Membership

The membership of the WRP is a combination of state, provincial, federal, tribal, non-governmental, academic and industry entities with an interest in AIS management in the west. Membership in the WRP for state, provincial, and federal representation is designated by the named agency. For tribal, non-governmental, academia and industry representation, these individuals or organizations are elected by the membership of the WRP for 4-year terms.

Membership Election

Elections for Tribal Governments or Interests, and Other Interest Members will occur every 4 years. However, if a membership position is vacant the Executive Committee can choose to hold a membership election to fill a vacancy. Those seeking a membership position must provide a completed Membership Application and two letters of reference. Elections take place during the Annual Meeting.

Duties of the Membership

  1. Participation in Panel meetings, and on Panel and ANS Task Force committees and workgroups.
  2. Enhance coordination of Panel activities through communication of ANS management and policy initiatives to other Panel members via presentations at the Annual Meeting.
  3. Communicate the Panel’s activities and recommended actions to the organizations they represent, and strive to improve the organization’s ability to address ANS impacts both internally and through collaborative partnerships.
  4. Members are encouraged to report on WRP actions and activities; however no member is allowed to make representations on behalf of the panel unless authorized by the Executive Committee.
  5. Serve as a link to similar regional, national and international groups connecting the Panel to those of similar mission with common objectives.

Voting member positions

Voting member positions are defined as representatives from the following: US Federal Agencies, US State Governments, US Territorial Governments, Canadian Provinces, Canadian Federal Agencies, Mexican Federal Agencies, Tribal Governments or Interests, and Other Interests (including but not limited to trade, scientific or professional associations and societies, non-governmental organizations and academic institutes), as in Attachment A. Voting Members shall be appointed by their Appointing Organization to fill Voting Positions. The representative Appointing Organizations of the Panel will strive to mirror the current federal ANS Task Force representative Appointing Organizations.

Appointing Organizations: The Appointing Organization for the Voting Positions for Federal Agencies, State, Territorial and Provincial Governments shall be the entities so designated in Attachment A. For each Voting Position, an Appointing Organization shall appoint a Voting Member and, if desired, an Alternate Member. An Appointing Organization with a Voting Position has the authority to replace the members it has appointed; or, upon resignation of a member it has appointed, to appoint a new member. Appointment shall be done by written communication between the member’s organization and the Panel Coordinator or Executive Committee.

  1. Tribal Governments or Interests The Tribal Governments or Interests for the Voting Positions shall be the entities so designated in Attachment A. For each Voting Position, a Tribal Government or Interest shall appoint a Voting Member and, if desired, an Alternate Member. Appointment shall be done by written communication between the Tribal Government or Interest and the Panel Coordinator or Executive Committee.
  2. Other Interest Entities: The Other Interests Entities shall be those so designated in Attachment A and may represent an organization or an individual. A majority vote of the Panel membership will serve as the Appointing Organization for Other Interest Entities Voting Positions. For each Voting Position, the Panel membership shall appoint a Voting Member and, if desired, an Alternate Member by majority vote. Additionally, a membership application must be submitted by those seeking an individual voting member position.

Member Reports

All voting members of the WRP may annually submit a brief report of activities that are distributed at the Annual Meeting. Prior to 2013, the WRP members gave verbal annual reports during the Annual Meeting. In the interest of efficiency, the WRP switched to a different method of collecting written member reports and has been keeping record of these reports ever since.