Cherry Ridge Management Committee
Cherryville, B.C.
PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA SOCIETY ACT
CHERRY RIDGE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Constitution
Name
The name of the Society is CHERRY RIDGE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE.
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Cherry Ridge Management Committee is:
(a) to preserve and maintain the environment, specifically, of the Cherry Ridge wilderness area near Cherryville and of the Cherryville area in general, in the Province of British Columbia (the Cherry Ridge and Cherryville areas);
(b) to preserve and maintain the watershed forming a part of the Cherry Ridge and Cherryville areas;
(c) to preserve, maintain, and promote the mule deer winter range forming a part of the Cherry Ridge and Cherryville areas;
(d) to cooperate with and enter into agreements with various Ministries and Crown Corporations of the Government of the Province of British Columbia, having jurisdiction over the use and management of the Cherry Ridge and Cherryville areas to accomplish the foregoing purposes; and
(e) to monitor and report on local environmental issues and activities on behalf of the community by reviewing and discussing licensee harvesting plans, etc., that may impact community interests.
ByLaws
Membership
1. A person may apply to the directors of the society for membership into the society, and shall be accepted as a member in good standing into the society provided that they:
(a) agree to uphold the constitution and the bylaws of the society;
(b) pay the annual dues required of the members.
2. The directors shall determine the amount of the first annual membership dues and after that the annual membership dues shall be determined at the annual general meeting of the society.
3. A person shall cease to be a member of the society if:
(a) by delivering his resignation in writing to the secretary of the society or by mailing or delivering it to the address of the society;
(b) on his death;
(c) on being expelled; or
(d) they no longer satisfy the requirements necessary to be a member in good standing as defined in 3(a) and 3(b).
4. (1) A member may be expelled by a special resolution of the members passed at a general meeting. The reasons for such expulsion may include but not necessarily be limited to the following reasons:
(a) doing an act that creates a liability to the society without its permission;
(b) doing an act in the name of the society that would be contrary to its mandate;
(c) stealing from any of the society’s assets;
(d) violating these bylaws.
(2) The notice of special resolution for expulsion shall be accompanied by a brief statement of the reason or reasons for the proposed expulsion.
(3) The person who is the subject of the proposed resolution for expulsion shall be given an opportunity to be heard at the general meeting before the special resolution is put to a vote.
Meeting of Members
5. The president of the society may call a general meeting or a directors meeting at any time.
6. Any three of the directors may call a general meeting or a directors meeting at any time.
7. Ten percent of the general members may request that a general meeting be held.
8. The Cherry Ridge Management Committee will report to the Cherryville Community Club a minimum of four times per year at regular Cherryville Community Club meetings.
9. Every general meeting, other than the annual general meeting, is an extraordinary general meeting.
10. The directors may, when they think fit, convene an extraordinary general meeting.
11. (1) Notice of a an general meeting shall specify the place, day and hour of meeting and, in case of special business, the general nature of that business.
(2) Notices of a general meeting shall be placed in the newspaper and by posting notices throughout the community so as to assure that every concerned person shall have the opportunity to see the notice. In the case where a special resolution may be made and in all other cases where possible, the placement of these notices shall allow a minimum period of 14 days before said meeting.
(3) The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting, or the non-receipt of a notice by any of the members entitled to receive notice, does not invalidate proceedings at that meeting.
Voting
12. A member has one vote.
13. A member will have the privilege of voting provided that:
(a) they are 16 years of age or greater;
(b) they live within the geographic boundaries described below: i. east of the Shuswap narrows; ii. west of Mine Hill; iii. south from Fraser Lodge and iv. north from the Creighton Valley Bible Ranch; and
(c) they are a member in good standing.
14. A voting member may cast a vote by proxy provided that the proxy vote is:
(a) in writing and
(b) given to a director of the society who will present it at the appropriate meeting.
15. The number of voting members at a general meeting required to form a quorum shall be eight.
16. At a directors meeting, the number of directors required to form a quorum shall be five.
17. All society issues should be resolved by consensus if possible. However, all issues not required to be resolved by special resolution shall be decided by a simple majority vote of the members at a general meeting or directors present at a directors meeting.
