October Meeting Minutes

Cayuga Bird Club

Ithaca, New York

Minutes -  Membership Meeting

October 8, 2018

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by Wes Blauvelt. Minutes from the September 18, 2018 were approved as written. Guests and new members were introduced. Cookies for the meeting were provided by Stephanie Herrick and Wes Blauvelt. Cookie contributors for the November meeting will be Tracy McLellan and Monica Weimer. 

President’s Report: Wes Blauvelt provided a summary of the club’s activities for the past year per Article VII, Section 2 of the By-Laws. He noted that tonight’s meeting is the annual meeting of the Cayuga Bird Club. 

Membership growth has been modest during the past year, with current membership somewhere between 175 and 205 members. He noted that there are several family memberships which makes the identification of exact members difficult. He noted that the budget assumes there are 140 dues paying members and encouraged everyone to make sure that their dues are paid up.

The Cayuga Basin Bird Count during the past year resulted in 212 species identifies out of a possible 293. Two species were seen that could be considered outliers, Green-tailed Towhee and European Goldfinch, and two infrequent visitors, Red-headed Woodpecker and Black Vulture(s), were also reported during the year.

The Conservation Action Committee was reactivated during the year. Led by Jody Enck, the committee is exploring initiatives that would improve habitat for breeding birds of the basin. Birding Hot Spots at the south end of Cayuga Lake have been identified and Jetty Woods/Light house Point has been selected as an area to concentrate efforts. A preliminary meeting has been held with staff from Cornell Botanical Gardens to explore the feasibility of a collaborative approach to improvement of the habitat in this area. 

By-Laws: Several by-law amendments were recommended for approval by the Executive Committee. The amendments include a provision to bring the club into compliance with NYS regulations for 501 c 3 corporations concerning conflict of interest; to clarify the term limits for officers and directors, clarify the duties and responsibilities of officers and directors and to formalize the establishment of a Website and Conservation Action Committee. Following discussion, by proper motion and second, the by-law amendments were approved as recommended by the Executive Committee.

Election of Officers: The Executive Committee recommended the following slate of officers and director to serve for a one year term beginning October, 2018:

Diane Morton - President

Donna Scott -  Vice President

Ken Kemphues - Treasurer

Poppy Singer - Recording Secretary

Colleen Richards - Corresponding Secretary

Wes Blauvelt - Director (3-year term)

Following discussion, by proper motion and second, the slate of officers and director as recommended by the Executive Committee were unanimously approved.

Field Trips: Reports on several field trips conducted by the CBC during the past month were presented by Anne Mitchell and Bob McGuire (Montezuma Muck Race).

Several field trips are planned for the next month and will be lead by Ken Haas, Bob McGuire, Suan Yong and Wes Blauvelt.

Speaker Presentation: Kyle G. Horton, PhD and Rose Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology was the guest speaker. He presented a very informative presentation on work he is conducting at CLO on the use of radar, acoustic and citizen science data in the study of migrating birds.

Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Cayuga Bird Club is scheduled for Monday, November 12, 2018. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Wes Blauvelt