Serving beekeepers and the public in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley

Tag: Elections

President’s Message

Dear WBA Beekeepers,

The 2021 WBA Election results are in and as in typical elections about half of our dues paying members participated by casting a vote.  Thank you for voting and making your thoughts and wishes known with a ballot.  

I want to thank the outgoing Board for their dedication and service.  When we were elected 3 years ago, we met monthly at the Salt Lake City building.  When Covid-19 struck, we lost our ability to physically meet.  I give credit to the Board, who accepted the challenge and proved we could meet virtually.  The Board had individuals with the ability, tenacity and interest that allowed us to continue meeting without missing a single meeting.  We have now held a total of 18 virtual meetings. By being virtual, we expanded our beekeeping experience as we enjoyed speakers from across the US including MT, NC, OR and of course UT. The virtual world has opened so many doors for us.

We also have successfully moved WBA to a 501(c)3 organization.  This was a huge step and this nonprofit tax exemption helps us in using our funds for building beekeeping in this area.  

My thanks to the outgoing Board. I hope you take the opportunity to thank them personally:

Vice President James Peirce has been an excellent resource, great answer man on Facebook and in meetings, organized robber screen workshops and has helped us with our web design.

Treasurer Rosemary Bennett is so reliable and helpful.  She has so faithfully kept our books and donated part of her valuable “She-Shed” space to hold WBA stuff.  

Secretary Nicole Lewis-Rogers stepped in during the year and has taken on so many tasks from meeting notes to making and editing interviews.

Program Director Kari Taylor has served longer than the 3 years but has stayed with us and helped as she knows so many people and contacts.

Public Relations Julie Arthur has also served as the swarm coordinator along with keeping us informed and aware of planned bee focused activities.

Social Media Coordinator Amy Wilson brought us from live to virtual with her expertise and persistence in media.  Amy served as our mentor coordinator that was so valuable in ensuring that all new beekeepers had someone to help.  

Web Editor Susan Knudsen revised, updated and refreshed our WBA webpage.  There is so much good information there.  She also has been our champion for queen rearing in small hives.  

State Fair Coordinator Robert Stevens did an amazing job of organizing our State Fair participation and then because of Covid-19, we withdrew but his organization efforts will hopefully be useful as we approach 2022.

New Beekeeper representative Sandeep Kharkar has really helped in reminding us what new beekeepers need, so that all our presentations had a focus on basic beekeeping.  

Your new elected Board is as follows:

  • President:  Julie Arthur
  • Vice President:  Mike Hughes
  • Secretary:  Rosemary Bennett
  • Treasurer:  Sandeep Kharkar
  • Program Chair: Nicole Lewis-Rogers
  • Public Relations: Belinda Mastin

Some of the appointed positions are open. I encourage you to reach out to anyone on the new Board and offer to help.  These are all great individuals with many practical skills and you will be rewarded by their knowledge and friendship. Even if you are a new beekeeper, your input is valued and needed.

Appointed Board Members for 2022 

  • Web Editor: Susan Knudsen 
  • State Fair Coordinator:  Robert Stevens
  • Social Media/Facebook:
  • Mentor Coordinator:
  • WBA Phone and Swarm Coordinator: 
  • New Beekeeper Representative: 

This is an amazing Board full of experience and new ideas.  Please be ready to reach out and give your support as they take us to next level.

Veldon

2021 Elections

Here are some of the details on how we will run board elections this month.

  • November 4th the board will be emailing out the official Call For Nominations for the 2022 board members. *Please check your spam if you don’t see the email.* This is your opportunity to review the duties of each role and send your nomination.
  • November 10th call for nominations closes.
  • November 11th voting will open. Voting this year will be done via an online document that you will receive in your email.
  • November 17th voting closes
  • November 18th 2022 board members will be announced.

Please note that voting is only open to paid members. If you do not see any of the emails in the coming weeks please check your spam or junk folder. You can also save wasatchbeekeepers@gmail.com as a trusted email to avoid the emails going to spam.

A Message from the WBA President

The Wasatch Beekeepers Association (WBA) will be holding general election for new leadership in November.  The by-laws of the WBA are explicit that elections are held yearly and the office of President is limited to a maximum of two years.  In creating the by-laws it was determined that two years was sufficient for one person to serve as President.  This restriction allows for increased diversity, in focus and outreach.  The by-laws were altered last year to accommodate for an extra year of service when the elections are not able to be held because of the pandemic.  However, our current team of brilliant experts have allowed the WBA to meet virtually and we feel confident that a fair, open and secure election can be safely held even if virtually. 

The duties of the various elected offices are outlined in the by-laws posted on the WBA website.  The elected offices are as follows with the names of the current elected persons:

Elected Positions

  • President: (Julie Cies Arthur)
  • Vice President: (Sandeep Karhar)
  • Treasurer: (Michael Hughes)
  • Secretary: (Nicole Lewis-Rogers)
  • Program Director: (Rosemary Neal Bennett)
  • Public Relations: (Julie Arthur)

If you have interest in serving WBA in any of these positions, feel free to reach out to one of these individuals to learn more about the responsibilities.  We also have a dedicated group of appointed positions that make WBA run smoothly.  These appointments also run yearly.  New leadership will be looking for volunteers for these positions, so consider how you could participate. If you have skills or want to learn more, the appointed positions are:

Appointed Positions

  • Web Editor:
  • State Fair Coordinator:  Robert Stevens
  • Social Media/Mentor Coordinator: 
  • Swarm Hotline call:  801-692-3371

You may consider that every position above either elected or appointed will be available.  Change always brings new synergies that make and help the WBA be a stronger more robust association.  It has been a delightful, meaningful and enjoyable experience to be WBA President.  I have met some wonderful individuals, interacted with a great Board of caring and smart beekeepers.  We have enjoyed some wonderful speakers and learned much from them and others.  We have so many great beekeepers here in this area that are willing, able and happy to share their years of experience with all comers. 

I would encourage you to consider serving in any position.  It will expand your skills as a beekeeper by the interaction with a myriad different ideas, hives, inventive individuals and simply good people. Plus, your service and ideas can be the catalyst that makes a difference in a beekeeper’s life. 

Veldon

Sep 16 Meeting

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 we will be meeting ONLY online.

Thursday, Sep 16, 7:00 PM

Because we cannot as yet meet in person, we are continuing to meet online on Facebook to serve as many as we can during this time. To be notified of the video when we go live, we recommend making sure that you are a member of our Facebook group. This will be available for later viewing, but we highly encourage joining us live for the Q&A if you can.

We will discuss:

  • 2021 Elections
  • American Foulbrood (AFB) letter
  • Honey selling and packaging
  • Winter feeding/candy boards

Proposal to Change WBA By-Laws

Due to the ongoing pandemic, where social gatherings are not in keeping with CDC and local government guidelines, the WBA Board is proposing the following changes in the Association by-laws to deal with mandatory elections under Article 6 – Election of Officers.  Please read the two proposed additions to the by-laws.

Paid members of the association may vote to:

  • Approve the guidelines as written,
  • Propose amendments, or
  • Disapprove

Paid members may submit their vote or comments to the association’s phone number or email:
WBA phone: 801.692.3371
WBA email: wasatchbeekeepers@gmail.com

We will review the feedback and take the appropriate action(s).  We will need your response by 16 September so that the results can be announced at the next WBA meeting on 17 September. If you wish to nominate yourself or someone (with their approval), let us know so we can make the decision regarding which of the alternative by-law options would be best for the Association.

Current Executive Board members are listed here.

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