18. Any vote on society matters which requires passage by “special resolution” shall be made by voting through mail after a motion is made and seconded at a general meeting or a directors meeting. The motion, details of the debate, and a ballot shall be sent to all voting members of the society. The voting members will have 21 days to return their ballots to the official address of the society. In addition to notifying the registered members of the society by mail, notices shall be placed at all major business locations in the Cherryville area specifying the nature of the special resolution and the deadline for voting.
Directors and Officers
19. (1) The president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and 2 or more other persons shall be the directors of the society.
(2) The number of directors shall be a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 20.
20. If a director resigns his office or otherwise ceases to hold office, the remaining directors may appoint a member to take the place of the former director, if they feel it necessary to do so before a regular election of offices.
21. Directors shall be elected by a simple majority vote after being nominated at the annual general meeting, unless a special meeting is held specifically to elect new officers or directors.
22. The election of directors shall start with the election of a president, a vice president, and secretary/treasurer, followed by the election of up to 17 additional directors.
23. Any or all of the directors may be dismissed by special resolution. A new director must be elected or appointed to replace any director who has been relieved of his duties, unless there is no one willing to fill the vacant position.
24. If the president is dismissed, the vice president shall assume the role of president and the office of vice president shall remain vacant until the next election of directors at an annual general meeting. If the president and vice president or all of the directors are dismissed, then a special general meeting must be held at the earliest opportunity to elect a new executive and directors.
25. Directors will not be remunerated for their services in administering the business of the society but can be remunerated for extraordinary expenses incurred in administering the business of the society. This will not prevent the society from hiring any of its directors to perform tasks required by the society to carry out its mandate.
Duties of Officers
26. The president shall:
(a) preside at all meetings of the society and its directors;
(b) call all meetings in accordance with procedures outlined in the society’s bylaws;
(c) represent the society in its dealings with government agencies, businesses and other groups; and
(d) supervise the operations of the society as required.
27. The vice president shall:
(a) carry out the duties of the president during his absence;
(b) oversee the work of all subcommittees; and
(c) help oversee the operations of the society as required.
28. The secretary/treasurer shall
(a) keep complete and accurate minutes of all meetings;
(b) conduct the correspondence of the society;
(c) issue notices of the meetings of the society and directors;
(d) maintain the register of members;
(e) see that financial records are kept in accordance with the requirements of the Society Act; and
(f) keep the society advised on its financial status.
Duties of Directors
29. The directors will, in the pursuit of the society’s mandate:
(a) meet with other groups and official agencies;
(b) enter into contracts and leases;
(c) hire people to perform those tasks as required by the society;
(d) pay the society’s debts; and
(e) borrow money, as required for the society to pursue its mandate, upon approval by special resolution and in accordance with the Society Act.
Documents
30. All documents shall be kept at the official address of the society or at a place of safekeeping, as agreed to by the directors, with the exception of the official minutes, which may be kept at the residence of the secretary/treasurer.
Finances
31. The directors will manage the society’s funds and use them to meet the society’s mandate.
32. The directors will make every attempt to keep in reserve, adequate funds to meet the long term needs of the society in the pursuit of its mandate.
33. The directors may exercise borrowing powers according to the Society Act and as required to allow the society to pursue its mandate, provided that the borrowing is approved by special resolution and complies with these bylaws.
34. The directors will be accountable to its membership regarding financial matters.
35. The directors will engage accounting services to audit its finances as is required by the Society Act.
Use of Funds
36. The society’s funds shall not be used for any other purpose other than to carry out the society’s mandate on Cherry Ridge unless it is decided by the directors that funds are available in excess of those required to meet the society’s long term needs.
37. Any funds spent for a purpose other than to carry out the mandate of the society must be agreed to by special resolution.
38. No funds will be invested into any financial instrument that has any degree of risk or that would prevent the society from meeting its financial obligations in a timely manner.
Other Bylaws
1. This society was incoporated using the bylaws listed under Schedule B of the Society Act and where the bylaws drafted by the Cherry Ridge Management Committee have not altered or added to those bylaws, those bylaws shall remain in force.
