Bird Conservation Network
Executive
Committee
Minutes: December 26, 2001
In
attendance: Donald Dann, Bob Fisher, Mary Anne Harrison, Judy Pollock, Lee
Ramsey
BirdSource
(Judy): Although
we don’t have hard numbers yet, we expect that Cornell will charge us
$20K for additional changes that we'd like to see to the website. This
will cover conversion of back data, capability for anyone to enter timed
observations for any site, and capability of accessing data from selected areas
on a map. We
need to find ways to raise this money. Possible sources are the county forest
preserve districts, the Fish & Wildlife Service, grant money from the Cook
County FPD and TNC, challenge grant from Audubon, Chicago Wilderness small
grants, and the monitors themselves. Judy is working on these.
Judy
also reported that the spring monitoring workshops are now being organized.
We
completed the form for the Illinois Secretary of State. Bob noted that
preparations for the January elections are completed.
Bob
will write a letter to the USDA stating our opposition to poisoning of
blackbirds in the Dakotas…
We
received a letter from some citizens in Lincolnshire asking for support in
opposing widening of Rte 22. Bob will call them to discuss this.
Mary
Anne will contact Dave Miller about the Rte 47 (Kishwaukee Corridor) project.
Dave
Ewert of the Great Lakes Division of TNC has asked for BCN’s help (mainly on
logistics) in a monitoring project to determine which areas are most used by
migrants. Judy will make a formal proposal at our January meeting, and we will
also invite Ewert to make a presentation at that meeting.
Donald
once again raised the issue of the fencing at Montrose Point, now that the
shorebird study has been completed. We decided that no action on our part is
called for now since no one has come to us with a proposal.
We
discussed possible amendments to the bylaws and settled on some proposals to be
presented at the January meeting. Lee will draft these proposals. (See below.)
Randi
Doeker’s list of field trips is now available on the BCN website. It’s an
important piece of work which should be promoted and for which she is to be
praised.
We
compiled a preliminary list of what we think are the best 2 or 3 birding sites
in each of the area counties. Donald will finalize this list.
Karen Glennemeier will be invited to speak about the grassland bird project at our April meeting.
Article III, Section 5. At all meetings of the BCN
(excluding committee meetings), a minimum of at least five members,
including one representative each from three different Organizational
Affiliates, one representative from at least half minus one of the
Organizational Affiliates shall constitute a quorum for conducting the
BCN’s business.*
Article III, Section 6. In the event that any general meeting of the BCN fails to achieve a quorum, the President may call for a paper or e-mail ballot to be distributed on any issue judged to be sufficiently important. The Secretary will them distribute the ballots, with any necessary explanation, to all the active BCN members and set a deadline for return of the ballots two weeks after the date of distribution. On such a ballot, the quorum requirements described in Article III, Section 5, shall apply.
Article III, Section 6 Section 7. [renumbered]
Article IV, Section 4. At any annual meeting, ten members
of the BCN shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.
Article VIII, Section 2. The fiscal year shall begin on the
first day of October, January and end on the thirtieth day of
September thirty-first day of December.
* For instance, with a membership of 16 organizational affiliates, 16 divided by 2 = 8, minus 1 = 7: quorum achieved by at least one representative from 7 different organizational affiliates. With 17 organizational affiliates, 17 divided by 2 = 8.5, minus 1 = 7.5: quorum achieved by at least one representative from 8 different organizational affiliates. At large members are not counted for purposes of a quorum.