WFAE President's Report: by Nigel Frayne
The bi-monthly Newsletter is really starting to show its great value to disseminating information via the WFAE. Clearly we have been in trouble getting the 2011 journal out the door and, however late, we hope our members and regular subscribers will enjoy receiving it in the post when it eventually arrives in the next few weeks. Of course we apologise for this long delay and appreciate the patience of those of you who are waiting for it. It's almost there! Our volunteer editors are working as hard as volunteers can.
So, thankfully, we have this Newsletter to keep you all informed of the latest goings on both within and outside of our 9 WFAE Affiliates across the globe. As previously noted, the WFAE will be joining with the delegates attending the 'Global Composition' conference in Darmstadt, Germany in late July. WFAE members receive a reduced registration fee and the organisers have generously offered us facilities for board meetings and opportunities to have dialogue with the attendees at the event. It will also be an opportunity for the board to present our next president, Eric Leonardson (currently vice-president) who will take the reins from myself. Like all organisations, constant renewal is of critical importance and is something we have worked on over the past few years. Following the rotation between myself and Hill Kobayashi last year we anticipate nominating a new vice-president who will in turn take over from Eric in due course.
One of the issues we will be discussing in July is the ongoing form or format of the Soundscape Journal. It is a continuing challenge for us to produce although the rotating guest editor system has helped a lot. Many of us do like a paper copy in our hands yet the world is moving to online media via slates and plates and pads. There are some opportunities and also challenges to explore as we consider how best to fulfil our role as a central resource for the growing interest in acoustic ecology. This interest is exemplified by the ever increasing number of 'hits' and views on our website and especially the Soundscape Explorations page which has now reached over 26,000 viewers.
Other issues the WFAE Board will be contemplating over the coming months include the ratifying of our Draft By-laws (dating from 1997!), the structure and administration of the organisation and engaging with potential new affiliate organisations. There's always plenty to do.
Finally, WFAE Board Members are now highlighted with images and brief biographies in a new web paged featuring the elected representatives from each of the nine Affiliate Organizations that comprise the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. Click2Read more about your Board representatives.
Cheers, Nigel
