SWS SOUTH CENTRAL CHAPTER
Fall Business Meeting Minutes
October 10, 2008 – Tuscaloosa, AL

	Click here to download Minutes
	Click here to download Treasure's Report

Officers
Ken Krauss (USGS) – President - Present
Gary Pritts – Past President - Not Present
Julia Cherry (Univ. AL) – President Elect - Present
Matt Stahman (SWCA) – Treasurer - Not Present
Adam Williams (Brushy Fork Environmental) – Secretary - Not Present

Board
Lisa Brennen (Arkansas Tech University) – Present
Lisa Gandy (Whitenton Group) – Present
Emily Greer (Ensafe) – Not Present
Rebecca Howard (USGS) – Present


Business Meeting
President Ken Krauss called the Business Meeting of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) South Central Chapter (SCC) to order at 4:20 PM and welcomed all attendees.  Approximately 25 people were present. 

Quorum:  In the absence of Secretary Adam Williams, President Krauss declared a quorum.

Minutes:  Copies of the minutes from the SCC spring business meeting in Washington DC were distributed by President Krauss for review.  A motion was made to accept the minutes, and the motion was approved by a vote of the membership.

Treasurer Report:  In the absence of Treasurer Matt Stahman, President Krauss distributed the Treasurer’s Report.  As of October 5, 2008, the checking account had a balance of $11,859.23 with an additional $4,251.58 in a Certificate of Deposit.  The SCC portion of the 2007 annual Society dues were deposited to the account in late August.  A total of $600 was awarded as travel stipends for students to attend this meeting.  President Krauss reported that proceeds of about $600 were obtained from the 2007 fall meeting in Memphis, TN.  He also reported that sponsorship for this year’s fall meeting totaled $1,500 (donations from New College, College of Arts and Sciences, GEC, Inc., and Alabama Museum of Natural History). 

Standing Committee Reports:

• Membership – In his Treasurer’s report, Matt Stahman noted that the Society of Wetland Scientists currently has 3,551 members, of which 363 belong to the SCC.  Society membership was 3,556 and SCC membership was 381 as of last fall.  At the 2007 fall meeting in Memphis, seven new SCC members were recruited.  President Krauss encouraged all members to recruit colleagues for the Society.
  
  
• Program – No report.
  
  
• Nominations – President Krauss noted that Past President Pritts is currently seeking candidates for nominations for elections in spring 2009.  Openings include President Elect, Treasurer, and two Board Members.
• Affiliations/Special Issues –  No report.
  
  
• Archives –  President Krauss reminded the membership that hard copies of the SCC archives are currently divided between two locations, in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, LA.  At the Board meeting (held October 9), a decision was made to consolidate the material at one location.  President Krauss appointed Rebecca Howard as the CSS archivist at the Board meeting, and the records will be maintained in Lafayette, LA at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center.
  
  
• Bylaws & Standing Rules – No report.
  
  
• Issues Committee – No report.
  
  
• Special Committees – No report.

Old Business:

• •     Student Chapter:   The SCC provided a grant of $250 to the LSU Student Chapter in May 2008.  President Krauss described an issue concerning use of the SWS logo by the Student Chapter that was recently resolved with the Business Office.  Krauss read a statement from SWS President Chris Craft noting that the Student Chapter now has permission to use the logo on promotional materials.
  
  
• Chapter Poster:  As discussed at last year’s fall meeting, Emily Greer is working on a design.
  
  
• Chapter Logo:  At the Board meeting, it was decided that a competition would be held to design a logo, with a $100 award for the selected design.  An announcement will be developed by the Board to specify the procedures involved with the competition.

New Business:

• Upcoming Meetings:
        ▫ 2009 Fall Chapter Meeting – Kevin Stevens will host the meeting in Denton, TX. The date for the meeting has not been determined yet.
        ▫ 2009 SWS Annual Meeting – The 2009 SWS Annual Meeting will be held June 22 – 26 in Madison, Wisconsin.
        ▫ 2010 Fall Chapter Meeting – Lisa Gandy and Lisa Brennan suggested either Little Rock or Russellville, AR as the location for the meeting.  Suggestion for other venues are welcomed.
        ▫ 2010 SWS Annual Meeting – The meeting will be held in Salt Lake City, UT
        ▫ 2011 SWS Annual Meeting – The location for this meeting is still undetermined, but the SWS Board is considering a location in Europe.
  
  
• Stream Restoration Workshop:  Adam Williams (not present, but represented by a member) will develop this workshop, which will be held in Tennessee.  Currently, a syllabus for a 2 – 3 day course is being developed.
  
  
• Support for Human Diversity:  President Krauss described a program funded by NSF that supports all costs for undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to attend the SWS Annual Meeting.  At the Board meeting, the SCC Board made the decision to support one student from the Chapter through this program to attend the 2010 meeting in Salt Lake City, and would like to be involved in selecting the student.  Future participation in the program will be evaluated after that meeting.  Costs will be between $1,300 - $1,500.  Krauss will seek more information on the process involved and will report back to the Board.
  
  
• Other Items:
        ▫     Lisa Gandy suggested that the Chapter explore ways to expand outreach in areas in the region damaged by hurricanes.
        ▫     Diane DeSteven noted that the Association of Southeastern Biologists is holding a meeting in Birmingham AL in April 2009, and suggested that the SCC may want to become involved in that meeting. 

President Krauss called for a motion that the Business Meeting be adjourned.

The motion was made, seconded, and approved by vote, and the meeting adjourned at 5:10 PM.

Prepared by Rebecca Howard
December 3, 2008