Summer 1999 Bulletin

Board and Staff News

Gracias, Richard Deertrack

After serving Amigos Bravos and the Río Grande for seven years, Richard Deertrack of Taos Pueblo will be leaving the Board of Directors. During his tenure, Richard brought considerable expertise and a clear sense of purpose to the Amigos Bravos team. He spoke eloquently and with feeling on behalf of Amigos Bravos at gatherings large and small, and was one of the first to present a "Watershed Watch Talk," during the early days of the organization. In 1993, at our first Advisory Council meeting, Richard set the tone by describing his experiences of drinking directly out of the river from the time he was a child (a practice which would be foolhardy now, at least on the main stem of the Río Grande given pesticide run-off and other pollutants). The result of that meeting was Amigos Bravos' current mission statement. Richard inspired all of us, in part because he was able to speak from the legacy and example of a culture which has existed for thousands of years in a sustainable and respectful relationship to the natural world, and in part because of his own very good heart. We will miss him greatly and we wish him only the best.

We'll Miss Ellen!

It is with enormous regret that we say "goodbye" to our Membership and Outreach Director Ellen Levy, who joined the Amigos Bravos staff in October, 1997. In addition to her grace, style, and enthusiasm, Ellen contributed her eloquence to Amigos Bravos' many communications with the membership and public. Ellen successfully designed and created the Amigos Bravos web site in 1997-which has acquainted people around the world with our work-and wrote many successful grants, special appeals, feature articles, and editorials on Amigos Bravos' behalf. Ellen doubled Amigos Bravos' membership during her tenure, from some 550 members in early 1998 to more than 1,100 members in 1999, and significantly increased our membership in Colorado and Texas, through a series of systematic direct mail drives. She also grew our business membership to an all-time high of 61 businesses, and launched the first ever Amigos Bravos business directory (thanks to the brilliant production skills of Office Manager Betsy Wolf). She formulated the Membership 2001 Campaign, which aims to grow Amigos Bravos' membership to 2001 members by the year 2001, and researched and obtained funding for a new database, which has brought communication with our members into the electronic age. Publicly, you may recall her as the organizer of such memorable events as the "Write-the-Rio dinner" at La Folie in 1998, and the remarkably successful annual Painting Party on the Río Grande in 1998 and 1999 (Ellen was the one in the chartreuse dress, driving up all the bids). Behind the scenes, the board and staff alike have been deeply impressed by-and grateful for-the sturdy and reliable sense of ethics and fair play that Ellen has brought to the day-to-day work and policy-making processes of Amigos Bravos. It is said that those who write well, think well. Ellen has demonstrated the truth of that adage on every front. We lose her to a graduate MFA program, where she has been awarded a three-year writing fellowship. Congratulations, Ellen! You'll be sorely missed!!!

The staff and Board extend hearty thanks to Ron Rinker and Board Member Jay Geiger for hosting a fabulous spaghetti dinner party in May to thank and honor our committed and talented team of volunteers.

Please return to the Summer 1999 Bulletin Index.