BY-LAWS

WILLAMETTE VALLEY CHAPTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN VERSATILE HUNTING DOG ASSOCIATION (NAVHDA)

ARTICLE I - NAME, PURPOSE, AND DATE OF INCORPORATION

1.     The name of this organization is the Willamette Valley Chapter of NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association).

2.     This organization is organized exclusively for charitable purpose within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

3.     No substantial part of the activities of this corporation shall consist of carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not intervene in any political campaign.  Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from Federal income tax as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any future federal tax code). 

4.     Willamette Valley Chapter of NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association) is a nonprofit tax exempt corporation whose purpose is the advancement of educating the public to foster, promote, and improve the versatile hunting dog breeds in North America; to conserve game by using well trained reliable hunting dogs before and after the shot; and to aid in the prevention of cruelty to animals by discouraging nonselective and uncontrolled breeding, which produces unwanted and uncared for dogs.  The organization will do this through activities such as:

a.     Conducting field tests for the versatile breeds in accordance with the rules of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association;

b.     Sponsor educational clinics to all interested persons in the techniques of training versatile hunting dogs

c.     Maintain records of such tests for all interested persons;

d.     Promote selective breeding and population control of versatile hunting dog breeds.

e.     Promote ethical hunting behavior, breeding and conservation practices.  To prevent cruelty to animals through the means of educating owners/handlers of proper use, care, breeding, wild life conservation, and benefits of properly trained versatile hunting dogs.

5.     The corporation shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, religion, or any legally proscribed classification, in its programs, activities, or employment practices.

6.     Date of incorporation

Members of Willamette Valley Chapter of NAVHDA have voted and elected to recognize this charter as of the day June 6^th, 2003.

ARTICLE 2 - MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

1.     Adult Membership: Shall consist of one adult and all members of his/her immediate family and requires current membership in NAVHDA.  Voting privileges are restricted to one vote per adult membership;

2.     Junior Membership: Persons under the age of 18 are eligible to be Junior Members by paying annual dues at one half the adult membership rate; they do not have voting privileges and are not required to be NAVHDA members;

3.     Chapter Membership: Dues will be determined by the Board of Directors and are payable January 1^st to cover the calendar year ending December 31^st.  Dues paid by new members joining after the fall test will cover both the remainder of the current calendar year and the following year’s membership.

4.     Members not paying dues by March 1^st will be dropped from the membership rolls and all benefits of the chapter will be terminated.

5.     The chapter may award a lifetime honorary membership without dues to any person who makes an outstanding contribution to the purpose of the chapter.

6.     Expulsion: The Board of Directors may expel from the chapter any member for good cause shown, such as violation of rules, unsportsmanlike conduct or other actions that might bring discredit to the chapter or NAVHDA.  Prior to final action by the Board, the person in question shall be given the opportunity to present his/her case to the Board.  A decision to expel will require the expulsion vote of four of the six board members.  If the decision is to expel, no refund of dues will be made and recommendation will be made to NAVHDA International for similar expulsion.

ARTICLE 3 - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1.     The Board of Directors shall consist of six members - four elected from the general adult membership for two-year terms and two appointed by the President for one-year terms.  All shall serve without pay.

2.     Elected members are:

a.     President who presides over the annual meeting and board meetings, appoints active members to fill vacancies occurring between elections, appoints Directors of Testing and Training (section 3) and appoints committees as required;

b.     Vice President who assumes the office of President in the event of a vacancy occurring therein and performs such other duties as may be assigned by the President;

c.     Secretary who conducts chapter correspondence, maintains membership list and mailing list, prepares and circulates quarterly newsletters to members, notifies members of time and location of annual meeting, records minutes of annual meeting and presents them at the following year's annual meeting;

d.     Treasurer who receives all incoming funds for the chapter, pays all bills due by the chapter, maintains the chapter checking account, maintains all financial records, and prepares and presents at the annual meeting a financial statement of the year's income and expenses.

3.     Appointed members are:

a.     Director of Testing who is responsible for the organization and operation of all tests held by the chapter and appoints a test chairman and test secretary for each test;

b.     Director of Training who is responsible for the organization and operation of all training events held by the chapter, appoints an event chairman for each training event, and assists chapter members with solving training problems.

4.     Elected members of the Board of Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting by simple majority vote of members present and currently eligible to vote (Article 4, Section 2).

ARTICLE 4 - ANNUAL MEETING AND ELIGIBLE VOTERS

1.     An annual meeting shall be held in the 1^st quarter of each calendar year or at such time(s) as deemed necessary by the Board of Directors.  An honest attempt to ample notification will be given to all current members as to the time, date, and location of the meeting.  The annual meeting shall consist of:

a.     Presentation of the financial report (Treasurer)

b.     Review minutes of the previous annual meeting (Secretary).

c.     Election of Board of Directors (in years where appropriate).

d.     Voting on any by-law amendments.  Proposals by general members for such amendments must be made to the Board of Directors by December 1 and will be circulated to members with the notice of the annual meeting; passage of a by-law amendment shall require a two-thirds majority of eligible voters present.

a.     Exception:  The Board of directors may introduce a change to the bylaws should unique circumstances be encountered (e.g. a change to the Parent organization bylaws or State or local requirements.)   In the event of such change, the Board of directors will submit the proposal to the general membership for comment.  Comment from the general membership must be received within 30 days of the Board of Directors notice.   A vote on the change will then be completed within in the next 30 days.  The total time for this change to be made shall not exceed 60 days.

e.     Discussion and conduct of chapter business.  Presentation of motions is limited to eligible voters.

f.      Minutes of the meeting shall be taken by the scribe and made available upon request.

2.     Eligible voters shall consist of adult members who have paid dues for the current year in accordance of Article 2.

ARTICLE 5 - FIELD TESTS AND ENTRY FEES

1.     Field tests shall be conducted with prior NAVHDA sanction and in accordance with current NAVHDA test rules.

2.     The number of dogs entered by a single owner and/or handler in any one test or run on any one test day may be limited to allow test access for chapter members.

3.     The Board of Directors will establish entry fees for each field test sponsored by the Chapter.  Higher test fees will be established for dogs not owned by NAVHDA International members.

ARTICLE 6 – ASSIGNMENT OF CHAPTER ASSETS UPON DISSOLUTION

1.     Upon dissolution and winding up of this organization, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the organization, the remaining assets shall be distributed to our national organization, NAVHDA national, a nonprofit corporation organized and operated exclusively for the purposes specified in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and which has established its tax-exempt status under that section.