CHARTER FOR THE HERPETOLOGY WORKING GROUP
OF THE NATIONAL MILITARY FISH & WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE I. NAME, SCOPE, AND AFFILIATION

Section 1. NAME - The name of this organization shall be the Herpetology Working Group of the National Military Fish & Wildlife Association, hereinafter referred to as the Working Group.

Section 2. SCOPE - This Working Group shall have as its scope of organization the study and transfer of information relative to management of herptile species on U.S. military lands and waters.

Section 3. AFFILIATION - The Working Group shall conform to the Bylaws, goals, objectives, policies and positions adopted by the National Military Fish & Wildlife Association, hereinafter referred to as the Association or NMFWA.

 

 

ARTICLE II. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Section 1. GOALS - Consistent with the goals of NMFWA, the Working Group’s goals are:

• Facilitate communication and information exchange among members of
  NMFWA interested in herptile species.
• Enhance knowledge and technical capabilities of Department of Defense (hereinafter referred to as DOD) natural resources professionals in the area of herptile species management.
• Increase awareness and appreciation within DOD of herptile species management issues and decision-making processes.

Section 2. OBJECTIVES - To aid in the achievement of these goals, the Working Group
objectives are:

1. Provide regular communication among members of NMFWA interested in herptile species management through e-mail discussions, meetings, symposia, workshops, newsletters, specialty publications, and other means.
2. Promote membership in NMFWA to DOD natural resources professionals interested in herptile species management.
3. Provide information and technical assistance to NMFWA members in the area of herptile species management.
4. Make recommendations to the NMFWA Board of Directors for specific actions by NMFWA in the area of herptile species management.
5. Develop draft technical reviews, position statements, and other materials in the area of herptile species management for consideration by the NMFWA Board of Directors.
6. Provide information and technical assistance to government officials, journalists, educators, other organizations, and the general public in the area of herptile species management.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. MEMBER - Membership in the Working Group shall be available to any member of NMFWA with an interest in herptile species management. Working Group membershipshall be available only to members of NMFWA.

Section 2. NUMBER OF MEMBERS - The Working Group shall be comprised of not less than ten (10) NMFWA members to maintain active status.

ARTICLE IV. ELECTIONS AND OFFICERS

Section 1. NOMINATIONS - The Past Chair shall nominate a slate of two candidates for each of the elective positions, namely: Chair and Recording Secretary.

Clause A. Nominees must consent to becoming a candidate.

Clause B. The slate of nominees shall be submitted to the membership at least 30 days prior to March 1.

Clause C. A member shall not be a nominee for more than one elective position at a time and may serve in only one position at a time.

Clause D. A member may be elected for up to two consecutive terms in the same elective position.

Clause E. The Past Chair or a two-term Recording Secretary must not hold an elective position for one year before he/she can be nominated again for an elective position.

Section 2. BALLOTING - Balloting shall occur by mail or submitted by fax. Ballots shall be sent to the Past Chair by March 1, who will tabulate and report the results. The candidate receiving the largest number of votes on the written ballot shall be elected.

Section 3. OFFICERS - Officers of the Herpetology Working Group shall consist of a Chair, a Recording Secretary, and immediate Past Chair. Their duties are:

Clause A. CHAIR - The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the membership; shall appoint chairs of all committees; and shall be an ex officio member of all committees. The Chair may represent the Working Group or appoint alternate representatives to other NMFWA working groups, the NMFWA Board of Directors, or to other groups or meetings as may be designated by the NMFWA Board of Directors. The Chair shall be responsible for submitting an annual report of the Working Group’s activity to the NMFWA Board of Directors by 15 March. Upon completion of one or two full terms (determined by whether the Chair is re-elected for a second term), the Chair succeeds to the position of immediate Past Chair.

Clause B. PAST CHAIR - The immediate Past Chair shall perform any duties assigned by the Chair; shall conduct the nominations and elections of officers of theWorking Group.

Clause C. RECORDING SECRETARY - The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the files and records (Article VI) of the Working Group. Duties shall also include recording the minutes of all membership meetings and issuing copies of the minutes to the NMFWA Board of Directors and Working Group members (on request).

Section 4. TERM OF OFFICE - The officers serve for approximately one calendar year; are inducted at the Annual Meeting or, if no meeting is held, at the conclusion of the NMFWA Annual Meeting; assume office immediately following induction; and, unless re-elected, terminate their duties at the following Annual Meeting, or as such time as their successors are elected and installed.

Section 5. VACANCIES - If the office of Chair is vacated for any reason, the NMFWA Board of Directors shall appoint an Acting Chair from among the Working Group’s members to complete the rest of the term until the next Working Group election. If the office of Recording Secretary is vacated for any reason, the Chair shall appoint a member to fill the remainder of the term. All appointments shall conform to the criteria for nominees found in Article IV, Section 1, Clause A, C, and E. 

