Notices to the ISE Membership

Call for nominations to the ISE Board (2010-2012)

Call for proposals to host the 14th ISE Congress in 2014 (Deadline extended to 15 March 2010!)

Call for nominations to the ISE Board (2010-2012)

Dear ISE members,

Every two years, members of the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) are invited to nominate candidates for the Board of the ISE. Nominations will be open for the 2010-2012 term as of the 5th of February 2010. Nominations will close the 9th of April 2010 and will be voted on by the ISE membership at the General Assembly during the 12th ISE Congress in Tofino, British Columbia, Canada (9-14 May 2010). Please note that at this time there is no other option for an ISE member to vote (i.e., voting is only in person at the General Assembly). However, there will be a recommendation by the Board for a constitutional change and mechanisms to be put in place to enable ISE members to vote for Board members online in the future (i.e., beginning in 2012).

The ISE invites nominees for the offices of: (i) President-elect (vice president); (ii) Secretary; (iii) Treasurer; (iv) 5 Regional Representatives, one from each major region (Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania), and (v) up to two student representative(s). We encourage nominations from all parts of the world and from women and men associated with ethnobiology in diverse ways.

To qualify for nomination, all candidates must be members in good standing. For the positions of President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer, candidates must have attended two prior Congresses (i.e., not including the 12 ISE Congress in Tofino); Candidates for Regional Representatives and Student Representatives must have attended one prior Congress.

Prospective candidates should familiarize themselves with the duties of each position and assess whether or not they have the time and skills to carry them out. In addition to their specific duties, Board members will have both the privilege and the commitment of guiding the ISE through an ongoing process of institutional self-assessment and development, and will need to be in regular email or telephone contact with one another and the ISE Coordinator. All members of the Board commit, as volunteers, and without remuneration, to a strong consultative and fundraising role in shaping the direction and continued success of the ISE in its commitment to achieving a greater understanding of the complex relationships that exist within and between human societies and their environments. A minimum estimated time commitment is 4-8 hours per month for President, President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer; and 2 hours per month for Regional Representatives and Student Representatives.

You may nominate yourself or someone else who you are familiar with as long as that person agrees in writing to be nominated. The nomination should include approximately 300 words outlining specifically how the candidate fulfills the requirements for the Board position, his/her intentions and vision for ISE development over the next 2 years, and any other information that the voting membership should to know about the candidate. A photograph and a short biography or curriculum vitae are not required but may be included as supporting materials if you wish. These materials will be published on the ISE website so that members may review them prior to the ISE Congress in Canada.

Nominees should be familiar with the relevant position duties (below) and the sections of the ISE Constitution that describe their responsibilities.

President-elect (vice-president)
Secretary
Treasurer
Regional representatives (total of 5): Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania
Student Representatives (note that nominations are open for Student Representative positions but they are appointed by the outgoing Board and not open to vote by membership)

We look forward to receiving your nominations.

Send email nominations to both Leslie Main Johnson (lmainjohnson@gmail.com) and Natasha Duarte (isecoordinator@gmail.com)

ISE Organizational Structure

Elected Officers of the Board:
President
Vice President/President Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
Regional representatives: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania

Appointed Officers of the Board:
Global Coalition Director
Chair of the Ethics Committee
Administrator of the ISE Darrell Posey Fellowship Program (new position, pending membership approval by vote at the General Assembly)
Student representative(s)

Ex-officio members:
Congress Organizers of the most recent past and upcoming ISE Congresses
Past Presidents

Overview of ISE Board Duties

President (2 year term; cannot be re-elected but can be elected to a different position on the Board): The President-elect becomes the President, after serving the two-year term of President-elect.

The President is responsible for coordinating the Society’s business in consultation with the ISE Coordinator and other members of the Board. The President is responsible for supporting and working with the ISE Coordinator to draft the agenda and conduct the General Assembly at the biennial ISE Congress. During the intervening period between biennial General Assemblies, the President conducts Society business with other officers and advisors via e-mail, phone and mail and is expected to participate in bi-monthly Board Meetings. Executive Board members commit to ongoing fundraising for core functions and development of the Society, and fundraising in support of Congress organizers. The President, President-elect, and Coordinator must be in excellent and regular communication via phone, internet, and fax at all times. The responsibilities of the President are detailed in Article 11.10 of the ISE Constitution.

