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 Suri Network News

May 2016  

   

IN THIS ISSUE
 
· President's Letter 

· 2016 Symposium

· All Suri Fleece Show

· 2016 Election

· Show Rallies


 
Board of Trustees
 
President
Patty Hasselbring
Phone: 816-769-3939
patty@hasselbringsharmonyranch.com

Vice President
Jill McElderry-Maxwell
Phone: 207-660-5276
bagendsuris@gmail.com

Treasurer
Andrew Reed
Phone: 610-334-5457
overhomealpaca@hotmail.com

Secretary
Alvina Maynard
Phone: 859-408-5132
2nd Phone: 859-940-0424
riverhillranch@rocketmail.com

Trustee at Large
Randy Coleman
Phone:  503-310-9367
randyc11562@icloud.com
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President's Letter

One of our goals is to ensure strong communication with members. This newsletter is used to let you know about activities and initiatives of the Board of Trustees, and to give you more information about events, such as the Suri Symposium and Fleece Show.

We use several other means of communication throughout the year: emails, newsletters, and our Suri Members Facebook Group page. Communicating electronically helps conserve financial resources as well as paper. Be sure your email address is up to date in your Suri Network account (Go to www.surinetwork.org, then log in to your account. If you have forgotten your password, just click to get a new one.)

We have some important dates coming up. Ballots for the 2016 election will be mailed around June 1, 2016. Included on the ballot are the candidates for the Board of Trustees. We will have three vacancies this year. Nominations have closed, and we have a total of eight candidates.

Additionally, we are proposing bylaws changes. The bylaws have not been reviewed or revised since 1997. Some key changes include increasing the number of board members from five to seven, allowing for electronic voting, and increasing terms of board members from two to three years.

The other item that we plan to present on the ballot is a revised Suri Breed Standard. Established in 2006, the Breed Standard has been reviewed by a special committee appointed by the Board of Trustees, and members and non-members alike have had opportunity to review and comment on the recommended changes.

The timeline for elections this year is:
  • Ballots mailed:  on or around June 1
  • Deadline for voting:  July 11
  • Votes counted:  July 18
  • New Board members notified:  on or around July 25
  • New Board members announced:  At Suri Symposium August 4-6
  • First meeting of new Board: August 7 following close of Symposium
As always, if you have any questions, ideas, or concerns, please contact me or any of your Suri Network Board members and we will be happy to talk.

Patty Hasselbring
President, Suri Network


2016 Suri Network Summer Symposium - Registration is Open

"Weaving the Fabric of Our Industry" is the theme of the 2016 Summer Symposium. Register here!

The conference will be packed with high quality and relevant topics, including:

Dr. Andy Merriwether, with a reprise of his wildly popular workshop on breeding and color genetics, plus a general session on genetics and deformities


Cheryl Gehly, on using herd classification to improve your breeding program, plus a live demonstration of how alpacas are classified


NCCAT's ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas) will provide workshops on pasture management and business planning


Elizabeth Taylor, Spotted Circus Alpacas, will present a workshop on tanning hides.


Dr. Norm Evans will present a two-part neonatal seminar plus a general session to explain histograms, skin biopsies and what the scientific data means for you in your daily work.


Amanda VandenBosch will provide a general session on the Suri Breed standard and a session in the fleece room after the fleece awards are made.


Molly Gardner will be back this year by popular request to address commercial fiber development.


Register here!


Lodging and Venue

A block of suites has been secured at the Embassy Suites Loveland - Hotel, Spa & Conference Center. Please call 1 800 EMBASSY (362-2779) and ask for the Suri Summer Symposium block with code SUR. 

 

The Hotel will offer the group rates until midnight on Friday, July 15, 2016 or until the block is sold out, whichever happens first. Additionally, the above rates include a full hot breakfast and evening reception, both served daily!
 

Who should attend?

Definitely, alpaca owners. Suri and huacaya alike found tremendous value a the 2015 Symposium.


Potential alpaca owners. If you are thinking of purchasing alpacas, what a great way to immerse yourself in knowledge, plus network with alpaca owners.


All Suri Fleece Show


The 2016 All Suri Fleece Show will once again be held in conjunction with the Suri Network's Summer Symposium. Our judges this year for the fleece show are Amanda Vandenbosch and Sharon Loner. Stacy Heydt will be our Spin-Off judge, and Elizabeth Taylor will judge Fiber Arts and Skeins.

Learn more about the fleece show here. Spin-Off and Fleece Show registration is open, so register online now!

Deadlines for the Symposium and Fleece Show:
  • Spin-Off - June 6
  • Early Bird Registration for Symposium - July 1
  • Hotel block of rooms reserved - July 15
  • Fleece Show Online Registration - July 25
  • Fleeces and Fiber Arts and Skeins mailed entries received by - August 1
  • Fleeces and Fiber Arts/Skeins entries may be hand delivered to the Fleece Show on August 3 (but registration must be completed online no later than July 25)
Ballots to be mailed for 2016 election 

Ballots will be mailed around June 1 to the membership for election of members to the Board of Trustees. In addition, the revised Suri Breed Standard, and proposed bylaws revisions will be submitted to the membership for vote.

Board Member Nominations: The Suri Network Nominating Committee, chaired by Patty Hasselbring, consists of Liz Vahlkamp, Al Cousill, Tim Sheets, and Linda Kondris, has identified candidates for the Suri Network Board.

Three positions will become vacant in 2016: those currently held by Patty Hasselbring, Jill McElderry-Maxwell, and Randy Coleman.  Per bylaws, at least two candidates must be nominated for each vacancy.

A total of eight candidates will be presented on the ballot:
  • Michael Alpert, Awesome Acres Alpacas
  • Sue King, Big Timber Alpacas
  • Jason Brehm, Rogue Suri Alpacas
  • Jill McElderry-Maxwell, Bag End Suri Alpacas
  • Kristie Smoker, Sweet Valley Suris
  • Kim Taha, Taha Suri Alpacas
  • Deb Christner, Akuna Matada Suri Alpacas
  • Jennifer Hack, Triple H Ranch
Candidate statements from the eight candidates will be presented with the ballot to Suri Network members in June.

Bylaws Changes:
The Nominating Committee has also worked on proposed bylaws changes. Substantive changes include the following:

Increase the number of board members from five to seven, with a maximum of nine.

  • Change the terms of members of the Board of Trustees from two years to three years, effective in 2017.
  • Addition of description for self-nomination to Board of Trustees.
  • Allow use of electronic voting by membership.
  • Require 30 days notice for bylaws revisions, rather than 60 days.
Other changes include the addition of headings for readability.

Suri Breed Standard: Over the past year we have worked to review and update the Suri Breed Standard. The Suri Breed Standard was developed in 2006 and approved by the Suri Network membership. This year, the Board of Trustees appointed a committee to review and make recommendations for revisions to the Breed Standard. That process has included extensive input from members and non-members alike, and the final version of the revised breed standard will be included in the June voting packet for member vote.

Show Rallies

You may have attended one of the Suri Rallies at a show this year. When a Board member is attending an alpaca show, we try to coordinate a Suri Network Rally, usually on Saturday after the show ring closes for the day. The Rally is a time for Suri owners and others interested in Suri alpacas to get together and learn more about activities that are happening with the Suri Network.

This year the Suri Network was able to hold rallies at eight shows. We hope you were able to attend one of them!


     





Suri Network
Phone: (970) 586-5876
Fax: (970) 591-0007

P.O. Box 1984

Estes Park, Colorado
80517


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