Dues, please
     NOU dues were due on January 1.  Our treasurer, Betty Grenon, thanks everyone who has
     paid for 2005.  For the rest of you, there is a form elsewhere in this newsletter.
     And while you are at it, why not give a gift membership to a birding friend.
 

Upcoming Meetings

     2005 Annual Spring Meeting — May 13-15 at Calamus Lodge near Burwell.

     2005 Fall Field Days — September 9-11 at South Central 4-H Center, Alma

     2006 Annual Spring Meeting — May 19-21 at Ponca State Park
 

Welcome to New Members
     We welcome the following new members:

            A. B. Cox, Mullen
            Ruth Tempelmann, Bellevue
            William C. Flack, Tucson, AZ
            Ron Johnson, Lincoln
            Carol Cortelyou, Mercer Island, WA
 

Shopping Options
     If you need a little help finding places to bird in Nebraska or general wildlife
     identification help, you might want to explore the following shopping options:

     1.  “The Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas” by Wayne Mollhoff.  Order for $29 (includes
     shipping and sales tax) from Neal Ratzlaff, 536 Brentwood Rd., Omaha, NE 68114.
     Make checks to NOU.

     2.  Joel Jorgensen’s monograph, “An Overview of Shorebird Migration in the Eastern
     Rainwater Basin, Nebraska”.  Order from Joel Jorgensen, 1829 South St., #28, Blair,
     NE 68008 for $7 plus $2 for tax and shipping.  Make checks to Jorgensen.

     3.  NOU Online Store for nature-related books, videos, and optics.  The website
     address is

     http://www.withoutbricks.com/NOUStore
 

Great Backyard Bird Count
          The eighth annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will be held February 18-21.
     This is cooperative project of National Audubon and Cornell Lab of Ornithology with
     sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited store owners.  Anyone can contribute by
     counting and reporting the birds in their own backyard and beyond through the
     Internet.  For this count, a ‘backyard’ can be anywhere you happen to be such
     as a schoolyard, a local park, or a wildlife refuge.  The GBBC is one of the
     world’s largest volunteer efforts of its kind.
          For the 2004 GBBC there were 42,509 checklists submitted on line, 554 total species
     observed, and 4,305,109 individual birds counted. 
          For more information check the website at:  http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc
 

 Bylaws
     The NOU bylaws state that the bylaws are to be printed in the newsletter in years
     evenly divisible by five.  In an effort to comply, the latest edition of the NOU
     bylaws appear in this newsletter.  If you should have any questions, you can ask
     president, Alice Kenitz, and she will try to find the answers. 
 

BYLAWS OF THE NEBRASKA ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION, INC.
As amended September 2004                                                

                                 ARTICLE  I  Seal

     Section  1.  Any seal of this corporation shall bear the words “Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Inc.”

                                 ARTICLE  II  Membership

     Section  1.  Classes of membership shall be Student, Active, Sustaining, and Life;  Sustaining
Memberships being priced above Active.  Active and Sustaining Memberships may be Regular or
Family.  Family membership shall be available for members residing in one household, including
children under eighteen years of age.  A Family Membership shall receive only one copy of each
publication or other communication except a mail ballot, and may not exercise more than two votes.

     Section  2.  A Student member shall be any person who is a full-time student as determined by
his/her institution whose determination is acceptable to the Board of Directors.

     Section  3.  A Life Member shall be any person who makes a one-time membership payment as
previously determined by the Board of Directors.

     Section  4.  An Honorary Membership shall be any person who has made an outstanding contribution
to the advancement of ornithology in or closely affecting Nebraska.  The candidate must be
nominated in writing and endorsed by three members, AND must be seconded by EITHER (a) the Board
of Directors on the affirmative vote of at least seven members in addition to any who might have
been one of the nominators, OR (b) by the signatures of at least twenty members, none of whom
were nominators.  The candidate shall be elected by the affirmative vote of a two-thirds majority
of the members attending an officially called business meeting, OR by the affirmative vote of a
two-thirds majority (consisting of at least forty members) of those voting in a mail election.
The Corporation may not have more than ten Honorary Members at one time.

