The NFSS 2nd Quarter, 2004, Board meeting was called to order by President, Sally Huntington, on May 1, 2004. President, Sally Huntington announced the following: 

Proposed by-law revisions will be ready for the board‘s review by the NCBS meeting. Randy Taylor will speak at the Afternoon of Aviculture this year. Others pending. Paula Hansen will speak at the AFA Convention. 

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Motion 2004-2: NFSS 4th Vice President, Martha Wigmore, made a motion that NFSS adopt the following changes to the NFSS Classifications. 

(Young Classes are even numbers; Old Classes are odd numbers.) 

SECTION THREE - GOULDIAN FINCHES 

Enter bird in HIGHEST class number that covers any of the bird's visible features.

Normal Gouldian

300 Red-headed Normal Cock 301 
302 Red-headed Normal Hen 303 
304 Black-headed Normal Cock 305 
306 Black-headed Normal Hen 307 
308 Orange-headed Normal Cock 309 
310 Orange-headed Normal Hen 311 

Normal Gouldian/Other Color Breast 

312 Red-headed Normal with White Breast 313 
314 Black-headed Normal w/White Breast 315 
316 Orange-headed Normal w/White Breast 317 
318 Normal Gouldian w/Other Color Breast 319

Yellow Bodied Gouldian 

320 Yellow Bodied with Purple Breast 321 
322 Yellow  Bodied w/White Breast 323 
324 Yellow Bodied w/Other Color Breast 325

Blue Bodied Gouldian

326 Blue Bodied Gouldian 327 

Any Other Variety

328 Dilute 329 
330 Silver 331 
332 Any Other Variety (AOV) 333

SECTION FOUR-AUSTRALIAN FINCHES

No changes are proposed, other than to renumber from 400 through 434 the 
remaining Australian classes which were previously grouped with the Gouldian 
classes. 

All subsequent Section Numbers (and corresponding Class numbers) will have
to be increased by one to accommodate the insertion of the new separate Section 
Three for Gouldians.

Motion Seconded by NFSS Executive Secretary, Martie Lauster 

Motion PASSED: 9 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstain. 

_____________________________________________________________________________ 


Motion 2004-3: NFSS 2nd Vice President, Harry Bryant, made a motion to have a band registry program developed by Tim Ames. 

Motion Seconded by NFSS Band Secretary, Paula Hansen. 

Quorum not achieved for this motion. 
_____________________________________________________________________________ 

Motion 2004-4: NFSS Regional Vice President of Region 1, Robert Fairchild, made a motion to either reduce or eliminate the $5.00 charge to register traceable non NFSS bands. This would only be for bands that could be traced through a club or band registry company. 

Motion Seconded by: NFSS 2nd Vice President, Harry Bryant 

Quorum not achieved for this motion. 
_____________________________________________________________________________ 

Motion 2004-5: NFSS Executive Secretary, Martie Lauster, made a motion that a membership poll be conducted with the purpose of determining our members' perceived value of the products and services we offer as well as to receive suggestions for enhancements to membership benefits. One board member to be assigned to manage the process and if needed, a member volunteer be sought to enter data into a database that can be used for reporting and analysis.

Motion Seconded by NFSS 3rd Vice President, Randy Taylor

Motion PASSED: 8 Yes, 0 No, 1 Abstain. 

_____________________________________________________________________________ 


Motion 2004-6: NFSS 4th Vice President, Martha Wigmore, made a motion that NFSS increase its yearly donation to the National Cage Bird Show from $400.00 to $600.00.

Motion Seconded  by NFSS Executive Secretary, Martie Lauster

Motion PASSED: 5 Yes, 2 No, 2 Abstain. 
_____________________________________________________________________________ 

Motion 2004-7: As a quorum was not achieved for motions 2004-3 and 2004-4, President Sally Huntington asked the board to decide how to proceed with them. NFSS Regional Vice President of Region 6, Raspbery, made a motion that the vote be concluded as scheduled and allow new motions to be formed at the next board meeting for any issue that any board member feels warrants discussion again.

Motion Seconded by: NFSS 2nd Vice President, Harry Bryant

Motion PASSED: 8 Yes, 1 No, 0 Abstain. 

