Bylaws of
the Colorado-Wyoming Chapter
of the
American Fisheries Society
SECTION I. Name and Objectives.
A. Pursuant to the Constitution of the American Fisheries
Society (hereinafter referred to as the Society) there has been established
within the Society a Colorado-Wyoming Chapter (hereinafter referred to as the
Chapter).
B. The objectives of the Chapter shall be those set forth in
the Constitution of the Society, and shall in particular:
1. Provide a forum through the annual meeting and newsletter for
the exchange of technical and policy information common to and of interest to
the Chapter membership.
2. Provide an opportunity through the annual meeting to promote
understanding by regional, federal, and state policy-makers of the nature and
extent of fishery matters of concern to the Chapter membership.
3. Assist in the exchange of information in a timely manner to
Chapter membership through the publication of a Chapter newsletter, web site or
other media as determined by the Executive Committee.
4. Provide a forum to address fisheries resource advocacy and
policy issues important to the Chapter.
SECTION II. Membership.
A. The membership of the Chapter shall be
composed of Society members in good standing residing in the states of Colorado
and Wyoming (have paid annual membership dues for the
current fiscal year for both the Society and the Chapter).
B. Members of the Student Subunits from the University of
Wyoming (UW) and Colorado State University (CSU) are Chapter members.
SECTION III. Chapter Officers.
A. The Chapter Executive Committee is comprised of the elected officers of the
Chapter, including the President, Vice-President, Past-President, Secretary
Treasurer, CSU and UW Subunit Presidents.
B. All officers must be members in good standing of the
Chapter.
C. Upon completion of an election as described in Section VI F,
the newly elected Chapter Secretary-Treasurer shall be announced at the annual
meeting, usually held in the Spring of each year. Current Executive Committee Officers shall advance to the next
higher office (excluding Subunit Presidents)
at the first Executive Committee meeting of the new fiscal year (scheduled
annually on or about August 1) and the newly elected Chapter
Secretary-Treasurer will be installed at this time.
D. The term of all officers shall be August 1 until July 31 of
the year following election or until a successor is elected. The Chapter President, Chapter
Vice-President, Past-President, and Chapter Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for
a period of one year in each office, and shall be ineligible for re-election
for a period of one year after the expiration of their term as
Past-President.
E. The incoming Chapter Secretary-Treasurer
shall reside in the state holding the next annual meeting.
F. If an elected officer cannot complete the term of office,
the Executive Committee shall develop a procedure for replacing that officer.
SECTION IV. Duties of Chapter
Officers.
A. The President shall:
1. Preside at all meetings;
2. Serve as Chair of the Executive Committee;
3. Appoint special committee chairs;
4. Coordinate
the activities of all Chapter committees and serve as liaison between such
committees and the Executive Committee.
Ensure that committee products intended for public distribution are
deliberated according to the Chapter Rule on Advocacy.
5.
Conduct official correspondence for the Chapter and present reports of
Chapter activities at the annual meeting;
6.
Present items in excess of $500 in the current
fiscal year budget and those anticipated for the next fiscal year at the annual
meeting for a vote of the membership;
7. Work cooperatively with the Chapter’s
Secretary-Treasurer to prepare and submit a fiscal year-end financial statement
to the Society’s Executive Director and an annual report to the Western
Division President by August 1.
8. Serve as general chair for the annual
meeting. In that capacity the President
must ensure that a meeting is scheduled and conducted. Providing primary oversight for all aspects
of the meeting through delegation and coordination with the appropriate
committees.
9.
Ensure that all activities of the Chapter are in accordance with Chapter
Bylaws, Rules and Procedures and Society Constitution, Rules and Procedures.
10. Ensure the long-term financial viability of
the Chapter.