President-elect/Vice President (2 year term; leading to a second 2-year term as president): The President-elect must be an ISE member in good standing, and have attended at least two prior Congresses, not including the current Congress.

The President-elect assists the President and takes an active role in the organization of the General Assembly and is expected to participate in bi-monthly Board Meetings. The President-elect also serves on the Nominating committee and the Financial Management committee, and commits to other aspects of fundraising for the Society and for the Congress organizers. The President-elect shall substitute for the President in the absence of the President. The responsibilities of the President-elect are detailed in Article 11.11 of the ISE Constitution.

Secretary* (2 year term but anticipated to become 4 year term as of 2010): The Secretary must be an ISE member in good standing, and have attended at least two prior Congresses, not including the current Congress.

The Secretary is responsible for supporting and working with the ISE Coordinator in:

Preparing the minutes of the Board meetings and of the General Assemblies, and distributing them to the Board in a timely fashion;
Oversight, with ISE Coordinator, for all correspondence of the ISE;
Assisting in all aspects of outreach and communications for the Society, including the ISE newsletter, funding proposal preparation and website oversight, as appropriate; and
Maintaining and developing the institutional memory of the ISE.

The Secretary will obtain the Secretary’s File from the Coordinator or outgoing Secretary and obtain a summary of registrants from local organizers of the most recent ISE Congress to include in the history of the Society. The Secretary must participate as a Board member in all general Board decisions and must be in excellent and regular communication with the Coordinator via phone, internet, and fax and is expected to participate in bi-monthly Board Meetings. Prior to the next ISE Congress, the Secretary must obtain a complete list of the membership from the Coordinator and create a Secretary’s Report for the Congress General Assembly including the following:

Changes in membership over the term, by category;
Important changes or additions to the ISE website, www.ethnobiology.net;
Statement of notable correspondence received or sent;
Report of key decisions minuted during interim meetings or consultations of the board.

The Secretary’s Report must be presented to the Ordinary General Assembly, with copies to the Coordinator, and the Secretary’s File transferred to the incoming Secretary. The ISE Secretary must also substitute for the President and President-elect in the case that either are unable or prevented from meeting their commitments. The responsibilities of the Secretary are detailed in Article 11.12 of the ISE Constitution.

Treasurer* (2 year term but anticipated to become 4 year term as of 2010): The Treasurer must be an ISE member in good standing, and have attended at least two prior Congresses, not including the current Congress.

The Treasurer will obtain the Treasurer’s File from the Coordinator or out-going Treasurer and obtain a financial summary from local organizers of the most recent ISE Congress to include in the financial history of the Society. The Treasurer must participate as a Board member in all general Board decisions and is responsible for facilitating Board decisions on Society expenditures and financial matters. The Treasurer will take a leading role in strengthening the ISE’s financial security, including ideas for sustainable revenue-generation and fund-raising. The Treasurer will also lead on membership development and expansion of membership, including revisions of fee-scales and fee-waiver requests, with the help of the Coordinator and the Board. The Treasurer must be in excellent and regular communication with the Coordinator via phone, internet, and fax and is expected to participate in bi-monthly Board Meetings. The Treasurer is responsible for overseeing and working with the ISE Coordinator in:

Receiving, acknowledging and accounting for membership fees;
Managing the ISE's funds and payment of accounts;
Oversight and reviewing budgets for the ISE, grant proposals and/or sub-committee activities;
Preparing the biennial financial report to the Ordinary General Assembly;
Receiving and giving receipts for all legacies, donations, subscriptions or other monies bequeath, made, given or loaned to the ISE; and
Assisting with all financial aspects of the Society and preparation of financial documents, as appropriate. This includes reviewing and signing off on financial reports prepared by the Coordinator.

Prior to the next ISE Congress, the Treasurer will obtain an itemized summary of Society expenditures from the Coordinator and create a Treasurer’s Report for the Board Meeting and General Assembly that includes the following:

Statement of bank account at beginning of term
Expenditures (including banking and other fees)
Income
Statement of bank account at end of term
Indication of accounts payable and accounts receivable (if any)
Explain to the Board any significant deviations from the annual budgets.

The Secretary’s Report must be presented to the Ordinary General Assembly, with copies to the Coordinator, and the Treasurer’s File transferred to the incoming Treasurer. The responsibilities of the Treasurer are detailed in Article 11.13 of the ISE Constitution.

