OFO Committee Reports 2017 - OFO - Site



971550704850OFO Annual General Meeting 2017AGM MaterialsTable of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Minutes of the 2016 Annual General Meeting2OFO Committee Reports 2017 PAGEREF _Toc462299428 \h 3Advertising…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3Archives PAGEREF _Toc462299429 \h 3OFO Great Canadian Birdathon PAGEREF _Toc462299430 \h 3Fieldtrips PAGEREF _Toc462299432 \h 4Membership PAGEREF _Toc462299433 \h 4OBRC PAGEREF _Toc462299434 \h 5OFO News PAGEREF _Toc462299435 \h 5Ontario Birds PAGEREF _Toc462299436 \h 6ONTBIRDS Listserv7Publicity & Communications PAGEREF _Toc462299438 \h 7Web Site8Young Birders PAGEREF _Toc462299440 \h 8The 2017-18 Board of Directors10962025476250Minutes of the 2016 Annual General MeetingSept 24, 2016Ambassador Hotel, Kingston, OntarioPresident’s WelcomeRon Tozer introduced OFO President Lynne Freeman. Lynne welcomed the convention attendees. She gave special thanks to three unsung heroes who accomplished so much behind-the-scenes work for this convention: Bob Cermak for making a myriad of convention arrangements, Clarie Nelson for arranging the many prize donations and Brian Gibbon, treasurer and registrar, who single-handedly managed the registrations and memberships with nary a complaint (well, almost). She asked for a motion for acceptance of the Minutes of the 2015 Annual General Meeting. The motion was moved by Glenda Jones, seconded by Mark Field and unanimously mittee ReportsThe President referred members to the Committee Reports and Financial Statements in the Convention package. She then highlighted some key accomplishments over the last year. Among the items Lynne mentioned were: memberships increased by 10%, OntBirds subscriptions have increased, Family memberships are changing (same price, just listing all members now required), Facebook use is increasing, the number of field trips increased (to a total of 57), including the inaugural nest search fieldtrip, and next year a Moosonee trip will be added. OBRC published a new checklist this year. After the resignation of Garth Riley as Editor of OFO News, the new co-editors will be Ian Shanahan and Paul Nicholson. The one-hundredth issue of Ontario Birds was published. A motion to accept the OFO Committee Reports was made by Sarah Rupert and seconded by Justin Peter. The motion was unanimously carried. Referring to the financial statements, we are still in a good position. Lynne asked for a motion to accept the financial report: it was moved by Sarah Rupert, seconded by Marcie Jacklin and unanimously carried.2016-17 Board of DirectorsLynne noted that the Board of the Ontario Field Ornithologists is comprised of between 8 and 10 members. Lynne thanked resigning Board members Brandon Holden and Claire Nelson for their service. Lynne noted that of the rest of the current Board, three members were standing for re-election: Bob Cermak, Dave Milsom and Doug Woods. A motion to re-elect these Board members for another three years was moved by Jeff Harrison, seconded by Marcie Jacklin and unanimously carried.Lynne also stated that during the year Kevin Seymour had joined the Board. Lynne asked for a motion to officially accept Kevin to the Board. This motion was moved by John Nishikawa, seconded by Sarah Rupert and unanimously carried. In addition, a motion to accept Sarah Rupert to the Board was moved by Marcie Jacklin, seconded by Jack Alvo and unanimously carried.AdjournmentThe AGM was adjourned at approximately 7:50 PM.Kevin SeymourSecretary1190625704850OFO Committee Reports 2017AdvertisingOntario Birds has been struggling to get advertising sponsors. This will continue to be an issue as more and more companies go to electronic advertising. The ability to get new sponsors will require a continued effort. If any member has a potential useful contact, please let a Board member know. The good news is, thanks to Board contacts, we have two new advertisers committed to a full year of advertising, for a total of five. You can see their ads on pages 26 and 27 our April 2017 Ontario Birds. We welcome Wild Birds Nature Shop of Toronto and as well Tourism Windsor, Essex, and Pelee Island.Our previous sponsors continue with great support. Please check our 100th special publication back cover. On their full-page ad, Vortex wrote “Vortex Canada is pleased to congratulate Ontario Birds on 100 great issues for Ontario Birders!” Eagle Optics has also paid for an ad on the birding checklist. Pelee Wings owner Mike Malone has supported OFO Conventions and other events seemingly forever. They have given prizes for the Gull workshop