B. The Vice-President shall:
1. Assume the duties of the President, if the President is
absent or unable to act;
2. Advance to the office of President on August 1;
3. Appoint standing committee chairs within 60 days after the
Chapter’s annual meeting;
4. Chair the Environmental Policy Committee (EPC) and ensure
products concerning advocacy and policy follow a review and action pathway
through the EPC committee and Executive Committee in accordance with the Rules;
5. Serve as a member of the Budget Review
Committee;
6. Prepare and post on the Chapter website for
review by membership a detailed budget by June 1 for the next fiscal year, to
be reviewed and adopted by the Budget Review Committee by August 1 and
published in the September/October issue of the Chapter newsletter;
7. Attend the Western Division Meeting at Chapter expense.
C. The Secretary-Treasurer shall:
1. Keep the official records of the Chapter, collect and be
custodian of any fees or assessments authorized by these bylaws or funds
allotted to the Chapter by the Society;
2. Disburse funds only as authorized by either the membership
or Executive Committee;
3. Submit, at the annual meeting of the Chapter,
the year-end report for the previous fiscal year and a comparison of approved
versus actual income and expenditures for the current fiscal year;
4. Update and distribute current copies of the Colorado-Wyoming
Chapter Bylaws to the Western Division President, the Society’s Executive
Director and each member of the Executive Committee on a yearly basis by
September 1;
5. Work cooperatively with the Chapter’s President
to prepare and submit a fiscal year-end financial statement to the Society’s
Executive Director and an annual report to the Western Division President by
August 1;
6.
Submit minutes of the annual Chapter business meeting to the Executive
Director and to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Division within 30 days after
the annual Chapter meeting is held;
7. Advance to the office of Vice-President on August 1;
8. Be responsible for overseeing election of the new
Secretary-Treasurer.
D. The immediate Past-President shall:
1. Serve as
the chair of the Chapter’s Nominating Committee;
2. Serve as the chair of the Budget Review
Committee;
3. Serve on the Environmental Policy Committee.
E. The UW and CSU Presidents shall:
1. Represent
the interest of the Subunits to the Chapter Executive Committee and act as
liaison between the Executive Committee and Subunits;
2. Work cooperatively with the Chapter’s
Executive Committee to assist in Chapter function and Subunit participation;
3. Not advance in the Executive Committee, but
instead be replaced yearly by a new Subunit President.
SECTION V. The Chapter Executive Committee.
A. The Chapter Executive Committee shall consist of elected
officers from the Colorado-Wyoming Chapter and CSU and UW Subunit Presidents.
B. The Executive Committee is authorized to act for the Chapter
between meetings and transact necessary business.
C. A quorum is required for transaction of official business at
an Executive Committee meeting. A
quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall consist of four of the six
members. Executive Committee members
can appoint a proxy.
D. Each of the six members of the Executive Committee shall have
one vote on Executive Committee decisions.
In the event of a tie, the President’s vote shall be the deciding vote.
E. Executive Committee meetings are called by the President and
are held at least three times per year (typically in August-September, December-January
and March).
F. Special Activities may be authorized by the
Chapter Executive Committee. Such
specialized functions may include symposia and activities outside the
Colorado-Wyoming area. In such
circumstances, steps will be taken to ensure adequate controls are established
at the Chapter level for arrangements, finances, etc.
SECTION VI. Meetings, Quorum and
Voting.
A. The
Chapter shall hold at least one meeting annually. This meeting is open to the entire membership, at a time and place
designated by the Executive Committee.
Annual meetings will normally be alternated between the states.
B.
When mutually agreeable, the Chapter may meet jointly with other
organizations or with other units of the Society.
C. A quorum is required for transaction of official business at
the annual meeting. A quorum shall be
at least 1/5 of the Chapter membership for the previous calendar year. In the event that a quorum as described
above is not reached, official business may be conducted by unanimous vote of
at least 20 members present, and in good standing.
D.
Decisions at a meeting of the Chapter shall be made by a majority of
those voting except in the case of Amendments to the Bylaws (Section IX A) and
Suspension of Rules (Section IX BE.
Decisions at a meeting of the Chapter shall be in accordance with
Chapter Bylaws, Rules and Procedures and Society Constitution, Rules and
Procedures.
F. Election procedures for the Chapter shall be determined by
the Executive Committee and executed by the Secretary-Treasurer.
G. Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws
or the Society Constitution, meetings are conducted according to the latest
edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
SECTION VII. Finances.
A. The Chapter’s fiscal year shall start August
1 and end July 31 of the following year.
B. A current accounting of all funds shall be
kept by the Chapter Secretary-Treasurer.
C. The Chapter Executive
Committee can approve budget requests up to $500 without a vote of the
membership with the exception of the symposium/workshop special account. This account shall have an annual balance of
$2,000 to be used for seed money when requested and approved by the Executive
Committee. This money should be granted
with an expectation of repayment.