                                   ARTICLE  III  Dues

     Section  1.  The dues for each class of membership shall be set by the Board of Directors.  The
dues schedule shall be reviewed on an annual basis at a business meeting.

     Section  2.  Dues shall be due before the first day of January in each year, and shall be
delinquent thereafter.  Delinquent members shall be removed from the membership list, but may be
furnished copies of the Newsletter issued before the first issue of the Review in the next year.

                                  ARTICLE  IV  Officers

     Section  1.  All officers of this corporation shall be members not less than eighteen years of
age.  All officers shall serve for a term of one year, and may be reelected.

     Section  2.  The officers of the corporation shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary,
a Treasurer, an Editor, and a Librarian.  They shall be elected by the members at the annual
business meeting.

     Section  3.  The term of each officer except the Editor shall begin at the close of all activities
held in conjunction with the annual meeting; the term of office of the Editor shall begin with
work on copy for the first issue of the Review in the year following election.  It is the
responsibility of all outgoing officers to complete the unfinished business of their respective
offices within 120 days.

     Section  4.  The duties of the President shall be to preside impartially at meetings of the
corporation and of the Board of Directors, to nominate members of committees for the approval
of the Board, to call necessary meetings of the Board of Directors, and to perform such other
duties as customarily pertain to this office.  The President shall issue a newsletter at least
four times per year.  The President is responsible for seeing that the newsletters are put into
the mail properly and promptly (see Section 11). 

     Section  5.  The Vice-President shall, in the absence or disability of the President, perform
the duties and exercise the powers of the President; shall serve as the Program Committee Chair;
and shall perform such other duties as shall from time to time be assigned to him/her by the
President.

     Section  6.  The Secretary, or his/her designate, shall keep records of all meetings of the
Corporation and of the Board of Directors.  The Secretary shall conduct the general correspondence
of the Corporation, and shall prepare mail ballots.  He/she shall be responsible for collecting
and filing all reports of the officers and committees.  The Secretary shall submit all reports
to the Library Committee for archiving as soon as practical.

     Section  7.  The Treasurer shall have the custody of all funds and securities; shall keep full
and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Corporation; shall
deposit all moneys in the name and to the credit of the Corporation, in such depositories as may
be selected jointly by the Treasurer and the rest of the Board of Directors, and shall safeguard
other valuable effects in such places and under such provisions as may be agreed upon by the
Treasurer and the rest of the Board of Directors.  The Treasurer shall disburse the funds of
the Corporation as may be authorized by the Board, upon presentation of proper invoices for
amounts due, and shall render to the Board of Directors and to the Auditing committee a summary
of all transactions as Treasurer, and of the financial position of the Corporation annually, and
more frequently on request.  The Treasurer’s annual report to the
membership shall be published in the March Review.  The Treasurer shall receive applications for
membership.  The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining the master file of paid-up members, life
members, and honorary members, paid-up subscribers and exchange subscribers, and authorized free
subscriptions.  (See Section 11).  He/she shall file income tax and other financial reports as may
be required by governmental authorities.  The records of the Treasurer shall be audited annually by
the Auditing Committee.

     Section  8.  The Editor, in consultation with the Publications Committee, shall be responsible
for the form, general content, and publication of  The Nebraska Bird Review and such other publications
as may be assigned to him/her.  The Editor is responsible for seeing that the Reviews are put into the
mail promptly and properly.  (See Section 11.)

     Section  9.  The Librarian shall have supervision of the permanent records of the Corporation,
publications held for sale, and the library and archives, and shall be responsible for their
care and maintenance.  The Librarian shall keep a record of publications sold and moneys
received, and shall remit such receipts at least quarterly to the Treasurer.  The Librarian
shall serve as an ex officio member of the Library Committee, if one is appointed.  The
Librarian is responsible for notifying the Editor and the President of any delays in the
receipt of exchanges that he/she has not been able to correct.

