MFA 2008 Conference Wrap-up



Dear MFA Members and Friends

For those of you who joined us in Annapolis this past weekend, you already know what a wonderful event our 2008 Annual Conference was! That success is due to the support of our friends and members ~ whether it be financially or in terms of time and talents. Please help us thank all those listed below for their support.

canoe at Rocky Gap
For those who were unable to join us, and for those that did,
we hope you will plan now to attend next year's conference which will be
October 30 & 31 at the Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort
.

Watch the MFA website and Crosscut for details as they become available.
mfa logo Send us your ideas for themes, topics and speakers for the 2009 Conference. Planning begins shortly! Contact the MFA office at mdforests@hereintown.net or 301-895-5369


Thank You to All Who Made Our Conference a Success!

Annual Conference Planning Committee:
Philip Gottwals (Chair), Jeff Fisher, Steve Jarvis, Karin Miller

Session Moderator ~ Bob Eaton

Videographer ~ Pete Miller
AV Assistants ~ Steve Jarvis and Steve Resh
Photographers ~ Joan Bearden and Donnell Keech

Silent Auction Coordinator ~ Becky Wagner

Hospitality Hosts ~ Dick and Bobbie Stanfield

MFA Welcome Desk ~ Bobbie Stanfield, Lynn Holmes

OUR SPEAKERS
Mr. Bruce Vincent
Mr.Steve Koehn
Mr.Michael Goergen
Mr.Bill Rodenberg
Mr.Kirk Martin
Mr.John Karakash
Mr.Patrick Doyle
Mr.Bruce Waver

2008 CONFERENCE SPONSORS

GOLD CIRCLE

ACDS, LLC~Columbia, MD
Besley & Rodgers, Inc.~ Falls Church VA
Bitmunious Insurance ~ Lutherville, MD
Edrich Lumber Co.
Dick and Bobbie Stanfield~ Windsor Mill MD
Forest Resources Association~ Rockville MD
MAR-LEN Environmental ~ Westminster MD
NewPage Corp Luke Mill~ Westernport MD
Paul M. Jones Lumber Co., Inc.~ Snow Hill MD
Sustainable Resource Mgt. Inc ~ Davidsonville MD
The Forestland Group, LLC~ Wellsboro PA
The Mill~ Bel Air MD
University of Md Cooperative Extension~ College Park MD
USI Insurance Services~Falls Church VA

SILVER CIRCLE

Bowen and Kron Enterprises, Inc.~Baltimore MD
C.W. Matthews & Sons~Seaford DE
Egolf Forest Harvesting, Inc.~Delmar DE
Ota Stevenson, Inc.~ Salisbury MD
Pete Richardson Auction Sales ~ Willards MD
Sisler Lumber Co.~ Mt Lake Park MD
Timber Harvest, Inc. ~ Cordova MD
MD Tree Farm System ~ Chesapeake Beach MD
Smith-Foster Furnance Corp. ~ Queenstown MD
Laws Corporation ~ Snow Hill MD

BRONZE CIRCLE

Borden Mining Company~ Jamestown NC
Maryland Farm Bureau, Inc.~ Randallstown MD
Southern MD RC&D~Waldorf MD
Western Pocahontas Properties~ Huntington WV
Dave and Gail Weissert~ Denton, MD
Rising Sun Log Corp~ Rising Sun, MD
Vision Forestry LLC~ Salisbury, MD

STUDENT SPONSORS

Delaware Forestry Association
Delaware Tree Farm Committee
Mar-Len Environmental ~ Westminster MD
Chris and Lynn Holmes ~Arnold, MD
Mimi Wright~ Church Creek, MD
Rising Sun Log Corporation~ Rising Sun, Md
Dave and Gail Weissert~ Denton, MD

SILENT AUCTION DONORS

Ace and Ann Parker
Angela Hedderick
Anonymous
Bituminous Insurance
David Matthews
Forest Friendly Logging
Forest Land Group
Glatfelter Pulp Wood Company
Jim Thomas
MARBIDCO
Mar-Len Environmental
Parker Forestry Services
Pete and Karin Miller
Red Rock Enterprises
Richard and Jakie Lewis
Smith-Foster Timber Group
Steve Jarvis
Sustainable Resource Management
Vision Forestry