D. The UW and CSU Subunits of the Chapter shall
each be awarded at least $200 annually from the Chapter for student activities
and travel to Chapter meetings.
E. The Chapter will fund travel expenses and
meeting registration costs for the Vice President to attend the Western
Division annual meeting and represent the Chapter on the Division Executive
Committee. If the Vice President is
unable to attend, the Executive Committee may select another Executive
Committee member or any Past-President to serve as a proxy.
F. The Chapter will fund travel expenses and
meeting registration costs for the Student Subunit Presidents that are not paid
by the Universities so they may attend the Chapter annual meeting and represent
the Subunits on the Chapter Executive Committee. If a President is unable to attend they may select another
Student Subunit officer to serve as a proxy.
G. The Executive Committee can distribute
copies of the Chapter newsletter to non-members.
H. The Executive Committee may assess each
registrant attending meetings of the Chapter a registration fee.
I. It is the discretion of the Executive
Committee to waive registration fees for annual meeting participants. Some reasons may include student volunteers,
guest speakers, special guests, political pandering, among others.
J. The Chapter will pay for Executive Committee
lunches during scheduled business meetings.
This item will be included in the annual budget.
SECTION VIII. Chapter
Committees.
A. Chapter committees assist the President and
the Executive Committee in conducting the affairs of the Chapter. Chapter committees shall be composed of
Chapter members in good standing.
B. The
chairpersons for the standing committees shall be appointed as described in
Section IV. Duties of Chapter Officers.
C. The standing committees will be organized by
the chairpersons with assistance from the Executive Committee by the beginning
of the fiscal year.
D. The chair of each standing committee shall
provide a written report to Chapter Executive Committee at the annual Executive
Committee meeting held prior to the annual business meeting. In the event an annual meeting is canceled,
committee reports shall be published in the newsletter.
E. The term of duty for members of a standing
committee shall extend from their appointment to the end of the fiscal year,
unless otherwise specified.
F. Chapter committees shall work in close
coordination with comparable committees of both the Western Division and
Society.
G. The Chapter has established the following
standing committees:
1. An Arrangements Committee shall be
responsible for making all arrangements for the annual meeting, exclusive of
program, to include lodging, meals, pre-registration, and registration,
publicity and any other necessary facilities or equipment.
2. A Budget Review Committee shall be
responsible for reviewing, revising and adopting, by majority vote of the
committee, a budget for the next fiscal year by August 1. The committee shall consist of 5 members,
including the Chapter’s immediate Past President as chair, the Vice President
and 3 appointed members. No more than 3
of the committee members shall be from the same state. The three appointed members will be
appointed by the Chapter Vice President.
The Vice President will strive to appoint members that have past
experience with the fiscal activities of the Chapter.
3. The Chapter’s Archivist shall be responsible
for organizing, maintaining, and storing the Chapter records.
4. A Continuing Education Committee shall be
responsible for developing the annual continuing education program to include
invited speakers, their travel, lodging, and meals.
5. An Environmental Policy Committee shall be
responsible for researching issues referred to the committee by the Executive
Committee. The Committee shall develop
appropriate Chapter policy and advocacy for the issue and report to the
Executive Committee for decisions on advocacy and policy actions. The Committee shall consist of the Chapter
Vice President as chair plus at least two members (at least one from each
state, of which one will be the Past-President).
6. A Membership Committee shall maintain
Chapter membership, take appropriate measures to attract new members and
maintain accurate account of chapter membership.
7. A Newsletter Committee shall prepare a
minimum of three issues of the Chapter newsletter on a yearly basis (January-
February, May-June, September-October).
The newsletter will provide a mechanism to update Chapter members on
Chapter activities and advocacy and policy issues. The funding for publication and printing will be covered by the
Chapter and included in the annual budget.
The Chapter webmaster shall be a member of the newsletter committee and
is responsible for maintenance of the Chapter web site.
8. A Nominating Committee shall recommend a
slate of candidates for the office of Secretary-Treasurer for the Chapter. The Committee shall consist of the immediate
Past-President as chair plus at least two members.
9. A Program Committee shall organize the
meeting content for the annual meeting for the Chapter.