     Section 10.  If any office shall become vacant, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by
the Board of Directors.

     Section 11.  Geographic relations which can arise between the location of the President, the
Treasurer, the Editor, and the bulk mail permit point require that these officers arrange for
the production of address labels or their substitute, for the preparation of the newsletter for
mailing, and for the sorting and mailing of the newsletters and Reviews in view of the situation
at that particular time.

     Section 12.  The Corporation shall issue triennially, between the May and the fall meetings, a
list of members and their addresses.  This list is to be circulated only to members, and is to
be used only to facilitate correspondence between members, primarily for Corporation business.
Any member who does not want his/her address published shall instruct the Treasurer to that effect. 

                               ARTICLE  V  Board of Directors

     Section  1.  The Board of Directors shall consist of the six (6) elected officers, the three
(3) elected Directors-at-large, the last two (2) former Presidents who are still active members
of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union and the chairperson the Records Committee.
     The three Directors-at-large should preferably represent different areas of Nebraska.  Starting
in 1993, one Director-at-large shall be elected for a one-year term, one for a two-year term,
and one for a three-year term.  Thereafter, one Director-at-large shall be elected each year
for a three-year term.

     Section  2.  Meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at whatever time and place as may
be convenient, provided all members have been duly notified not less than ten days prior to the
meeting date.

     Section  3.  Members of the Board of Directors shall not receive any remuneration for their
services but, by resolution of the Board, expenses may be allowed for their attendance at
meetings of the Board.

     Section  4.  The Board of Directors shall manage the property and business of the Corporation,
and shall have the power to make expenditures in line with the Articles of Incorporation for
the purpose of furthering the objectives of the Corporation.

                                  ARTICLE  VI  Committees

     Section  1.  As soon as practical following election, the President shall nominate and submit
to the Board of Directors for approval the names of proposed new members of the following
committees:

     Records Committee   It shall consist of at least seven active members, preferably representing
various areas of Nebraska, who are qualified in field identification.  New members shall be
appointed for three year terms by the committee subject to approval of the Board of Directors.
Members may serve two consecutive terms.  Former members may be reappointed after being off the
committee for one year.  The chairperson shall be a member of the Board of Directors.

     The committee shall provide a repository for information on rare and unusual birds within the
state of Nebraska.  It shall collect, review, and permanently archive all documentation
supporting the occurrence of rare and unusual birds within Nebraska.  The Records Committee
shall publish an annual report of its activities in The Nebraska Bird Review.

     Publications Committee   It shall consist of the Editor and three members who are not members
of the Board of Directors.  At least one of the three members shall be selected from the members
of the Records Committee.  The committee shall set editorial policy for The Nebraska Bird Review
and for occasional papers of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Inc., and shall advise the
President concerning the Corporation’s Newsletter.  Members of the committee shall review
articles submitted for publication in the Review, if called upon by the Editor.  The committee
shall solicit and review proposed publications for the occasional papers and shall arrange
tentative financial and other agreements with the authors.  Final acceptance of both the papers
and the agreements shall be made by the Board of Directors.  The committee shall also encourage
the presentation of research studies on ornithological topics at the annual meeting of  the
Nebraska Academy of Science and other appropriate organizations.  The publications policy shall
appear at least once each year in The Nebraska Bird Review.

     Auditing Committee   It shall consist of two members who are not members of the Board of
Directors.  As soon as practical after the end of each year, and in time to allow the
Treasurer’s Report to be published in the March Review, this committee shall audit the books
and records of the Treasurer for the previous calendar year.  The Board of Directors may
request audits at other times, and the committee may audit at other times.  The committee
shall submit a written report to the Board of Directors prior to the annual business
meeting.  The Board of Directors shall provide the committee with a current list of all approved
expenditures.

     Nominating Committee   It shall consist of three members who are not members of the Board of
Directors, and who have been active participants in the organization for at least five years.
Only one member may have served on the previous year’s committee, but members may serve any
number of non-consecutive terms.  Its purpose is to assure that at least one candidate for
each office will be available at the annual meeting.  Each nominee for each office must
indicate in writing a willingness to accept office if elected.  The committee shall present
nominee names at the annual business meeting of the Corporation.

