Pleasant Valley Trout and Game Club

Membership Application Process

Section 1. New Member Pledge

All members are to fully realize and support that this organization is a not-for-profit organization and that all moneys in excess of its operation costs are to be used for the principles stated in the following pledge.

A prospective member will pledge as an American to save and faithfully protect the natural resource of this country, its soils and minerals, its forests, waters and wildlife from waste or destruction. He/She will certify that he is a citizen of the United States of America and that he is not a member of any organization or group which has any part of its program to attempt to overthrow the Government of the United States or any of its political subdivisions by force or violence. That he/she has never been convicted of any felony. A prospective member must agree to allow the Executive Board to investigate and obtain information regarding their background.

If admitted to membership the prospective member will faithfully endeavor to fulfill the obligations of good sportsmanship and good citizenship; promise that he will obey the fish and game laws of the State of New York and the Federal government, and work for the respect and acknowledgment of the rights of property owners; to support and encourage a friendly relationship between property owners and sportsmen and to encourage the propagation of fish and game and abide by the Constitution & Bylaws and Operational Procedures documents adopted by this organization.

Section 2. Application Submission Procedure

1. The completed application form together with a check or cash and required associated documents must be submitted at a regular meeting by the applicant. Applicant's checks and moneys must cover the initiation fee, first year's dues, all appropriate assessments (e.g. land, fish/game), any previous (outstanding) club fines and dues.


2. When a new application is acknowledged as being accepted by the presiding officer of a meeting, the applicant and any attending sponsors shall meet at the end of that meeting with the Trustees or an approved committee appointed by the Executive Board. This committee will review the application with the applicant and sponsors, provide the applicant with all key club documents (per ‘New Member Package’), perform an investigation of the candidate, and make a recommendation of approval for membership to the Executive Board. The application will be placed on a waiting list until the next regular meeting. One key aspect of this review process is the completion of the ‘New Member Checklist’. This form must be submitted to the Executive Board before the vote into Probationary Membership is held.
   
   If membership rolls are filled, the applicant's check or moneys shall be refunded and the application shall be placed in the Club’s waiting list file until there is an opening in the organization's membership when a vote for acceptance into Probationary Membership is held.


3. The sponsor(s) of the prospective member have a responsibility of being a mentor for this new member to provide guidance and assistance to them while learning the ropes and helping them fit into the organization. An application for membership by a child of a Regular, Life, Associate, or Non-Hunting member shall, if the membership is full, be placed on a separate waiting list than that used for "regular" applications. This separate waiting list will be used and exhausted before using the "regular" waiting list.