Executive 2011-12
President: Hank Cameron
547 2445
547 2445Vice President: Cathy MacPherson
Directors: Larry Arcand, Sean Ardis, Edsel Fleury Sr., Edsel Fleury II, Joyce Fleury, Eugene Foisy, Lance Harvey, Neville O’Grady, Toni Paul, Aline Piché, Jamey Sanborn, Garry Toma, Sebastian Vezina, Carla Vierke, Annette Welz
Cherry Ridge 2003
Cherry Ridge 2003 (from the fence line road)
Cherry Ridge 2003
Cherry Ridge 2003
Cherry Ridge Management Committee Annual Funding for Community Projects
In 2000, CRMC began to allocate half of the yield from its GIC for grants that would benefit a large portion of the Cherryville community. The criteria is that CRMC would pay for materials rather than labour, that the grant would provide a benefit accessible by the whole community, that the project be consistent with our mandate, and that we would not commit to multiyear sponsorships.
As a mature organization with capital that was earned by the donated labour of our charter members, CRMC declared a community dividend and is honoured to be able to offer this amount back into the community.
Please forward your applications to:
Cherry Ridge Management Committee
158 North Fork Rd
Cherryville, BC, V0E 2G3
For any further information required, please contact Jamey Sanborn at (250) 547 2448.
The Cherry Ridge Management Committee, has expanded on its purpose as stated in the following Bylaws, by taking the environmental watchdog position for the community. It reviews and discusses harvesting plans, etc., that it feels may impact community interests.
The CRMC was originally part of the Cherryville Community Club, when Ed Beer was president, but the executive at that time was uncomfortable in entering into contracts with the Forest Service for salvage permits, because of their lack of familiarity with the industry. The Community Club requested that the committee form its own society and deal with those matters separately in the community's interest, while the CCClub would focus more on the community's recreational and social needs.
Cherryville Community Forest - Forest Stewardship Plan
September 17, 2009: Cherryville has now officially signed its Community Forest Agreement.
The next stage in the regulatory process is to demonstrate how we will achieve objectives set by government through a Forest Stewardship Plan.
A draft of this plan will be available for viewing at the Cherryville Hall office, or by contacting Hank Cameron (see below). If you are interested in discussing any aspect of this plan, or have any comments about it please contact Wayne Cunneyworth, Jamey Sanborn, Hank Cameron or any other directors of CRMC. As a community initiative, CRMC wants to receive feedback from Cherryville about how we manage the forests that surround our community.
CRMC is prepared to harvest the beetle patches which have popped up on both ridges since our last cut in 2007; but we can't obtain a cutting authority until we complete the FSP process. Over the long term we will be able to plan more flexible harvest strategy through a blanket salvage cutting permit system.
For further information Hank Cameron can be contacted at e-mail, or (250) 547 2445.
2012 CRMC Forest Report
Hank Cameron - President
In 2012, Cherry Ridge Management Committee has concentrated its efforts to improve forest health, develop access, plant trees, survey the land base and make our Cherryville Forest more fire resistant. CRMC would like to thank all its contractors and members for their excellent work and congenial attitudes.
The forest health focus of our select harvest was to remove Lodgepole Pine and Douglas Fir bark beetle killed or infected stems, and windfall. We have developed more access trails on our land base, using both old trials and new construction. Glenn and Jerry Mazu removed the Mountain Pine beetle infestation above Joe Lesowski’s farm leaving a cedar/fir mix stand with a stable set of trails. Darren Mulholland did a great job of falling the target stems and leaving the residuals intact. He also slashed another kilometre of the K3T access road and piled that slash with his buncher. Lance Harvey and Toni Paul dealt with the fir beetle cells in and adjacent to the Rifle Range on Heckman FSR. They also cleaned up other windfall, beetle and trap trees on both ridges. I encourage all residents to walk the skid trails to see how well this work was done. Many thanks are due to our truckers, Tony Mulholland, Kelly Peterson, Blair Tarstensen, and Garth Cannaday.
Jamey Sanborn sold CRMC wood to Gorman Bros, Interfor, Tolko, Stella Jones, North Enderby Timber, Willems Forest Products, John Salisbury, Al Luond and Allan Dyck. Penny Stuyt has kept us on track financially, with all of our bills settled promptly. Dave Bayer continues as our respected scaler, enabling us to sell premium beam wood, hand scaled at our own designated scale site. One load of firewood was donated to the Cherryville Skating Rink by CRMC and Mazu Logging. Lance Harvey has set aside firewood on the landing at 3 km Heckman FSR for widows, orphans and others.
