BYLAWS OF THE AUDUBON COLORADO COUNCIL
PURPOSE: The Audubon Colorado Council (ACC), a coordinated effort of the Colorado Audubon Chapters, will act as an independent entity to accomplish new and established Audubon Society goals in the State of Colorado. The ACC will coordinate its efforts with Audubon Rockies to accomplish State and National Audubon objectives.
REPRESENTATION: The Council will be composed of one voting representative from each of the Colorado Audubon Chapters, with a Chapter-designated alternate for each, and at-large voting representatives numbering up to one-half of the Audubon Chapter representatives. All Chapter members are welcome at each meeting of Council, but should notify the President of their intent to attend.
MEETINGS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS: The ACC will have at least four meetings per year, one of which will be face-to-face in a location designated by the Executive Committee of the Council. Additional meetings will be online. Council and Chapters are encouraged to use all means of communication such as e-communications, conference calls, listservs, Facebook, and other social media platforms to collaborate throughout the year.
LEADERSHIP: The leadership of the Council will be maintained by four Officers: a President who will maintain the lists of Council representatives and of individual Colorado Chapter Officers, conduct all meetings, and coordinate all functions of the ACC; a Vice President who will help maintain communications, organize logistics, and serve in the absence of the President; a Secretary who will record all minutes; and a Treasurer who will maintain all financial records of the Council. These officers will comprise the Executive Committee of the Council. Additional leadership positions on the Council will include the chairs of three standing committees: a Public Policy Committee, a Water Task Force Committee, and a Conservation Committee. Committee chairs will be appointed by the Council for two-year terms. Committee members may nominate a new chair of the committee, subject to approval by the Executive Committee of the Council.
ELECTION/NOMINATION PROCESS: Voting membership will consist of all Chapter representatives and all at-large members present at the last meeting of the calendar year in-person or electronically. A majority of those voting is required to elect an Officer of the Council. The voting membership of the Council will elect the Officers of the Council: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The elections will be held at the last meeting of the calendar year, and each position will be elected for a two-year term with no term limits. Elections will occur in even-numbered years. In the event that an Officer of the Council vacates his/her position before the two-year term has been completed, the voting membership of the Council will elect an individual to serve for the duration of the original term.
Any Audubon member in Colorado may run for an at-large representative position of the Council by submitting a statement of interest to the ACC President. At-large representatives will be voted on by the Chapter representatives at the next ACC meeting.
AD-HOC COMMITTEES: Ad hoc committees may be appointed by the Council President as needed.
PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE: The Public Policy Committee is active year-round, but it is mainly concerned with the legislative session of the Colorado General Assembly. The Committee’s primary function is to establish the ACC’s position concerning legislation and issues and relate those to the National Audubon Society lobbyist.
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE: The Conservation Committee is concerned with conservation issues of statewide importance. Added to the duties of this committee are the National Audubon Initiatives, as well as Important Bird Areas (IBA) efforts as they relate to Colorado priorities.
WATER TASK FORCE: The Water Task Force is primarily an educational group, working for and with the Chapters on water issues. The Task Force also acts as a policy formation group that evaluates current Colorado water issues for Council consideration and acts on requests from the Council. The Task Force will work closely with Audubon Rockies as well as the Chapters and State Council.
SUPPORT FOR THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY REGIONAL BRANCH: The Chapters support Audubon Rockies with coordination and provide funding support for its conservation programs with a suggested annual per-member assessment in an amount approved by the voting members.
AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS: An amendment to these bylaws will occur by vote of a majority of the Chapter representatives. A proposal for an amendment to the bylaws must be submitted to the Council’s officers for distribution to the Chapter representatives two months before an ACC meeting.
TAX EXEMPT STATUS: ACC is registered a non-profit organization with the Colorado Secretary of State and the US Internal Revenue Service.
TREASURY AUDITING: The Executive Committee will audit the financial records bi-annually in advance of the last meeting of that year.
DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS: If ACC should have assets and be dissolved at some future time, its assets will be distributed equally among the Colorado chapters existing at the time of dissolution.
REVISIONS:
New 2013-09-18
A 2015-06-18
B 2017-10-21
C 2019-06-12
D 2020-10-25
E 2021-01-09
F2021-06-13