Northeast APMS Bylaws

 

Article I – Name

The name of the Society shall be the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society, Incorporated

Article II – Purpose

The purpose of the Society shall be to promote appropriate management of aquatic vegetation, to provide for the scientific and educational advancement of members, to encourage scientific research in all facets of aquatic plant management, to promote an exchange of information among members, and to extend and develop public interest in the discipline.

Article III Membership

SECTION A.

All memberships shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. There shall be the following classes of membership:

  1. Individual members. Any person who is interested in the advancement of the Society and its goals.

  2. Student members. Any full-time (degree-seeking) student. Applications must be accompanied by the signature of a faculty advisor.

  3. Sustaining members. Any person who is interested in the advancement of the Society and its goals and pays annual dues, the amount voted upon by the members of the Society, that include an annual membership, the registration fee for the annual conference, exhibit space at the annual conference, and a web link on the Society web site.

  4. Honorary members. Before being considered for honorary membership a person must meet the following criteria:

  1. He or she must have contributed significantly to the field of aquatic vegetation management during his or her career.

  2. He or she must have been a voting member of the Society for no less than five years.

  3. He or she must have actively promoted the Society and its affairs during their membership.

  4. The criteria in (1) through (3) above may be waived in conferring honorary membership to deserving persons who are not members of the Society.

Honorary members shall hold in perpetuity all rights of individual membership. Nominees for honorary membership shall be submitted to the Membership Committee in the form of a petition signed by no less than ten (10) members or may originate with the Membership Committee. Nominees will be evaluated by the Membership Committee to ascertain that they meet the criteria for eligibility as an honorary member.

Eligible nominees will be presented by the membership to the Board of Directors and upon acceptance of nominees by the Board, a biographical sketch of the nominees will be prepared. The Board of Directors shall, at the next meeting, present the nominee to the Society. Honorary members shall be elected by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors.

SECTION B.

All individual, student, honorary and designated representatives of sustaining members shall have the right to vote.

Article IV Officers

SECTION A.

All directors and officers shall be members in good standing. The officers of the Society shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Editor.

The Board of Directors shall consist of twelve (13) members, who shall include the active officers, the Past President of the Society, six (6) members-at-large and one (1) Web Administrator.

SECTION B.

President. The President shall preside at all business meetings of the Society, including the Annual Meeting, special meetings, and all meetings of the Board of Directors. The President shall discharge such other duties as usually pertains to such office and upon completion of his/her term shall become the Past President.

SECTION C.

Vice President. The Vice President shall exercise the powers and perform the duties of the President in the absence, disability, or a vacancy in the office of President. He/she also shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President or the Board of Directors and will serve as Chairperson of the Program Committee. The Vice President shall be the President Elect and shall succeed to President upon ratification of the active members present and voting.

SECTION D.

Secretary. The Secretary shall keep full and complete minutes of all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Directors. He/she is responsible for the maintenance of membership records and shall issue notices of meetings and conduct such correspondence as is usually conducted by such office of similar organizations.

SECTION E.

Treasurer. The Treasurer shall collect and receipt all dues, assessments and other income and deposit promptly all funds of the Society in such depository as approved and designated by the Board of Directors. Checks in payment of obligations of the Society shall be signed by the Treasurer and he/she shall pay all bills and make such other disbursements as are necessary to the operations of the Society. He/she shall at the annual meeting of the Society make a true and full report of the financial conditions of the Society. He/she shall provide for an annual audit of all books and fiscal documents of the Society by the Internal Audit Committee prior to each meeting of the Society. The financial statement as prepared during the audit shall be included as part of the annual proceedings of the Society.

SECTION F.

Editor. The duties of the Editor shall be to publish and distribute all publications of the Society and to serve as Chairperson of the Editorial Committee.

SECTION G.

Members-at-large. The Members-at-large shall assist in administering the affairs of the Society.

SECTION H.

Web Administrator. The Web Administrator shall manage the Society website, social media outlets and activities, as well as online payment portals for Society transactions.

Article V Term Of Office

The terms for President, Vice President/President Elect, and Past President shall be one year, except that terms for these officers may be extended up to one additional year only by majority vote of the voting members present at the annual meeting. This provision is intended to address the situation where the Vice President cannot succeed to the office of President at the annual meeting. Terms for Secretary, Treasurer and Editor shall be three years. Members-at-large shall serve three-year terms of office, with two (2) Members-at-large elected at each annual meeting. No officers except the Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Web Administrator and Members-at-large may succeed themselves.

Article VI Election Of Officers And Members At Large

Officers and members-at-large of the Society shall be elected by majority vote of the voting members present at the annual meeting. The election shall be held as part of the business meeting of the annual meeting, and officers and members-at-large will begin their duties at the close of the meeting at which they are elected.

Vacancies in the office of President between terms shall automatically be filled through succession in the following order: Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Editor. All other vacancies except President shall be filled through appointment by the Board of Directors.

A Web Administrator will be appointed annually by majority vote of the Board of Directors based on the individual's qualifications and experience adequate to assume and carry out that role.

Article VII Board Of Directors

SECTION A.

The President of the Society shall be Chairman of the Board of Directors.

SECTION B.

