Official Minutes of the Regular Board of Directors Meeting
of the
CALL TO ORDER. The Fall
2006 meeting of the Board of Directors of the Florida Ornithological Society
(FOS) was held Friday, October 27, 2006 at Best Western Space Shuttle Inn, Titusville,
Florida. President Hailman determined
there were enough board members present to establish a quorum and called the
meeting to order at
The following people attended the meeting or a portion of
the meeting:
Jack Hailman, President
Soo Whiting, Vice President
Pam Bowen, Secretary
Dean Jue, Treasurer
Scott Robinson, Florida Field Naturalist Editor
Steve Bankert, Web Site Editor
Judy Bryan, Director
Charlie Ewell, Director
David Freeland, Director
Joyce King, Director
Julie Wraithmell, Director
David Stock, Finance Committee Chairman
Andy Kratter, FOS Records Committee Secretary
Wes Biggs
Dave Godwin
Erik Haney
Ann Paul
Laurilee Thompson (delivered refreshments to the group during the meeting)
Agenda: The agenda and meeting packet were mailed
electronically to attendees prior to the meeting. President Hailman electronically mailed the
board a revised agenda on
Approval of Minutes of Previous Meetings: The minutes of the
board meeting, held
President's Report. President Hailman submitted a written report prior to the meeting. He reported he received complimentary copies of Bill Pranty and Kurt Radamaker’s new book from Lone Star Publishing. These copies will be available for members to purchase during the special book sale being held at the FOS fall 2006 meeting.
President Hailman reported Todd Engstrom had resigned from the Records Committee and Bill Pranty was appointed to complete the unexpired portion of Todd’s term. President Hailman reported Andy Kratter has taken Jon Greenlaw’s place as secretary of the Records Committee and Mark Berney was selected to fill the most recent vacant position on the committee. Prior to concluding his term as secretary, President Hailman asked Jon Greenlaw, with the assistance of the committee, to develop a list of qualifications for serving on the Records Committee and procedures for notifying qualified candidates of vacancies on the committee. President Hailman also provided an oral report and stated he had appointed Jim Kushlan to serve as the chairperson of the Editorial Advisory Committee. Soo Whiting moved to file the president’s report. The motion was seconded by Scott Robinson and passed.
Vice President's Report.
Vice president Whiting provided a written report prior to the meeting. She thanked
Secretary's Report. Pam Bowen submitted a written report. She stated she was updating the board contact and e-mail lists and that she would send them out when they were complete. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to file her report.
Treasurer's Report. Dean Jue submitted a written report prior to the meeting. He reported there were three items in the report presented for discussion: a historical analysis of FOS membership numbers, a comparison of the 2006 budget and actual 2006 expenses, and the proposed 2007 budget. Treasurer Jue’s written report included the membership numbers for the society between 1998 and 2006. In 1998, there were 408 total members. In 2006, there were 511 members (456 members excluding institutional and exchange members and 369 members excluding gift members). A total of 60 non-institutional members did not renew in 2006. Thirty-eight new members joined the society in 2006. Treasurer Jue also included an analysis of 2006 expenditures to-date in his report. He reported that $8,500.00 had been budgeted to print the Florida Field Naturalist (FFN) and that only $4,887.10 had been spent to print four issues of the FFN. A total of $6,100.00 was budgeted for meeting expenses; only $2,632.05 has been spent. He also reported Susan Cone returned $519.00 for an award. Treasurer Jue estimates a surplus of $4,433.32 based on the expenditures to-date. He also reported on the proposed 2007 budget included in his written report. He expected unrestricted gifts to increase due to the special book sale and he expects the budgeted printing costs for the FFN are higher than they actually were for printing the last four issues. He pointed out there was a projected surplus of $3,290.00 in the Special Publications Fund and that two education grants would probably be given in 2007. Scott Robinson moved to file the treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded by Soo Whiting and passed.
EDITORS REPORTS.
a. Florida Field
Naturalist.
Editor Scott Robinson submitted a written report at the meeting and also provided an oral report. Scott reported that Volume 34, Numbers 3 and 4 were scheduled to be printed by the end of the year. Number 3 was late; Number 4 should be on schedule. Scott reported that Tom Webber had agreed to be Associate Editor and he is assisting with the publication. Scott reported the inside and outside covers of the FFN have been updated and, in the future, Friends of the FFN will be included in the publication. Scott reported that one of the upcoming issues will include a full page on the newest FOS special publication. Soo Whiting moved to file the FFN editor’s report. It was seconded and passed.
b. Newsletter.
