Colorado Mycological Society Bylaws

Article I – Name
The name of the organization shall be the Colorado Mycological Society.

Article II – Purposes
The purposes of the Society are to advance the understanding and to stimulate the interest of the members by:

1. Providing opportunities for students, holding conferences, facilitating cooperative research, arranging forays, and exchanging information among members.

2. Collecting specimens of Colorado fungal flora for preservation in the Herbarium of Fungi of the Denver Botanic Gardens for identification and study.

3. Interchanging specimens and information with other interested parties and organizations.

Article III- Membership
Membership is open to any person interested in the field of Mycology. Applications shall be submitted to the membership chairman. Memberships are divided into the following categories (Each of the below a “member.”):

1. Regular Member -— One who is entitled to all the privileges of the Society and is permitted to vote.

2. Associate Member -— An individual under the age of eighteen who is entitled to all the privileges of the Society, but cannot vote.

3. Honorary Member -— One who, for some special reason, is granted membership which confers all the privileges of the Society but entails none of the obligations, such as payment of dues. An Honorary Member may vote and hold office.

4. Family Member -— A household consists of all of the persons living at one physical address. A Household shall be assessed a single fee and shall be entitled to one vote per person.

Article IV- Dues
The Board of Directors shall determine the amount of dues for each fiscal year, which begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. Any change in dues shall be discussed with and voted on by the membership. Membership dues are not refundable.

Article V – Officers and their Election
The officers of the Society shall be recommended by a duly appointed Nominating Committee whose recommendations shall be announced at the September meeting, at which time the presiding officer will call for additional nominations by the members present. Ballots will be provided by email or post within seven days, and voting will commence at that time.  Voting will cease at the end of the month, with officers elected by simple majority of those voting.  Results will be announced at the October meeting; by email or post; and on the website.   Term of office shall be for one year beginning after the election and lasting until the following election. The President may not immediately succeed himself or herself. The President-Elect, when that office is filled, shall succeed to the presidency; if the office was not filled, a President shall be nominated and elected from the membership. The officers of the Society shall be the President, President-elect (when applicable), Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, where multiple roles may be filled simultaneously by one person (i.e. President, Vice-President or President-elect and Secretary or Treasurer, or Vice-President and President-elect, or Secretary and Treasurer). The officers, together with up to two persons elected by the membership, and one other member, appointed by the President and approved by the Board of Directors, shall constitute the full Board of Directors. The last two past Presidents shall be ex-officio members of the Board. In the event of the death, resignation or inability of a director to perform the duties of office, the Board of Directors shall select a successor for the remainder of the term.

Article VI – Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall meet at least four times a year at the call of the President. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to develop and approve the administrative and functional policies of the Society. The Board of Directors may consist of as few as four and as many as ten members five. A quorum at Board of Directors meetings shall be ? (plus one person if necessary) of the current Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may vote electronically in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado.

Article VII – Meetings
The Board of Directors shall set the date and time and designate the place of all regular, special, and annual meetings

Article VIII – Committees
The President shall not only appoint all committee chairs with the approval of the Board of Directors, but shall also have the right to appoint any special committee deemed necessary. Standing committees shall be Auditing, Educational, Forays, Membership, Nominating, and Program.

Article IX – Fiscal & Administrative Policies
No part of the net worth of the Colorado Mycological Society shall at any time inure to the benefit of any individual or member. In the event of the dissolution of the Society, all funds and property remaining to its credit shall be given to the Denver Botanic Gardens for the maintenance of the Herbarium of Fungi. This distribution shall be accomplished at the direction of the Board within six months of dissolution.

Article X – Amendments and Revisions
The Bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed at any meeting of the Society by a two-thirds vote of approval of the Members present. The members must be notified at least one meeting in advance of a proposed change. The notification must also contain the opinion of the Board of Directors concerning the endorsement or disapproval of the proposed change.

Revised April 11. 2016