Club Bylaws – Including changes voted on and approved during the Jan 2020 General Membership Meeting
(please excuse the formatting goofs, I’m working on it)

East Bay Prospectors Bylaws

East Bay Prospectors is dedicated to providing education, support and increased public awareness of prospecting and mining, while maintaining responsible environmental conservation.  Our purpose is to educate and support individual participants, groups, organizations and anybody else interested in the ecologically sound practices of gold prospecting, small scale gold mining for profit and treasure hunting. These purposes will be accomplished through training and education concerning the locating and legal removal of minerals and treasures while preserving wildlife habitat and the environment where these activities occur. Training and education shall be accomplished through demonstrations, lectures, meetings or field outings at any location deemed appropriate by the board of directors and club members including public lands where we can or have gained ownership of the mineral rights.

MEMBERSHIP

  1. The members of this organization known as EAST BAY PROSPECTORS, for the purpose of being qualified for the “Gold Prospector’s Association of America Chapter Program” (GPAA) shall be limited to active local club members that hold a valid and current GPAA membership with regards to election of officers. Voting for other club actions and activities may be by all club members. GPAA encourages the involvement of all members of the club in areas not involving GPAA claim activities.

Change to:(A member is defined as any person, 18 years old or older, that has attended any combination of three outings or meetings of the EBPC, and holds a current EBPC membership card.)

  1. This club being a non-profit club will allow the General Public and Non-GPAA members to attend meetings and participate as any member in the fundraisers, lectures, and other activities but are not eligible to vote for officers, hold office, be on the Claims Committee, or utilize GPAA claims.
  2. All Clubs that are in the GPAA Chapter Program must be run by the voting membership and elected officers. Chapters are not to be run by any one individual or family. No
    one family may hold a controlling vote at any meeting. No officer or member may use the club for the purpose of alluring personal profits.
  1. ADD: Robert’s Rules of Order will be used as a guide for all meetings, and club business

OFFICERS

  1. 1. The elected Officers shall be:

PRESIDENT

VICE-PRESIDENT

SECRETARY

TREASURER

CLAIMS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

  1. 2. The appointed (non-elected) Officers are:

CLAIMS INSPECTOR

FUND-RAISING COORDINATOR

EDUCATION & OUTREACH COORDINATOR

MEMBERS – AT – LARGE (2-3)

OUTINGS COORDINATOR

REFRESHMENT COORDINATOR

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

The appointed Officers will serve under the direction of the President:

The appointed officers will be chosen by the elected officers. Each elected officer will nominate 2 club members for the appointment. The elected officers will vote on the suggested nominees, and the 8 nominees with the most votes will be appointed.

  1. 3. All Officers are volunteers and are to serve without pay or remuneration. Unforeseen and reasonable out of pocket expenses (i.e. telephone calls or other misc. expenses), may be reimbursed by the Club with proper receipts and approval. Travel and other special expenses relating to Chapter business, with prior approval of the chapter board and/or membership, shall be reimbursed with Club money.
  2. 4. THERE WILL BE NO PAID OFFICERS OR EMPLOYEES
  3. 5. The term of office for all Officers shall be 2 years.

OFFICERS DUTIES

PRESIDENT:

  1. 1. Schedule, plan & officiate at all meetings.
  2. 2. Coordinate the activities of all other officers.
  3. 3. Maintain liaison with National GPAA Headquarters.

VICE-PRESIDENT:

1.In the absence of the President, assume the President’s duties.

  1. 2. Maintain order at all meetings.
  2. 3. Oversee the fundraising & equipment sales activities, during the meeting.

SECRETARY:

  1. 1. Record minutes at all meetings and sign-in sheets.
  2. 2. Maintain all Chapter records including
  3. a. The membership roster
  4. b. All required forms
  5. c. Claim Committee forms
  6. d. The Chapter Calendar
  7. e. Master copies of the Chapter Constitution & Bylaws
  8. 3. Prepare, at the Presidents direction, all Chapter correspondence.
  9. 4. Keep files of all outgoing & incoming correspondence.
  10. 5. Provide the Claim Committee Chairman current roster of Claim Committee individuals.
  11. 6. Be the custodian for all Chapter office/mail supplies.
  12. 7. Other duties as directed by the President.

