Jeff JosePh

Seeking Member Input

Jeff Joseph

As you likely know, NYFOA has run almost entirely on volunteer effort throughout its 57 years of existence. The generous contributions of time and effort by members who care about the future of woodlands across New York State are literally what has made NYFOA viable, and are essential in keeping it (us) relevant in our rapidly changing world. As a the primary voice of a member driven organization such as NYFOA, ideally this magazine will serve to educate woodlot owners at all levels of engagement and experience, while also reflecting the diversity of concerns, activities, and interests of our membership. Maintaining this standard requires your input.

What are your interests? If you are a new member, what information do you need in order to best meet your goals as a woodlot owner? Or if you are a longterm member, what have you learned through your years of woodlot ownership (successes and/or failures) that may be of use to the next generation? Do you have any good stories to tell about experiences working in your woodland? Notable wildlife sightings, or successes in creating habitat for desired species? Do you have skills as a nature/wildlife photographer that you would like to share with our readers?

In short, for this magazine to be most effective at serving our members, and NYFOA’s mission, your voice is needed, whether that is through letting us know what you most want and/or need to be reading about in these pages, through submitting content yourself, or by volunteering to be interviewed for the Member Profile. Often we have an overabundance of material to sift through and select from, but occasionally we are beating the bushes to ensure that we have enough quality content to fill these 24 pages every two months, so your thoughtful comments, suggestions, and/or contributions would all be welcome, and appreciated.

Submissions of all types can be mailed or preferably emailed to Mary Beth Malmsheimer (see p.2 for contact info) and/or myself for consideration; general comments, questions, and suggestions can be directed to me. Questions or comments for our regular columnists Peter Smallidge (Ask a Professional), Mark Whitmore (Woodland Health), or Kristi Sullivan (Wild Things in Your Woodlands) can be sent to them directly. Thank you for supporting NYFOA as a member, and for contributing to our collective efforts.

—Jeff Joseph NYFOA editorial committee chair jeffjosephwoodworker@gmail.com