IBRC # Bylaws ammendment 2

The current version of the IBRC Bylaws allows only four possible votes that can be cast for a record.  This proposal is to add two addition choices:

"Accept as Hypothetical" to be used for sight records of previously unrecorded species for which there is no physical evidence (specimen, photo, etc).  
"Accept identification, provenance questionable" for records of species that are of questionable origin.

The current rules governing votes from section VI of the Bylaws reads as follows:

Voting Criteria

Criteria used by a Voting Member for acceptance or rejection of a report are based on that member's knowledge and experience and will not be specifically addressed in these Bylaws. Voting Members are encouraged, however, to accept or reject reports on the basis of more-or-less objective criteria, such as the adequacy of the field marks reported or the conditions under which observations were made. The veracity of the observer should not be questioned without good cause.

Only four types of votes are permitted:

• Accept
• Not acceptable, specific identification not established
• Not acceptable, natural occurrence questionable
• Not acceptable, establishment of introduced population questionable.

The new version would read:

Only five types of votes are permitted:

• Accept
• Accept as Hypothetical
• Not acceptable, specific identification not established
• Not acceptable, natural occurrence questionable
• Not acceptable, establishment of introduced population questionable.

This new voting category would be used for first state records with single observers as defined in section VI, under "First State Records" as follows:

First State Records

The Committee prefers that reports of potential first state records have some form of physical documentation, such as photographs, sound recordings, specimens, verified band numbers, and so on. A first state record may be accepted without physical documentation, however, with these considerations in mind: (1) the species is obvious, easy to identify, and cannot be confused with a similar species; (2) the observer is familiar with the species; (3) the observer is known by the Committee as a careful, competent observer with previous experience in documenting rare birds; and (or) (4) multiple, competent observers submit separate, careful documentation.

Accepted first state records will be listed as either "verified with physical evidence" or "accepted but not verified with physical evidence." First state record submissions that involve only a single observer may be accepted as hypothetical and added to the Checklist of Idaho Birds as such. Species shall remain on the hypothetical list until a report meeting the above criteria is accepted by the Committee.

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Vote Accept to adopt this change to the Bylaws
Vote Reject to keep the Bylaws the same as they are now.