MINUTES OF THE 2011 SPRING MEETING—DRAFT
TENNESSE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
MILLINGTON, TN.
TOS Board of Directors Meeting
The TOS 2011 spring meeting was held April 29-May 1 in Millington, TN, hosted by the Memphis chapter. Field trips were offered to Shelby Forest and The Earth Complex (Pits).
The Directors meeting was called to order by President Dick Preston at 3:00 on 30 April. Dick confirmed that a quorum had been met.
THE REPORT OF THE MINUTES: Van Harris made the motion that the Minutes of the fall 2011meeting be approved as read, with the insertion of the following statement from the treasurer’s report: “Mac McWhirter sent a statement indicating that TOS is still in good financial condition.” The motion was seconded and carried.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: Dick requested that local chapters enter all information from chapter checklists onto e-bird. He announced that June 10-12 will be the dates of the Shady Valley Bird Foray, and that the planners are looking for volunteers. He presented a form detailing the “Cats Indoors” program.” He stated the importance of placing copies of the form in many locations, such as your local pet clinic.
Dick stated that Curator Chuck Nicholson has taken all of the Breeding Bird Atlas records and placed them in a chronological format on our website.
Dick mentioned that the IJAMs Nature Center in Knoxville is currently selling copies of a historical account of H.P. Ijams and the bird sanctuary. TOS gave permission for the author to use several photos from “The Migrant.”
Dick announced that long-time TOS member Fred Alsop has received the Carter-Patton Conservation Award, and that notice of the award has been placed in the Chattanooga newspaper.
Dick noted that a final decision regarding the hunting of Sandhill Cranes in Tennessee has been deferred for two years.
CURATOR: The following is a report on the TOS website from Chuck Nicholson, TOS curator: “Please remind the chapters to send me updates to their posted chapter information. As usual, I invite people to submit bird-finding site guides. We presently have good descriptions of several sites in Middle and East Tennessee, but lack guides to many of the most popular birding sites in the state. These site guides do get a good number of page views. Following are some statistics on website usage during the last month: The website was visited 1, 635 times during the last month. 1,240 visitors viewed 4,900 pages for an average of 3 pages viewed per visit. Each visitor spent an average of about 2 minutes/visit viewing the website. The bounce rate, which is the proportion of visitors who only view one page during a visit, was about 41%. This means that these visitors either found what they were looking for on the first page they viewed or decided the site did not contain what they were looking for and quickly left the site. If we were a commercial site, this rate would be considered very high; for us, it is not necessarily bad. I am, however, tracking the search terms people use when they arrive at the TOS site from a search engine to see how we can improve the site to better meet the needs of users. 55% of visitors came to the site from a search engine. 29% of visitors came directly to the site, meaning they either typed in the URL or clicked sites on a link in an e-mail. 16% of visitors came to the site from a link on another site; the most frequent referring sites were wildbirds.com, birding.com.and tnwatchablewildlife.org. The most viewed pages in descending order,were: 1) the main Birding in Tennessee page. 2) the home page; 3) the East Tennessee bird finding page; 4) the Middle Tennessee bird finding page, and 5) the official state bird list.”
TREASURER’S REPORT: Treasurer Mac McWhirter declared that there are 639 members of the TOS as of last year, and there has been an increase in membership for the past two years. He also noted that investments have done really well. He listed the following figures:
Total Revenues - $35,049.79
Total Expenses - $23,333.11
Total Assets - $235,846.58
MIGRANT EDITOR: Past editor Chris Welsh stressed the importance of members volunteering to review articles for “The Migrant.” He implored members to assist in soliciting submission of articles and sending them to David Aborn, the editor of “The Migrant.”
TENNESSEE WARBLER EDITOR: Theresa Graham, the editor of “The Tennessee Warbler,” stated that June 30 is the date of the deadline for placing articles in the August edition of “The Warbler.”
COMMITTEE REPORTS: Van Harris of the Nominating Committee listed the following officers for 2011-2013:
President: Dick Preston
VP East: Tony King
VP Middle: Melinda Welton
VP West: Martha Waldron
Director at Large: Larry Routledge – East
Director-at-Large: Steve Routledge – Middle
Director-at-Large Donna Ward – West
Treasurer: Mac McWhirter
Secretary: Cyndi Routledge
Curator: Chuck Nicholson
Migrant Editor: David Aborn
Warbler Editor: Theresa Graham
Bird Records Committee: Kevin Calhoon expressed that the Bird Records Committee has been very active, and has received a number of records.
Conservation Policy Committee: The following persons are on the Conservation Policy Committee: Melinda Welton, Gregg Elliot, Chris Sloan, Bill Franks, Chuck Nicholson and Cyndi Routledge. The Conservation Policy Committee took the following actions from November 2010 through February 22, 2011:
December 2010, TOS signed onto a letter in support of the USFWS final rule removing the Rusty Blackbird from its depredation order (which allows hunting of species for pest control purposes). This rule also precludes the use of lead shot ammunition to kill other species of blackbirds covered under the depredation order. It went into effect January 3, 2010.