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2nd Quarter - 2004 NFSS Officers Reports

2002 FINANCIAL AUDIT

NFSS 4th Vice President, Martha Wigmore, and NFSS 1st Vice President, Armando Lee, submitted the following report of the 2002 Financial Audit: 

March 3, 2004

To the NFSS Board of Directors: 

REPORT OF 2002 FINANCIAL AUDIT

An audit of the 2002 financial records of the National Finch and Softbill Society has been conducted by two members of the NFSS Board, Armando Lee and Martha Wigmore, as appointed by NFSS President Sally Huntington, and in accordance with the NFSS Bylaws. 

This Report of the results of our audit, conducted separately in November 2003 and February 2004 and compiled bye-mail correspondence, is submitted today for review by the NFSS Board. Questions raised about particular transactions have been resolved to our satisfaction.

The 2002 records compiled by NFSS Treasurer Mark Phelps are complete and organized, all bank records present, all NFSS payment and deposit transactions were documented and traceable (with a few exceptions noted). No questionable bank transactions were found. We particularly would like to compliment Mr. Phelps on the degree of professionalism with which he has handled vendors and government agencies.

As internal auditors, we found that, with a few exceptions as referenced in the detailed report, every 2002 financial transaction has an acceptable audit trail. The Treasurer obtained appropriate approvals for all financial activities, although documentation of this will be improved for 2003. The financial systems in place in 2002 demonstrate good control, oversight, and proper accountability. 

Per Mr. Phelps, the 2003 records should be even better documented and the reports will be better for tracing activities. We thank Mark Phelps for his fine efforts as NFSS Treasurer with what has become a more complicated environment for NFSS financial affairs.

Respectfully submitted, 
Armando Lee, NFSS First Vice President 
Martha Wigmore, NFSS Fourth Vice President

_____________________________________________________________________________ 

NFSS Third Vice President & FSS/Census Manager 

Finch and Softbill Save now has a total membership of 35. Renewal dates were indicated on the last Newsletter's mailing label. I have had quite a bit of correspondence indicating interest in joining the program but not many that have actually joined. 

Ten extra copies of the second quarter NL were mailed out again in an attempt to stimulate interest in the program. Ron Castaner has converted the last issue of the NL into pdf format making it much easier to send electronically. Roy Beckham has offered his services in laser printing the NL but I am not sure that it will save any money due to increased postage fees. Additional Biological Species Profiles and Husbandry Guidelines have been completed and will be published in future issues of the NL. 

I have completed editing the forms for the Annual Census along with the instructions. The September/October issue of the Journal will announce the Census and I am hoping to also have it available on-line at that time. 

Respectfully submitted, 
Randy Taylor, 3rd VP 

_____________________________________________________________________________ 

Report of the NFSS Fourth Vice President and Judges Panel Director Martha Wigmore 

JUDGE'S PANEL REPORT:

There are currently 25 members of the NFSS Judges Panel. Non members are currently involved in the Apprentice Program. All but one judge have paid the 2004 Judge's Fee. One judge (the same judge with unpaid fee for 2004) has had four straight years without judging shows with NFSS, and has no reported shows for this, the fifth year. Per the "NFSS Judges Handbook" (pg. 2), this judge will be required to submit to evaluation before continuing to judge with NFSS. 

RESEARCH AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE:

(1) Society Finch Standard Revision Committee

The update of the Society Finch Standard is underway with co-chairs Julie Duimstra and Clarence Culwell. NFSS members have been encouraged to forward their thoughts on the newer Society mutations to the Committee chairs for the Committee's consideration.

(2) Proposed General Standard

At the 1st Qtr 2004 Board meeting, Board members returned the Proposed General Standard back to Committee for further work. The Judges Panel will be involved in resolving the issues in question this year.

(3) Gouldian Finch Standard Revision Committee

A committee will be established to revise the Gouldian Finch Standard. Some members have expressed their interest. Additional volunteers are welcome.

(4) Pairs Standard

A concern was expressed to the Judges Panel Director that NFSS judges were not uniformly applying the NFSS Pairs Standard (adopted in 2001). Judges are reminded to review the NFSS Standard and apply it correctly.

SPECIE CLASSIFICATIONS:

A class schedule for the new Gouldian Section has been submitted to the Board for their consideration at this Board meeting. Later this year, the NFSS Classifications and corresponding Secretary Worksheets will be available on the NFSS website. Our affiliated clubs will then have these at their fingertips. Watch for further information!

