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Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE RANGELAND ECOLOGY SECTION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Article 1. NAME. The official name of this Section shall be “The Rangeland Ecology Section of the Ecological Society of America.”

Article 2. PURPOSE. The objectives of this Section shall be to facilitate communication of all aspects of rangeland ecology and management among applied and basic ecologists, natural resource managers and interested members of the public. This will be accomplished through the sponsorship of symposia and publications.

Article 3. ORGANIZATION. This Section of Rangeland Ecology shall be a subdivision of the Ecological Society of America and shall be governed in all of its operations by the Constitution and Bylaws of that Society.

Article 4. MEMBERS. Any member of any class of the Ecological Society of America whose desires may become a member of the Rangeland Ecology Section upon payment of the designated dues.

Article 5. OFFICERS. The officers of the Section shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. The Officers shall comprise the Section Executive Committee and may act on behalf of the section during intervals between annual meetings. Election of Officers shall be by majority vote with a written or email ballot that is distributed to members each year.

Article 6. CHAIR, The Chair shall preside at the business meetings of the Section, authorize expenditures of Section funds, and shall promote in every practical way the interests of the Section. The Chair and Vice-Chair will prepare a slate of candidates for the officer(s) that must be elected for the following year (yearly for the Vice-Chair, alternate years for the Secretary). The Chair will serve a term of one year, and represent the Section on the Council of the Society.

Article 7. Past-Chair. Upon completion of the term as Chair, this person shall serve as Past-Chair for one year and will serve as a member of the Section’s Executive Committee.

Article 8. VICE-CHAIR. The Vice-Chair shall be responsible for arranging the scientific program for all meetings and symposia of the Section, and shall assume the duties of the Chair whenever that person is unable to act. The Vice-Chair will serve a term of one year before assuming the position and duties of the Chair.

Article 9. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep the records of the Section and an up-to-date membership and mailing list, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair. The Secretary will serve a term of two years.

Article 10. FINANCES. The necessary expenses of the Section shall be paid from the treasury of the Society, but in no year shall the total expenses of the Section exceed the sum of the amount allotted for this purpose in the annual budget of the Society plus the amount, if any, collected as dues by the Society on behalf of the Section. No officer or member of the Section shall have authority to incur any expenses in the name of the Society, except as specified above.

Article 11. MEETINGS. The Section shall meet with the Society at its annual meeting and may organize special Section meetings and symposia at other times and places on the call of the Chair or when requested by ten members of the Section. A business meeting of the Section shall be held at the annual meeting, and the members present shall constitute a quorum. Notice shall be sent to each member of the Section at least sixty days in advance of each meeting, but it is understood that publication of a notice of the meeting in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America shall constitute adequate notice.

Article 12. COOPERATION. The Section shall cooperate with other organizations in any way which, in the opinion of the Section Executive Committee, will further the objectives of the Section. This cooperation shall include jointly sponsored meetings, symposia and publications and any other activity that seems appropriate.

Article 13. AMENDMENTS. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those section members present and voting at any annual meeting of the Section, provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been given to all members of the Section sixty days in advance.