NFA extends a Happy New Year Greeting to all its members. NFA wishes peaceful, pleasant and prosperous life of its members on the first eve of 2059 BS.

NFA Executive Committee (2056-2058) would like to take this privilege to thank all, who supported and cooperated to accomplish the above mentioned tasks.

NFA welcomes the following new general members and wishes them all the best in uplifting the forestry profession.

On 2058/11/29 Wednesday 5:00 PM, Dr. Gyan Lal Shrestha, Executive Director of Green Energy Mission Nepal presented a talk program on Importance of Bael and its Utilization at Bagmati Integrated Watershed Management Programme (BIWMP) Meeting Hall, Babar Mahal, Kathmandu.

Similarly, on 2058/12/2 Friday 5:00 PM, Hon'ble Mr. Hari Shankar Tripathy, Member National Planning Commission (NPC) presented a talk program on Forest Management Policy of His Majesty's Government of Nepal at BIWMP Meeting Hall, Babar Mahal, Kathmandu.

Similarly, on 2058/12/7 Wednesday 5:00 PM, Dr. Jagadish Chandra Baral, Life Member of NFA presented a talk program on Unattended Siwalik Hill Forests, Who Should Attend and How? (Bewarise Chure Waris Ko Ra Kasari?) at BIWMP Meeting Hall, Babar Mahal, Kathmandu.

NFA thanks Dr. Shrestha and Hon'ble Tripathy and Dr. Baral for their useful presentation during the talk program.

An International Conference on International Years of Mountains 2002 is held in March 6 - 8, 2002 at Birendra International Convention Center (BICC), New Baneshwor, Nepal. Experts presented about 245 papers during the conference from 170 national and international organizations. Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (RONAST) organized this conference. At the end of the conference 10 point's mountain declaration were announced. Please visit http://www.mtnforum.org/ for details of the declaration.

NFA in cooperation with Asian Institute of Development Studies, Inc. (AIDSI) has successfully conducted study tour to Nepal for Six Bangladeshi Officers from July 8 to 10, 2001.

Similarly, NFA in cooperation with ICIMOD has successfully conducted study tour to Nepal for six Bhutanese Foresters and Six Bangladeshi Officers from November 21 to December 2, 2001.

They visited different Forest Users Groups of Baglung, Parbat, Kaski and Kavre. They also visited Royal Chitwan National Parks, and many other places to learn more about forest resources management in Nepal.

NFA appreciates the support and coordination of Mr. Anupam Bhatia, Mr. Govinda Shrestha, Mr. Girish Rajbhandary, Resource Persons involved and community of the places visited.

Mr. Nirmal Subedi coordinated Bagladeshi team and Mr. Shyam Sundar Shrestha Shrestha coordinated Bhutanese team.

Participants of the tours appreciated achievements on natural resources conservation and management in Nepal. The tours were successful in developing regional linkages and generating funds for NFA.

An Election Committee has formed for the election of new NFA Executive Committee 1959-61 BS. The Election Committee is composed of Mr. Bal Krishna Khanal as Coordinator and Mr. Kumud Shrestha and Mr. Hari Narayan Mandal as Members. The election will be held at Babar Mahal, Kathmandu in Chaitra 31, 2058 BS from 1 to 5 PM.

NFA requests all its members to participate in the election.

NFA declared Ms. Pratima Tiwari as the First Women Forester of Nepal. She obtained AIFC Degree from Dehradun, India in 1984 and joined National Remote Sensing Center, Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, HMG/N in May of the same year.

At present, she is pursuing Ph. D. in Environment Science at Ohio State University, Columbus. She obtained M. S. Forestry degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Il. USA in 1991 and B. Sc. Forestry degree from Associate Indian Forest College (AIFC), Dehradun, India.

Ms. Tiwari can be contacted at

LithChem International

8090 Lancaster-Newark Road

P. O. Box 95 Baltimore, Ohio 43105, USA

Mountain Forum:

Internet: www.mtnforum.org

International Years Of Mountains 2002:

Email: douglas.mcguire@fao.org

Internet: www.mountains2002.org

NFA established the Dhir Jung Shah Talent Scholarship in the memory of late Dhir Jung Shah. For this purpose his father Mr. Dharam Bahadur Shah contributed NRs. 251,000 to the scholarship fund.

Late Dhir Jung Shah was born in 2018 Magh 24 at Khola Goan VDC Ward No. 6 Sarkena, Rukum. He spent most of his teenage life at DSP Road Nepalganj, Banke. He completed B. Sc. from Trichandra Campus, Kathmandu in 2039 BS and B. Sc. Forestry from Institute of Forestry, Pokhara in 2044 BS. He joined in HMG/N forest service in 2045 BS. He served as District Forest Officer in Solukhumbu and Chitwan districts and as Assistant District Forest Officer in Banke and Bara districts of Nepal. He was a talented and brave forester.

He passed away on 16 Shrawan 2050 BS in the ill-fated Kathmandu - Bharatpur Everest Air Flight that was crashed at Ghoptebhir of Tanahun district.

NFA requests all its members as well as others to donate for NFA Building, which is going to be constructed in near future. NFA has revised the following policy of name encryption on marble slab:

Name of persons who donate NRs. 5000 - 10999 will be encrypted on the marble slab. Similarly, name of the persons who donate NRs. 11000 - 24999 will be encrypted on the slab and in addition s/he will be honored with appreciation letter.

Name of the persons who donate more than NRs. 25000 will be encrypted on single separate marble slab.

At present, the sum of NRs. 3,08,578 is collected for the Building.