NO DOVES OR QUAIL AT NCBS 2004:

NFSS' Annual National Show, held in conjunction with the National Cage Bird Show, will NOT allow Doves and Quail entries this year. The NCBS Board of Directors has announced that there will be no Doves and Quail Section at NCBS in Lansing, Michigan. After some discussion, the NFSS Board agreed this will have no impact on awarding points at this show. NCBS' decision is best explained by NCBS President Bonnie Cain in her message to NFSS dated 4/08/04 which follows:

Dear Martha,

The decision made at our spring meeting to TEMPORARILY delete the Doves and Quail from the catalog was indeed viewed as a way to avoid intervention by agricultural officials. Current edicts from such officials, some of which appear on the NFSS web site, include quail and doves under the category of poultry as their target. Recent decisions by the Texas officials makes the distinction between exotic and cage birds versus poultry quite clear. The same sort of categorization is reflected in other states and by federal agencies.

I speak for all the NCBS Directors when I say that we feel this categorization fails to take into account that any doves and quail that may be shown as a cage bird would probably be exempt from the exposure commercial poultry flocks may have to disease. Nonetheless, such distinction is not made by those perusing the current avian health concerns for our government. These officials are working on several diseases and to date have made little distinction between poultry and cage birds, and no provision for identifying a dove or quail as exempt from the poultry classification. Should officials be moved to make such distinction our concerns would be alleviated.

Yesterday the news from British Columbia, Canada, was that 19 million birds are to be killed to stop the spread of avian flu. Various states in the U. S. have taken a variety of measures to control problems within their jurisdiction. So it appears that at the present time these problems persist and we can only hope they will be relieved in the near future.

NCBS sincerely wants to put on as how this year in Michigan and next year we will be in Texas. By eliminating the doves and quail for now we hope to encounter no obstacles to conducting a cage bird show regardless of whatever the current avian disease situation is in the poultry sector. We fully expect that these disease conditions will abate and restoring doves and quail to the NCBS show will be accomplished.

If you would like to discuss this mater further please do contact me.

Best wishes,

Bonnie Cain 
President, NCBS

Respectfully submitted, 
Martha Wigmore

_____________________________________________________________________________ \

NFSS Membership Director 

2nd QUARTER MEMBERSHIP REPORT 

SINGLE MEMBERSHIPS 687 
DUAL MEMBERSHIPS 101 
AFFILIATED MEMBERSHIPS 33 

TOTAL NFSS MEMBERSHIPS 821

Submitted By 
Linda Hughes 
NFSS Membership Director 

_____________________________________________________________________________ 

NFSS Band Secretary 

Estimated Band Sales for 2004/2003 overview (as of 5/17/04).

March 2004  - $987.05 - Pay Pal:19/ Mail In: 23 (3/2003 $984.40) 
April 2004 - $371.05 - Pay Pal: 17/ Mail In: 17 (4/2003 $535.90) 
May 2004 - $341.75 - Pay Pal: 10/ Mail In: 12 (5/2003 $622.65) 

Respectfully Submitted, 
Paula Hansen, NFSS Band Secretary 
_____________________________________________________________________________ 

From the Office of the NFSS Affiliations Manager, 

Hello Everyone. 

35 clubs have affiliated with NFSS this year so far. I have sent out affiliation packets back in January to al the clubs listed below and I just recently sent postcard reminder notes to the clubs that do not have a "2004" in front of their names. I don't know what else we can do to make the clubs affiliation the beginning of the year. They miss out on journals when they wait till their show or the middle of the year. 

Next year I am going to send out packets in the beginning of December. I am hoping that they do not get lost in the holiday mail. This was a new position for me this year and I did not start my position as Affiliation Manager until Jan 1st and I have been playing catch-up ever since. I am hoping that I will have more time for this next year so that I can concentrate on attracting new clubs to NFSS as well. 

The affiliations department has little to do for the remainder of the year with the exception of fielding questions. However, do not think that my hands will be idle, the Awards Manager position that I also hold is just about ready to shift into High Gear. 

Thank you for your attention.