Melinda Welton, working with the Committee, prepared a letter to the editor that appeared in a January, 2010 “Tennesseean,” in response to a letter by Mike Butler of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. The TOS letter generallyclarified Sandhill Crane population and mortality numbers under the proposed hunting plan, as well as the TOS argument on the merits of managing the cranes as a Watchable Wildlife resource.
Individual TOS CPC members signed onto a letter of support as part of the NEPA process for the protection of an area in the core U.S. Prairie Pothole region, called the ‘Dakota Grasslands Project.” Using Land and Water Conservation Funds, it would protect more than 240,000 acres of wetlands and 1.7 million acres of privately-owned grasslands. Without efforts such as these, it is estimated that one-third to one-half of these critical habitats will be converted to other uses within 3 years, affecting many grassland and shorebird species, some of which migrate through or to Tennessee.
As a member of the Bird Conservation Alliance, TOS signed onto a letter in support of reauthorization of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA).
TOS signed onto a letter to Senators Alexander and Corker in support of full and dedicated funding for Land and Water Conservation Fund legislation during the lame duck session of Congress. This effort was spearheaded by the TennesseeParks and Greenways Foundation.
On October 1, 2010, Governor Phil Bredesen announced signing a Lands Unsuitable for Mining (LUM) Petition that would protect 500 miles of ridgetops in the North Cumberland WMA in Anderson, Campbell, Morgan and Scott counties. This area literally includes the best-of-the-best Cerulean Warbler breeding habitat in the world!
On November 18, 2010, Melinda Welton represented TOS at the Bird Conservation Alliance meeting in Washington, D.C. She had the opportunity to meet with Assistant Secretary of the Interior Tom Strickland about the LUM Petition. He was very encouraging and said that Senator Alexander was very involved with moving the petition forward. On November 23rd, the Office of Surface Mining determined that the state’s LUM petition was complete, an essential step in the approval process and the action TOS was pursuing.
As a member of the Bird Conservation Alliance, TOS signed on to a letter to the FCC requesting that they prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement, rather than a programmatic Environmental Assessment to fully address the issues of bird collisions with communication towers. No reply from the FCC has been received.
Melinda Welton represented TOS at a brown-bag lunch with the new TDEC Commissioner Robert Martineau on February 18th. TOS was one of about 25 environmental organizations represented. Melinda highlighted two of the conservation issues that TOS is currently involved with: 1) the wise management of the North Cumberland WMA and our strong support of the Land’s Unsuitable for Mining Petition, and 2)promoting the Sandhill Crane as a watchable wildlife resource with tourism implications for the southeastern portion of the state (by virtue of his position, Commissioner Martineau is a member of the TWRA Commission).
In late February, TOS signed on to a letter to the Secretary of the Interior asking for the development of a department-wide policy to address feral cat management. Feral cats cause the deaths of hundreds of millionsof birds annually, including endangered species, and addressing the problem will require science-based policies to conserve wildlife.
Also in February, TOS signed onto an American Bird Conservancy letter asking for the preservation of State Wildlife Grants and NAWCA funds, and a post about the issue was sent to TN-Birds.
In March, Melinda Welton developed a list of talking points about the measure toprotect 500 miles of ridgelines in the northern Cumberland Plateau from mountaintop mining. The talking points and notice of public meetings to be held by the Office of Surface Mining were sent to KTOS as well as the TN-Birds list.
In early March, TOS signed onto the ABC “Bird-Smart Wind Campaign” policy platform, which supports wind energy that meets mandatory guidelines for mitigating bird impacts.
In late March, a letter was sent to Gov. Haslam requesting that future appointments to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission reflect the current makeup of constituencies with an interest in wildlife by nominating individuals with a broader interest in wildlife than strictly consumption.
TOS received a reply from the governor’s office directing us to Jeremy Harrell. Melinda contacted him and met with Gary Carwile, a potential appointee to represent District 3. TOS subsequently sent a letter back to the governor, recommending that Mr. Carwile be appointed to the position.
In late April, TOS sent a letter of support to the Georgia Ornithological Society supporting their policy statement regarding management of feral cats, which is similar to ABC policies on the subject that we have already endorsed.
Also in late April, TOS signed onto a letter written by the Bird Conservation Alliance to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees, who were scheduled to hold hearings that could “set the stage for moving legislation undermining ESA consultation requirements for pesticides.” The letter expressed strong support for “a rigorous, scientifically based solution to this issue, one that fully protects America’s waters, human health and endangered species.”
CONSERVATION RESEARCH and FUNDING: Dick stated that no funds were expended this year for conservation research, and that he is looking for a volunteer to be Chairperson of the committee.