as well as other events. So although our sponsors are few, they are a very dedicated group of OFO supporters.As my term of office is completed, I wish the Board great success and welcome Sarah Rupert as my replacement.Claire NelsonAdvertisingArchivesThrough the regular deposit of Board Minutes and Reports, Annual Convention programs, issues of Ontario Birds and OFO News, correspondence (including significant emails) and other documents, OFO’s Archives continue to expand in size and usefulness. Michael Press, OFO Archivist is organizing the materials with the long-term goal of digitizing OFO’s history.Lynne FreemanOFO President2017 OFO Great Canadian BirdathonWe are grateful to 2017 OFO Celebrity Birders Josh Vandermeulen, Daniel Riley and Jeremy Bensette. They carried out their Birdathon within the confines of the Point Pelee birding area on Sunday May 13, 2017. Point Pelee Big Days are highly dependent on local conditions, in particular the variety of migrant species that happen to be in the area on a given day. Some days it may be possible to see 160+ species while other days 110 species may be a difficult number to find. Theoretically, May 13th is near the peak of bird migration with a nice selection of both earlier and later migrants. Conditions were not ideal this year and many of the later migrants had yet to appear. In total they found 130 species including 22 warbler species. At report time, they have raised $1,810. Many thanks to our supporters!The Great Canadian Birdathon raises money to support Bird Studies Canada, Long Point Bird Observatory and other bird research stations in the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, as well as contributing to the Baillie Fund. The Baillie Fund provides important financial support to a variety of programs in bird conservation and scientific research. A portion of the money raised by the Great Canadian Birdathon is redirected back to our organization, and these funds are a key source of income for our Young Birders Program. Participation in the Birdathon is a fun and worthwhile way to take part in real life bird conservation efforts. We hope you will consider either supporting the OFO Celebrity Birder(s) or undertaking your own Birdathon with OFO as your sponsor organization. Either way, we thank you for your financial support!Bob CermakOFO Birdathon Coordinator Field tripsIn 2017 we ran 62 fieldtrips covering most corners of the province including Thunder Bay, Moosenee, Pelee Island and Ottawa. Most were well attended but in some cases weather issues led to very small numbers attending. Hopefully this will not occur too often in the future since leaders are willingly volunteering their own time to take birders on excursions.Next year we hope to run the popular Rainy River trip again as well as Moosenee and possibly some new venues. We are always searching for new trips and leaders, so if you have any suggestions or would like to volunteer your expertise, please let me know.Thanks as always to the leaders and the many members who assisted them in the field.Dave MilsomOFO Fieldtrip CoordinatorMembershipAs of the end of August there were 1294 active membership, 804 annual, 362 multi-year, 124 Life, and 4 exchange memberships.While mail-in memberships and renewals sent to OFO’s postal address continue, the on-line membership system along with PayPal has greatly improved the ease and accuracy of our membership database. Thanks to the feedback received from the membership, OFO continues to improve the system. Members can join, renew memberships, and make donations directly on the site using a safe payment method. For those who prefer, there is the option to renew online and mail a cheque, as opposed using a credit card online. Members log on to the site using their email address as the “username” and the password, if they have not already changed it. If forgotten, there are instructions at the members' site on how to have your password reset and emailed to you. Membership renewal forms will be mailed with the October issue of OFO News (or complete and send in a copy of the form below). All annual memberships expire on 31 December so please renew promptly in order to ease the work load and cost of mailing. Also, please consider using the online renewal option; it’s quick, secure and effective immediately.An OFO Gift membership makes a great gift. Please ensure your address and email is current on the membership site. You can always send questions to membership@ofo.caOFO memberships are household memberships. Since last year you will notice a change to the online membership process which allows households