The Board of Directors shall meet upon the call of the President or upon the request of three (3) or more members of the Board of Directors in writing to the Secretary. At least fifteen (15) days prior notice in writing shall be given to all members of the Board of Directors as to any meetings. The time and place of the meetings shall be designated by the President. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. An action of the Board of Directors shall be upon the vote of the majority of its members present. The Board of Directors shall meet no less than two (2) times annually. One (1) meeting shall be held before the annual meeting of the Society and one meeting immediately after the annual meeting. Additional meetings will be called as necessary.

SECTION C.

The Board of Directors shall manage the affairs of the Society and shall have the power to: (1) fill any vacancies among the officers of the Society including the membership of the Board of Directors, except as provided in Article VI; (2) prescribe the duties of the officers of the Society not otherwise prescribed in the Bylaws of this Society; (3) provide rules and regulations for the conduct of the affairs of this Society as are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Bylaws; (4) accept or reject applications for membership in this Society. The Board of Directors shall have full power of the Society in all matters demanding action between meetings and shall submit at the next succeeding meeting of the Society a report of all actions taken by them under authority of this section.

SECTION D.

The positions of President, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall serve as the Executive Committee to the Board of Directors, and shall be a decision-making body for activities directly authorized to the Executive Committee set forth in the Society by-laws.

ARTICLE VIII QUORUM

A quorum for any meeting of the Society shall consist of not less than fifteen (15) voting members, or 10 percent of the membership, whichever is smaller and at least two of whom shall be officers of the Society.

Article IX Motions And Resolutions

All motions and resolutions presented at any annual meeting of the Society involving matters of policy, administration or business shall be referred to the Board of Directors who shall consider the same and report its recommendation back to the Society, provided however, that should any matter require immediate action by the Society, such matters may be considered immediately by consent of three-fourths of the active members present and voting.

Article X Expenditure Of Funds

SECTION A.

Expenditure of funds equal to or greater than $1,000 shall require a motion by the Board of Directors.

SECTION B.

Expenditures under $1000 shall require approval by the Executive Committee.

SECTION C.

The Board of Directors shall award scholarship opportunities for student travel to attend the annual meetings of the Society.  Such awards will be at the discretion of the board, under the guidance of the Treasurer, based on available funds.  Students benefiting from scholarship awards must participate actively in the meeting, either by providing an oral or poster presentation, playing an integral role in workshop, or some other such meaningful contribution.

Article XI Meetings

SECTION A.

There shall be an Annual Meeting of the Society for the election of officers, the presentation and discussion of pertinent information on aquatic plant management, uses of aquatic vegetation and related subjects and such other business as may be properly brought before it. Such Annual Meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Board of Directors may decide. At least 30 days before, notice shall be given in writing to all members as to time and place of the Annual Meeting.

SECTION B.

Special meetings of the Society may be held whenever the Board of Directors deem such meetings necessary or whenever ten (10) or more members shall make a written request thereof presented to the Secretary. Such request shall be placed with the Board of Directors, which shall designate a time and place for such special meeting. The Secretary shall give written notice of all special meetings of the Society to all members at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of such special meeting.

Article XII Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Society shall be April 1 through March 31.

Article XIII Dues

The annual dues of members shall be determined by a majority vote of the membership at the Annual Meeting upon recommendation of the Board of Directors.

Article XIV Committees

Standing committees shall be recommended by the President Elect and approved by the Board of Directors to serve during his/her term as President. Standing Committees are as follows:

  1. Membership Committee: This committee shall consist of not less than three (3) members, one of whom shall be the Secretary.

  2. Editorial Committee: This committee shall consist of at least two (2) members who shall assist the Editor in generating and distributing newsworthy and educational items of the Society.

  3. Program Committee: This committee shall consist of the members of the Board of Directors, chaired by the Vice President and its duty shall be to provide programs for each Annual Meeting.

  4. Nominating Committee: This committee shall consist of not less than three (3) members, one of whom shall be the immediate Past President, who shall recommend to the Society candidates for election to the several offices.

  5. Bylaws Committee: This committee shall consist of not less than three (3) members.

  6. Internal Audit Committee: This committee shall consist of at least two (2) members who shall audit all books and fiscal documents of the Society annually, prior to the Annual Meeting

  7. Local Arrangements/Publicity Committee: This committee shall consist of at least three (3) members.

  8. Governmental Affairs Committee: This committee shall consist of at least two (2) members who shall act as liaison between the regulating agencies of government and the Society with the intent of improving communication between the two groups.

  9. Scholarship Committee: This committee shall consist of at least three (3) members who accept and consider applications for Society scholarships and grants. The committee shall consider all applications submitted on the proposal forms approved by the Board of Directors and make recommendations to the Board of Directors.

  10. Special Committees: as needed for the conduct of Society business.

Article XV Rules Of Order

Business sessions of the Society shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article XVI Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended by three-fourths vote of the members present at any Annual Meeting, provided the notice of the proposed amendment has been given in writing to the Secretary and transmitted by him/her to members at the Annual Meeting.

Article XVII Dissolution

The Society shall have perpetual existence, but if dissolved, its assets shall be donated to a non-profit organization for research on aquatic vegetation, which will be selected by the last Board of Directors.

The above and foregoing Bylaws of the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society, Incorporated, were adopted on January 18, 2000. Amendments to the by-laws were voted on and adopted on January 18, 2005, January 19, 2010, January 18, 2012 and January 13, 2016.