OUTDOOR WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA President Gary Graham called the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Outdoor Writers Association of California to order at 9:04 AM on Saturday, January 12, 2008. TREASURER’S REPORT: Treasurer Shirley Miller reported the year from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, the checking account was as follows: On January 8, 2008 funds were transferred from savings account ($1272.34) and $5000.00 from checking to the Certificate of Deposit so these monies could earn a higher interest of 4.55% until 8/8/08. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING IN CALAVERAS October 7, 2007 were reviewed and accepted as published in the newsletter. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT: Zack Thomas reported on response to the new newsletter format. Members have been responding to requests for photos for the photo gallery and many of the supporting members have been sending their newsreleases for inclusion in the newsletter. Over all it has been well received and is posted on the Web site. DIRECTORY: Jack Holder reported that to print a Printed Directory would cost approximately $1,200.00. Presently, we have access to a Directory that may be printed by the member him/herself and it is free. Zack has forwarded all of that information and the directory to those members who have e-mail. If you missed that, contact Zack at 775-562-4585 or z.Thomas@gmail.com. A discussion followed and it was suggested, and agreed upon that if a member want a printed Directory NEXT year (2009) they may request it when they pay their dues and pay an additional $10 for the booklet (Dues are $35 but with printed Directory it will be $45). In addition, addresses will be included in the next edition. Bill Becher moved that 2009 Directory will have addresses and members will be charged $10 extra for printed copies. Bill Ryan seconded Passed unamimously. Becher moved that Supporting Members will not have to pay extra and Ryan seconded. Passed unanimously. SUPPORTING MEMBERS: Zack Thomas asked board members, and all regular members, to think about who in their own network would be good supporting members. When you come up with a name, contact Zack and have him contact the business/person. If you are not aware of all of the benefits of Supporting Membership, Zack will be publishing pertinent information in an upcoming newsletter. Zack will also be updating the Supporting Member brochure shortly. NEW MEMBERS: Two new members have joined our group. Guy Carl, son of George Carl. He has taken over George’s column in the Napa Register. He is the second person to be “Second Generation Member of OWAC” because Scott Green followed in Larry Green’s footsteps as a member. The other new member is Robin Wade, a columnist for Western Outdoor News and book author, Hooked on Baja. Bill Becher mentions that the new Visitors Guide for Calaveras County has his photo on the cover. It is an excellent way to say “Thank You” to a conference host by gifting them with some of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CONTRACT RENEWAL: Gary Graham suggested we renew the Contract with our Executive Director and give him an increase in salary for all of the good things he has accomplished. There was a discussion, with Zack Thomas out of the room. Kathie Morgan moved that we renew Zack’s contract and give him a $100 a month increase in compensation. Bill Ryan seconded the motion. Passed unanimously. AWARDS: Bill Becher reported that the Awards program is coming along quite well. He is still consulting other companies regarding plaques. He has found enough judges and believes the judging will be excellent. DEADLINE for entries in the Awards categories is February 1, 2008. BY LAWS: Kathie Morgan said that the by-laws are completed and will be available for finalization. They will go to the Board of Directors in April and be voted on by the members in May. There will be numbered ballots sent to all paid members. Jack Holder praised Kathie for her work and said she has been amazingly patient as chair of this committee. CALIFORNIAN OF THE YEAR: Bill Ryan reported there are no nominations for this position yet this year. CONFERENCE COMMITTEE: John Henigin said that the Santa Barbara conference will be held October 11, 12 and 13. There are all kinds of great activities in this beautiful part of California. Shannon Brooks is head of the conference committee for Santa Barbara and she is a vibrant and interesting. The Sunday conference will be at Fess Parker’s Resort, one of the top hotels in the area. Sunday dinner will be at the Santa Barbara Carriage Museum which houses a full Western town. There will be salt water fishing, wine tours, jeep tours, Lake Cachuma activities, nature hikes and visits to Solvang. Pre-or Post-tour offerings will include Alasal Guest Ranch. Ken Jones suggested a short visit to the pier, while many may consider a Tundra Express boat ride. ELECTIONS: Bill Becher, Ken Jones and Gary Graham’s terms of office will be up this year and we will need to vote to replace them on the board. Ken Jones has indicated he would be interested in running again, Barbara Steinberg has said she would like to run, Paul Leibowitz said he will run and perhaps Jonathan Roldan will have his hat in the ring. ANYONE interested in running for the board of directors should contact Zack Thomas in the month of February. His e-mail is: owac.director@gmail.com or phone: 775-562-4585. ETHICS COMMITTEE: Jack Holder reported there have been no complaints. HISTORY: Kathie Morgan brought up the subject of Legends of OWAC again. Following a discussion regarding the fact that there are only a limited number of people eligible, the board decided to drop the idea until everyone gets old. MEMBERSHIP: Gary Graham reported there were 162 paid members at the end of 2007 and as of Jan. 10, 2008, 67 members have renewed so far. In 2007 there were 61 paid Supporting members and 19 have paid as of this date. PUBLICITY: Bill Becher is head of this committee. If anyone is interested in publicity, they should contact Bill at: bb@becher.com. If anyone has a list of papers and media who should receive releases, please forward to Becher. OUTDOOR OUTREACH: Ken Jones said there are no new applications as of this date. There is an application on our web site at: www.owac.org. Additionally, there are links to other recipients of our Outdoor Outreach grants. TEAR SHEETS: Ken Jones is still collecting tear sheets from conferences. We could use more from Calaveras, or any other host site you may have written about. When you send a tear sheet to Ken Jones kenjones@pierfishing.com your name will be entered into a drawing for a FREE registration for a conference ($80 value). WEB SITE: It was agreed that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Gary Graham is to be congratulated for his work on our Web site. TREASURER REPLACEMENT: Gary Graham announced that the Board of Directors is looking for a replacement for Shirley Miller as Treasurer/Secretary of our organization. Requirements: Knowledgeable in Quicken. Willing to participate at three board meetings a year. Willing to commit to at least three years in this position (or longer, if you wish). Number of hours a month would be no more than seven, plus the meetings you’ll need to attend. Executive Director handles all the list of memberships while Graham’s handle deposits to the checking account. More information? Contact Shirley Miller shirleymiller1@comcast.net or Zack Thomas owac.director@gmail.com. Bill Becher said he will do a presentation at the Awards Banquet in Tuolumne. Please consider running for the Board of Directors in the upcoming election. All members are always welcome to sit in on a Board of Directors meeting. Generally these meeting begin at 8 AM at conferences and 9 AM at mid-winter meeting in San Mateo. Meeting adjourned at 11:17 AM. Respectfully submitted, Shirley Miller
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