to register more than one person and email per membership.Mark Cranford Membership CoordinatorOBRCThe 2016 Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC) reviewed a total of 191 records of species on the provincial Review Lists, of which 161 (84%) were accepted. Two new species were added to the Ontario list, bringing the provincial total to 496 species. The new species added to the Ontario list were: Common Ringed-Plover and Grace’s Warbler.This was the third year the OBRC has used three review zones (vs. the previous two); South, Central and Lowlands, instead of our former North/South split. The south review zone is the same, while the north is split along the Hudson Bay Lowlands ecoregion. The full versions of the new review lists are available on the OFO website (ofo.ca) or by contacting the OBRC secretary directly (obrc@ofo.ca). Beginning in 2017, reports of Lesser Black-backed Gull in the Central Review Zone are no longer requested, while reports of Glossy Ibis, Townsend’s Solitaire, and Kirtland’s Warblers in the South Review Zone are no longer requested. Reports prior to 2017 are still requested for review. Also beginning in 2017 reports of Western Kingbird and Western Sandpiper in the South Review Zone are now requested for review, as both species have occurred fewer than twenty times in the previous five yearsThe members of the 2016 committee were Kenneth G.D. Burrell (chair), Mike V.A. Burrell (non-voting secretary), Barbara N. Charlton (non-voting assistant to the secretary), William J. Crins, Timothy B. Lucas, Paul D. Pratt, Donald A. Sutherland, Joshua D. Vandermeulen, and Ross W. Wood. Mark K. Peck continues to act as Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) liaison for the OBRC. The 2017 Committee will be chaired by Joshua D. Vandermeulen. I would like to thank all the members of the OBRC for their dedication to the task of evaluating submitted records. On behalf of the entire Committee, I would also like to thank the many observers who took the time to document rare bird sightings in Ontario for consideration by the OBRC – 191 in total for 2016 alone! The OBRC would cease to function without the support of the Ontario birding community. All contact with the committee can be done through the email obrc@ofo.ca – this includes submission of rare bird reports, data requests, questions, comments, and concerns. Ken Burrell 2016 Chair, Ontario Bird Records CommitteeOFO NewsOFO News is the 16-page newsletter of the Ontario Field Ornithologists. It complements the more scientific journal Ontario Birds. OFO News is published three times a year, alternating with Ontario Birds. Articles include highlights of birding events such as Christmas Bird Counts or the OFO annual convention, features on local conservation efforts, book and birding equipment reviews, birding hot spots, youth-themed articles, updates from the Ontario Bird Records Committee, bird identification, updates on regulatory and conservation news, a regular photo quiz, and notes on bird sightings and behaviours.As planned, editorial responsibilities transitioned after the publication of the November 2016 issue to Ian Shanahan and Paul Nicholson who took the reins as co-editors for a two-year term.At a very fruitful joint meeting in August 2017 with the editors of Ontario Birds, each magazine’s scope as well as issues of shared interest were discussed.Sincere thanks go out to all of the content contributors as well as the OFO News editorial team. Ideas and submissions from OFO members continue to be welcomed. Contact the editors at ofonews@ofo.ca.Ian Shanahan and Paul NicholsonCo-editors, OFO NewsOntario BirdsThe publication of the 100th issue of Ontario Birds this year (received just after last year’s AGM) was a major milestone. It comprised a survey of Ontario ornithology over the last 30 years. There was lots of enthusiasm and positive comment about this issue and the many aspects of Ontario ornithology that were covered. We thank all of the authors for their contributions and patience in getting this issue to press.Following the 100th issue, the last year of Ontario Birds comprised the three issues for December 2016, April 2017 and August 2017. These issues contained a total of 184 pages in 14 articles and notes. The lead articles, and cover artwork, featured Piping Plovers, Canada Jays and Chimney Swifts. The OBRC report and the tribute to the 2016 Distinguished Ornithologist (Jean Iron) made their regular appearance and there were shorter notes on Piping Plovers and Red-winged Blackbirds.A joint meeting of the five co-editors of Ontario Birds and OFO News was held this