     Program Committee   It shall consist of the Vice-President, who shall serve as Chair, and two
members who are not members of the Board of Directors.  The committee shall be responsible for
planning the annual meeting, and other general meetings and field trips.

     Membership Committee   It shall consist of the three Directors-at-large.  This committee shall
publicize the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Inc., and shall encourage membership and
participation in the organization.  The committee shall be responsible for preparing information
about the Corporation for new members, to be sent by the Treasurer upon receipt of their dues.

     The following committee may be appointed if and when needed:
     Library Committee   It shall consist of the Librarian and three members who are not members of
the Board of Directors.  This
committee shall develop policies for the accumulation of materials, and the use and maintenance of
the Library and Archive collections of the Corporation.  The committee shall assist the Librarian
in maintaining the collections and shall be responsible for collecting and archiving records of the
Corporation, officers, Board of Directors, and committees.

     Section  2.  Each committee may develop a set of operating procedures relating to its functions,
subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

     Section  3.  Except as provided otherwise, the term of office of committee members will expire
at the next annual meeting, and members of committees are eligible for reappointment.
 

                               ARTICLE  VII  Fiscal Period

     Section   1.  The fiscal year of the Corporation shall commence 1 January and end 31 December.
 

                                 ARTICLE  VIII  Meetings  

     Section  1.  Each May the Corporation shall hold the annual meeting, to include a business
meeting of the membership.  Other business meetings and field trips may be arranged.  For any
business meeting the members shall have notice (mailed at least thirty days in advance of the
meeting) of the business to be considered, so that a member who does not expect to attend the
meeting may file a proxy vote.  A proxy form shall be included with the notice.

     Section  2.  Reports of the officers and committees made at the annual business meeting must
be written and filed with the Secretary.

     Section  3.  A summary of the minutes of any business meeting shall be published in the
Newsletter following the meeting, a summary of the minutes of the board of Directors shall
be published in the next Newsletter, or the second if the time is too short, and actions
taken by committees shall be summarized in the next Newsletter.
 

                        ARTICLE  IX  Quorum, Voting, and Elections

     Section  1.  At any business meeting of the Corporation one tenth of the qualified voting
members shall constitute a quorum.  Proxies shall be included in determining the presence
of a quorum, and the presence of a quorum is necessary on each binding vote.

     Section  2.  At any meeting of the Board of Directors a majority shall constitute a quorum,
but any actions taken shall require approval by a majority of the twelve authorized members
of the Board.  At any meeting of a committee a majority shall constitute a quorum, but any
actions taken shall require approval by a majority of the committee.

     Section  3.  Voting members must be at least eighteen years of age.

     Section  4.  At all meetings of the Corporation every question shall be determined by a
majority of those voting or a quorum, whichever is larger, except for the item outlined in
ARTICLE II, Section 4.

     Section  5.  Voting members of the Corporation, or the Board of Directors, or a committee who
wish to vote by proxy may give a proxy to a proxy holder who will be at the meeting.  The proxy
holder shall present the proxy to the Secretary for a meeting of the Corporation or the Board of
Directors, or to the chair for a committee meeting.  This presentation is to establish the proxy
holder’s right to vote in the proxy giver’s stead.  The proxy may be unrestricted, or may be
restricted to voting in a specified way on specified topics.  If the voter doesn’t know anyone
who will be at the meeting to whom he/she wants to give a proxy, or if the voter prefers, he/she
may give to the Secretary, or to the chair for a committee meeting, a restricted proxy specifying
how he/she wants to vote on the particular topics which may come before the meeting.

