BCA Accomplishments for 2019
Board held annual two-day retreat in Bismarck in January, where Jan Swenson announced her pending retirement. Officers were elected, a wide variety of business was conducted, and a transition committee was formed.
The PSA Board member Laura Anhalt created continued to air on KDAK in Bismarck, the community radio network operated by Dakota Media Access.
The government shutdown limited BCA’s ability to conduct our customary service project as did the fact that Earth Day fell on Easter Sunday in 2019.
BCA issued a news release announcing Jan’s retirement which received wide coverage including a long feature story about Jan in the Grand Forks Herald.
BCA submitted a lengthy and thoughtful comment letter on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Little Missouri National Grassland Oil and Gas Leasing decision.
In cooperation with the North Dakota Wildlife Federation, comments were sent regarding the proposed NP Resources Elkhorn Ranch and Roosevelt Oil and Gas Wells Project. Jan Swenson also continued to attend various meetings and hearings and sent alerts and emails to members. More info at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=56228. Later Tracy Potter kindly wrote comments which were edited by BCA Board and sent to USFS by the July 15 deadline.
Jan Swenson and Laura Anhalt staffed a table at the ND Legislature for ND Outdoors Day where they had many rewarding discussions with interested parties.
The hand-off of materials from Jan to board members took place and represented a substantial amount of work for everyone involved. A very special thank-you is due to Eve Suchy for all of the work she shouldered as BCA Treasurer. BCA committees continued to meet as needed.
BCAers attended the Highway 85 Expansion stakeholders meetings, sharing our views on this project.
BCA hosted a retirement reception for Jan Swenson in early April at the Capital Gallery in downtown Bismarck which was very well attended.
New members continued to join BCA through personal contacts and via the active BCA social media, Facebook and Twitter. The website was continually updated. Two newsletters were produced and mailed including a 20th-anniversary newsletter in early December with a membership letter, which was mailed to every contact BCA has collected in 20 years. As President, Lillian continued regular email updates to members via bca@badlandsconservationalliance.org and via our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Makoche Studios produced a 20th-anniversary video featuring found Lillian Crook. It can be viewed at https://www.badlandsconservationalliance.org/news/20
The BCA Transition Committee met frequently at Red Oak House and via email. The ED position was advertised widely including in the Bismarck Tribune, via the website, via our wide social contacts, and in High Country News. We received five applications and the committee interviewed three candidates, hiring in December Dr. Elizabeth Loos.
A 20th anniversary summer outing was held in June at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. BCAers enjoyed sharing memories around a warm campfire.
BCA produced a sticker and began to mail to renewing members. Local merchants have begun to display the sticker too.
BCA continued to monitor the proposed bridge project in Billings County.
The BCA Board held numerous meetings and reviewed dozens of emails from President Lillian Crook. The new email bca@badlandsconservationalliance.org was created for communication with the wide world.
BCA created an Amazon Smile account.
Board members continued to participate in the Elkhorn Group monthly calls as well as attending a meeting held by the group in Bismarck. We also meet with ND Wildlife Federation partners about future coordination.
BCA continued to send in comments on various issues of concern including the illegal bridge built by Bice across the Little Missouri River.
Board member Connie Triplett attended the Grasslands Conference held in Bismarck in September. https://www.nwf.org/grasslandsconference
Various required reports and tax filings were completed by dedicated volunteer board members.
Connie Triplett completed required reports to our granting entity, Tortuga Foundation, and BCA received a large recurring grant from Tortuga, a testament to their confidence that BCA’s work will continue.
DeSmog, a widely read blog, publicized a report on spills being hidden in ND. Several members were interviewed by the reporter when he was in North Dakota. https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/08/19/north-dakota-regulators-oil-gas-spill-exxon-valdez
BCA and The Prairie Blog continued to closely track developments on the proposed Meridian Refinery in Billings County. BCA disseminated the bad news that grasslands birds in particular are in steep decline in this news story https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/opinion/crisis-birds-north-america.html
The 20th-anniversary Annual Meeting was held in October in Bismarck with our traditional potluck. Good discussion about the future of the organization was held as was the Silent Auction.
BCA submitted comments on proposed changes to ND Oil & Gas rules and distributed this comment letter in a member email encouraging them to write in as well. Tracy Potter and Laura Anhalt attended the hearing regarding these rules and made comments at the hearing.