The ADK Board of Directors held its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting in early December. The following items of interest were discussed:

• Conservation and Advocacy: ADK was invited to testify at a public hearing regarding funding for NYS parks in next years State Budget. Marisa Tedesco’s testimony can be read here.
• Conservation and Advocacy: Neil Woodworth is working closely with Rep. John McHugh, R-Pierrepont Mano to build support for his recently introduced “Healthy Clean Air and Clean Water Act”. This is the only four-pollutant air pollution measure introduced in this legislative session. Our press release can be read here.
• Operations: There have been several recent hires: Robin Robertson (the daughter of former ADK President David Newhouse) is our new Development Associate; John Ertelt is our new Communications Director; Rachel Karp is back at our Loj desk after a several year absence.
• Trails: Over 4,000 hours of volunteer trail work were provided by ADK this year, not counting individual chapter efforts. Almost 8,000 hours of professional trail crew work was completed.. Finally, the High Peaks Summit Steward Program reached over 14,000 hikers this year, bringing our total since inception to almost 250,000 hikers.
• Membership: ADK is making a strong concerted effort to expand our membership. Since a direct mailing went out at the beginning of September, we have attracted more than 1,100 new members, bringing the YTD new memberships over the 2,500 mark. These activities will be expanded substantially in 2008.
• Finance: We remain on target to end 2007 in the black. As of the end of October, we are ahead of budget by approximately $96,000. If successful, this will be the fifth year in a row we will end the year with an operating surplus.
• Miscellaneous Resolutions: A long time ADK member and advocate, Jane Neale, recently passed away. The BoD authorized the establishment of the Jane C. Neale Memorial Scholarship to support a high school student’s participation in a supervised ADK trail volunteer program. The BoD also passed a resolution encouraging Chapters to "…consider outings in less sensitive areas during DEC designated 'Mud Season'".
• Insurance: The Management Team was successful in renegotiating our Liability Insurance Policy. However, we were required to eliminate rock or ice climbing activities, whitewater trips on Class IV or higher waterways. A resolution was passed stating that the Club and its’ Chapters SHALL NOT sponsor any outings that are excluded from our coverage.
• Investment Portfolio: Our portfolio continues to perform well and hovers around the $1,000,000 mark.
• Budget: The BoD unanimously passed the 2008 Budget as proposed by the Management Team. This process has taken almost six months. As part of the process, some historical analysis was done. The following was noted:
  1. Since 1998, our total annual revenue has DECREASED 2% when adjusted for inflation
  2. Since 1998, our expenses have DECREASED 8% when adjusted for inflation. This is why we have been able to have 4 consecutive years of balanced budgets.
  3. Since 1998, increases in Membership and Donations have accounted for more than 90% of our revenue growth.
  There was a consensus that ADK must grow in order to continue to meet the needs of our Membership. If we continue to cut expenses, we will be unable to deliver the services our Members expect, and we will lose both Members and revenue, making it more difficult to maintain our current level of service and programs. Therefore, the Executive Committee directed the Management Team to develop a budget that would enable ADK to increase Membership and Donations. In order to do so, it was determined that we would need to invest in the manpower needed to achieve these goals, and that it would take 2 to 3 years for all of our efforts to succeed. The BoD authorized a budget which plans for a potential deficit in 2008, with this being substantially reduced in 2009, and turning positive again in 2010. Subsequently we will have the necessary infrastructure in place to continue moving forward in a positive manner, with Revenue exceeding both expenses and inflation. The Management Team has in place a mechanism to pay for the potential deficit in 2009, and the Investment Committee has a back up plan in place to assist them in the event the original plan is slowed down for any reason.
• BoD Organizational Meeting: Following the regular meeting, the BoD Reorganizational Meeting was held in order to approve the 2008 Calendar and elect new representatives to the Executive Committee. I am pleased to report that I will continue to represent the Niagara Frontier Chapter on the Executive Committee in 2008

John Gilewicz
12/04/2007