NYCAAZK General Meeting Minutes - Jan 20th 2013 Meeting Minutes
Members: Elizabeth Mills, Deanna DeRosa, Joe Nappi, Lisa Walker, Melanie Weber,
Danielle Steele, Adam Segal, Matthew LeBron, Ty Nickens, Roxie Watts, Julio
Aquino, Cindy Maur, Sara Koplish, Sarah Parker, Ronnie Thomas, Nora Beirne,
Cristina Mendonca, Ronnie Smith, Angie Coccoma, Sarina Cella, Nikki Ethier,
Melanie Melendez, Karen Kolstad, Karen Wallack, Rob Blakely
Welcome
new members!
-
We have 30 members- 22 new!
-
We are open to all of the staff,
interns and volunteers at all 5 facilities
Welcome
new officers!
-
Robin has hit the ground running
and is ready to make this year our chapter best year yet! She is very
sorry she is not here right now.
-
She plans on making the chapter
even more web accessible. She has created a general calendar of events so that
people can have a more concrete idea of what the chapter has to offer and
when.
-
Sarah Parker will be the new
secretary since Megan Baumer has left the zoo and therefore her position.
-
We look forward to a year of
having officer representation from multiple facilities! We look forward to a
year of having members from all 5 facilities!
Name
Change Proposal
-
We would like the name of our
chapter to reflect its members
-
Our options are NYC AAZK or WCS
AAZK. Discuss and open floor for other suggestions
-
This proposal was made and was
second by Lisa Walker and will be voted on by members through our online voting
Online
Voting
-
For all voting that affects the
chapter’s constitution, we vote online to make it easy for all members to vote
at a time and place that is convenient for them.
-
Once an amendment is proposed,
voting is open online until before the next month’s meeting.
-
To register to vote, go to our
blogspot and go to the voting tab. You will see prompts to register.
Please use the email information that you provided to receive emails. Once your
email info is verified, you will be fully registered. If you are having problems,
contact one of your officers or liaisons.
-
All other voting that does not
affect the constitution- chapter spending, voting on events will be done
in person at the monthly meeting.
Tentative
Calendar of Events (please refer to attached handout)
-
We plan on have an event just
about every month.
-
Meetings are on the 20th
of every month. We do not want all of our meetings to be in the Bronx! We
are encouraging all of our facilities to step forward and host at least one
meeting this year! Whether it is an animal presentation, a guest speaker,
a bbq, a softball game, we would like for all facilities to let us know as
soon as possible when you can host a meeting. Please speak to your
facility liaison to discuss what you would like to do!
Panel
Discussion/ Barnanza Charity Voting
-
The meeting of Feb 20th
will be panel discussion by WCS’s Global Conservation Team will most likely
take place at 6:30-7 PM and there should be some food and refreshments
provided. Liz Bennett will be among the 3 WCS Global Conservation team who
will give a presentation on what global does and after they will open the
floor for a question and answer session.
-
We also want to vote for the
charity that we will be fundraising for at this year’s Bar-nanza. To do this we
ask for people to contact their officers ASAP if they have a conservation
effort that they would like our chapter to raise money for. The
conservation effort should be in line with AAZK’s mission. Once it is
given the ‘ok’ please make a small poster presentation or hand out
or diorama or anything that you feel could help encourage people that your
cause is worth drinking for.
-
All Barnanza displays will be
presented during the 10 minute break and voting will close 10 minutes
after the end of the panel discussions.
What can
we do for you??
-
This chapter is a volunteer
nonprofit org and needs you, its members and supporter to survive.
-
The chapter offers members
discounts on events and merchandise, travel grants, raffles
for national membership, a unique experience to get to
know other animal folk, professional growth, and much more!
-
What can you think of to make the
chapter a better experience for you and your co-workers? Officers and liaisons
are always open for thought and suggestions. We encourage solution based
ideas for ways to improve our chapter.
-
We are considering having
“virtual raffle tickets” that we will be giving out throughout the year for
attending meetings, events, participating in committees, etc. At the end of the
year we will then hold a drawing for prizes. More details to follow.
What you
can do for us!
-
Be active! Come to our events and
meetings! Make sure you vote when voting comes up!
-
Stay informed! You should receive
meeting minutes after every meeting. If you do not receive the minutes, email
one of the officers so we can find out why you are not receiving emails.