I. Special Committees may be created by the
Chapter Executive Committee for a specific purpose and are to be dissolved when
no longer needed.
SECTION IX. Bylaws, Rules and
Procedures.
A. The
Bylaws are the defining document for the Chapter and take precedence over all
other rules and procedures of the Chapter.
The Bylaws cannot be suspended, unless otherwise specified in the
Bylaws, and cannot be changed without prior notice to members.
1. The Bylaws
may be amended by a 2/3 majority of Active Members choosing to vote, provided
that the proposed amendment(s) are circulated in writing to the membership at
least 30 days prior to voting.
2. In accordance with the Society Constitution,
an adopted amendment shall be reviewed by the Society’s Constitutional
Consultant for conformity with the Constitution, Rules and Procedures of the
Society. The Constitutional Consultant
presents the adopted amendment to the Society Governing Board for
approval.
3. Amendments take effect when the Chapter
receives written notice of their approval by the Governing Board from the
Executive Director.
B. Rules
are the next highest level of documentation of Chapter operations. They are generally established to facilitate
the conduct of Chapter business, and to describe duties and responsibilities of
officers and committees. They may be
suspended or amended as follows.
1. The
Rules may be suspended during an Executive Committee meeting until the next
annual or special Chapter meeting by a 2/3 majority of the Executive Committee.
2. The
Rules may be suspended for the duration of a meeting by a 2/3 majority of
Active Members voting at an annual or special Chapter meeting.
3. The
Rules may be amended by a simple majority of Active Members voting at an annual
or special Chapter meeting.
C.
Procedures are the lowest level of documentation of Chapter
operations. They are generally
established to provide continuity in the conduct of Chapter business. The Procedures may be suspended or amended
by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Rules of the Colorado-Wyoming Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
Rule 1. Advocacy.
From time to time the Chapter may seek to express its position or policy
toward issues important to its members.
It will be the purpose of the Environmental Policy Committee (EPC) to
address such issues. In Chapter efforts
to call attention to these issues, a rigorous and thorough review must be
conducted to protect the credibility of the Chapter. The following process is consistent with the Western Division and
Society guidance and should be applied when the Chapter joins the public debate
as an advocate for or against any issue.
In every instance, advocacy and policy issues shall be addressed
according to this advocacy procedure through the Chapter Executive Committee
and Environmental Policy Committee.
A. Criteria for Action.
1. The issue is pertinent to the goals of the Chapter.
2. Chapter involvement will make a difference.
3. Chapter involvement will not decrease Chapter credibility.
4. A majority of Chapter membership supports addressing this
issue.
5. The Chapter has solid technical information on the issue,
both for and against.
6. The Chapter is willing to follow through.
B. Action Process.
1. A member or committee identifies a concern or issue the
Chapter may want to address;
2. The Chapter Executive Committee, coordinating with the EPC,
reviews the available information and either determines the Chapter will not
address the issue, or takes action;
3. If the issue is complex and/or urgency is not paramount, the
Executive Committee assigns the issue to the EPC for further review and the
development of recommendations to include pertinent documentation;
4. The documentation and recommendations from the EPC are
submitted to the Chapter Executive Committee for review and action;
5. It is the duty of the Chapter Executive Committee to make a
determination and to present the findings and recommendations to the Chapter
membership or;
6. The issue is dropped from further consideration.
C. Possible Actions.
1. Refer the recommendations to the Chapter membership for
approval.
2. Complete and distribute a position or policy paper for
member review and ratification.
3. Send a letter requesting action or providing comments.
4. Refer the issue to the Western Division or Society for
leadership and continue to provide support.
5. Recommend an educational forum.
6. Litigation.
7. Deny action and provide justification.
Rule
2. Order of Business at the Annual
Business Meeting
A. Order of Business.
The agenda of the regular business meeting shall include the following:
1. Call to order by the Chapter President;
2. Roll call of the members and determination of a quorum;
3. Appointment of a parliamentarian (normally the Secretary
Treasurer);
4. Introduction of guests;
5. President’s address on the state of the Chapter;
6. Reports of the Secretary-Treasurer;
7. Budget presentation by Vice-President;
8. President’s highlights of committee chair reports;
9. Unfinished business;
10. Announce incoming Secretary-Treasurer;
11. New business;
12. Adjournment.