Conewango Creek Watershed Association

Archive for the ‘Annual Meeting’ Category

By-Law Changes – Members must Approve

We have revised our by-laws in the last few months and these revisions were approved by the board of directors.  Now the changes must be voted on by our membership in order for them to be adopted.   This votes will take place at our 2012 Annual Meeting to be held Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 at 7 pm. The location is Jamestown Audubon Society at 1600 Riverside RD, Jamestown, NY, 14701  Members in good standing (dues paid) each have one vote.  More information of our Annual Meeting can be seen by clicking HERE.

Several changes were made.  We revised our mission statement this year and that has been added to the by-laws while the old one was removed.

A major change is the composition of the board.  We have had the board structure of three directors for each member county giving a us a total of nine (9) board members.  We have changed this to read ”nine (9) to twelve (12) directors in order to give a bigger board to pursue our mission.  Secondly, the geographic restrictions were lessened.  The by-laws now read “A good faith effort shall be made to have each county represented by a at least one member.”  Often it was difficult to get board members from Cattaraugus County leaving us with only 6 to seven board members to try to function when a quorum is five directors.  The quorum for a board meeting is still 5 but more board members will make it easier to obtain the quorum needed to conduct official business.  Having geographic restrictions sometime meant turning down a potential director simply because they were from a county we didn’t need a director for.  Also the vocation requirements have been removed.  Originally we were required to have 1 farmer, 1 local elected official and one at-large official.  Again this restricted us in recruiting board members.  The new approach is to be more able to get interest directors on board without needless restrictions while still attempting to represent the entire area.

Several other minor changes were made to update the minutes.  One example of this is including electronic communications  as an acceptable method of communicating with our members.

You can see the revised by-laws HERE.  Red text is wording added and text that has a horizontal line through it is to be deleted.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

CCWA Annual Meeting to be Held Nov 15^th

The Annual Meeting of the Conewango Creek Watershed Association is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 from 7 to 9 pm. The meeting will be held at the Jamestown Audubon Society at 1600 Riverside RD, Jamestown, NY 14701. Light refreshments will be served.

A vote on changes in the by-laws will be held. A copy of the proposed by-laws changes will also be posted at our websit and can be seen by clicking HERE  or a copy can be obtained by calling Jean at 814-726-1441 or Liz at 814-730-0519. Members in good standing (dues paid) can vote on the by-laws.

Election of Directors will follow. Anyone wishing to nominate someone for director should call Jean at 814-726-1441 or Liz at 814-730-0519. A short business meeting will then be held. Members in good standing are eligible to vote and nominate a candidate. Candidates must also be members in good standing. Memberships can also be purchased at the meeting or on our website.

Following the business portion of the meeting, Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy from American Rivers will speak. Her talk is entitled:

 “Dam Good News From Coast to Coast.”

American Rivers protects and restores rivers for the benefit of nature, people and animals. We are the national leader in removing dams that have outlived their useful life to restore rivers to their natural form and function. We currently have the largest dam removal projects in our country’s history underway in the northwest and northeast. Simultaneously, we are working with the Conewango Creek Watershed Association to reconnect Conewango Creek to provide fish passage and habitat connectivity for freshwater mussels. Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP, will speak about the benefits of large and small dam removals around the country and how American Rivers works with local, regional and national partners to maximize the ecological, financial and community benefits of river restoration projects.

Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, AICP

Lisa-Hollingsworth-Segedy

Associate Director, River Restoration Program Department: ConservationArea of Focus: Lisa facilitates partnerships to restore the form and function of rivers through dam removal.

Background: Lisa joined American Rivers in 2008 to work with communities, individuals, government, and other non-profit organizations to facilitate the removal of old dams that have outlived their useful life. Lisa is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and brings nearly three decades of experience in community and regional planning, environmental and resource protection planning, water resource management, project management, community economic revitalization, geology, and hydrogeology to her position. She was the executive producer of “Chattahoochee River: Muddied Waters, Clear Solutions,” an award-winning documentary film highlighting the Chattahoochee River’s water quality challenges and opportunities. She was involved in the development of Georgia’s river basin management planning program, the development of basin-specific best management practice standards for erosion and sedimentation control, and the formulation and implementation of regional and local plans for protected river corridors, water supply watersheds, groundwater recharge areas, and other environmentally sensitive areas. Lisa is also a former staff member of the Georgia Floodplain Management Program. Lisa is a professional storyteller and believes that the art of storytelling is an integral component of team-building, community education, public involvement, and all phases of project implementation.

