Process

The process for proposing and preparing a SWS- Western Chapter White Paper is established in Chapter 11 of the Chapter’s Standing Rules:

Section 11.  Position Statements.  Statements expressing the  Chapter’s position on technical, scientific, and/or management aspects (or interpretation thereof) of wetland-related issues shall be developed by the Special Issues Committee, as identified in the Bylaws and these Standing Rules.  The proposed statement shall be consistent with the Constitution, Bylaws, and adopted policies of the SWS and the Bylaws and any adopted policies of the Chapter.  The Chapter’s statements shall be coordinated with the Wetland Concerns Committee of the SWS; the Chapter shall not issue any statement that is inconsistent with a position or statement enunciated by the SWS Wetland Concerns Committee.

The following process shall be followed in developing draft position statements:

1. Any member of the Chapter in good standing may nominate an issue that falls within the purview of the Society and the Chapter for the consideration of the Special Issues Committee.  The nomination shall include a description of the scientific, management, and/or other considerations that supports the nomination.
2. The Special Issues Committee shall consider the nomination and shall determine whether a statement regarding the issue should be issued by the Chapter, weighing the submitted evidence and any other evidence deemed relevant by Committee members.  If the Committee deems the issue to warrant a statement, the Committee shall prepare a draft statement for consideration by the Chapter’s Executive Committee.
3. A description of the issue for which a statement is being considered shall be circulated to the Executive Committee, together with a draft of the actual text of the proposed statement, a minimum of seven days prior to its distribution to the Chapter membership..
4. Upon agreement from the Executive Committee, the draft statement shall be distributed to the chapter membership for a 30-day comment period.  Following review by the membership, the Special Issues Committee shall revise the statement as the Committee deems appropriate.  The “final” statement shall be resubmitted to the Executive Committee for their review and approval.  
5. The statement shall be considered “approved” by the Chapter’s Executive Committee if at least half of the Executive Committee members concur with the proposed statement.  The proposed statement may be modified to address objections or issues raised by the Executive Committee.  If more than half of the members of the Executive Committee decline to concur with the final proposed statement, the statement shall not be made on the Chapter’s behalf.
6. The proposed statement shall be limited to addressing technical or scientific issues (or the interpretation of technical and scientific issues in other contexts) and shall not include opinions regarding regulatory or legal policies as such.
7. Once approved, the final statement shall be posted on the Chapter website.