Scarborough Field Naturalists' Society Rules

Approved 2006.

1. AIMS OF THE SOCIETY

1.1  The Aims of the Society shall be to promote and encourage an interest in, knowledge of and concern for wildlife and natural history, and to record the natural history of the Scarborough District.  This land area is covered on Ordnance Survey maps by the 10km squares numbered: SE 87, 88, 89, 97, 98, 99, TA 07, 08, 09, 17, 18, 27, NZ 80, 90.

2. MEMBERSHIP

2.1  The Society shall consist of members in the following categories - Honorary, Full, Family, Senior Citizen, Joint Senior Citizen, Student and Junior.  Student Members must be in receipt of full-time education and aged 16 or over.  Junior Members must be under age 16.

3. OFFICERS

3.1  The Officers of the Society shall be, a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, the Immediate Past-President, Publicity Officer and a Reports Editor, all Officers being Honorary.

4. MEETINGS

4.1  Ordinary Meetings shall be set out in the Programme of Meetings.  These meetings shall be held each year in two sessions, between January and June and between September and December.  At each Ordinary Meeting the Chair shall be occupied by the President or, in his absence, by the Past-President or, in his absence, by a Member elected by the meeting.
4.2  Field Meetings shall be arranged, as many as are deemed feasible.
4.3  The Annual General Meeting shall take place in December (see also Rule 13).
4.4  Special General Meetings shall be convened as may prove necessary (see also Rule 13).
4.5  No political or religious discussions shall be allowed at any meeting.

5. MANAGEMENT

5.1  The affairs of the Society shall be administered by a Committee.  The Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Society plus two other Members of whom not more than one may be aged between 16 and 18 years, all of whom must be elected at an Annual General Meeting.
5.2  All nominations for membership of the Committee must be received by the Secretary fourteen days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
5.3  The two members as defined under Rule 5.1 shall be appointed to serve on the Committee for three years and shall not be eligible for re-appointment for a minimum period of one financial year.
5.4  Any five members of the Committee present at a Committee Meeting shall form a quorom.

6. SUB-COMMITTEES

6.1  The Committee shall have the power to appoint any Sub-Committee deemed necessary.  A Sub-Committee shall consist of at least one member of the Committee, who shall be a Convener and Chairman, plus as many other members of the Society as are deemed necessary.
6.2  The President and Secretary shall be ex-officio members of any Sub-Committee.

7. FINANCE

7.1  The funds and assets of the Society shall be kept as the Committee directs.
7.2  Cheques and other forms of bank withdrawal shall be made only under the signatures of two of the following Officers: President, Secretary and Treasurer.
7.3  The Society's financial year shall be from 1st January.
7.4  The Society shall not and may not make any gift or bonus, in money or bank interest to any of its members.

8. SUBSCRIPTIONS

8.1  The subscriptions, appropriate to membership category and due annually on 1st January, shall be recommended by the Committee and approved by the members at the Annual General Meeting.
8.2  The subscription of a member elected after 1st September in any year shall be half the appropriate membership fee.
8.3  Membership of the Society shall be deemed to have lapsed when the subscription is twelve months or more in arrears.

9. ELECTION OF MEMBERS

9.1  New members shall be proposed at any Ordinary Meeting on submission to the Secretary of a completed form of application.
9.2  Election to membership shall be at the next Ordinary Meeting.
9.3  On election to membership the appropriate subscription shall be paid.
9.4  The Society may, on a proposal to an Annual General Meeting, elect Honorary Members, who shall pay no subscriptions but shall enjoy all the advantages of membership.

10. AFFILIATION

10.1  The Society shall maintain its affiliation to the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union.

11. MEMBERS' FACILITIES

11.1  All publications received by the Society shall be made available to members on loan and shall be retained by the Society for one year, after which they shall be offered for sale to members.
11.2  Details of all Ordinary and Field Meetings shall be made available to members by way of a Programme Card to be received on payment of the annual subscription.
11.3  Members may introduce friends or guests to Ordinary Meetings (for which a charge will be made), or to Field Meetings.
11.4  All Members are entitled to attend Field Meetings and the Annual General Meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union.  They are not entitled to attend Section Meetings of the Union except by invitation and are not entitled to vote.

12. RECORDERS

12.1  The Committee shall appoint Recorders for any section for which a Member deemed suitable and willing to undertake the duties involved is available.
12.2  Each Recorder shall present an account of each year's work in their section at the first Ordinary Meeting in the following year.

13. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND SPECIAL MEETINGS

13.1  The Annual General Meeting shall be held as the last meeting of the financial year for the election of Officers and Committee, to receive the reports of the Secretary and Treasurer, to conduct any other business deemed necessary and to receive the Presidential Address for the year.
13.2  Special General Meetings may be convened as deemed necessary by the Committee and the Committee must convene a Special General Meeting at any time on written request signed by at least twenty Members.
13.3  The Committee must give to all Members not less than fourteen clear days notice of a Special General Meeting, such notice to specify the nature of the business to be discussed.
13.4  All categories of members other than Junior Members, may vote on matters brought before an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.
13.5  At an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting twenty members present shall form a quorum.

14. ALTERATION TO THE RULES

14.1  Alterations to the Rules shall only be made at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting, notice having been given to all members as provided for in Rule 13.3.
14.2  Copies of the Rules or any amendment shall be made available to members.

15. DISSOLUTION OF THE SOCIETY

15.1  If the committee decides to dissolve the society then it shall call a special general meeting when it can dissolve the society by a two-thirds majority of those members in attendance.
15.2  And assets and any monies left over after meeting all obligations shall be passed on to a society or societies with objects and aims that match those of the society.
15.3  If the committee no longer exists, any ten members of the society may call a special general meeting, giving the necessary two weeks notice to all members together with the purposes of that special meeting.