Education: B.S. in Geology from the State University of West Georgia, graduate study in Hydrogeology at Georgia State University, and Storytelling Master Classes at John Campbell Folk School and East Tennessee State University

Favorite River: Nine Mile Run

Tenth Annual Meeting Held

Conewango Creek Watershed Association held its Annual Meeting at 7pm Tuesday Jan. 25^th at the Jamestown Audubon Center with twenty-five people in attendance.  The group began by holding a brief business and elected directors as follows:  John Haffner for Cattaraugus County, John Gallagher for Chautauqua County and Elizabeth Dropp for Warren County.   The group also announced that Charles Conaway will fill an unexpired term for one of the Warren County director positions.

Dan Steward Giving Last Chairman's Report

Now former chairman of the board, Dan Steward, gave the chairman’s report.  With help from a PowerPoint presentation he reviewed CCWA’s activities of this past year.  Topics touched upon were the 2010 Conewango Creek Cleanup, the Capacity Building Grant, Road Inventories, and the Conewango Creek Water Trail.

An award was presented to Bryan Wilson of Kennedy for his invaluable help in preparing the Water Trail brochure.

Chris Humphrey Presents Photo to Dan Steward

  Bryan Wilson did all the map and Geographical Information System work for the map in the brochure and produced a beautiful and very professional product.  Dan Steward was also honored.  As a small token of appreciation from the board of directors for his 12 years of service to CCWA, Dan was given a framed photograph of a Great Blue Heron.  The photo was taken locally by photographer, Mr. Terry LeBaron, of Jamestown.  LaBaron is a volunteer at the Jamestown Audubon Society.

Alex Watkins in Iroquois Dress

The first speaker was Alex Watkins of Warren.  Watkins began studying local history at the young age of 12 when he was a Boy Scout.  He delved into the local Native American culture and history from friends on the Allegany and Tuscarawas Reservations.  He touched on a number of topics including the Iroquois Federation, their interactions with the European settlers, and also their dress and lore.  He was dressed in the garb of a typical Iroquois man of the eighteenth century.

David Wilson Explaining Stream Table

Our second speaker was David Wilson of the Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District.  David demonstrated a stream table.  A stream table is a model that demonstrations how streams change over time and how man’s activities affect the streams themselves and our neighbors.  Dave demonstrated that streams are almost “alive” in that they are constantly changing and react to changes in conditions including manmade changes, such as gravel bar removal and channelizing.  The demonstration was very effective.  The stream table was provided by Seneca Trails Resource Conservation & Development Council.

Model Illustrates How Streams Work

Our Annual Meeting has been rescheduled for Jan 25^th at 7pm.  It will be held at the same location:  Jamestown Audubon Center at 1600 Riverside DR, Jamestown, NY.  We invite you to come and visit with the directors and other members.

 Our guest speaker will be Alex Watkins who will talk about local Native American folklore.  We will also have a stream table demonstration.  Not sure what that is?  Come and find out.  I’m sure you’ll find it fascinating.  Light refreshments will be served.   A short business meeting will precede the speaker. 

Stream Table Teaches About the Nature of Streams

 Three director positions are up for election.  For Chautauqua County an at-large position is open and John Gallagher has been nominated for that position.  For Cattaraugus Co., John Haffner is running again after filling an unexpired term.  And for Warren County,  Elizabeth Dropp is running for a third term.  Additional nominations can be made at the meeting itself.  Elections will follow the nominations.  Each term is 3 years long.  We have a 9 member board with 3 directors from each of the counties with one position from each county due for election each year.

 Each paid member gets one vote in the election of directors.  Memberships can be purchased at the meeting, if desired.   

 We look forward to seeing you there.  If you have any questions, you can email us at info@conewangocreek.org or call 814-730-0519.

We have two speakers this year:  Both will be talking about the history of our area.  If you like history, you’ll enjoy listening to Dave Wargo and Alex Watkins.