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS

Section 1. MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS - Membership meetings shall be held at such times and places as determined and published by the Chair.

CLAUSE A. ANNUAL MEETING - The membership meeting held in conjunction with the Association’s Annual Meeting shall be known as the Annual Meeting of the Working Group and shall be for the purposes of electing and/or inducting officers, receiving reports of officers and committees, and for any other business that may arise.

CLAUSE B. DUE NOTICE - Members must be notified at least 30 days prior to meetings.

CLAUSE C. QUORUM - Quorum for meetings shall be 15 percent of the membership or five (5) members in good standing, whichever is greater.

CLAUSE D. MEETING RULES - Order of business and parliamentary procedures shall follow Robert’s Rules of Order, latest revision.

CLAUSE E. CHARTER - The Working Group charter shall be available for inspection during every meeting.

 

ARTICLE VI. MANAGEMENT AND FINANCING

Section 1. REPORTS - Within 21 days of an election or other official action of the Working Group, the Secretary shall report such action to the NMFWA Board of Directors. An annual report shall be submitted to the NMFWA Board by March 15 which shall include the Working Group’s activities for the past year (Article IV, Section 3, ClauseA) and a list of the current membership of the Working Group.

Section 2. FILES - The Working Group shall maintain files containing: Bylaws of the National Military Fish & Wildlife Association, Charter of the Herpetology Working Group, minutes of all meetings of the membership, correspondence pertinent to the Working Group’s affairs, list of membership, and all other material designated as pertinent by the Chair.

Section 3. FINANCES - Should the Working Group desire to take an action that requires finances, such as a committee activity or event, the Chair shall ask the NMFWA Board as to the availability of funds. Should funds be granted, the accountability and reporting requirements for the funds are at the determination of the NMFWA Board. If the Working Group determines that a nominal fee would need to be collected to hold an event, then any funds that remain once expenses have been met shall be turned over to the Association.

 

ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEES

Section 1. COMMITTEES - Any committee that the Working Group establishes to accomplish the Working Group’s goals and objectives shall be considered ad hoc.

Section 2. APPOINTMENTS - The Working Group Chair shall appoint chairs for any committee. Committee chairs shall complete their committees with the assistance of the Working Group Chair.

Section 3. REPORTS - All committee chairs shall submit a written summary of committee activities to the Working Group Chair and Recording Secretary before the close of each annual meeting of the Working Group.

Section 4. ACCOUNTABILITY - All committees shall be accountable to and under the general supervision of the Working Group Chair.

Section 5. TENURE - All committees shall serve until the duties assigned to the committee have been discharged.

ARTICLE VIII. TECHNICAL REVIEWS AND POSITION STATEMENTS

Section 1. GUIDELINES - At the request of the NMFWA Board of Directors, the Working Group may develop draft technical reviews and draft position statements on issues within the area of herptile species management for approval by the Association.

Section 2. PROCEDURES - Proposed technical reviews and position statements may be drafted by a special committee or individual member for consideration by the Working Group. Approval by a majority of the Working Group membership voting is required before the statement can be forwarded to the NMFWA Board of Directors for appropriate action.

ARTICLE IX. DISSOLUTION

Section 1. STANDARDS TO CONTINUE - The Working Group must continue to demonstrateits viability to the NMFWA Board of Directors by meeting the following requirements: 1) filing the required annual reports (Article VI, Section 1), 2) maintaining at least ten members, 3) conduct at least one activity each calendar year (can include an electronic mail discussion), and 4) fulfilling the purposes of this charter.

Section 2. GRACE PERIOD - If the Working Group is unable to meet the standards of Section 1 in this article for a given calendar year, the Group shall have a one-year grace period in which to resume compliance before the NMFWA Board of Directors may begin dissolution of the Working Group.

Section 3. DISSOLUTION - The NMFWA Board of Directors may withdraw official recognition of the Working Group and order the Group to disband if the Board finds that the Group was unable to maintain the standards of Section 1 of this Article for two consecutive years. The NMFWA Board may also dissolve the Working Group if it does not conform as stated in Article 1, Section 3.

ARTICLE X. AMENDMENT TO CHARTER

Section 1. PROCEDURE - This charter may be altered or amended by a majority of the Working Group members voting by mail ballot, or at any membership meeting provided that due notice of the proposed changes (Article V, Section 1, Clause B) has been provided.

Section 2. CONFORMANCE - No amendment to this charter shall be enacted that results in a conflict with the National Military Fish & Wildlife Association Bylaws. Amendments to this charter that are approved by the Working Group’s membership, as defined in Section 1 of this Article, do not become effective until approved by the NMFWA Board of Directors.

 
Updated: January 2006
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