past summer. We agreed that regular discussion among the co-editors about upcoming articles, notes and other contents would be very useful (see more details in the October OFO News).Submissions to Ontario Birds continue to be forthcoming; however, we are always on the lookout for potential articles and notes. The Annual OFO Meeting is a good place for members to make suggestions and discuss possibilities for future articles with the co-editors.Excellent cover artwork and design of the journal continues to be provided by Barry Kent MacKay and Judie Shore, respectively, which is also much appreciated. We would also like to thank the many photographers who have supplied photos during the last year; they greatly enhanced the appearance of the journal and added to the readability of the articles. We look forward to receiving future submissions for the journal. Chip Weseloh, Chris Risley and Ken AbrahamCo-Editors, Ontario BirdsONTBIRDS ListservWhen ONTBIRDS was developed back in the mid-nineties it was far from certain that internet email would have an impact on how birders spread the word about rare birds. It did, and today ONTBIRDS continues to be the prime source of timely information to 3479 subscribers. ONTBIRDS is the place to get the message out fast. Other resources, such as eBird, also supply opportunities for recording bird patterns that can be used by groups or individuals. However, neither replaces regular reporting to your local birding club compiler. Many clubs maintain databases and document locally rare birds. Club reporting forms the basis for seasonal reports in the quarterly magazine North American Birds read by serious bird observers across the continent. ONTBIRDS also plays a very important role for OFO as its first point of contact with new birders and the general public. Emails with a clear subject header will help readers identify reports that interest them. Filtering emails to appropriate folders is also an option, and of course, there is always the delete key.So while ONTBIRDS attempts to keep a focus on provincially exceptional birds, it also allows posts of regular reports from well birded areas that illuminate changing annual patterns. In addition ONTBIRDS encourages groups and individuals to post public service announcements and information. We only ask that these posts be run past the list coordinator for a second opinion before posting. As coordinator, I will continue to work with posters and readers to ensure that ONTBIRDS operates smoothly. I would like to thank our service providers, EMWD, and especially the technical support supplied by Brian Carpenter of . Most important, thanks to all those who have posted messages and especially to the area reporters and those who go out of their way to keep us informed. With everyone's support ONTBIRDS will continue to serve the needs of Ontario birdersMark Cranford ONTBIRDS CoordinatorPublicity & CommunicationsJeremy Hatt was welcomed to the communications team this summer. He has been busy with the promotion of the annual convention and working with exhibitors to provide participants with an excellent variety of displays. We continue to work on improving our social media presence and are developing a plan for content for the coming year, including features on different Ontario birds, vintage photo quizzes and other engaging posts about birding in Ontario. We are also working on new promotional materials for OFO including a table top exhibit and new rack card. We are exploring ways to find new advertisers and supporters for our organization - if you know anyone who would like to become involved please let us know. We encourage you to share your photos from field trips on our social links and participate in our upcoming quizzes or share any other ideas you may have.You can find us here:OFOBirdsSarah Rupert Publicity & Communications CoordinatorWeb SiteHostingLast year we moved to a new provider in order to reduce the high monthly rental costs and storage limitations we were experiencing. This year we are moving yet again. We will maintain all the advantages that we gained last year but the new platform is much more modern and robust, costs less, is much faster and resides in Toronto. We should complete the move some time toward the end of 2017. When the changes are completed you will notice a significantly faster response time on most of the OFO pages.Page changesSome page changes that happened during the year:OBRC bird list updating was improvedExisting link fixes completedRegular MaintenanceOngoing regular maintenance activities included:Adding 2017 convention pagesAdding 2017 field tripsModifying