NFA awarded the Best Forester Award to its Member Mr. Ek Raj Sharma for his outstanding contribution to forestry survey and research in Nepal. This award was given on the Foresters' Day celebration in Mansir 4, 2958. This is the first time the award is conferred. Total amount of the award is NRs. 40,000 with Golden Plague.

Similarly, Dr. Keshar Man Bajracharya was honored on the same day for his continuous contribution to forestry sector. He is well known Academician of RONAST.

The selection sub-committee is composed of Mr. Kapil Bahadur Chitrakar as Coordinator, Mr. Bal Krishna Khanal and Mr. Kanhaiya Raj Shrestha as members.

NFA has offered honorary membership to the following person for their remarkable contribution to Nepal's forestry sector:

• Mr. Shyamai Lal Choudhary (Nepal)
• Dr. James Gabriel Campbell (American)
• Dr. Donald Allan Gilmour (Australian)

Short Introductions of Honorary Members are as follows:

Mr. Shyamai Lal CHOUDHARY is a Nepali national and born in 1982 BS. He is an inhabitant of Meghauli VDC-5, Sunsari. He has been working very hard for the promotion of greenery in the district. He promised in 2036 BS that he would not take bath until the whole district could not enrich with greenery. He does not wear sewing clothes, but Dhoti. He had planted different kinds of trees (Mangifera indica, Dalbergia sissoo, Syzygium cumuni, Artocarpus lakoocha, and Azadirachta indica) on three and half Bighas of land in Sunsari district.

He has received different prizes and appreciation letters including Gorakha Dakshin Bahu 2049, Environment Prize 2057. He is also honored by Ganesh Man Singh Study Academy in 2052 and was received the public honor in 2056.

Dr. Donald Allan GILMOUR is an Australian national. He worked in Nepal from July 1985 to June 1991 as Team Leader of Nepal - Australia Forestry Project, and September 1978 - December 1981 as Project Manager in the same project. This was a period when major advances were being made in defining community forestry in Nepal. He found it a very exciting time and it was certainly one of the highlights of his career in forestry.

He has published more than 120 articles. Among them, more than 40 articles are very much relevant and based on Nepalese experience.

He is very friendly to Nepal and Nepalese people. He is fluent in spoken Nepali.

At present he is Country Representative to IUCN, Lao PDR.

Dr. James Gabriel CAMPBELL is an American national and is a present Director General of International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). He joined ICIMOD in January 2000. He was also Director of Himalayan Programs, The Mountain Institute (TMI) West Virginia USA from 1989- 1999. He was Resident Associate ICIMOD

from 1986-87 and Acting Chief Technical Advisor IBRD/UNDP/FAO from 1980-84.

He worked in Community Forestry Development Project USAID/Nepal as Social Anthropologist from 1978-80. He has also worked in Mountain Travel Pvt. Nepal as Director of Operations in 1977.

He worked in USEF, Kathmandu, Nepal as Project Officer. He also served as a Consultant in World Bank, Wood Land Mountain Institute, and USAID from 1973-1977.

He has published more than 30 books, which are very much relevant and based on Nepalese experience.

Dr. Campbell has a long association with forestry in Nepal dating back to the 1970's and has worked extensively in the field of community forestry and forwarding the cause of community forestry. He has worked for many valued organizations including the Rapti Project, USAID, Full-bright Commission, The Mountain Institute. He was born and raised in the Indian Sub Continent and is fluent in many regional languages and thoroughly versed in the culture of the region. His networks, professional associations and personal friends are extensive and he will help to highlight critical issues in forestry across a broad cross section of persons and organizations throughout Nepal and the region. Dr. Campbell is a cultural anthropologist by training and has published extensively on development and natural resource management issues throughout the region.

NFA offered appreciation letters to Mr. Ambika Prasad Poudel and Dr. Sushim Ranjan Baral for their valuable contribution to wildlife conservation of Nepal and publication of The Nepal Journal of Forestry, respectively. Similarly, NFA appreciated Mr. Dinesh Subedi, Mr. Pratap Thapa, Mrs. Bimala Karkee, Mr. Raju Shrestha, Mr. Devendra Bahadur Amatya (in the memory of Late Mrs. Tshetan Dolma), Mr. Gopal Kafle, and Mr. Sudil Gopal Acharya for contributing remarkable donation to NFA building construction.

NFA awarded Batuk Prasad Memorial Prize for 2057 BS to Mr. Rupesh Shrestha and Mr. Tika Ram Bhusal. They have got this prize for outstanding marks obtained in B. Sc. Forestry and Proficiency Certificate Level from Institute of Forestry, Nepal.

Similarly, NFA awarded Ban Devi prize to Barah Pakho Forest Users' Group, Myagdi and Gahate Pakho Forest Users' Group, Lamjung on the recommendation of the Bandevi Prize Evaluation sub-committee. The prizes were distributed by Hon'ble Minister of Forests and Soil Conservation Mr. Gopal Man Shrestha.

Honorable Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation Mr. Gopal Man Shrestha stressed that NFA should be involved on the discussion of Natural Resources Survey, Conservation and Utilization draft act. NFA extends its warm felicitation to Hon'ble Mr. Shrestha.

NFA Ninth General Assembly was held in Nepal Administrative Staff College Auditorium at Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on Aswin 14, 2058 BS.

Many resolutions were passed in the Assembly. The full text of the approved resolutions can be viewed in NFA office. Published proceeding of the Ninth General Assembly is coming soon. Sub-committee of the proceeding preparation comprises of Mr. Kedar Nath Poudel as Coordinator, Mr. Shyam Sundar Shrestha and Mr. Krishna Hari Humagain as members.

NFA has been showing deep concern on global deforestation, desertification, biodiversity depletion, ozone layer depletion, environmental imbalance and committed to contribute significantly for the safeguard of mother earth.