     Section  6.  When necessary, the business of the Corporation, of the Board of Directors, or a
committee may be transacted by mail ballot or by electronic mail.  A mail ballot, or electronic
mail shall be accompanied by a statement of the pros and cons, compiled in consultation with any
known opposition to the proposal.  The Secretary shall be responsible for mailing the ballots,
whether by surface mail or electronic means, for a meeting of the Corporation, the Board of
Directors, and the chair for a committee meeting.  The written ballots shall be returned in a
sealed envelope addressed to The Tellers of Election at the address specified in the notice of
the meeting.  The ballot envelopes shall be delivered unopened to the Tellers of the Election,
who shall report the results to the Secretary and the
President for meetings of the Corporation or Board, or to the chair for a committee.  Electronic
ballots shall be received at a single e-mail address that has been designated by the Board of
Directors. 

     Section  7.  A list of candidates for offices shall be presented by the Nominating Committee
at the annual business meeting of the Corporation.  To the extent possible, the list of
candidates for office shall be named in the Newsletter before the annual meeting.  Nominations
may also be made from the floor, provided the additional nominees have indicated in writing a
willingness to serve if elected.  In the event of more than one candidate for an office, or on
request of any member, election shall be by secret ballot.
 

                           ARTICLE  X  The Nebraska Bird Review

     Section  1.  The official publication of the Corporation shall be The Nebraska Bird Review.  The
Review shall be sent to all members, to both purchase and exchange subscribers, and to
contributors of articles who otherwise would not receive it.

     Section  2.  The Editor, in consultation with the Publications Committee, shall be responsible
for the form, general content, and publication of The Nebraska Bird Review, but the budget and
all other financial matters pertaining to the Review must be approved by the Board of Directors.

     Section  3.  Subscription rates and prices of back issues of  The Nebraska Bird Review shall be
determined by the Board of Directors.
 

               ARTICLE  XI  The Occasional Papers of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Inc.

     Section  1.  This series of publications shall be reserved for ornithological studies that are
in the form of monographs.

     Section  2.  Authors shall finance all expenses of publication and shall be reimbursed from net
receipts received from the sale of their own publications, payment to be made at the end of the
fiscal year.  Net receipts is defined as receipts after the deduction of all direct expenses,
such as for mailing or the like, paid by the Corporation.  After the author has recovered his
expenses of publication the net proceeds shall be divided equally between the author and the Corporation.
However, the Board of Directors may authorize the use of Corporation funds to underwrite publications
that would be of special benefit to the members of the Corporation.
 

                          ARTICLE  XII  Library and Archives

     Section  1.  The Library and Archives of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Inc. shall be
located at a site to be proposed by the Board of Directors and approved at an officially called
meeting of the members.
 

                          ARTICLE  XIII  Endowment Fund

     Endowment Fund assets shall be kept in an account separate from all other funds of the Nebraska
Ornithologists’ Union.  The principal of the Endowment Fund shall be kept intact.  This
restriction is designated by the donor or the Board of Directors or both.  The interest and
dividends earned shall be expended for the operation of the programs of the Nebraska
Ornithologists’ Union unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors.
 

                         ARTICLE  XIV  Articles and Bylaws               

     Section  1.  Amendments to the bylaws or to the Articles of Incorporation may be proposed by the
Board of Directors or by a petition to the Board by ten members of the Corporation.  A written
copy of a proposed amendment, with appropriate reference to the Article and/or Section, and with
appropriate wording for the proposed amendment, shall be submitted to the Secretary.  A revision
of the bylaws or Articles of Incorporation also may be proposed by a Bylaws Committee nominated
by the President and approved by the Board of Directors.  The proposed amendment shall be placed
in the mail (any class) to all members, at least 30 days before the meeting at which it will be
considered.  The amendment shall be adopted upon an affirmative vote of the majority of members
voting (as outlined in Article IX, Section 4) at any properly called business meeting of the
Corporation.

     Section  2.  A full text of the Articles and bylaws, including revisions, shall be published in
the Newsletter in years evenly divisible by 5.
 

                       ARTICLE  XV  Parliamentary Authority

     Section  1.  The rules contained in the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern
in all cases where they are practical and are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, the Articles
of Incorporation, or the laws of the State of Nebraska, and any special rules of order the
Corporation may adopt. 
 