Newsletter Editor Tom Palmer submitted a written report. He did not attend the meeting. His report indicated he had changed the back page to improve mail processing. His report also stated he is continuing to seek contributions of a non-technical nature and he has begun publishing brief accounts on birding spots. His report also indicated he is awaiting action from the board regarding archiving current and past issues of the newsletter on the web site. Steve Bankert reported that the web site already has issues of the newsletter from fall 2003 to the most recent issue on-line. President Hailman stated the board did not need to make a decision on this. He suggested the newsletter editor make an “executive decision” and put the issues he felt appropriate on-line. During discussion, vice president Whiting asked if she should put information about upcoming meetings in the newsletter and president Hailman confirmed she should. Joyce King moved to file the report. It was seconded and passed.
c. Special Publications.
Special Publication Editor Reed Noss submitted a written report but was not able to attend the meeting.
In his report, he stated he had
completed publication of the large two-part monograph: “The Breeding Birds of
Florida.” Part I is authored by Glen E.
Woolfenden and William B. Robertson, Jr. and is entitled “Sources and Post
Settlement Changes.” Part II is authored
by James Cox and is entitled “Trends in Breeding Distribution Based on
d. Web Site.
Editor Steve Bankert submitted a written report and provided an oral report at the meeting. Steve reported he had developed software for the North American Migratory Count database. He also made the FOS Records Committee Florida Bird List interactive. Steve asked that everyone check their contact information on the web site to make sure it is current and to advise him of any changes. Steve reported that the web site is currently using 90 percent of its total available space. He indicated that the remaining 10 percent of available space should be sufficient for the next six months. He reported it would probably cost $260.00 per year to double the amount of space the web site currently has. Steve will get more details about this for the next meeting. President Hailman congratulated Steve on the work he had done updating the web site. Wes Biggs asked if it would be possible to update the FOS Records Committee (FOSRC) reports. Pam Bowen asked Andy Kratter, FOSRC secretary, to copy the web master on future FOSRC reports. Soo Whiting moved to file the report. The motion was seconded and passed.
COMMITTEE REPORTS.
a. Archives Committee.
No report was submitted for the archives committee.
b. Bylaws Committee.
Dave Freeland submitted a written report prior to the meeting which included proposed changes to the bylaws. President Hailman stated the proposed bylaw changes would be voted on during the new business session of the meeting. As a result, Soo Whiting moved to file the report. Judy Bryan seconded the motion and it passed.
c. Conservation Committee.
No report was submitted for the conservation committee. President Hailman stated he had offered the chairman position for this committee to one of the members and he is waiting to hear if that person will accept the position.
d. Editorial Advisory Board.
No report was submitted for the editorial advisory board.
e. Field Observations Committee.
Bill Pranty submitted a written report
but was not able to attend the meeting.
His report indicated that the Field Observations Committee (FOC) had
published 63 consecutive seasonal bird reports.
His report also stated that Brian Ahern was appointed to fill David
Powell’s vacated position on the committee.
Charlie Ewell reported that his mailing address and e-mail address were
not current in Bill’s report. Pam Bowen
will advise Bill that Charlie’s current mailing address is 115 SW 51st
Ter,
f. Finance Committee.
David Stock has assumed the duties of chair for this committee and provided a written report prior to the meeting. He also made an oral report during the meeting. His report included a number of recommendations for management of FOS finances. The first recommendation suggested that the large reserve that is currently held in the checking account be divided and placed in two interest-bearing accounts. Treasurer Jue commented this was a good recommendation; however, FOS does need a local bank account for depositing dues. Discussion followed regarding amending the report to maintain a local checking account with a maximum balance of $3,000.00. However, the proposed amendment was not seconded. David reported that $3,754.00 had been spent to publish the most recent special publication and the sales to-date had only resulted in $77.40. The committee recommended that copies be brought to FOS meeting and be made available for sale during the meetings. David also reported concerns about membership. During 2006, individuals were given the opportunity to give guest memberships. The finance committee suggested a follow-up be done in 2007 to determine if the 86 new guest members become permanent members. David reminded the board about the Friends of the FFN which was established to help offset the cost of the journal. He also reported that the committee recommended a $5.00 increase in annual dues. Pam Bowen suggested the group accept the report, rather than approve it, due to the recommended dues increase. The proposed 2007 budget does not indicate the need to increase dues this year and this will require further discussion. Soo Whiting moved to file the report. Judy Bryan seconded the motion and it passed.
g1.
Helen G. and Allan D. Cruickshank Research Award Subcommittee.
Chairperson Katie Sieving submitted a written report but did not attend the meeting. All students who entered the 2006 Cruickshank Research Award competition were notified of their proposal status and the winner received her award. Katie’s report included several suggestions for involving more students in FOS. Possible suggestions included:
· Giving a one-year free FOS membership to every student who applies for the Cruickshank Research Award.
