•The newly elected President of NMFWA plans to continue initiatives started by his predecessors and hopes to see the passage of the Sikes Act Amendments during his tenure, while also addressing revisions to the Association's bylaws including the possibility of two-year terms for officers and Board members and changing the name of the association to better reflect its constituency. The NMFWA is considering forming working groups to pursue specific areas of interest or engage in regional activities, as well as standardizing its logos and potentially changing its name to reflect its constituency. The Board of Directors has also agreed that each director and officer should provide at least one page of news for each issue of FAWN. •The National Military Fish and Wildlife Association held a Board of Directors meeting on March 16, 1997, during which they reviewed the minutes of the previous BOD meeting and discussed various committee reports. Among the topics discussed were the Sikes Act, the publication of income and expense summaries in the Fish and Wildlife Newsletter, and the purchase of ironwood carvings for awards presentations. Motions were passed to establish several committees and a quorum of seven members was established. Minutes of the NMFWA Discussion Group meeting held on October 3, 1996, during the Wildlife Society conference were discussed. The treasurer's report was provided, and the Annual Financial Summary and Training Session Financial Summary for 1995 and 1996 were printed in the FAWN. A discrepancy of over $200 was noted between the bank statement and the NMFWA accounting books, which was amended by adding an entry as miscellaneous income. A report on the Newsletter Editor was provided, and there was a need to appoint a new editor from an installation other than Ft Sill. More support and submission of material were required for FAWN issues. The Nominations Committee reported that the Vice President and At-Large Director positions were contested that year. The document is a report of the 1997 New Board of Directors meeting for the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association. The meeting discussed committee reports, including the Development Committee, Brochure Committee, Sikes Act Committee, and Expenditures Committee. The issue of A-76 and Sikes Act was discussed, and it was suggested that developing NMFWA resolutions would be a good way to address them. The Conservation Workshop was also discussed, with the possibility of it becoming an annual event. The meeting was adjourned with no further business. •The National Military Fish and Wildlife Association (NMFWA) held a business meeting the Hampton Room of the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington D.C. and Tom Poole provided the schedule and locations for future meetings. The meeting covered various topics such as treasurer's report, membership committee, awards committee, law enforcement committee, and new business. The Sikes Act resolution was discussed and a motion was passed to accept it with an amendment. Lastly, Julie Eliason requested someone to volunteer to help work on the work experience database. •The National Military Fish and Wildlife Association (MEWA) held a Board of Directors meeting in 1997. The meeting addressed various issues, including outsourcing and the A-76 process in natural resource management on military bases. The Board adopted a resolution supporting the passage of the 1997 amendments to the Sikes Act and discussed plans for future meetings. •The technical session focuses on the importance of good water quality for healthy aquatic ecosystems and productive fisheries. The session describes methods used to monitor and improve water quality at Fort Stewart, Georgia, and Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, and emphasizes the importance of biomonitoring combined with water quality monitoring to accurately assess aquatic ecosystems and determine biotic integrity. Additionally, the session includes the description of the consultation process between Fort Stewart and the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding the endangered shortnose sturgeon, along with the development of an Endangered Species Management Plan. The session concludes with the California Army National Guard's survey results for fairy shrimp habitat, distribution, and conservation at Camp Roberts National Guard Training Site •The document contains abstracts of several research papers presented at the DoD Pest Management Conference. The first paper discusses the wetland ecosystem studies at Edwards Air Force Base, where a series of multi-disciplinary studies have been conducted to support base management plans. The second paper focuses on the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Project at Aberdeen Proving Ground, which aimed to survey one tributary in the APG area for SAV populations and density, and restoration efforts were also conducted. Lastly, the document also contains abstracts on the role of natural resource managers in pest management, updates on Hantavirus, and surveillance programs for it. •The document contains abstracts of several research papers presented at the DoD Pest Management Conference. The first paper discusses the wetland ecosystem studies at Edwards Air Force Base, where a series of multi-disciplinary studies have been conducted to support base management plans. The second paper focuses on the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Project at Aberdeen Proving Ground, which aimed to survey one tributary in the APG area for SAV populations and density, and restoration efforts were also conducted. Lastly, the document also contains abstracts on the role of natural resource managers in pest management, updates on Hantavirus, and surveillance programs for it. •The three articles describe various aspects of environmental management in different settings. The first article discusses the use of grass carp to control aquatic plant growth in ponds on Tyndall AFB, Florida, which has reduced the need for herbicides and helped meet pesticide reduction goals. The second article describes the USACE laboratory's research on biodiversity and ecosystem management, aimed at providing knowledge, tools, and improved practices for sustainable use of military lands and improved stewardship of natural resources. The third article proposes a concept for measuring