AGM Notice.pdf - Nature Vancouver

NATURE VANCOUVER
Vancouver Natural History Society
P.O. Box 3021, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X5
NOTICE OF THE 94th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.
Unity Church of Vancouver, 5840 Oak Street, Vancouver
The 94th Annual General Meeting of the Members of the Vancouver Natural History Society
will be held in the lower ground floor meeting room of the Unity Church of Vancouver, 5840
Oak Street (at 42nd Avenue), Vancouver, BC, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday April 26, 2012, to:
1. Approve the minutes of the 93rd Annual General Meeting held on April 28, 2011.
2. Receive the President's Report.
3. Receive the Treasurer's Report
4. Approve the Society’s financial statements for the year ended December 31,
2011, and the Review Engagement Report.
5. Authorize the directors to appoint a firm of accredited accountants to conduct a review
engagement of the financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2012.
6. Consider a Resolution to amend the Society’s Bylaws - see below.
7. Consider a Resolution to amend the membership dues - see page 2.
8. Consider a Resolution to approve Camp Committee expenditures. – see page 2.
9. Elect the Society's directors for 2012 – 2013 - see pages 2 and 3.
10. Consider such other business as may properly be brought before the Meeting.
__________________________
Presentation of the Nature Vancouver Volunteer Awards and Scholarship
Immediately following the Annual General Meeting, the Society's volunteers will be
recognized and the 2012 awards will be presented. The criteria for the Awards are set out on
page 3 of this Notice. Awards given for the past five years are listed on page 4. Members are
urged to nominate candidates for awards even if they are unable to attend the Annual General
Meeting. The 2012 Nature Vancouver Scholarship will also be awarded at this time.
____________________________
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution to amend the Bylaws of the Society
Whereas the Board of Directors has proposed changes to the Bylaws to make provision for:
• Adding a new class of membership to be described as Young Naturalist Family
Membership
• Making the powers to expel a member explicit and consistent within the Bylaws.
Continued on page 2
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• Replacing the requirement that the Society’s financial statements be audited with the
requirement for the financial statements be either audited or reviewed by a firm of
accredited accountants to be appointed by the directors.
• Amending all references to audit or auditor throughout the Bylaws to reflect the above
amendment
• Affirming that the number of directors is twelve and removing the provision that the
number will be determined by the members from time to time.
• Increasing the amount of an expenditure which can be made without the approval of the
members from $750 to $10,000.
• Enabling a resolution of the board of directors to be moved, seconded and voted on by e-
mail subject to being ratified at a subsequent meeting of the directors.
• Removing the responsibility for filing reports from the Secretary because it is also stated
to be the responsibility of the Treasurer.
• Eliminating the references to Trustees of the Education Trust Fund, defining the
Society’s Finance Committee and redefining the responsibilities of the Trustees as the
responsibilities of the Finance Committee.
• Removing all references to a common seal.
• Deleting the reference to realized capital gains in the calculation of VNHS Endowment
Fund income.
• Renumbering all Parts and Bylaws consequentially affected by the above amendments
Be it resolved that the Bylaws be amended to implement the above changes and that a
replacement set of Bylaws with changes incorporated be filed in the Corporate Registry.
Resolution to amend the membership dues
Whereas the Society has introduced a new class of membership described as a Young Naturalist
Family membership which is a combined membership with the Young Naturalists’ Club of
British Columbia Society
Be it resolved that the dues applicable to the Society’s portion of a Young Naturalist Family
membership shall be $20 per year.
Resolution to approve Camp Committee expenditures
Whereas the limit for expenditures to be made from the Operating Fund without the approval of
members has been increased to $10,000, and
Whereas expenditures required by the Camp Committee can exceed $10,000 from time to time,
Be it resolved that the Board of Directors is authorized to approve Camp Committee
expenditures exceeding $10,000 without reference to the members of the Society
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
In accordance with the Society’s Bylaw 31, the Nominating Committee is publishing the
following slate of eleven members in good standing who have been nominated to be Directors of
the Society for the 2012 – 2013 year and who have agreed to stand as at the date of this Notice:
David Cook Cynthia Crampton Jude Grass
Bill Kinkaid Jeremy McCall Dorothy Nelson
Daphne Nagorsen Viveka Ohman Daniel Overmyer
Nigel Peck
Bev Ramey
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PROCEDURE FOR NOMINATING ADDITIONAL DIRECTORS
The Society’s Bylaws provide for up to twelve directors to be elected. In accordance with
Bylaw 32, further nominations may be made to the nominating committee until Thursday April
12, 2011, or two weeks before the Annual General Meeting. Additional nominations must be
made in writing by two members in good standing. Nominations must be accompanied by the
signed consent of the nominee and should be submitted before April 12 to Dorothy Nelson,
Nominating Committee Chair, either in person by e-mail at dnels@shaw.ca or by mail to Nature
Vancouver, PO Box 3021, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3X5.