·
Sending a request for student presentations to
all
· The student paper session would be judged and the winner and runners up could be given a prize (t-shirt, free banquet ticket, or a book).
· Short abstracts of the student papers could be published in the FFN with the winner’s work highlighted.
· Board members could be asked to sponsor prizes for the student paper session.
President Hailman suggested the recommendations presented in the report be discussed in the committee-of-the whole session. Pam Bowen moved to file the report. It was seconded and passed.
g2. Helen G. and Allan D. Cruickshank
Education Award Subcommittee.
Chairperson Charlie Ewell provided a
written report prior to the meeting and an oral report during the meeting. Due to a miscommunication, only one request
was received for the Helen G. and Allan D. Cruickshank Education Award. This request was not appropriate for the
award. The committee suggested extending
the application deadline until
g3. William B. and Mary J. Robertson Award Subcommittee.
Chairperson Peter Merritt submitted a written report. His report stated the committee had submitted an announcement for inclusion in the Ornithological Societies of North America (OSNA) newsletter advertising an award of $1,000.00. The announcement will appear in the December 2006 OSNA newsletter. The committee is looking forward to reviewing the resulting proposals and making a funding recommendation at the spring 2007 board meeting. Judy Bryan moved to file the report. It was seconded and passed.
h. Membership Committee.
Joyce King submitted a written report during the meeting and also provided an oral report. She suggested several strategies for increasing membership in FOS. They included:
· Form a closer alliance with Audubon of Florida (AOF) and the 43 chapters associated with it. Joyce recommended FOS provide a designee to act in an advisory capacity to the AOF Science Committee, invite AOF staff to speak at FOS meetings, encourage FOS members to become ambassadors to local Audubon chapters, and include Audubon chapters on the FOS mailing list.
· Create a PowerPoint presentation about FOS to present at Audubon Assembly.
· Contact other state ornithological societies about their membership recruitment initiatives.
· Send meeting notices to state agencies and state organizations that share common interests in birds.
During discussion, President Hailman asked how good birders would be “hooked up with Audubon chapters”. The group discussed how this could be done and the use of the membership list. Pam Bowen suggested the membership committee place an article in the newsletter and on the web site seeking volunteers who would be willing to act as ambassadors. Joyce did not think this would result in getting volunteers. Ann Paul suggested writing a letter asking for assistance and mailing it with the annual dues renewals. A motion was made to file the report. It was seconded and approved.
i. Nominating Committee.
Peter Merritt submitted a written report for the meeting. Peter and the members of his committee, Jim Cox and Andy Kratter, are seeking candidates to fill the position of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and two director positions. The committee encouraged FOS members to provide any suggestions or ideas for candidates directly to its members. Julie Wraithmell asked about staggering terms. Pam Bowen mentioned many organizations include a president-elect position which gives the incoming president experience with the board and gives the organization continuity in leadership. President Hailman asked Dave Freeland to keep the bylaws committee active and asked him to have the committee consider changes in terms. Dean Jue moved to file the report. It was seconded and approved.
j. Records Committee
Secretary Jon Greenlaw submitted a written report for the FOSRC prior to vacating his position. He did not attend the meeting. Andy Kratter attended the meeting as the new secretary of the FOSRC. The need for one correction was noted in the report. Item number 19 (RC06-606) should be changed to “NOT ACCEPTED” since it had a vote of 0 accept and 7 not accept. Dean Jue moved the report be filed as corrected. The motion was seconded and approved.
President Hailman suggested the board
members take a brief break. Shrimp, crab
puffs, cookies, and sodas were provided by Laurilee Thompson, Dixie Crossroads Seafood
Restaurant. The meeting resumed at
CONTINUING BUSINESS.
a. Proposed Bylaw Changes Regarding Special Publications.
President Hailman provided the board with a written copy of two proposed bylaws changes during the meeting concerning special publications. The first proposed change allowed the board to vote on special publications without receiving recommendations from the editorial advisory committee and finance committee. After ensuring that nine out of 12 voting board members and officers were present, president Hailman instructed vice president Whiting on how to conduct this section of the meeting so he could present the proposed changes to the board. President Hailman moved to change the bylaws as outlined in proposed change #1 of his written document. Pam Bowen indicated concern over having appropriate time to read the proposed bylaw changes prior to voting. Dave Godwin stated his concern over publishing “junk”. He stated it made sense to remove the finance committee from the review process. He also stressed the importance of the editorial advisory committee in ensuring the quality of FOS publications. Pam Bowen agreed that removing the finance committee from the review process would be appropriate. She also thought the editorial advisory committee could assist the special publications editor by providing comments regarding potential concerns prior to conducting a lengthy review process. Pam proposed to amend the bylaw change #1 to drop only “and the Finance Committee” from the review process. Judy Bryan seconded the amendment and, after president Hailman checked Robert’s Rules of Order to ensure the vote was properly conducted, it was concluded that the board had approved the amendment. The board also unanimously approved the proposed bylaw change as amended.