TREASURER:

  1. 1. Be the custodian of the Chapter checking account/book.
  2. 2. Maintain open, accurate records of all financial transactions.
  3. 3. Prepare a monthly Financial Report for the membership.
  4. 4. Collect all Monies and keep account of the Chapter Petty Cash Account.

CLAIMS COMMITTEE CHAIR:

  1. 1. Act as point of contact for all activities relating to claims in the local  sector .
  2. 2. Coordinate with the GPAA State Claims Committee.
  3. 3. Maintain the Claim Committee Roster (provided by Secretary).
  4. 4. Coordinate the activities of the Claims Inspectors.
  5. 5. Schedule & plan common digs with the President and Outings Coordinator.
  6. 6. Make a record for Secretary and GPAA of all cleanups and inspections on claims.
    These forms are available from GPAA Headquarters.

CLAIMS INSPECTOR:

  1. 1. Establish/maintain Claim committee teams; keep Secretary informed for roster purposes.
  2. 2. Schedule & coordinate Claim committee activities in the inspection of proposed new claims.
  3. 3. Schedule & coordinate Claim Committee activities in the maintenance of existing claims.
  4. 4. Supervise meeting place clean-up by Claims Committee.

EDUCATION & OUTREACH COORDINATOR:

  1. 1. Be the point of contact with schools, fairs, and other organizations to promote gold

prospecting and techniques, through demonstrations, displays, and lectures.

  1. 2. Coordinate and solicit club volunteers to support (1) above, including scheduling and extent of participation.

FUND-RAISING COORDINATOR:

  1. 1. Coordinate with Vice-President acquiring gold and merchandise for fund-raising at the meetings.
  2. 2. Maintain custody of the fundraising equipment.
  3. 3. After fund-raises, complete the accounting form and present it, along with all money to the President for verification.

OUTINGS COORDINATOR:

  1. 1. Schedule & coordinate Chapter outings.
  2. 2. Prepare, in coordination with the President a list of proposed outings for the upcoming year, to be presented to the membership for approval.
  3. 3. Coordinate with State Director for statewide outings; all Officers will keep the President informed of Chapter activities undertaken.

MEMBERS – AT – LARGE:

  1. 1. Aid in the decision making process of the Board.
  2. 2. Represent the Club in public forum.

REFRESHMENT COORDINATOR

  1. 1. Responsible for purchasing refreshments such as snacks and beverages.
  2. 2. Set up refreshments, clean up after meeting, and pack away garbage.
  3. 3. Sort recyclables to raise monies toward gold pans, sucker bottles, and scoops for our younger members.
  4. 4. Collect donations for the refreshments – monies raised goes toward purchasing future refreshments.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

  1. Responsible for contacting members via email to announce chapter business.
  2. 2. Assistant to Web Manager in maintaining and design of the chapter Web Site.
  3. 3. Moderator for Chapter Web Site.

ELECTIONS

  1. Election of Officers shall occur on the first meeting of the year each year. Nominations will be made prior to the first meeting of the year. A plurality of members present at this meeting shall be required to elect each Officer. The newly elected officers shall be empowered after the election results are known at that meeting.

(Change to :Election of Officers shall occur at the November meeting each year. Nominations are to be in writing to the secretary 5 days prior to the October meeting. A majority vote of members in attendance of the November meeting is required for a candidate to be elected. The newly elected officers will be empowered at the conclusion of the December meeting.

