57th Annual Meeting
Clarion Hotel, Ithaca, NY
September 18, 2004

Brenda Best 

The 57th Annual Meeting of the New York State Ornithological Association, Inc. (NYSOA), hosted by the Cayuga Bird Club, was called to order at 9:25 a.m. Roll call of member clubs revealed there were 68 delegates and proxies from 32 clubs, and a quorum was present. Dorothy Crumb made a motion to approve the minutes from the 2003 Annual Meeting and Ellie Long seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

 
President's Report by Kevin McGowan

We currently have 50 member clubs since the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Lake Erie Bird Club did not renew. Three life members, including former president Stephen B. Dempsey, have passed away. Our total membership currently stands at 700. Kevin enumerated our activities for the past year, including the finalization of the name change, the end of Atlas fieldwork, our domain name change, appointment of Steve Kelling to NYSARC, sponsoring a team for the Montezuma Muckrace, and working with other groups on Important Bird Areas and the use of the State Wildlife Grants. We also received a donation of $317 from the Alan Devoe Bird Club.
 

Reports and Elections

Bryan Swift, from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), reported that they have an excellent working relationship with NYSOA and that there is more work to do as new projects develop for us to collaborate on. Staffing continues to be a problem at NYSDEC. Bryan mentioned that they continue to monitor Type E botulism in Lakes Erie and Ontario and that they are beginning to assess migration of birds and bats with regards to wind power projects.

The Treasurer’s Report dated December 31, 2003, was issued and Bill Reeves reported on some of the highlights. The Auditing Committee Report was presented and indicates that our statements fairly represent our financial condition.

Valerie Freer reports that Annual Summary Forms are still coming in. The Records Review Committee has started checking dates, records and codes; the Steering Committee hopes to hire the second editor by the end of the year; the artists are working; and the goal is to have the publication done by Fall 2007.

Manny Levine has stepped down as editor of The Kingbird and Shaibal Mitra has been appointed as the new editor. Shai spoke about maintaining continuity and also has some new ideas. He also said he needs to become familiar with the financial side of the publication. Tim Baird has asked for Atlas anecdotes for publication in New York Birders.

Carena Pooth reported that the name change was the biggest item affecting our web site this year because it appeared on every page. She is expanding the usefulness of the site by adding an index to Kingbird articles and older NYSARC reports. She asks that CBC compilers send their contact information as early as possible.

Andy Mason reports that the proposed establishment of ATV trails in state parks at the NYSDEC Commissioner’s discretion did not appear in the final budget. Tom Lyons of the Office of Parks updated us on the implementation of the feral cat policy they have developed. The Conservation Committee continues to monitor wind power proposals in New York State. Andy asks that clubs with local issues contact NYSOA so we can provide assistance.

Shai Mitra reports NYSARC has completed their work on 2002 reports and their findings will be published in the December 2004 issue of The Kingbird. They are currently working on reports from 2003. They are looking for ways to increase the number of reports and will be reviewing the list of reportable species.

Tim Baird presented the report from the Nominating Committee. Nominated for 2004/05 officers are President – Kevin J. McGowan; Vice President – Andrew Mason; Corresponding Secretary – Timothy H. Baird; Recording Secretary – Brenda Best; and Treasurer – William B. Reeves. Nominated for two-year terms as Directors for the 2006 class are Robert G. Spahn, Carena Pooth, and Gail Kirch. There were no nominations from the floor. Valerie Freer made a motion to accept the Nominating Committee Report as read, and Bob Mauceli seconded. Motion was approved unanimously.

Bill Lee reported on the 2004 field trips, which had mixed results, and is open to suggestions for future field trips. There were problems with scheduling and advertising this year. Bill welcomes assistance with the field trip committee.

Kevin McGowan reports that Phyllis Jones continues to collect and index material for the archive. Berna Lincoln reports that there are about 90 people who participate in the County Listing program. Tim Baird continues to enlist speakers for the Speakers Bureau.

Our next Annual Meeting is scheduled for September 23-25, 2005, in Albany, hosted by the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club. The banquet speaker will be David Bird. Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society will be hosting the 2006 Annual Meeting.

There were no resolutions presented.

With a motion by Barb Butler seconded by Joan Collins, a Nominating Committee for 2005 consisting of Bill Ostrander, Tim Baird, and Bill Lee was elected unanimously. With a motion by Andy Mason seconded by Berna Lincoln, the Auditing Committee for 2005 consisting of Irving Cantor, Peter Capainolo, and Emanuel Levine was re-elected unanimously.

 
Old Business

Bob Mauceli again asked about the voice of individual members in the governance of NYSOA and if we could amend the by-laws to allow them a vote. Bob Budliger suggested an Ad Hoc Committee be appointed to look into this issue. Bob Mauceli is willing to chair this committee and was appointed along with Bob Budliger, Andy Mason, and Kathy Schneider.

 
New Business

Bob Mauceli reported that his club heard a presentation on eBird and suggests NYSOA fund a New York eBird project. Kevin McGowan explained eBird and will invite a presentation to the next Board Meeting.

Motion to adjourn was made by Bob McKinney, seconded, and approved unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 11:48 a.m.

Awards presented during the Saturday evening banquet:

Certificate of Appreciation was presented to the Batavia Waste Water Treatment Plant employees for their cooperation with visiting birders.

Elon Howard Eaton Memorial Award was presented to Anne Terninko for her work with Red-tailed Hawks.

Lillian C. Stoner Award, which provides financial help to one or more high school seniors or college students so they may attend the Annual Meeting, was awarded to Jay McGowan, who was nominated by Cayuga Bird Club.

John J. Elliott Award, given for the best article contributed to The Kingbird each year, was awarded to Kathryn J. Schneider for her article entitled, “The Status and Ecology of The Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) in New York State” which appeared in The Kingbird Vol. 53 No. 4.

Gordon M. Meade Distinguished Service Award, given to individuals for outstanding service to the New York State Ornithological Association, was awarded to two people, Emanuel Levine and Irving Cantor.
 

Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Best
Recording Secretary