Understanding OPAS Membership

by Ken Wiersema

A significant number of our members have been confused about their OPAS membership. Many have thought that when you join Audubon, you join Audubon -- all of its parts! However, it’s not quite that simple.

Back in the ‘90’s -- and before (yes, way back then) -- when you joined Audubon you received the Audubon Magazine and National Audubon (NAS) sent back to its local chapters -- in our case OPAS -- approximately $5.50 per subscription to support chapter activities. That “dues share,” along with OPAS bird-a-thon fund raising, went toward publishing our newsletter and renting a place to meet (we met in the Masonic Hall off South 5th Ave). Our membership was about 300 and the annual operating budget was less than $3,500. We also had 8-10 folks who just wanted to get our newsletter, so we had a “Harlequin only” category of members too.

Since 2001 NAS has been reducing the amount of membership dues that they send back to the chapters to support local activities.  Their “baseline funding” is currently about $2.20 per national member. In 2002 OPAS began offering a local membership as a way to sustain chapter needs. As of September 2006, OPAS has a total membership of about 500 with some 240 local members, most of whom are also NAS members.

NAS continues to remind its members to renew; but OPAS has not been as diligent at getting local members to renew.  OPAS continues its service to send our newsletter to NAS members in our region, Clallam County.  OPAS Membership Chair(s) with our new Data Management Chair, Scott Clausen, are committed to making our membership reminders and renewal efforts timelier.  OPAS also wants to be your one-stop service for every Audubon membership category.

So you have three options:

1. Join  (and RENEW with) OPAS and be a local member. For a mere $20 you receive the Harlequin Happenings Newsletter and are entitled to full benefits of local OPAS functions: field trips (many and better this year), chapter meetings, and activities. You would not receive Audubon Magazine.
2. Join OPAS and NAS -- enrolling (or renewing) through OPAS -- gaining full local membership and Audubon Magazine.
3. Join only NAS (you can do this through OPAS too!). You receive Audubon Magazine and for the present you would also receive Harlequin Happenings. But OPAS is reviewing its policy on providing hardcopy newsletters to those who do not choose to be local members. We may decide to serve NAS-only members through our web site -- where incidentally you can read current and back issues of the Newsletter.

I recommend that you select option 2.  It provides support to local and National birding and environmental activities.  It helps OPAS to provide your membership service and support the Dungeness River Audubon Center. OPAS also recommends that our members join the River Center Foundation, which is committed to support of the Center. OPAS together with the Foundation and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe are the local partners that operate our Center.

Please let me or other OPAS officers and board members know if you have membership questions or suggestion. We urge you to help recruit more members and to participate in the many new and continuing programs, activities and classes offered through the Center and OPAS.