At the WOS Council meeting on April, proposed amendments to the WOS Bylaws were considered; these were approved through a unanimous vote of Council. As required by the Bylaws, the membership of the Society must now vote on the amendments at the next general Business Meeting, which will take place at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania on June 21, 2023.

The amendments approved by Council relate to three different objectives:

1.  creating more flexibility in the duties of the First and Second Vice President and the timing of Council meetings;

2.  adding a voting Student Member to Council tasked with representing the interests of students, consistent with the Society’s strong focus on student ornithologists; and 

3.  modernizing the Bylaws to meet the needs of a 21st Century society, including explicitly allowing electronic meetings and ballots, and removing references to the now defunct Ornithological Societies of North America (OSNA). 

Please review the changes prior to voting at the 2023 Business Meeting in Allentown. Questions can be sent to WOS President Tim O’Connell (tim.oconnell@okstate.edu), to Secretary Lindsey Walters (waltersl3@nku.edu), or to Bylaws Committee Chair John Smallwood (smallwoodj@mail.montclair.edu). 

Thank you for your continued support of and participation in the important work we do.