FINANCE: No Report
PUBLICATIONS: No Report
COLLATERAL MATERIALS: Donna Ward announced that she has placed patches and decals for sale on the back table.
TN-BIRD MONITOR: Wallace Coffey, TN-Bird Moderator, sent the following report: “Your TN-Bird net listserv continues to be active and valuable. More that 600 birders are subscribed to the list and post about 2,200 messages each year. April is one of the busiest months, with an average of nearly 350 messages posted per month.”
In August 2010, Melinda Welton wrote that the list is “a fabulous way to get timely bird news out to the birding community in between TOS newsletters.” The proposed Sandhill crane hunting season in Tennessee in the fall of 2011, saw the Conservation Policy Committee of TOS and subscribers deliver and exchange a total of 90 posts which delivered 54,000 total message copies to the subscribers of TN-Bird net.
The listserv not only provided an hour-to-hour update and exchange among our birders concerning the Sandhill Crane issue but it delivered instant results as the decision was made by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission.
TN-Bird is more than reporting interesting birds seen. It is the way that many TOS chapters promote field trips, counts, meetings and many other activities. It provides the majority of bird records edited for THE SEASON report which is published in “The Migrant.” It was been the tool which has greatly expanded the reports available to THE SEASON editors and allowed for a more complete report of seasonal bird distribution in Tennessee.
TN-Birds continues to be the Tennessee Ornithological Society’s most dependable and timely means for communicating with birders, chapters and agencies in the state.
Distinguished Service Award: No Nominations Received. Dick discussed the initial casting of the Mockingbird pin that is presented to Distinguished Service Award recipients has been exhausted. He noted that the cost of making additional pins will be very costly, and another type of memento may be needed.
OLD BUSINESS:
Spring Meeting Schedule: Dick noted that TOS and the Virginia Society of Ornithology will host a joint meeting in Johnson City, May 18 – 20, 2012.
Duck Stamps: Dick stated that he has received positive feedback from several organizations regarding TOS’s sponsorship of the stamp sales.
Constitution Committee Proposed Amendments: Susan McWhirter of the Constitution Committee read Article V from the TOS Constitution. Section 6 currently states, “The Secretary shall keep minutes of the meetings, attend to official correspondence, prepare notices of meetings, and work to create interest in the activities of the Society.” We propose that “prepare notices of meetings, and work to create interest in the activities of the Society’ be deleted and this addition be made: “The Secretary shall submit to the President a rough draft of the minutes within 30 days following the meeting. A final draft of the minutes is to be submitted to the president and posted on the web site at least 30 days prior to the next meeting, with copies made to be presented to the Board of Directors at the next meeting.”
Susan McWhirter made the motion, with Melinda Welton, second, that we accept the proposed amendment to Article V, Section 6. The vote was unanimous to accept the decision.
Susan read Article VI – Committees: Section 1 after the sentence, “The President-Elect shall be chosen from that Division of the State whose turn it will be to receive the presidency for a full two-year term,” and proposed adding the following sentence: “If after extended search, no candidate can be found from that Division, the Nominating Committee may seek a candidate from another Division of the State, making every effort to follow the succession of the Divisions.”
Susan made the motion, with Virginia Reynolds, second, that we accept the proposed amendment to Article VI. The vote was unanimous to accept the decision.
NEW BUSINESS:
Funding for future Sandhill Crane Festivals/Viewing Days: Melinda Welton noted that TOS was recognized as a sponsor of the Sandhill Crane Festival/Viewing Days. She stressed the importance of creating enthusiasm for the festival.
Funding a TOS representative to attend ABC/BCA meetings: Dick expressed the importance of sending one of TOS’s two members to the meetings of the American Bird Conservancy, when issues of vital interest to Tennessee are on the agenda. Virginia Reynolds made the motion, with Ron Hoff, second, that the TOS reimburse Melinda Welton $300.00 as part of her expenses for attending the ABC conference. The vote was unanimous to adopt the decision.
Breeding Bird Atlas: Dick said that Rick Knight has asked about TOS sponsoringa statewide effort to update the results of the initial atlas project. Dick requests all interested contact him.
Melinda read the following messages from Scott Somershoe, state ornithologist: There is a possibility that an official birding trail will be started in the Chattanooga area.
Eagle Optics gives discount binoculars for persons conducting research in the tropics. Ron Hoff made the motion, with Susan McWhirter second, that TOS donate $500.00 for “optics for the tropics.” The vote was unanimous to accept the decision.
Fall Meeting 2011: Dick plans to ask the Chattanooga chapter to host the fall 2011 meeting.
During the annual banquet, the business meeting was held. At the meeting, Dick made the motion that the list of officers for 2011-2013 be elected by acclamation. There was a second to the motion, and the vote was unanimous to accept the slate of officers. Dick detailed the changes to the Constitution. A motion was made and seconded to accept the changes. The vote was unanimous.
Donna Ward,
Acting Secretary