Road access has been a major priority, to enable us to deal with our responsibilities throughout the licence area. We continued to improve the K3T access behind Bea Bryan’s property on Thomas Road. Brian Mcleod installed more culverts and ditches, reshaped switchbacks, piled slash, and developed a gravel pit on the K3T Road. One day last fall, Lyle Cannaday and Rob Gordon hauled and spread fifty big loads of sandy gravel and shale topping on the K3T Road. Elmer Kelly graded this new surface material. Lance Harvey rebuilt the first switchback on our lower Cherry Ridge access and graded that road down to the North Fork. Cathy Macpherson and Hank surveyed an upper level connection from 5.5 km on the Jay Road, where an existing road accesses the Cherryville Forest. Our road layout follows a bench east through some old select cuts, then some old clearcuts from the 1950s to an infested pine mix type, where we have ribboned a landing. Edsel Fleury P.Eng, has approved the road location after a field and office review, and has agreed to supervise construction of the road. Ron Otteson has given his consent for CRMC access via the Jay Road. We wish to obtain a community consensus on this project before we proceed.
The major focus of CRMC community advocacy in 2012 was a catastrophic mudslide from a new clearcut block onto the property of Joel and Leanne Hriscu. Wayne Cunneyworth has done a great job in dealing with those who caused it, in a calm and restrained manner, in the review and comment process on their future plans. Tim Staker made an excellent video recording of the slide the day after it destroyed portions of three properties and blocked Sugar Lake Road. Legal advice has been sought from Joe Deuling and other environmental law firms. This matter has not yet been satisfactorily resolved but we have communicated our concerns to the Association of BC Forest Professionals. They have prioritized this issue of slope stability and drainage structures on the meeting agenda for their liaison committee with the B.C. Professional Engineers Assoc.
CRMC silviculture plans are to improve any poorly stocked backlog areas and replant new openings. Cathy Macpherson took on the responsibility to GPS traverse all our new patches and transfer the data to the CRMC laptop. We are now in the process of updating our paper base maps. We plan to do more planting, spacing, and fuel management projects. CRMC recently learned that there may be funding available for community fuel management/fire safety next year.
Sean Ardis taught a comprehensive power saw safety course that slashed the lower Cherry Ridge road upgrade, where Trent Harvey piled the saplings with his Bobcat. Sean, Kevin Miede, and John Walker planted seedlings on Cherry Ridge in April. Our trails are grass seeded and our slash piles have been burnt.
CRMC was pleased to host two groups of local visitors to the Cherryville Forest in June. Representatives of the Okanagan First Nation including school students, teachers, and Territorial Stewardship staff came to harvest cedar bark and roots on the residual mature trees of CP 01 on Heckman Ridge. The inner bark is moist in the spring and can be peeled off in strips up to 40 feet long by 8-10 inches wide. When the coarse outer bark is removed, the flexible cambium layer is a versatile textile with applications for woven products such as mats or baskets. The cedar roots are pulled from rotted wood on the ground, for use as cords to bind materials. We have much in common with our neighbours from the Westside in future forest management.
Delegates of the Shuswap River Sustainable Management Plan visited our landing on the Heckman FSR with a large touring coach. These RDNO planning committees are developing management plans to protect riparian areas and water values from the Shuswap River’s upper reaches to Mara Lake. This congenial group walked through our select harvest areas and along the flume trail. Later the group visited Hanson Park to look at the stream bank stabilisation project in high water. Their stimulating questions prompted thoughtful discussion of our land management objectives and strategies.
The CRMC Water Stewards, especially Larry Arcand, Aline Piché, Doug Becker, Tim & Melanie Staker, continue to sample Cherry, Ferry and Shuswap water purity. This program, sponsored through Anna Page of RDNO, has built a superior data base over the last four years. We are grateful to Claude Labine for his sponsorship of the water testing station at Reiter Creek, the weather station at Cherryville School and the Monashee Park 50th Anniversary celebrations, poster and film.
These initiatives have been guided by the wisdom and good judgement of CRMC founder and first president Eugene Foisy. As a community we are fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated leader and representative.
We will hold a public meeting at the Cherryville Hall on Thursday, January 17 at 7:00 pm. All Cherryville residents are invited to attend to review our maps and business records, and to provide their input.
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