  1. 2. All outgoing Officers will turn over any/all Club records, supplies & equipment to the incoming Officer within 15 days.
  2. 3. No individual may be allowed to hold more than one elected office at any one time, except that one individual may hold the office of Secretary and Treasurer or any other elected officer may hold the office of Secretary or Treasurer (only one of these), under the condition that the officer cannot carry a second vote.
  3. 4. If any elected office becomes vacant for any reason, a replacement will be nominated & elected at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The person elected as a replacement will serve only the remaining term of the predecessor.
  4. 5. Any elected office may be considered vacant, at the discretion of the board, if the individual filling that position has two consecutive un-excused absences or four non-consecutive un-excused absences during his or her term.  Only the President or two other officers may excuse Officers from attending the meetings. The President may be excused by a quorum of two other elected officers. Normally this must be done a minimum of 48 hours prior to the meeting; however, in an emergency this may be done after the fact.
  5. 6. If only one individual is nominated for any position, he shall be considered elected by acclamation, through a show of the raising of hands.
  6. 7. The election in even years will be for the positions of President, Secretary, and Claims Committee Chair. The election in odd years will be for the positions of Vice-President, and Treasurer.

FINANCES

  1. There will be NO DUES CHARGED.

(Change: A dues schedule will be set and voted on at the January Meeting)

  1. 2. All Chapter activities will be financed by proceeds from the sales of equipment, the

monthly fundraisers, and donations.

  1. At least 3 Officers shall be signatories on a checking account opened in the Club’s name. Two officers signatures will be required on all main account checks.

(Change: Remove Two officers signatures will be required on all main account checks)

  1. 4. Any two elected officers may authorize expenditures up to $500.00, or 50% of the club’s bank account funds, whichever is less. Any amount greater than that would require a vote of the members at a regularly scheduled meeting.
  2. 5. The Treasurer shall maintain a Petty Cash Fund in the amount of $500.00.  These funds will be used only with the approval of the President or in his absence, the vice-president, or any 2 officers.
  3. 6. A quarterly audit will be conducted by the President and Vice-President of the Treasurers books. This audit will cover all funds collected and all expenses from all sources. This audit shall include both the checking account and the petty cash fund. The resulting report shall be reviewed by the board (officers) and when accepted by vote made available to the general membership.

ADOPTION & AMENDING

  1. 1. These Bylaws shall become effective when adopted by a majority vote of members present at a regularly scheduled meeting.
  2. 2. To modify or amend (other than spelling or grammatical changes) shall require a 2/3’s majority of members present at a regularly scheduled meeting or a majority vote at a regular officers meeting which is to be confirmed by a majority at the next regularly scheduled general meeting.
  3. 3. BYLAWS and GUIDE LINES must be readily available to the general membership at every meeting along with a copy of the most current minutes. A copy charge may be levied for replacement copies for existing members.
  4. 4. All proposed amendments should first be sent to GPAA to determine if there are any questions as to the amendment affecting the contractual agreement. If it does affect the contractual agreement the membership should be made aware of the affects before a vote is taken.

(Change: Amendments to the By-laws, once voted upon, will be forwarded to the GPAA for informational purposes only.)

CHAPTER PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES

  1. 1. As soon as the officers are elected and in place the club business will be handled by the Officers which unless otherwise stipulated is also the Board of Directors, as well as general membership through voting at General Meetings.
  2. 2. The General Membership should be aware and able to comment on or vote at the membership’s discretion on any and all decisions. GPAA INSISTS THAT ALL CHAPTERS ALLOW CONTROL OF THE CLUB BY THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEMBERS.  Most of the time all business will be conducted in board meeting which must remain open to all members. The board can always overrule the President and the membership shall always have the authority to overrule, by vote, ALL decisions of the President and Board.  Unless otherwise directed, Board members are the elected officials of the chapter and club.

(Change:  Remove GPAA INSISTS THAT ALL CHAPTERS ALLOW CONTROL OF THE CLUB BY THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEMBERS. )

  1. 3. Clubs may be allowed to have a day field trip to a Lost Dutchman Mine Association (LDMA) property. Your chapter representative, normally an officer, must submit a registration for approval in advance. The approval is submitted through the LDMA Department at the home office to see when the camp is available for a chapter day field trip. Some camps may not be available for chapter field trips. The phone number to the LDMA Department at the home office is 800-551-9709 ext. 114. These should be educational in nature and promote membership in the GPAA/LDMA. As we promote membership and work with other fishing, hunting and prospecting clubs. We unite to keep our land open for everyone.
  2. 4. Rules for Club Claim Use:
  3. a. Be an active member, attend at least three (3) club meetings and/or outings each year
  4. b. Pay $20.00 lease fee to mine a club-owned claim aside from a Club-sponsored event

