Membership: General Membership is open to all citizens of the Basin who can foster the purpose, mission and objectives of the organization. The framework of the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium consists of three groups who are interested in promoting effective stewardship of the total Chehalis River Basin through environmental education. These three groups are
1. K-20 Educators This group would include teachers and/or administrators from the twenty-three identified school districts in the greater Chehalis Basin, Education Service District #113, Superintendent of Public Instruction Office, Work force Training Board, Grays Harbor College, University of Washington and etc.
2. Natural Resource Professionals This group would include persons from county, state, federal, and private entities, including Department of Natural Resources, State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Ecology, County Conservation districts, Environmental Protection Agency, and specialists from private companies.
3. Stakeholders The groups are comprised of organizations and persons who have a special community or private interest in the proper and appropriate stewardship of the river basin. Example: Stakeholders could include the Chehalis River council, Friends of Grays Harbor, Weyerhauser, etc.
Purpose: The purpose of the organization is to provide improved communication, cooperation and coordination among key interests in the implementation of a total basin environmental education program.
Mission: To foster and support better stewardship of the Chehalis River Basin through environmental education that will ensure sustainable watershed health, functions and economic uses.
Objectives: The objectives of the organization is to implement effective communication methods among K-20 Educators, Natural Resource Professionals, Stakeholders, and general publics in the basin to ensure that environmental topics such as water quality, water quantity, wetlands, estuaries, fish and wildlife, riparian zones, forests, farmlands, and land-use policies, etc. are addressed totally.
Develop cooperative efforts through effective dialogue and interaction between educators, natural resource professions, and stakeholders that will lead to more effective learning from kindergarten through adulthood.
Design a means to coordinate the efforts of all parties so more effective outcomes are realized in the areas of environmental education and basin wide stewardship.
General Membership Meeting: There will be a general membership meeting in October of each calendar year to (1) assist in the development of an action plan for the Basin and (2) select Steering Committee members.
Committees: There will be no standing committee other than the steering committee; however, special committees maybe formed. All committees will have representative numbers from the three identified groups (k-20 Educators, Natural Resource Professionals and Stakeholders)
Steering Committee: The steering Committee will be composed of representation from the Upper and Lower Chahalis Basin and from the three identified groups. The Steering Committee will consist of five members from k-20 Educators, five members from Natural Resource Professionsals and five from Stakeholders.
Duties of the Steering Committee: The duties of the steering committee will be to:
.Meet on a regular basis.
Follow the purpose and mission of the consortium
Pursue the established objectives of the consortium
Design and implement a yearly action plan that will ensure active participation of consortium members in fulfillment of the consortiums purpose and objectives
Special Committeees: Special Committees will be designed and developed by the Steering Committee to fulfill a specific task or objective. The committee, leadership structure and reporting will be constructed by the Steering Committee.
Quorum: A quorum will be the majority of the members present at any meeting.
Leadership of Steering Committee: To affect change, the leadership of the Steering Committee will be passed from one group to the next on a yearly basis. During the 1999-2000 year, which commences in September 1999, the k-20 Educators group will facilitate the action. An ESD113 representative will serve as chair and a secretary will be named from the k-20 group.
Special Committee: Goals 2000