ecological integrity at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, which involves selecting meaningful metrics based on ecological theory, empirical studies, models, management objectives, and resource limits. The Department of Defense (DoD) has several initiatives in place to integrate natural resources management with military readiness. The Keystone Center Dialogue brought together over 60 military and non-military leaders to discuss the importance of biodiversity conservation and military readiness and to develop a model process for integrating training and testing with natural resources management strategies. DoD also supported the development of the DoD Commander's Guide to Biodiversity and The Nature Conservancy's handbook on conserving biodiversity on military lands. In addition, there are several programs in place to collect scientific data on ecosystem ecology and improve ecosystem management practices on DoD lands. Finally, the presentation discussed alternative procurement mechanisms for natural resource conservation and management and the benefits of maintaining good working relations with state natural resource regulators. •The President of the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association testified before a committee about the importance of the Sikes Act Improvement Amendments of 1997, which would help manage natural resources on military lands. The Association includes military and civilian natural resource managers responsible for managing fish, wildlife, forests, recreation, and more on over 25 million acres of Department of Defense lands. Well-planned natural resource management programs are necessary to maintain the quality of training lands and restore impacted areas. The Sikes Act Improvement Amendments were the result of four years of effort and would be beneficial for the military and natural resources. The document discusses the proposed amendments to the Sikes Act, which concerns the management of natural resources on Department of Defense lands. The amendments include expanding the Integrated Natural Resource Management Plans to encompass all natural resources, allowing for the collection and spending of hunting and fishing fees by installations, providing clear authority for personnel to enforce natural resource laws, redefining military installations, changing from a "matching basis" to a "cost-sharing basis" for joint projects, ensuring public access to natural resource-based recreation, and providing sufficient numbers of trained personnel for natural resource management. The document also expresses concerns about the potential problems of contracting out natural resource management functions on military installations. •The passage describes exemptions and clarifications related to activities and services associated with fish and wildlife management. Section 2(a)(1) exempts individuals with professional competence in wildlife management from provisions of Circular A-76. Section 2(a)(2) clarifies that existing contracts for services related to fish and wildlife management are not affected by the exemption, but new contracts or renewals are subject to the exemption. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or state agencies should receive priority consideration for award of these contracts. •The American Defense Preparedness Association held the 23rd Environmental Symposium and Exhibition in New Orleans in April 1997. The event included technical sessions, vendor exhibits, and workshops related to environmental security. Keynote speakers addressed the need for cooperation between the military and government agencies in addressing environmental concerns. The technical sessions covered a wide range of topics related to environmental management and included presentations from various organizations. The papers presented were generally informative and well-done, although the large number of concurrent sessions made it difficult to attend all desired presentations. •Partners in Parks is a non-profit organization that assists federal natural and cultural resource specialists to engage volunteer community groups in resource management projects. They developed a joint volunteer research internship program with Dare County Air Force Range and Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, which includes projects on the management of the Atlantic white cedar forests and restoration of the cedar timber stands. The program also focuses on research projects concerning endangered and game species, but future funding for these projects is uncertain. •The session aims to address the current state-of-the-art of ecological restoration, particularly on fish and wildlife habitat and plant community restoration, with a focus on military lands. The organizers are seeking two or three external experts to present and specific case studies from installation experience. The session intends to maintain mission relevance and an ecosystem management context. Contact information is provided for those interested in discussing ideas and submitting papers. •The Awards Committee received seven nominations and recommended five for the Volunteer Management Category. The recommended nominees are three Boy Scout troops for assisting with soil erosion projects at different National Guard training sites, Sears Youth Center for assisting with bioengineering projects at a National Guard training site, and John P. Sim from Fort Sill, Oklahoma for assisting with beaver trapping on Fort Sill. The Professional-Technical category award was recommended for AOC Scott A. Miller and Mr. Stafford Agee for their support and leadership roles respectively at the Missouri National Guard's training sites. The best technical paper award went to Mr. Steve Shea for his paper on managing aquatic plants with grass carp. The judges for the awards were mentioned, and there was also a competition for the best tie at the awards banquet, won by Mr. Junior Kerns and Mr. Pete Boice for the non-wildlife category. •The Teaming With Wildlife initiative has gained momentum with almost 2000 organizations and businesses in support, as well as ten governors endorsing the proposal. There is significant business endorsement from affected industries. •1996 Military Aquatic Resources survey Results •NMFWA 1996 Financial Summary •1997 NMFWA Conference Financial Summary •NMFWA Board of Directors •NMFWA Committee Chairs