Regional Representatives (2 year term): The Regional Representatives must be ISE members in good standing, and have attended at least one prior Congress, not including the current Congress.

Regional Representatives are seen as key networking and outreach agents for the Society, acting as a portal or communications liaison between ethnobiological organizations and/or practitioners in their region and the ISE Coordinator and Executive Board. The position of Regional Representative is intended to build upon the strengths and interests of each individual in ways that support and further the goals of the ISE. Examples of the activities for Regional Representatives include but are not limited to:

assisting in maintaining and increasing the ISE membership base within their region,
actively engaging student and young research scholars in their regions to become members of the ISE,
helping with outreach to universities and other like-minded societies/organizations within their region,
contacting grant making foundations in their region to enable the travel of participants from their region to the ISE Congresses,
contributing articles to the ISE newsletter,
contributing content for the ISE website, and
initiating workshops, trainings, and/or regional conferences in their regions in between Congresses.

Student Representatives (2 year term): The Student Representatives must be ISE members in good standing, and have attended at least one prior Congress, not including the current Congress.

The ISE created the position of Student Representative in 2008 to increase our focus on issues of concern to students in ethnobiology and to help foster a 'next generation' of ISE leaders. The main role of this position is to keep the rest of the ISE Board in touch with a student's perspective on topics under discussion, materials under development or issues being decided on. Broad participation and input in the bi-monthly Board Meetings (held via conference call) and in various subcommittee activities is encouraged. The position of Student Representative is intended to build upon the strengths and interests of the individual in ways that support and further the goals of the ISE. Examples of activities undertaken by Student Representatives include, but are not limited to:

assisting in increasing the ISE membership base (with emphasis on students and young Indigenous peoples),
helping with outreach to student groups at universities and other like-minded societies,
assisting in development of workshops and training (with specific emphasis on programs for new ethnobiologists),
participating in Board conference calls to keep the Board up to date about student concerns and goals related to ethnobiology and indigenous issues, and
contributing articles to the ISE newsletter.

*A recommendation by the outgoing Board will be proposed to the ISE membership such that the positions of Secretary and Treasurer become 4 year terms with staggered elections. This change will be put to vote by the ISE membership during the General Assembly at the 12th ISE Congress in Tofino, Canada. If this measure is passed, the ISE will begin transitioning to 4-year staggered terms as of 2010. In anticipation of this change, all nominees for positions to be filled in 2010 are requested to indicate the length of term they are willing to serve (i.e., 2 or 4 years).

Dear ISE Members,

A membership drive and new membership benefits were announced and approved at the General Assembly during the International Congress of Ethnobiology (ICE) in Cusco, Peru (June 2008).

Membership Drive

We are pleased to announce a new membership drive. Our goal is to expand our membership base while encouraging new and renewing members to actively engage in the ISE in ways that are mutually beneficial and the build capacity of the Society to achieve our goals.

Beginning September 2008, the ISE encourages membership fee waivers in exchange for in-kind contributions to the Society. Possible in-kind contributions include (but are not limited to) language translation, computer design/graphics, photography, editing, writing, and distribution of ISE materials (e.g., regional brochures, posters, Code of Ethics, etc.). We are very open to other suggestions for in-kind contributions and ways to encourage our members to use their interests and skills to be active in the Society.

Membership Benefits

Current membership benefits include the option to receive updates on relevant conference, career, and scholarship opportunities, networking opportunities with other members world-wide, and reduced registration fees at the ISE Congresses. New benefits include an on-line discussion forum for ISE Members available through WiserEarth.org and the ISE Newsletter. There are several other membership benefits currently under development this term.

As we continue moving forward with these activities, the ISE welcomes your feedback, contributions and ideas on furthering our vision to promote understanding, dialogue and harmonious co-existence between humankind and the Bios for the benefit of future generations.

Stay tuned and keep in touch!

Warm regards,

Natasha, ISE Coordinator

(On behalf of the 2008-2010 ISE Board)

CALL FOR PROPOSALS TO HOST THE 14th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ETHNOBIOLOGY IN 2014

The ISE Board has extended the deadline for submitting proposals for the 14th International Congress of Ethnobiology. The new deadline is Monday, 15 MARCH 2010.

