strDescs(0) = "The Nature Conservancy incorporates as a nonprofit organization."
strDescs(1) = "The Nature Conservancy acquires its first preserve with a 60-acre purchase in the Mianus River Gorge on the New York-Connecticut border. The preserve now totals more than 550 acres."
strDescs(2) = "Volunteers in Washington State receive a charter to establish the Conservancy's Washington chapter."
strDescs(3) = "The Nature Conservancy creates the first state National Heritage program in South Carolina. Now covering all 50 states, the heritage network's sophisticated databases provide the most complete information about the existence and location of species and natural communities in the United States."
strDescs(4) = "The Nature Conservancy of Washington acquires 878 acres along the Skagit River to protect " & chr(151) & " along with a number of cooperating public agencies " & chr(151) & " habitat for wintering bald eagles. Today, the Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area totals more than 6,000 acres and is one of the largest protected habitats for bald eagles in North America."
strDescs(5) = "The Nature Conservancy of Washington opens its first office."
strDescs(6) = "The Nature Conservancy's International Program opens its doors and begins working with Latin American partner organizations to help build local expertise for natural area identification and conservation." & chr(10) & chr(13) & chr(10) & chr(13) & "The Nature Conservancy of Washington acquires Yellow Island, a 10-acre preserve whose colorful carpet of flowers and grasses attracts visitors each spring."
strDescs(7) = "The Nature Conservancy of Washington enters into a partnership with the Army's Fort Lewis to inventory species and ecosystems within the base's boundaries. Similar programs have been initiated at McChord Air Force Base and the Army's Yakima Training Center."
strDescs(8) = "On October 18, 300 bison are released on the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma as part of an effort to recreate a functioning tallgrass prairie ecosystem."
strDescs(9) = "The Nature Conservancy of Washington enters into a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to inventory species and ecosystems on uncontaminated parts of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Hanford supports one of the largest remaining examples of the Columbia River Basin's shrub-steppe ecosystem. The inventory yields 21 previously unknown species." & chr(10) & chr(13) & chr(10) & chr(13) & "The Nature Conservancy's Biological and Conservation Data System (BCD), a database that allows users to collect and exchange biological and conservation information, wins the Computerworld Smithsonian Award. The award honors the best societal uses of information technology across the world."
strDescs(10) = "The Nature Conservancy of Washington establishes the new Wahkiacus Oaks Preserve, home to the western gray squirrel."
strDescs(11) = "Membership in The Nature Conservancy of Washington surpasses 30,000 households statewide."
'set initial cursor position and milestone description