Bylaw 32 states that nominations from the floor at the Annual General Meeting are not
permitted. If more than 12 nominations are received by April 12, including the nominations
listed above; there will be an election by ballot at the meeting.
_______________________
2011 NATURE VANCOUVER AWARDS NOMINATIONS
The criteria for each award are described below. The awards will be presented immediately after
the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, April 28. The names of the awards recipients for the
past five years are listed on the next page. The Nature Vancouver Reference Binder contains a
complete list of previous recipients, and if needed the complete list can be viewed on the Nature
Vancouver website at www.naturevancouver.bc.ca.
To make a nomination or obtain additional information, please contact one of the following
members of the Awards Committee: Daniel Overmyer, Chair, eodano@shaw.ca 604-732-6719,
David Cook, cookeco2@yahoo.com 604-924-0147, Margaret Coutts, margaretcoutts@shaw.ca
604-512-1413. Please support nominations with a statement giving your reasons for nominating
the person. Nominations may also be sent by mail to: Nature Vancouver 2012 Awards, PO Box
3021, Vancouver, BC V6B 3X5. If sending a nomination by mail we suggest that you inform a
member of the Awards Committee. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday April 10.
The Kaye and Charles Ney Award
This award was established in 1975 in memory of Kaye Ney by her husband (and then president)
Charles Ney, and it was renamed after his death. It is the premier award of the Society, and is to
be given to a member who has shown exemplary service and dedication to Nature Vancouver. It
is the premier award of the Society and it is a lifetime service award. Directors of the Society are
not eligible for this award until they have served more than 10 years as a director.
The Davidson Award for Conservation
Established in 1993 by an anonymous donor in honour of our founder, Professor John Davidson,
this award recognizes achievements by the Society’s members in the field of conservation.
The Kay Beamish Award for Nature Education
Established in 1995 by an anonymous donor, it is named in honour of Katherine (Kay) Beamish,
a botanist of distinction and a former president of the VNHS (1965 -1967). It is awarded to
recognize achievements by members of Nature Vancouver in the field of nature education, or
contributions in promoting the aims of the Society.
The Frank Sanford Award for Community Service
Established in 1995 by his family and an anonymous donor, it is named in honour of Frank
Sanford, a former treasurer (for 35 years) and president (1958 to 1960). It may be awarded to any
member of the community for service related to the objectives of Nature Vancouver.
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The Garibaldi Awards for Service to Nature Vancouver
Established in 1993, these awards are given to members who have performed a significant
service to Nature Vancouver over a period of several years. The number awarded in any one year
is limited to six. They are not usually awarded for holding office or for performing routine club
functions unless it has been for an extraordinary length of time.
________________________________________
NATURE VANCOUVER AWARD RECIPIENTS: 2007 – 2011
The Kaye and Charles Ney Award
for Exemplary Service
2007 Not awarded
2008 Daphne Solecki
2009 Jude Grass
2010 Jeremy McCall
2011 Louise Irwin
The Davidson Award
for Conservation
2007 Dawn Hanna
2008 Joseph Lin
2009 Rob Butler
2010 Anne Murray
2011 David Cook
The Frank Sanford Award
for Community Service
2007 Tom Nichols
2008 Mary Taitt & Susan Jones
2009 Not awarded
2010 Helen Spiegelman
2011 Marja de Jong Westman
The Kay Beamish Award
for Nature Education
2007 Larry Cowan
2008 Daphne Solecki
2009 Not awarded
2010 Sheila Byers
2011 Eva Nagy
The Garibaldi Awards for Service to Nature Vancouver
2007 Kitty Castle
Bob Dyer
Hugh Hamilton
Mike Gagel
Viveka Ohman
Leigh Wilks
2009 Elly Brok
David Foreman
Martin McNicoll
Juliet Pendray
Rosemary Taylor
2011 Sue Garber
Jeremy Gordon
Noriko Naraya
Joan Lopez
2008 Tim Blair
Sheila Byers
Julian Hudson
Glenda MacPherson
Istvan Orosi
Nigel Peck
2010 Irmgard Dommel
Murat Gungoraydinoglu
Mark Habdas
Fred Hornby
Daniel Overmyer
Alison Parkinson
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