The Board of the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) welcomes proposals to host the 14th International Congress of Ethnobiology (ICE), to be held in 2014. Institutions or groups interested in hosting the Congress should submit proposals by Monday, 15 MARCH 2010 as a Word or pdf document to Natasha Duarte, ISE Coordinator, (isecoordinator@gmail.com), with a copy to Leslie Main Johnson, ISE secretary (lmainjohnson@gmail.com). Electronic submissions sent by email must contain your name in the file name (e.g., John_Smith_2014Congress proposal.doc).

Download this Call for Proposals here!

To date Congresses have been held in:

13th (planned) ICE	2012	Montpelier, France
12th (planned) ICE	2010	Tofino, Canada
11th ICE	2008	Cusco, Peru
10th ICE	2006	Chiang Rai, Thailand
9th ICE	2004	Canterbury, Kent, UK
8th ICE	2002	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
7th ICE	2000	Athens, USA
6th ICE	1998	Whakatane, Aotearoa/New Zealand
5th ICE	1996	Nairobi, Kenya
4th ICE	1994	Lucknow, India
3rd ICE	1992	Mexico City, Mexico Chair
2nd ICE	1990	Kunming, China
1st ICE	1988	Belem, Brazil

Please include the following information and address the following criteria in your proposal in a maximum of 10 pages (not including maps, photos and supporting documents).

Please submit a brief narrative answering the following questions (in order):

1. Why do you want to host the 14th ISE Congress?

2. How will the Congress that you host further the goals of the ISE (refer to the ISE vision statement)? Outline any other goals (for example, to bring attention to a local issue or international interaction to a local group).

3. How will your organizing team encourage and incorporate participation of Indigenous peoples and local community members?

4. What are your preliminary ideas for Congress themes?

5. How will your organizing team incorporate information sharing structures into the Congress beyond conventional academic formats? How will you achieve the central goals of the ISE of using the Congress to create a productive space for exchanges between diverse political, cultural and epistemological views in ethnobiology?

6. How would you describe the host organization or institution's strengths in relation to ethnobiology and related fields? What is the host organization's capacity and experience in relation to organizing a major event of this kind?

7. Why would ethnobiologists be interested in meeting in the host country and region? What points of geographical and historical interest exist in the region? Please make special reference to cultural and biological diversity; ability to interact with local ethnobiologists and with Indigenous, traditional, and/or local communities; and to contacts with other relevant organizations and institutions.

8. What is your team's proposed organizational plan? Please include information about the following: specific Congress location; local organizing committee; infrastructure and services; institutional, governmental and other support, and a well developed funding strategy. Maps and photos of the proposed location and region can be included as supporting materials.

Please make sure you provide details on the following criteria:

a. Logistics: Please provide estimates of travel cost and convenience (how well the location is connected to the rest of the world). Do adequate facilities exist for accommodation? Is local administrative support available for logistics? Are visas easy to obtain? What strategy do you have to help participants get visas? Are interesting field sites present nearby and accessible?

b. Institutions, infrastructure, and communications: Do appropriate cultural or scientific institutions exist in the proposed Congress location? What is the state of local communications and Congress facilities? Is local administrative support available for communications and correspondence (through fax, email, and message posting on the web)?

c. Organizational and funding support: Is your team able and willing to establish a strong and active local organizing committee to work on the Congress program, logistics, and fundraising? How will the team maintain good communication with and involvement of the international organizing committee, ISE Board and ISE staff?

d. Additional criteria: Does your team have the ability to develop and regularly update a detailed web page for the Congress?

e. Proceedings: Does your Congress organizing team have an interest in, and ability to compile and oversee publication of Congress Proceedings, either electronically or in print? Note: it is expected that at least 50% of royalties from Proceedings are donated to the ISE to support ongoing organizational costs.

The ISE Board will evaluate and rank proposals based on these criteria. The Board may contact you for additional information and clarification. Decisions will be made by membership vote in May 2010 after finalists are invited to make presentations to the ISE General Assembly at the 12th ISE Congress in Tofino, Canada. Finalists are strongly encouraged to represent their proposal at the General Assembly in person, but a presentation by proxy is also acceptable. The decision will be announced publicly in June 2010.

Please note that final decisions (vote by membership) will be based on the information you provide as well as other considerations, such as rotation among continents. Proposals must be received by the due date to allow sufficient time for members to read them online before arriving in Canada. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have as you consider your proposal submission.

Thank you in advance for your submission,

The ISE Board (2008-2010 term)