Next, president Hailman moved to adopt proposed bylaw change #2 which would make the special publications editor an officer of the FOS and that would place it on equal footing with the FFN editor position. Judy Bryan seconded the motion. President Hailman discussed the need to place this position on equal footing with the FFN editor position. Pam Bowen stated that since this position edited important publications that it was essential that this editor have a vote in the board’s decision making process. Julie Wraithmell asked if Reed Noss had been notified of the proposed change. President Hailman stated Reed had not been advised of the proposed change. He also stated Reed was initially surprised the special publications editor was not a voting member of the board. The board approved the motion to adopt bylaw change # 2 making the special publication editor a voting-member of the board and placing the position on equal footing with the FFN editor.
b. IBA Manuscript.
President Hailman stated this section of the meeting would be conducted as a “committee-of-the-whole”. Ann Paul stated she originally proposed the IBA manuscript as a joint publication with Audubon. Ann stated she made a $5,500.00 donation to Audubon of Florida to have the IBA manuscript published in memory of Rich Paul. Other individuals donated $2,500.00 to Audubon, for a total of $8,000.00, to have the IBA manuscript published in Rich’s memory. Ann thought Audubon would use this money to buy copies of the manuscript once FOS published it. Ann indicated she thought National Audubon wanted to retain the copyright on this manuscript and, as a result, AOF, did not want to give up the copyright on the manuscript. Ann suggested setting up a committee to identify and resolve the issues associated with this publication. Pam Bowen asked why Audubon didn’t publish the manuscript. Ann stated Audubon is not set up to publish manuscripts and that once money has gone into Audubon, it is difficult to get it back out. President Hailman stated that he needed to follow-up again with Audubon personnel; he did not think a committee was necessary. Julie Wraithmell indicated concern over the editorial time that had been spent by FOS on this manuscript. Dean Jue reminded the group the manuscript would not be published until FOS had the assurances necessary to ensure it was legal to publish it. President Hailman stated the meeting was moving out of a “committee-of-the-whole” mode and returning to normal meeting procedures.
NEW BUSINESS.
a. Proposed Budget.
Treasurer Jue moved that the 2007 proposed budget be accepted as submitted. The motion was seconded. During discussion, Dean stated the budget did not include a dues increase. He suggested FOS wait until April to decide on increasing dues. He reminded the group that many institutional members were required to budget in advance for dues expenditures. Pam Bowen also suggested the organization wait to consider the dues increase in April, rather than now, because 1.) the organization has a projected annual surplus of $4,500.00 for 2007, 2.) even without anticipated revenue from the most recent special publication, FOS would expect a surplus of $1,200.00 in 2007, and 3.) even if all of the gift memberships did not renew in 2007, the organization would still be projected to break-even. The board voted and approved the budget as submitted.
b. Proposed Bylaws Changes Submitted by the Bylaws Special Committee. The proposed bylaw changes were discussed by the board and the following amendments were suggested:
· The term “immediate past-president” shall be replaced with the term “past-president”.
· The term of the past-president shall be two (2) years, and if extended shall be for another two (2) years.
· The secretary shall keep a running list of all official policies (not actions).
Secretary Bowen highlighted the importance of signifying the difference between an approved policy (such as posting all approved minutes on the web site) and an approved action (such as approving the Cruickshank Award). A vote was taken and all amendments were approved. Finally, the bylaws changes were voted on as amended and were approved by the board.
c.
Special Book
Pam Bowen reported that Helen and Bill Dowling had donated
nearly 200 books from their personal library to benefit the FOS. The books included both modern and historical
treasures in avian literature. The books
were reviewed Pam Bowen and Judy Bryan and were available for sale or special
auction during the fall 2006 meeting. Special
books of historical significance were placed in the silent auction and the
winners of these book sales would be announced at the banquet on
d. New Suggestions Made by Cruickshank Research Award Committee.
President Hailman suggested that since the committee chairman was not present to discuss the items suggested in her report, it might be best to wait to address them when she is present. As a result, he entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting.
ADJOURNMENT.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at
Respectfully Submitted,
Pamela J. Bowen
FOS Secretary