phone: (503) 226-4562
email: richard@westernforestry.org

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