trips during the year as changes were madeEntering trip reports as they were receivedAdding news items when necessaryOFO2 ChangesAt the direction of the Board, the OFO site is now moving in the direction of providing pages that can be modified by all Board members rather than just by the Web Master. This approach involves a radical rethinking of the pages and page layouts to allow editors to make changes to pages without understanding how the pages work. Our goal is to have an excellent web presence that requires very little expert maintenance. We are also taking this opportunity to move to a fully ‘responsive’ design which means that all OFO web pages will display in a reasonable fashion on all mobile devices. The changes to the site to make these features happen is massive. We will probably not finish them by the end of next year or sometime into 2019.Doug WoodsWebsite DirectorYoung BirdersThis year OFO expanded its Young Birders program. We partnered with Nature London, the Thames Talbot Land Trust and Brereton Field Naturalists and ran hikes in new areas of the province. The annual ROM event in January and the Gray Jay Weekend in Algonquin Park were particularly successful in bringing new birders to the program.We also piloted the first annual Alan Wormington Memorial Camp, an overnight camp for teen birders. The OFO camp is focused on advanced birding skills, ecology and biology. It is complementary to BSC’s Doug Tarry Young Ornithologist Workshop. The camp took place from July 13 -16, at the Wildlife Research Station in Algonquin Park. Led by Jeff and Angela Skevington, eleven birders, aged 13 to 17 explored Algonquin Park’s flora and fauna. In total, 98 bird species were seen or heard. Campers saw a wolf, bears, moose, marten, river otter and beavers and found many snakes and salamanders. Campers enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the collection at the Visitor’s Centre led by naturalist Peter Simon. In addition, Algonquin Outfitters () very generously sponsored a day-long canoe trip for the group. The camp would not have been possible without the help and support of Lisa Bildy and the Camp Committee. Planning for next year’s camp is already underway.Lynne FreemanYoung Birders CommitteeOntario Field 1343025857250OrnithologistsBoard of DirectorsThe 2017-18 Board of DirectorsThe Bylaws of the Ontario Field Ornithologists stipulate that you, the Members, are entitled to elect new Directors at each Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Board of Directors may also, at any time, elect a new Director should there be a vacancy on the Board. The term of these Directors is three years, and the total number of Directors required is not less than 8 and not more than 10. The Immediate Past President serves as an ex officio member of the Board. This year Ken Burrell is not seeking reelection having completed his three-year term. The Board thanks him sincerely for wise guidance during his tenure. The Board currently has 10 Directors.Beginning the first year of their three year terms are:Jeremy Hatt, Publicity and Communications (a Director since June 2017)Joshua Vandermuelen, OBRC Chair (to be elected at this 2017 AGM)Completing the first year of their three year terms are:Bob Cermak, Vice President & Convention Coordinator (a Director since January 2014)Dave Milsom, Field Trips (a Director since November 1999)Sarah Rupert, Publicity and Communications (a Director since the 2016 AGM)Kevin Seymour, Secretary (a Director since March 2016)Doug Woods, Website (a Director since the 2010 AGM)Completing the second of their three year terms are:Lynne Freeman, President (a Director since the 2009 AGM)Brian Gibbon, Treasurer (a Director since January 2009)Completing the third of their three year terms is:Mark Cranford, Membership & ONTBIRDS coordinator (a Director since September 2014)Nominations for the 2017-18 Board of DirectorsIf you would like to submit a nomination for the Board, please email the President at president@ofo.ca. Board members serve three-year terms and must be members in good standing of OFO. Directors are required to attend at minimum 75% of Board Meetings (4-5 times / year and an annual 1-day retreat) and at least one meeting in person per year.This year the Board Nomination Committee - Lynne Freeman, Bob Cermak and Dave Milsom - nominated two people to the board to fill vacancies. These appointments are put before the membership at the AGM.Standing for election to the Board are:Jeremy HattJoshua VandermuelenStanding for reelection to the Board is:Mark Cranford ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download