Commercial Exhibitors

Bituminous Insurance Companies
http://www.bituminousinsurance.com/
P O Box 509
Lutherville, MD 21904
800-346-5108

McLean Insurance Agency
www.mcleaninsurance.com
461798 Westland Dr. Suite 300
Potomac Falls, VA 20165
703-621-3374

Yates Insurance
http://yates-usa.com/
3294 Solomons Island Road
Edgewater, MD 21037
410-956-7360

I&E Exhibits
(information and educational)


Allegany College of Maryland - Forestry Dept.
http://www.allegany.edu/careers/foresttech/
12401 Willowbrook Road, SE
Cumberland, MD 21502-2596
301-784-5307

Forestry for the Bay
www.forestryforthebay.org
410 Severn Ave., Suite 209
Annapolis, MD 21403
410-267-5723

Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc.
www.agroecol.umd.edu
P O Box 169
Queenstown, MD 21658
410-827-8056, ext 126

MARBIDCO
www.marbidco.org
1410 Forest Dr., Suite 28
Annapolis, MD 21403
410-267-6807

Maryland Association of Forest Conservancy Districk Boards
http://www.mdforest.sailorsite.net/
DNR Forest Service
Tawes State Office Building, E-1
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-260-8589

MD Chapter - The American Chestnut Foundation
http://www.mdtacf.org/
21900 Davis Mill Rd
Germantown, MD 20876
301-916-6133

MD Tree Farm System
http://www.treefarmsystem.org/
contact DNR - Forest Service
580 Taylor Avenue, E-1
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-260-8531

MD/DE Master Logger Program
http://md-demasterlogger.com/
PO Box 169
124 Wye Narrows Rd.
Queenstown, MD 21658
410-827-8056 ext. 125

MD/DE Society of American Foresters
http://safnet.org/
3 Pershing Street, Room 101
Cumberland, MD 21502
301-777-5835

The Nature Conservancy
nature.org
321 Magruder Street
Cumberland, MD 21502
301-722-0313

University of Maryland Cooperative Extension
www.agnr.umd.edu
1212 Symons Hall
College Park, MD 20748
301-405-7992

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
www.md.nrcs.usda.gov
339 Busch's Frontage Road, #301
Annapolis, MD 21409
443-482-2902



2008 Election Summary


The results of Tuesday’s election remind us that when the people of our great nation demand change - they mean it. The long campaign for the presidency ended last night when President-elect Barack Obama won 349 electoral votes over Senator John McCain’s 162 votes. This historic Presidential race has been at the forefront of our nation’s political stage for such a long time that it overshadowed other contested battles taking place all across the country for House and Senate seats.

Senate

Senate Democrats picked up five seats bringing their majority to 56 (including two independents). Races still have not been called in Alaska, Minnesota and Oregon. Republicans retained open seats in Idaho and Nebraska, but lost open seats in Colorado, New Mexico and Virginia. No Democrat seats turned over.

House

Democrats widened their majority to 254-174, a net gain of 19 seats with seven races still undecided. There are at least 52 new members of Congress with the current breakdown being 29 Democrats and 20 Republicans.

A detailed list of all the changes in the House and Senate is attached.

What We Need To Do

It is extremely important that the industry reach out to the new Members of Congress soon. A majority of the newly-elected members will arrive in Washington with limited knowledge of our industry, and it is our responsibility to educate them on the environmental benefits of the forest products industry and the legislative issues that impact our everyday business. We have a great opportunity to get in at the beginning and build strong relationships with these 52 new Members.

Sixty-five percent of everyone who cast a vote last night said they were concerned about the economy and jobs. We need to get in at the beginning and tell our story to President-elect Obama, his Administration and the 111th Congress. It remains our duty to advocate on the important issues facing our industry, the employees and their jobs. Let’s all do our part.

Please visit www.growthevote.org to retain one pagers and informational material on important legislative issues to help guide your discussions with the incoming Congressional members,

If you have any questions regarding the election results, please contact Anita Peduzzi at anita_peduzzi@afandpa.org or (202) 463-2755