Dave Wargo is a Story Teller who uses his extensive knowledge of the area from his readings at Warren’s Historical Society to entertain and  inform his audiences.  You’ll step back delightfully in time to hear and envision the way it used to be.

Alex Watkins began studying local area history at the young age of 12.  He delved into the  local Native   American culture from friends on the Allegheny and Tuscarawas Reservations.  He will help us to see who lived here before the Europeans arrived.   

Our Annual Meeting is on Tuesday Dec 7, 2010 at 7 pm.  The location is the Jamestown Audubon Center on 1600 Riverside Road, Jamestown, NY.  We will have a brief business meeting with the elections of directors.  Light refreshments will be served.

Title: CCWA Annual Meeting
Location: Jamestown Audubon Center
Description: Annual Meeting is open to all members and the public. A brief business meeting with highlights from our year and director elections will be followed by a guest speaker. More info TBA
Start Time: 7 pm
Date: 2010-12-07
End Time: 8:30pm

2009 Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting for the CCWA will be held Dec 7th, 2010 at 7pm.  The meeting room at the Jamestown Audubon Society is the location.  We will have a brief business meeting with the year’s highlights and director elections.  That will be followed by a guest speaker.  The speaker is yet to be announced.  Light refreshments will  be served.  Stay tuned for more details.

Conewango Creek Watershed Association holds Annual Meeting at Jamestown Audubon

Dan Steward gives the Chairman's Report

The Conewango Creek Watershed Association held its 2009 Annual Meeting on Tuesday Nov 10 at 7pm at the Jamestown Audubon Society.  Elections were conducted for the three Director seats up for reelection this year and were filled by the incumbents:  Chautauqua County at-large, Chris Humphrey from Jamestown, NY; Cattaraugus County at-large, Brian Schrantz; and Warren County at-large, Tom Osborne, of Russell PA.  Also elected was John Haffner from Blasdell, NY for a vacated Cattaraugus County at-large position.

Tom Osborne receives Volunteer Achievement Award from Elizabeth Dropp

After a brief business meeting, the Environmental Achievement Award was presented to Tom Osborne for spearheading the hugely successful Conewango Creek Clean-up in September and for the energy and passion he has brought to the group. Dan Steward, the group’s Chairman, gave a summary of the activities and achievements in the past year. Kim Sherwood, the Association’s Watershed Curator, talked about the environmental accomplishments in the watershed and asked the public to plot an environmentally sound course in the future. 

Mr Warn presents his historic photos to the group

The featured presentation called “The Way We Were (then, and a little bit of now)“ was given to the group by Mr. DeForest Warn and Dr. Tom Erlandson.  Historical photos from our area, taken by Mr. Warn and Mr. Rollin Cass dating back to the 1930’s were selected to demonstrate the changes that have occurred to our watershed over the last 8 decades.  Areas highlighted were landmarks in Jamestown including Chautauqua Lake and its Outlet, downtown Jamestown, Frewsburg and the Kinzua area of the Allegheny River.  By comparing the old photos with current ones, the changes were pointed out.  The audience of 35 thoroughly enjoyed the presentation.

2009 Annual Meeting Information

This year’s Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday November 10th at 7 pm.  It will be held at the Jamestown Audubon Center, 1600 Riverside Drive, Jamestown, NY 14701  After a brief business meeting we have a presentation on the pictoral history of the Conewango Area.  A local resident, DeForest Warn has an extensive collection of historic photographs of our area dating as far back as the 1930s.  Tom Erlandson, retired professor from JCC will also be presenting.  He and Mr. Warn are picking some of the more interesting photos to show that evening.  The photos from Mr. Warn’s collection should provide an interesting perspective on change in the Conewango Creek area over the last 70 or so years.

The business meeting will consist of  a few basic functions such as mintues and treasurer’s report.  Directors will be elected.  One director postion from each of the three counties is up for election.  We also get an update on the this year’s activities from Dan Steward, Chairman and our Watershed Curator, Kim Sherwood.

IF YOU WISH TO NOMINATE someone for a director position, please call Chris Humphrey at 716-664-9727 by Novenber 6th to do so.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!