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NEWS FROM THE SCB MEMBERS' MEETING, CANTERBURY, 17 JULY 2002

Approximately 140 people attended the 2002 Members' Meeting. These minutes summarize the most substantive news from the meeting.

Finances. SCB's 2002 revenue is anticipated to be ~US$1,400,000. About 1/3 of the revenue will come from foundations and grants to support Conservation In Practice as it becomes self-sufficient. The remainder will come from subscriptions to Conservation Biology, grants to the Executive Office, the 2001 annual meeting, donations, interest, and other sources. Estimated expenses for 2002 are ~$1,300,000. In 2002, $30,000 will be added to SCB's endowment (currently $548,000). Our goal is to build an endowment equivalent to one year's operating budget.

Executive Office. SCB's Executive Office opened in October 2001. Alan Thornhill is Executive Director, and Elizabeth Parish is Operations Manager. The Nature Conservancy kindly has provided the Executive Office with office space for its first two years of operation. The office will focus on services for SCB members and on international policy issues (mainly by providing information at the science / policy interface).

Publications. See this newsletter for the Conservation Biology Editor's report. Four issues of Conservation In Practice (formerly Conservation Biology In Practice) were published during the past year. The publication currently has 3200 paid subscribers. SCB's newsletter now is available in five formats: PDF (with or without graphics), RTF, HTML, and print. An electronic voting option was established for the 2002 Board of Governors election. About 80% of the ballots were cast electronically. Each of the new sections has up to one page to use in each newsletter. SCB's web site remains a vital method of communication. The site receives ~500,000 visits per month, ~15% from outside the U.S. The membership expertise database is fully operational.

International Sections. See this newsletter for updates.

Planning and Development. The February 2002 Board of Governors meeting was mainly a strategic planning exercise. The Board believes that SCB has three primary areas of emphasis that need continued development: the Executive Office, internationalization, and Conservation In Practice. Conservation Biology also remains a key focus. In addition, the Board hopes to move SCB toward advising on the science behind international policy and increasing support for teaching of conservation. External grant support is needed to achieve many of SCB's goals.

Chapters. SCB has 25 active chapters in the United States, China, Philippines, and Bolivia. The newest chapter is in New Orleans, Louisiana. A group of members in Indonesia recently inquired about forming a chapter.

Meetings. The 2003 annual meeting will be held in Duluth, Minnesota, USA from 28 June--2 July, and the 2004 meeting will be held in New York, New York, USA from 30 July--2 August. Proposals for the 2005 annual meeting will be accepted until 1 May 2003.

Awards. The number of Distinguished Service Award categories was reduced to five (Academia; Government; Outside Academia and Government; Social, Economic, and Political Work; Education and Journalism). The Group (private, non-profit) category was eliminated. In 2001, the Awards committee received 29 nominations, including 17 candidates outside the U.S. and nine women. Five nominations were received for the 2002 Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award.

Student Awards. The 2002 Student Awards competition drew 43 abstracts, 12 of which were selected as finalists. The Student Awards committee seeks additional members; contact committee chair Aram Calhoun (calhoun@maine.edu) if you are interested in serving.

Policy. The Policy Committee will work with representatives from each of the international Sections to determine the criteria by which global policy issues are selected for SCB engagement.

Education. Because the Education Committee has 30-35 members, most of its work is conducted via subcommittees. Conservation literacy guidelines should be available on SCB's website by September 2002. The committee sponsored successful roundtable discussion for educators and practitioners at the 2002 meeting that drew ~50 attendees.

Membership. During the next few years, one of the Membership Committee's priorities will be retention of existing members. The Board of Governors has created a low membership rate of US$10 to make membership more affordable for conservation professionals in developing countries. Members who take advantage of this alternative will receive an electronic version of the newsletter and access to member-only sections of the web site. SCB is working to develop a more comprehensive sponsored membership program that includes publications.

Bylaws. The membership unanimously approved five substantive changes to SCB's Constitution and Bylaws. (1) SCB's Executive Director was designated an ex officio (non-voting) member of the Board of Governors. (2) Composition of the Executive Committee was formalized (President, immediate two past Presidents, President Elect, Secretary, and Chief Financial Officer). (3) The President was empowered to speak for SCB only after consultation with the Executive Committee. (4) Student Awards and Membership became standing committees. (5) The process for proxies at special meetings of the Board of Governors was formalized.

Board of Governors. Mac Hunter thanked the Board members whose terms expired at the close of the 2002 meeting (Robert Curry, Peter Kareiva, Curt Meine, Sarah Reichard, and John Robinson) and welcomed the new Board members (Paul Beier, Luigi Boitani, Paula Kahumbu, Bryan Norton, David Norton, John Ogden, Jon Paul Rodriguez, Kathryn Saterson, Bruce Thompson, and David Wilcove). Information about the 2003 election will appear in the November 2002 newsletter.

Sarah Reichard, Secretary

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