Darla Dandre 
NFSS Affiliations Manager

_____________________________________________________________________________ 

NFSS FinchShop Manager

The Finch Shop has added several new items including the Candler, Logo cap, and Logo polo shirt. Sales for this quarter were above those of last year but so were expenses. I am awaiting figures from Mark as many of the sales are through PayPal and some expenses are still pending. Adding items initially is a set back as there are minimum quantity and the profit margin is not that great so we do not recoup the investment until 75% of the stock is sold. We will be adding a Gouldian beeswax candle shortly that I think many members will like. There is no initial outlay of funds I have represented NFSS at several Marts in the Mid Atlantic region, which has produced modest sales but has significantly increased our visibility. 

Robert Mehl 
Finch Shop Manager 

_____________________________________________________________________________ 

NFSS Awards Manager 

Hello Everyone, 

To date we have sold approximately $1825.95 in Awards. I anticipate we will sell over $2500.00 by the end of the 2004 show season. 

We have lowered the pricing for the Rosettes and I anticipate increased sales figures because of the lower pricing. Everyone I have talked to is very happy with the new rosettes. 

We introduced and have ON SALE NOW. A "Judges Award" Rosette that NFSS Judges can buy to give away at the shows that they judge. When the Judges were poled earlier in the year about 80% said that they would buy rosettes to give away at the shows that they judge. The price for this Rosette is $5.00 each and includes shipping. Since these Awards are purchased by the Judge and NOT the NFSS Affiliate club (local club) Show Manager, they will NOT be listed on the Awards Order Form. I have asked and sent copy to Martie to announce the Judges Award in the Journal. I also need to do another postcard mailing and e-mailing announcement to al the judges to let them know that I have them and that they may start ordering them from me NOW! 

I am sending a "feeler" flier out with al the Awards orders this year asking clubs if they are interested in Section and Class Rosettes and Ribbons. I am hoping for a good response to my questionnaire. I will only carry stock on these items if 50% or more of the NFSS Affiliates seem to be interested in them. 

I have just received a package, compliments of Kaytee that contains Cage Tags, Entry Forms and Class Stickers. I do not have a lot of them but what I do have, I will assemble into packets and send out with our NFSS Awards Orders. I do have "samples" (one of each) available to anyone who would like to see one - send a S.A.S.E. to me and I will be happy to send one back to you. 

I have just placed our "big" order with the Rosette manufacturer and I am dreading assembling the rosettes together into the "Sets" when they arrive. I will have over 500 rosettes in the living room that will have to be assembled into the sets of 11 that we sell. 

Next year I am going to change the design of the Novice and Youth awards so that they are the same style of rosette. Their colors will remain the same making them easy to tell them apart. I didn't like the Youth rosette when I first received it and I thought it would look better if it looked more like the Novice rosette. We will have to sell out of the current ones first. At the current rate of sale (demand) this may take until 2005 or 2006. 

Speaking of Sales: Item Sales to Date 

16 - Best Finch or Softbill in Division Plaques 
9 - 2nd Best Finch or Softbill In Division Plaques
7 - 3rd Best Finch or Softbill in Division Plaque 
8 - Best Finch in Show Plaques 
3 - Best Softbill in Show Plaques
2 - Custom Plaques
25 - Basic Rosette Sets (1st thru 10th place + Best unflighted) 
4 - Unflighted Add on sets (2nd and 3rd place Unflighted) 
18 - Novice Rosettes 
7 - Youth Rosettes
1 - Judges Special Award 

Remember, Show Managers are the ones that are purchasing these awards. Most likely, they are NOT NFSS members. I get lots of feedback from beginners wanting to know why there are lots of awards at one particular show and none at another OR they call up telling me that they never received their awards and then I have to explain to them that NFSS does not provide awards- the local club has to purchase them. If they do not purchase them then they will not be awarded at the show. I have mentioned that NFSS members should volunteer at the local club level and participate in their show committees so that when it does come time to order the awards for the show, they can have some input as to which awards they want to buy and offer to their exhibitors. Some shows that purchase many awards and use them as incentive to get people to show. I have also had people contact me that placed in a show that did not offer plaques and wanted to purchase their own plaque to mark the occasion. I liked that! I was happy to accommodate their request! 

Respectfully Submitted, 
Darla Dandre 
NFSS Awards Manager 

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