| SWS SOUTH CENTRAL CHAPTER
Summer Business Meeting Minutes
June 25, 2009 – Madison, WI
Officers
Ken Krauss – President - Present
Gary Pritts – Past President - Not Present
Julia Cherry – President Elect - Present
Matt Stahman – Treasurer - Present
Adam Williams – Secretary - Not Present
Board
Lisa Webb – Not Present
Lisa Gandy – Not Present
Emily Greer – Not Present
Rebecca Howard – Present
Business Meeting
President Ken Krauss called the Business Meeting of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) South Central Chapter (SCC) to order at 8:00 AM and welcomed all attendees.
Quorum: In the absence of Secretary Adam Williams, President Krauss declared a quorum. A total of 22 SCC members were present.
Minutes: Copies of the minutes from the SCC fall business meeting in Tuscaloosa, AL, were distributed for review. A motion was made to accept the minutes; the motion was seconded, and was then approved by a vote of the membership.
Treasurer Report: Treasurer Matt Stahman distributed the Treasurer’s Report. As of June 25, 2009, the checking account had a balance of $13,738.44 with an additional $4,379.66 in a Certificate of Deposit, for total assets equaling $18,118.10. Treasurer Stahman noted that he had written several checks during the meeting: $600 and $400 travel awards to this meeting for Rani Menon, University of Mississippi, and Sajag Adhikar, North Texas University, respectively; $300 to support a Symposium to be hosted by the Louisiana State University Student Club; and $500 to the Carrie Lynn Yoder Scholarship Fund at Louisiana State University. This reduces Chapter assets to $16,381.10.
Standing Committee Reports:
- Membership. In his Treasurer’s report, Matt Stahman noted that the Society of Wetland Scientists currently has 2,701 members, 294 of which belong to the SCC. Society membership was 3,551 and SCC membership was 363 prior to the 2008 fall meeting in Tuscaloosa; 23 new SCC members were recruited in Tuscaloosa. It is hoped that Society membership will increase as a result of this meeting (i.e., in Madison). In the absence of Chair Williams, no membership committee report was presented.
- Program – No report.
- Nominations – No report.
- Affiliate Societies – No report.
- Archives – President Krauss noted that all hard copies of the SCC archives are now located at one location, the U.S. Geological Survey office in Lafayette, LA. Archivist Rebecca Howard reported that she is sorting through the material. With assistance from Matt Stahman, she has prepared the following material for the archives: a list of locations for the fall meetings since the first meeting was held in1992, Chapter officers and Board members since 1989, and student presentation award winners since the first award was given in 1997. A suggestion was made by Tim Love to post these files on the Chapter website.
- Bylaws & Standing Rules – No report.
- Special Issues – No report.
Special Committee Reports:
- Chapter Poster. In the absence of Chair Emily Greer, President Krauss reported that Greer prepared several draft versions of the poster. The drafts were reviewed by the SCC Board, and each person selected their favorite two designs. The top four designs from this process will be further narrowed down to the top two candidate designs by the Board. These two will be posted on the website for membership vote to select the winning design. Anticipated cost of producing the poster is $500 - $600. The poster will be available to take to regional meetings to advertise Chapter activities and to attract new members.
- Chapter Logo Contest. In the absence of Chair Lisa Gandy, President Krauss reported that Gandy is developing an announcement to describe contest rules. The announcement for the contest will be posted on the SSC website this summer; the contest will be open to all SCC members.
Old Business:
- Awards. President Krauss presented checks to Rani Menon, University of Mississippi, and Sajag Adhikar, North Texas University. Ms. Menon received the best presentation award at the 2008 fall meeting in Tuscaloosa, and Ms. Adhikar received the second place presentation award. Treasurer Stahman stated that $100 awards will be made to students for travel to the 2009 Chapter fall meeting. Information on application procedures will be posted on the SCC website.
- Announcement of Election Results and Installation of Officers. President Krauss announced the following results of the spring election, and congratulated the winners:
Matt Stahman – President Elect
Robbie Kroger – Treasurer
Diane DeSteven – Board
Chuck Walker – Board
President Krauss handed the meeting over to Julia Cherry, new SCC President, and assumed duties as Past President.
New Business:
- Student Club. Vanessa Tobias reported that the bank account for the Student Club is established. Recent Club activities include:
▫ Hosted a crawfish boil fundraiser
▫ Hosted two seminars at LSU that covered local wetland issues; both were well attended
▫ Assisted with mangrove plantings at a restoration site
▫ Participated in elementary school education events
- Future plans include:
▫ Conducting a student research symposium in Baton Rouge in January 2010. Students from all departments involved in wetlands science will be invited to participate.
- Pending legislation – State of Tennessee. President Cherry noted that Chuck Walker voiced concern (via email) about proposed legislation that will require anyone classifying soils to have accreditation, and the possible impact this may have on consultants involved with wetland delineations. Mr. Walker will keep the Board informed on new developments on this issue.
- Support for Human Diversity. President Cherry explained that the SCC will contribute up to $2,000 to support an undergraduate student to attend the SWS Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City next summer. This program is funded by the National Science Foundation and covers all meeting costs for students from underrepresented groups; students submit applications and are selected by the SWS Diversity Committee. There is a stipulation that the funds must support a student attending a school located in our region Future participation in the program will be evaluated after the Salt Lake City meeting.
- Support for Human Diversity. President Cherry explained that the SCC will contribute up to $2,000 to support an undergraduate student to attend the SWS Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City next summer. This program is funded by the National Science Foundation and covers all meeting costs for students from underrepresented groups; students submit applications and are selected by the SWS Diversity Committee. There is a stipulation that the funds must support a student attending a school located in our region Future participation in the program will be evaluated after the Salt Lake City meeting.
- SCC Fall Meeting. The meeting will be held at North Texas University in Denton, TX, with Kevin Stevens and Mike Smart as hosts. Possible dates are: October 1 -2; October 15 -17; or October 22 – 24. President Cherry asked for input on which date is best. The meeting facility and the social venue will be free, and all efforts are being made to keep overall costs minimal. Information on abstract submission, registration, and hotel options will be posted on the SCC website.
Schedule: The meeting will run Thursday through Saturday noon.
Thursday – Field trip and workshop. Possible workshops at this time include: GIS and Remote Sensing, Wetland Soils, and Overview of a Regional Guidebook for Wetland Delineation.
Friday – Plenary session with a theme of Constructed Wetlands, followed by the SCC business meeting. A social in the evening will include a barbeque at the Lewisville Aquatic Center.
Saturday – Student presentations.
Other Business:
- Scott Jecker voiced a concern that the SCC should focus more on outreach activities, including offering training to members and students.
President Cherry called for a motion to close the Business Meeting. The motion was made, seconded, and approved by vote. The meeting ended at 8:50 AM.
Prepared by Rebecca Howard
July 10, 2009
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