Report/Item

Committee activities centered on securing candidates for the Divisions award presentations at the annual meeting in Spokane. Division officers and various Chapter members helped identify candidates and the following awardees were selected:

At the request of President Eric Knudsen, a committee procedures document was drafted for consideration at the Division Excom meeting in Spokane on April 30, 2002. Upon approval, this document will become the Division procedure for the Awards Committee and is intended to help ensure that the committee operates in a consistent and efficient manner as Division leadership changes over time.

Respectfully submitted by Bill Bradshaw
Awards Committee Chair
April 24, 2002

This year we were fortunate in having both excellent candidates and an excellent voter turn-out. Over 350 votes were receive. The winning margin between the two candidates for President-elect, Tom McMahon and Ed Cheslak, was less that 25 votes, with Tom McMahon prevailing. Monica Hiner, formerly from the University of Idaho and now working in northern California was elected Secretary-Treasurer (a 2-year term) over Chuck McAda. Henry Booke was selected as the Western Division’s Nominating Representative.

As always, it was difficult to get members to nominate other members for the Division awards. Once we got the word out, however, we did get some excellent nominations. The nominations were approved by the Governing Board and the awards given at the Phoenix meeting, which combined the annual Western Division meeting with the Society’s annual meeting.

Jim Martin received the Division’s Award of Excellence for his long career and many contributions to the Division and the Society. Brad Shepard received the Award of Merit for his involvement in Montana Chapter activities over the years. Three Awards of Special Recognition were given in 2001: Allen Bingham for his excellent and timely work on our web page, Venice Beske, the Division’s Historian, for all her efforts over the years, and Paul Evans, for his many years of effort as our editor of the Tributary. The Honorable David Anderson received the Robert L Borovicka Conservation Achievement Award. He was unable to attend the Phoenix meeting to accept his award, but did send a very nice letter expressing his appreciation for the award. And, finally, and to the surprise of no one, the Oregon Chapter was once again received the Chapter of the Year Award, recognizing their very active and effective program. Their winning nomination was forwarded to the Society for consideration as the Society’s Chapter of the Year. The Oregon Chapter ended up being the co-winner of the Award for 2001.

We Need Officer Candidates for 2002

The Western Division is seeking candidates for Vice President and the Nominating Representative to be elected in spring, 2002, prior to the Annual Meeting. The Vice President ultimately advances to become Division President, while the Nominating Representative serves the Division for one year by identifying potential candidates for parent AFS Second Vice President. Successful candidates will assume their duties following the annual parent AFS business meeting, which typically occurs in August.All candidates must be members in good standing for at least two years immediately preceding their nomination and must have attended an annual meeting of the Division in one of the preceding three years. Specific duties of elected officers as specified in the Division bylaws are:Vice President
1. Assume the duties of the President-Elect if the President-Elect is absent, unable to act or assumes the Presidency.
2. Automatically become President-Elect at the conclusion of the Society’s annual business meeting.
3. Coordinate the activities of the Division standing and technical committees and serve as liaison between the committees and the Executive Committee.
4. Ensure that committee products concerning advocacy and policy follow a review and action pathway through the Policy Review Committee, Environmental Concerns Committee, and/or the Executive Committee in accordance with the Division Advocacy Procedures and these Bylaws.
5. Serve as Chair of the Membership Committee.
6. Serve as a member of the Program Committee.Nominating Committee Representative
1. Search the Western Division membership for potential candidates to Society positions and aid their nomination.This is your opportunity to influence and support AFS, by either encouraging someone you admire and respect to step forward, or by volunteering yourself. Those interested in nominating someone or themselves to serve the Division in one of these exciting positions should contact Past President Bill Bradshaw by phone (307-672-7418) or email (Bill.Bradshaw@wgf.wy.state.us), or send an autobiographical candidate’s statement b March 1 2002 yto:Bill Bradshaw, Past President

Western Division, American Fisheries Society
c/o WGFD, P.O. Box 6249
Sheridan, WY 82801

WD AFS Awards for 2000:

• Award of Merit - James Lichatowich; Carl Burger
• Award of Special Recognition - Shelly Spaulding; Ron Wiley
• Award of Excellence - Tom Powell
• Robert Borovicha Conservation Achievement Award - Kathy Buchner; Bill and Carol Alexander
• Chapter of the Year Award - Oregon Chapter

Nominees for WD AFS Vice President:  Don MacDonald; Rick Williams
2000 WD AFS Nominating Committee Representative: Frank Rahel