(Change: Pay all dues and claims guide fees set forth by the membership)

  1. c. Lease fee is for immediate family including children under the age of 18.
  2. d. Lease fee will allow for immediate family use of the club claims guide
  3. e. Members must also sign the liability release waiver
  4. f. The above are annual requirements. The monies generated from the lease

will be used for purchasing new claims, improving existing claims, and/or fees

(Change: The above are annual requirements. The monies generated from the dues and claims guide fees will be used for purchasing new claims, improving existing claims, and/or fees, as well as general club business as determined by club member vote or outlined in the By-Laws)

  1. g. Guests are permitted under direction by the LDMA rules for guests.

(Change: Guests are permitted on EBPC claims, must be accompanied by an EBPC member at all times. The EBPC member is responsible for the guests actions, behavior and adherence to the rules of the EBPC.)

  1. 5. The State Director may assist the chapter in operations and functions at the chapters’ invitation.
  2. 6. A copy of The Clubs bylaws, Guidelines and other Organizing Documents should be mailed back to the GPAA National Headquarters after the second meeting or as soon as they are approved. GPAA requires the latest copy of all these documents to be sent to headquarters. Board, general meeting minutes and newsletters should be sent to National GPAA Headquarters. This will help to keep us (GPAA) informed on how things are going and how we (GPAA) can assist you as time goes on. Bylaws, Guidelines and other Organizing Documents may need to be amended from time to time. These amendments should be voted on according to club rules and regulations. A copy signed by officers of all New Amendments must be submitted to GPAA so we (GPAA) are aware of your clubs purposes and direction. If you have any questions about the Proposed Amendments affecting your status with GPAA please get in contact with us and send us a copy of the Proposed Amendments before the vote when possible.
  3. 7. The Treasurer should give out receipts on new memberships sign-ups to GPAA, with date, Chapter location and amount paid. The Treasurer, at the clubs discretion, will have new prospective members of GPAA join direct or with a check made out to GPAA or the club can send us one check with all the new members’ information. In the case of the last two you should keep copies of the paperwork you send to GPAA and make sure that the person collecting the fees and paperwork is familiar with the applications and fees.

(Change: Delete entire segment)

  1. 8.  FOR A CHAPTER TO GROW IT MUST REMAIN FUN FOR THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CHAPTER.

MEETINGS

  1. 1. This Club will meet on the First Tuesday of the month (unless a holiday then the second Tuesday) at 7:00 PM. The meeting place shall be Contra Costa Water District, 1331 Concord Ave., Concord, CA.  Time: 7PM to 9PM.     (the Bold print in the above paragraph indicates a simple amendment to the bylaws as of early 2013).

Change ( First Monday of every month unless announced at the prior meeting of the date change.)

  1. 2. A quorum of 2 elected Officers and twenty members shall be required for a meeting to be considered official.
  2. 3. If a quorum is not reached the meeting may continue as an unofficial meeting.
  3. 4. There shall be NO consumption of alcoholic beverages during the meeting;

(Change: Delete Segment)

  1. 5. The President shall resolve all disputes unless over-ridden by a majority of members or

officers present at a meeting.

(Change: The President shall resolve all disputes In accordance with Roberts Rules of Order)

The Order of Meetings shall be as follows:

  1. President calls the meeting to order
  2. Change:Add-Once a quorum is confirmed)
  3. b. President introduces any visitors
  4. c. Secretary reads minutes of last meeting

(Change: The minutes of the previous meeting to be posted 5 days prior to meeting on website forums)

  1. d. Secretary informs members of correspondence received
  2. e. Officer/Committee reports
  3. f. Old Business
  4. g. New Business
  5. h. Announce next meeting date/time
  1. Adjourn regular meeting

MISCELLANEOUS

  1. 1. If a P. O. Box is established and that address used as the Official Address for all Chapter correspondence. National office should be notified.
  2. 2. All GPAA Chapter Program orders shall be made through a current member of GPAA with a physical address that is registered at GPAA as a “Purchase Agent” for that chapter.