 

Reminders

     Occurrence reports for December-February are due by March 15.  Send them to Ross Silcock—contact
info on the back page of this newsletter.

     Please use the form here to send your County LIFE list totals to Mark Brogie. 

     CBC Compilers be sure to send a copy of your report to NBR editor Janis Paseka—contact info on
the back page of this newsletter.

________________________________________________________________________________________

                                NEBRASKA ORNITHOLOGISTS’  UNION

Please enter my membership in the category checked below:

_______One Active Member…………$15.00                        ________Family Active…………$20.00

_______One Sustaining Member……$25.00                      ________Family Sustaining………$30.00

_______Student Member……………$10.00                          ________Life Member…………$250.00

Name______________________________________________________________________________

Address________________________________________City, State, Zip________________________

Telephone____________________________   e-mail________________________________________

Make checks payable to Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union and return with this form to:

  Betty Grenon, Treasurer

  1409 Childs Road East

  Bellevue, NE 68005

Please include a gift membership in the category checked below:

_______One Active Member………$15.00                             ________Family Active………$20.00

_______One Sustaining Member……$25.00                          ________Family Sustaining…$30.00

_______Student Member……………$10.00                              ________Life Member………$250.00

Name_______________________________________________________________________________

Address__________________________________________City, State, Zip_______________________

Telephone______________________________  e-mail________________________________________

(E-mail addresses have been altered to fight spam.  Replace (at) with the appropriate symbol
and remove the blank spaces.)

President and Newsletter Editor:
Alice Kenitz, 190648 Co. Rd. 22, Gering, NE 69341
Phone:  308-436-2959
E-mail Address:  akenitz(at)prairieweb. c o m

Vice-President:
Dave Heidt, 1703 Hilltop Drive, Norfolk, NE 68701-2031
Phone: 402-371-3412
daveh(at)northeastcollege. c o m

Secretary:
Mitzi Fox, 2560 Fairgrounds Road, Albion, NE 68620-5200
402-395-2395
mitzi(at)megavision. n e t

Treasurer:
Betty Grenon, 1409 Childs Road East, Bellevue, NE 68005
402-731-2383
grenon925(at)aol. c o m

Editor, Nebraska Bird Review:
Bill Clemente, Department of English, Peru State College, Peru, NE 68421
402-872-2233 (work)
bclemente(at)oakmail.peru. e d u

Librarian:
Mary Lou Pritchard, 6325 O St., Lincoln, NE 68510
402-486-2428

Past Presidents:
Janis Paseka, 1585 Co. Rd. 14 Blvd, Ames, NE 68621
402-727-9229
paseka(at)tvsonline. n e t

Clem Klaphake, 707 Garden Ave., Bellevue, NE 68005
402-292-2276
ckavian(at)aol. c o m

Directors:
Jan Uttecht, Box 823, Stanton, NE 68779 (2004)
402-439-2114

Loren Padelford, 1405 Little John Road, Bellevue, NE 68005 (2005)
402-292-5556
lpdlfrd(at)juno. c o m

Steve Lamphere, 3101 Washington St., Apt. 98, Bellevue, NE 68005 (2006)
402-291-9149

Records Committee:
Mark Brogie, Box 316, Creighton, NE 68729
402-358-5675
mbrogie(at)esu1. o r g

Breeding Bird Atlas and Nest Records Committee:
Wayne Mollhoff, 1817 Boyd St., Ashland, NE 68003
402-944-2243
wmollhoff(at)netscape. n e t

Occurrence Reports:
Ross Silcock, P. 0. Box 57, Tabor, IA 51653
712-629-5865
silcock(at)rosssilcock. c o m

Nebraka Birdline:
Josef Kren
402-721-5487 ext. 6490
800-642-8382 ext. 6490
nebraskabirds@yahoo.com

NOU Website: http://rip.physics.unk.edu/NOU/

NOU Online Store:  http://www.withoutbricks.com/NOUStore

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union
3745 Garfield
Lincoln, NE 68506