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BY-LAWS
Soil &
Water Conservation Society, Inc.
1.
Accomplishment of Objectives. In
advancing the objectives of the Chapter pursuant to Article II of the
Constitution, the Chapter shall be guided by the declared objectives of the
Soil and Water Conservation Society. To
this end, the activities of the Chapter shall include advancement of the theory
and practice of the science of conservation of soil and water resources
through:
(a)
encouragement of research in soil and water conservation;
(b)
encouragement of the preparation of original papers in soil and water
conservation topics;
(c)
holding of meetings for the presentation and discussion of original
papers, and participation in meetings with other scientific and conservation
groups; and
(d)
encouragement of communication among those interested in the field of
soil and water conservation and other conservation groups generally for the
mutual exchange of knowledge, facts, experience and thought.
2. Definitions. As used in these By-Laws, unless
otherwise indicated:
(a)
“National” shall mean the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Inc.,
(b)
“Chapter” shall mean the Maryland Old Line Chapter of the Soil and
Water Conservation Society.
(c)
“The Board” shall mean the
Executive Board of the Chapter
(d)
“Membership” shall include regular members and associate members.
3. Membership. Persons
in good standing in the membership of the National society shall, upon payment
of Chapter dues, acquire membership in the
(a) Regular membership: is
full membership in the National organization plus chapter dues. This entitles a member to all Chapter and
National benefits.
(b)
Associate Membership: entitles
the member to chapter programs only.
Associate members will be encouraged to become National members.
4. Applications for Membership. Applications for membership in the National
society which are received by the Chapter shall be promptly forwarded by the
Secretary of the proper National office.
5. Voting. All of the Chapter membership in good standing
shall be entitled to vote on all matters of the Chapter. Voting by proxy may be
permitted at the discretion of the Board. A proxy, if authorized by the Board,
shall be valid for not longer than two months, shall bear the signature of the
person giving it and shall be submitted to the Secretary prior to the meeting
at which such proxy is to be used. Any
National members may attend meetings of the Chapter.
6. Termination
of Membership. Regular membership of the Chapter shall be automatically
terminated upon termination of National membership, by
resignation, by failure to
pay Chapter dues which are in arrears, or otherwise by a two-thirds vote of the
membership voting at a regularly called meeting of the Chapter. Associate membership
shall be terminated by failure to remit membership dues after 30 days of
membership expiration date.
7. Reinstatement of Membership. A
person dropped from regular membership in the Chapter by reason of non-payment of
chapter dues shall not be eligible for reinstatement unless he or she is in
good standing in the National membership and unless the Chapter dues which were
in arrears at the time shall first be paid; provided, that a person so dropped
from membership may be reinstated without payment of such back dues by vote of
the Board. A membership which has been terminated by vote of the chapter, as
provided in paragraph 6 of these By-Laws, may be reinstated by a two-thirds
vote of the membership voting at a regularly called meeting of the Chapter.
Associate members will be reinstated upon remittance of dues.
8. Dues. The annual dues of regular
and associate membership in the Chapter shall be set and reviewed at the annual
spring meeting of the Chapter. Persons in arrears in the payment of dues on the
anniversary of membership shall be deemed delinquent and, unless an extension
of time is granted by vote of the Board, shall forfeit membership in the
Chapter. For associates, before such forfeiture may occur; notice of such
delinquency shall
be transmitted in writing
by the Treasurer to the delinquent associate no less than.30 days prior to the
membership expiration date. The dues provided for in paragraph 8 are in
addition to the dues which may be prescribed by National.
9. Disposition
of Funds. All funds received by the Chapter, whether derived through dues
or other sources, except those funds required to be remitted to
National, shall be
deposited into the treasury of the Chapter and may be disbursed as directed by
the Board.
10. Annual
Meetings. There shall be two annual meetings, spring and fall, and such meetings
as the Board or membership may direct. The specific dates and
locations shall be
determined by the Board.
11. Election.
The regular election of the officers and elective members of the Executive
Board shall be held at the annual fall meeting. Nominations for such
offices shall be made
through a Nominating Committee, appointed by the President and from the floor
at such meetings. The candidate receiving the
majority of the votes cast shall
be elected. The election shall be secret ballot or by a show of hands. The
ballots shall be counted by tellers designated
by the President, and the
results of the election shall be announced by the President, who shall promptly
notify the successful candidates.
12. Certain
Powers and Duties of the Board.
(a) Meetings of the Board shall be called
by the President or in the absence or disability of the President, by the First
Vice-President or upon request to the President by a majority of the members of
the Board. A Board member may authorize another member of the Board, in
writing, to vote for him or her on any specified matter. Such authorization or
any attested copy thereof shall be filed with the Secretary.
(b) The board as governing body of the Chapter may, at its
discretion, formulate and issue statements expressing the opinion of the
Chapter on
matters within the
purview of Article II of the Constitution of the Chapter and of Paragraph 1 of
these By-Laws.
(c) The Board may circulate to the membership copies of papers
presented at meetings of the Chapter.
13. Rules
of Procedure. The Board will follow Roberts Rules of Order when conducting
business meetings of the Chapter.
14. Amendments.
(a) These By-Laws, or any provision thereof
may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the membership voting, provided that
such proposed amendment shall have been submitted to all of the voting
membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the date set by the Board for the
counting of ballots. An amendment, unless the same provides otherwise, shall
become effective immediately upon its adoption.
(b) Any change(s) required by the Internal Revenue Service in
order to establish or maintain status of the National organization or the
Chapter as
an educational and
scientific organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code
shall automatically be deemed a fully approved
amendment to these By-Laws.
The Secretary shall notify each Chapter member of such change(s) and reasons therefore,
and provide revised text of the By-Laws.
These By-Laws were adopted by vote of the membership
in June, 1955.
Amended by majority vote on
Certified and Signed By:
Christoph M. Gross, President
Jennifer
McGahan, First Vice-President
Daniel J. Bard,
Secretary