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Western Division of the American Fisheries Society
EXCOM Teleconference Minutes
Date: November 18, 2003

Participants: Tom McMahon, Don MacDonald, Lynn Starnes, Monica Hiner, Mary Whalen, Steve Leathe, Jeff Fisher, Jim Tilmant, Dana McCanne, Jim Steele, Tim Joyce, Dave Zafft

Quorum Established

Secretary/Treasurer Report (Monica)

• Current Balances: Savings $17,613; Checking $13,470; 6-month CD $13,460. Grants Funding Endowment Balance $63,128
  • Recent expenditures included travel to the annual retreat and two grants which were funded at the retreat (totaling $1,000).

2004 Annual Meeting

• Plenary (Lynn)
• Robert Kennedy of the Riverkeepers will not be our plenary speaker. He requested $18K to give the keynote address….
• Another potential keynote speaker is someone from Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). Lynn will contact them and see if they are interested.

• Program (Dave)
• The program is coming together well. Some symposia are coming along well, although some are not—this was anticipated since the final call for papers is not out yet.
• The space allotted for symposia seems to be working out good.
• Trade show—5 vendors are signed up so far.
• Help is needed for outreach to the aquaculture community.
• Meeting information is available on the website ( www.wdafs.org ) and will be going out in the next Tributary.

• All letters need to be sent through both the Environmental Concern and Policy Review Committees for review before they are sent out.
• The use of fire retardants is an issue that still needs to be addressed.
• Don will develop procedures for the committee.

• Bill has developed new procedures for grants funding and increasing the grants funding endowment fund. The proposed procedures should be reviewed and will be voted on during the January teleconference.

• Candidates for nominating representative: Eric Knudsen and Pete Bisson (both have accepted). Potential nominees for Vice President include Mary Buckman and Steve Elle, who will be contacted to determine if they are interested. Don has a list of nominees from the ExCom and will pursue others as well.

• Our 2005 meeting will be held in Anchorage, Alaska with the Parent Society and Alaska Chapter.
• The 2006 meeting looks like it will be held in Montana with the Montana chapter. Their annual meeting is generally in June or July, however there were some concerns about attendance and forest fires during the summer months. The group preferred an April or May meeting, but it will be an item for further discussion.
• The 2007 meeting will be held in San Francisco, possibly over Labor Day at the Marriott Hotel.

• The invoice to KUSM TV for Phase II of the project was paid ($16,800). Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks was invoiced for the amount. The contract between the WDAFS and MFWP was extended through June, 2004.

• Work on the review is completed.

• Three subcommittees will be meeting December 3 rd and 4 th with the Upper Basin Pallid Sturgeon workgroup. A terms of reference has been developed for the committee.

• The annual meeting website needs to be updated.
• The Tributary was sent out during the second week in November.
• There was discussion about electronic newsletters and voting. The Southern Division contacted Mary and is thinking about going electronic, and another Division has already done so. Electronic voting looks like it will be easy as well.
• Mary asked the group is anyone would be interested in taking over the newsletter in May.

Western Native Fishes Ad Hoc Committee (Jim)

• The Request for Proposals (RFP) is out to potential contractors, and responses are due by the end of November.
• Planning for the Western Native Fishes Symposia at the upcoming annual meeting is going well—23 papers have been submitted so far.
• Fundraising needs to be revisited since NFWF declined our request for funds in the near term.

• Hilda Sexauer will be in charge of the committee from now on.

• New Ad Hoc Committees
• Water 2025
• Resolutions (Tom will ask Joe to be the Chair)
• Fish Culturists
• Tom has a list from Doug Olsen on new and exciting ways to involve culturists.

• Outstanding Chapter Awards
• Tom will send out applications, and there are two awards now (one for larger chapters and another for smaller chapters).
• Applications due May 7 th

Next Teleconference: January 20th