You will receive email reminders for all events, meetings and
opportunities that the chapter offers.
-
Help spread the word! You will be
sent every flyer that we post to get the word out about events and
meetings. We encourage you to print and post the flyer where you work to help
us get the word out.
Committees
and Committee Updates
-
All
committees are looking for you to join them. If there is a committee that you
are interested in, please let your liaison or any officer know RIGHT NOW!
Committees are starting to meet now.
-
NZKW
o
The committee in the Bronx will
meet on Jan 27th. Our goal is to have NZKW celebrated at all 5
parks to some capacity this year.
o
Bronx Zoo last year offered
showcasing of poster presentations and artwork from staff members, a silent
auction of most of the artwork, animal care staff appreciation awards, a social
night with a scavenger hunt. During our members’ night, we had a station where
we were able to talk to the public about zoo keeping and our organization and
we had a kids station with crayons and coloring sheets that were made by staff
and supporters.
o
Queens Zoo offer a collage of
photos and signage around the park along with set enrichment times with keeper
chats for the public.
-
Chopsticks for Salamanders
o
Lauren Augustine, a former WCS
keeper started this organization a year ago. Its purpose it to
create awareness about the overuse of disposable wooden chopsticks. We sell
stainless steel chopsticks with pamphlet info about the organization for $10.
o
Let’s get awareness out! Please
go to your favorite Asian food spots and ask if they can at least post up
signage about using less chopsticks and using renewable chopsticks. If you
would like signage or handout information, please contact an officer.
o
We are looking into restaurant
option to hold an event. We are focusing on all you can eat/drink sushi spots
and Chinese food with free wine. If anyone has any suggestions, please let
us know!
-
Travel Grant Committee
o
Travel Grant Deadlines in April
and October for $500 each.
o
If you are interested in going to
a conference, workshop or other professional development event, this grant is
for you! Please see our website (bronxzooaazk.blogspot.com) for grant
application details. You can refer to the BZAC 2013 calendars for most of the
conferences and workshops available this year.
o
Also, we are offering a travel
grant for the conference to waive the registration fee.
-
Bar-nanza
o
We would like the person whose
charity wins the votes of membership to help with planning the event. We are
looking for a new location central to all facilities- any suggestions?
o
We will be voting on the charity
to fundraise for at the Feb 20th meeting.
-
Girl Scouts
o
We go to girl scout meetings and
talk to kids about the value of enrichment and zoo keeping We have plans set
for all age ranges. For the younger groups we give the girls basic information
and they make enrichment that does not involve tools. When we hold meetings
with the older girls, we work more on getting the girls to think about the
enrichment, its purpose and its application. If you know of any troops that
would be interested or want to help, let us know. We are open to spreading this
program to other area in the city and to boy scout troops.
-
Enrichment Committee
o
The committee is in charge of
everything enrichment related including the Enrichment Bonanza. They have set
up the bonanza multiple ways, the last enrichment bonanzas were set with
stations of making specific enrichment so that we can together create and share
ideas.
-
Calendar Committee
o
We are hoping to start the
committee earlier than past years so we can sell the calendars
much earlier in the year.
o
We were given a tip from one of
the BZ zoo keepers about Overstock.com’s calendar prices and are eager to
look into options for our chapter.
o
We also hope to have a photo
contest- more info to follow.
-
BFR
o
The committee will be looking
into another bowling alley tomorrow in hopes for a better deal so that we
can raise more money for rhino conservation.
o
The committee is asking all
members and supporters to help gather items for the silent auction. The
silent auction is how we get to raise the most money for rhino conservation.
o
The committee is also will be
asking for volunteers to assist with the setup and breakdown of the
signage and the silent auction during the event.
-
Volunteer Opportunities Committee
o
The goal was to find local
projects for staff to get involved with- like beach clean-ups, shelter volunteering,
etc.
o
There is currently no one in this
committee, so we are especially looking for members in this committee.
Guest
Speakers
-
We want more guest speakers!
Please give cmaur@wcs.org an email saying one person that you
would love to hear speak and one person who you have a connection with that
could speak at a meeting.
Involvement
with conservation and WCS projects
-
WCS has great programs that would
benefit our members to be a part of. Frogwatch, Run for the Wild, T.I.G.E.R
program (Together In Getting Everyone Reading). We will help provide
information on WCS based events that are great opportunities for professional
growth and for fundraising.
