Thank you so much to everyone who was able to join us for our August meeting yesterday evening! We truly appreciated having NM Department of Wildlife conservation officers Joe Acord and Isaiah Gutierrez with us.

Their presentation focused mostly on bears, but we also learned so much about mountain lions, bobcats, and even badgers right here in the East Mountains. Their discussion was incredibly informative and entertaining for everyone. Joe and Isaiah also brought along several amazing display items, including two black bear hides, a hide from a 5- to 6-year-old male mountain lion, and several different animal skulls. Joe shared that these display items all came from animals that had sadly been illegally poached. Given the recent news about bear encounters, including a story on KRQE that caught my eye after the meeting, it was such a timely and important conversation for our community.

I've attached the slides from the general meeting for you, which include Scott's latest financial reports. Also, please be sure to check out Cliff's wonderful update on the main FOSM page at friendsofthesandias.org. Next month, we look forward to learning more about New Mexico Wild from their conservation director, Bjorn Fredrickson. Thank you again for taking the time to join our monthly meetings—your presence means the world to our presenters!