WFA Bylaws, cont.

Article V. Conferences

Section 1. Date

In the event that the Wild Felid Association schedules a membership conference,³ a local Chair and a Conference Chair (organizer) selected by the Council will make the final decision on specific dates, details, and length of the conference.

Section 2. Place

The Council shall consider the regional make-up of the membership when choosing the conference location. The location should vary to give members the opportunity to attend at least one meeting each six to nine years. Selection criteria for conference locations will be flexible, and based on proposals presented to the Council by potential conference hosts.

Section 3. Notice to Members

Notice of the time and place of the Wild Felid Association Conference shall be sent to the members not less than 1 year prior to the meeting: the general time and place will be selected at least two years in advance. This shall be the Secretary's responsibility.

Article VI. Bylaws and Resolutions

Section 1. Bylaws

The workings and organization of the Wild Felid Association shall include only those listed in these Bylaws. Copies of the Bylaws shall be available to any member upon written request to the Secretary.

Section 2. Amendments to the Bylaws

Any voting member of the Wild Felid Association may submit in writing amendments to the Bylaws. All amendments must be ratified by the membership before becoming part of the Bylaws, except for interim Bylaws as described below.

All proposed amendments shall be submitted to the President and published in the forthcoming Newsletter. Ratification of amendments shall require a two-thirds majority of voting members received by mail and electronic ballots during the 1-month period polling is open.³

To accommodate timely resolution of important issues that are not specifically addressed in the Bylaws, the Council may, by a two-thirds vote, establish interim Bylaw amendments that will remain in effect until ratified or rejected by electronic or³ mail-in ballot. Such interim amendments must be published in the next Newsletter and be ratified by a two-thirds majority of returned mail ballots. These mail ballots shall be included with the Newsletter following the initial publication to allow for open discussion by members. To be counted, the Secretary must receive ballots within 30 business days following their publication date in the Newsletter.

Section 3. Resolutions

Resolutions may be submitted by any member for ratification by a simple majority of the general membership present during Wild Felid Association business meetings. Proposed resolutions may also be submitted to the President, published in the forthcoming newsletter for discussion/amendments, presented for mail-in voting in the following newsletter (2nd presentation) and passed by a simple majority of mail-in and electronic³ ballots received by the Secretary within 30 business days following publication in the second Newsletter. Approved resolutions will be published in the next Newsletter following their approval.

Article VII. Publications

Section 1. Publications

The Wild Felid Association shall also publish a serial Newsletter that reports on Wild Felid Association and affiliate group news, scientific articles, current literature, management issues, and research. English shall be the official language of all Wild Felid Association proceedings and newsletters.

Section 2. Publication Staff

The Newsletter Editor(s) shall be responsible for all matters relating to publication of the Wild Felid Association's newsletter, The Wild Felid Monitor.³

Section 3. Funding

The funding of the Wild Felid Association's publications shall be directed by the Council.

Article VIII. Scholarships¹

Section 1. Criteria

The Wild Felid Research and Management Association shall offer scholarship(s) to worthy university graduate students or other individuals who show need of support for their research on wild felid(s). Initially any scholarship Wild Felid Association offers will be used to provide financial aid to a graduate level university student conducting research on wild felids. Initial value of the scholarship will be set at $1000. The scholarship recipient(s) must be a student member of the Wild Felid Association to receive the award. Availability of the scholarship will depend on available money in the Wild Felid Association account. The recipient will be recognized in the Wild Felid Association's newsletter, the Wild Felid Monitor, and will also be asked to contribute an article on their research to the newsletter. Applicants will be evaluated based on: demonstrated need for financial aid; participation in a research project that aims to improve our understanding of wild felid biology, management and / or conservation; and high undergraduate and graduate GPA. Wild Felid Association Council members, relatives of Wild Felid Association Scholarship Committee members, or substantial contributors to the Wild Felid Association (>$500 during any given year) are not eligible for the scholarship.

Section 2. Scholarship Fund Administration¹

The Wild Felid Association's Scholarship Committee administers any scholarships and selects recipients, who are subject to approval by a majority of the Wild Felid Association Board of Directors (Council). The Scholarship Committee reserves the right not to award a scholarship or to award more than one scholarship during a calendar year, depending on the committee's opinion of the applicants' qualifications and the availability of funds. All committee decisions are final.

Section 3. Scholarship Committee¹

The Scholarship Committee will be comprised of 5 Wild Felid Association members (typically Council members) chosen by the president.¹

The Wild Felid Research and Management Association Bylaws were passed by the WFA interim Board of Directors (Council) on 14 March 2007.

Sharon Negri
WFA interim secretary

¹Amendments to the WFA bylaws (boxed, in orange) were approved by the WFA Council (L Sweanor, S Negri, J Beecham, C Belden, D Dawn, G Koehler, C Papouchis, R Thompson, J Williams) 3 April 2009 via email. Amendments were voted on and passed the WFA membership (mail-in ballots) February 2010.