THE MILL RIVER CONSERVATION GROUP CONSTITUTION

1.Name
The group will be called The Mill River Conservation Group (MRCG) and
will be referred to as “the group” for the purpose of this document, The Mill
River Conservation Group was formed in the year 2021 to manage the
protection, restoration and conservation of The Mill/ Owenkillew River,
catchment Buncrana, Inishowen, County Donegal. The group functions as a
non-profit organization with the ability to raise funds and apply for
applicable grant funding.

2. Aims and Objectives.

Monitor and recording the flora , fauna and invertebrates through ecological
surveys on The Owenkillew Mill River catchment and tributaries ensuring
records are shared with local, regional and national organisations and
groups as appropriate.Work closely with local authorities and other partners
to carry out a planned programme of practical conservation work to enhance
the ecology and biodiversity of Owenkillew/Mill River catchment. Raise
awareness of the ecology and biodiversity of The Mill River/Owenkillew
catchment through events, displays in our local community, our website and
online events and other educational materials and social media platforms.
The group defines ‘conservation’ as ‘enhancing’, not strictly as ‘keeping
entire’ or ‘unchanging. Fundraise to further the aims and objectives of the
group.

3. Membership Membership will be open to anyone aged over 16 years of

age, members under 16 years of age are welcome and will need to be
accompanied by an adult . All members will be subject to regulations of the
constitution and by joining the group will be deemed to accept these
regulations and codes of conduct that the group has adopted. Membership
will be free of charge, membership will be open to anybody regardless of
Age, gender, disability, sexual orienation, ethnicity, nationality, religion,
family status, civil status, Irish traveller minorities and/or any other beliefs.

4. Legal Requirement and Regulatory The officers/ Board of Directors

have a general duty to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all board
members, employees and volunteers as well as the health and safety of those
who may be affected by what our conservation group does This may include
stakeholders, land owners and members of the general public.

5. Officers of The Mill River Conservation Group (Board of

Directors) The officers of the group will be Chairperson, Vice Chairperson,
Secretary and Treasurer, the officers and will be elected annually at the
Annual General Meeting (AGM). All Officers will be eligible for
re-appointment. The Committee has the right to create other posts that will
aid the running of the group. The Officers of the group are able to make a
decision for and on behalf of group members, outside a meeting, should an
instance occur. The said Officers will by a majority of the vote, 2 or 3 for, will
have the Decision. Private Land All officers ( Board of Directors) and
Members/volunteers must respect the rights of our steakholders, private
landowners at all times seeking permission to access private lands for the
purposes of conservation works and river catchment management
procedures

6. Yearly work plan. The method for developing the group’s yearly work
plan, will be as follows: The group secretary will ask at each of the group’s
January AGM for suggestions for the incoming year’s work plan, this will
then be sent to each officer of the board by the group’s January’s meeting.
The group will at each January meeting, go through all the suggestions. The
group will then choose a member to put a suggested work plan together for
the following year.

Projects. All Conservations based projects of work shall be carried once

relevant public bodies have inspected and approved proposed works, unless
in the case of non-invasive instream works group members will then on any
work day follow the work plan, which has already been agreed. A chosen
member will give the members that attend a work day a short brief and
health and safety on the day’s work ahead. All none-instream projects shall be
carried out after assessment and planning of said works has been done and
an overall consensus has been reached within our own group. The Mill
River Conservation Group Small based projects can be carried out at the
discretion of the conservation group with the consent of a stakeholder,
private landowner as long as it does not breach any fishery acts,
environmental laws or state land legislation acts. If in the process of any
work day, any member who would like an alteration to the work plan, must
state their case and any member opposed to the alteration states their case,
the members present on that work day take a vote, the majority vote will
take the decision. In the case of a tied vote, the secretary present at the work
day, will have an additional casting vote.

7. Group management. The group will be managed by the ChairPerson,

Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and members attending the group
meetings. The committee will be made up of Chairman, Vice Chairman,
Secretary, Treasurer and a maximum of 5 committee members. Any Vote
that needs to be taken to reach a decision, will be by a show of hands, for,
against and abstentions. All members over the age of 16 attending the
meeting will be eligible to vote. The majority vote will be the decision taken.
The quorum for business at the meeting will be 3. The committee meeting
will only be for committee members of the group. Any decision made in the
committee meeting will be reported back to the group meeting. The
Committee will be responsible for adopting new policy, codes of conduct and
rules that affect the organisation of the group. The Committee will have
powers to appoint sub-committees as necessary and appoint advisors to the
Committee as necessary to fulfil its business. The Committee will be
responsible for disciplinary hearings of members who infringe the group’s
rules/regulations/constitution. The Committee will be responsible for taking
any action of suspension or discipline following such hearings. To become
eligible to be proposed for a committee position, a member must have
attended 4 work days in any 12 month period. Committee members will be
proposed and seconded and voted on individually at the groups AGM.

8. Finance All monies will be banked in an account held in the name of The
Mill River Conservation Group. The Treasurer will be responsible for the
finances of the group. A statement of annual accounts will be presented by
the Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting, they shall be responsible for
delivering a full account of the yearly expenditure of the Group including
any paid or outstanding debts, the Treasurer shall present a current update
balance of all monies held by the group to the board of directors and
members at all annual general meeting, less encase of an emergency meeting
being not financially related.. Any funding drawn against group funds
should hold the signature of the Treasurer plus Chairperson, or Secretary.
The board receives no compensation other than reimbursement of
reasonable expenses incurred in the process of completing works for the Mill
River, in this case any personal financial expenditure resulting from The Mill
River Conservation group related costs may be reimbursed after first being
sanctioned by the Treasurer and board of directors.
9. Annual General Meetings At least 14 days notice will be given by the
secretary to group members of a pending annual general meeting. The AGM
will receive a report from Project officers Board of Directors) of the
Committee and a statement of the audited accounts from the treasurer.
Nominations for new officers of the Committee ( will be sent to the Secretary
prior to the AGM. Elections of officers and Committee members are to take
place at the AGM. To call an Extraordinary General Meeting, a proposer and
seconder will be needed. Procedures for EGMs will be the same as for the
AGM.

10. Discipline & Appeals All complaints regarding the behaviour of

members should be submitted in writing to the Secretary. The Committee
will meet to hear complaints. The Committee has the power to take
appropriate disciplinary action including the termination of membership.
The outcome of a disciplinary hearing should be notified in writing to the
person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the
complaint was made, if it is found that any member has acted outside of
The Mill River conservation's group and rivers best interest, the board of
directors shall at their discretion either issue a warning, hand down a
suspension or terminate the membership of any person if deemed necessary
based upon the severity of the complaint and the outcome of the
investigation in to such matters. There will be the right of appeal to the
Committee following disciplinary action being announced. Members may
appeal a suspension or termination of membership not later than
twenty-one days after receiving a final decision from the board of directors
in writing within 7 days of a decision being taken. On receipt of a written
appeal from any member, a meeting will take place between the appealing
member and the board of directors at which time the appealing member
may state their appeal. The appealing member may at their request bring a
witness with them to any such officially arranged disciplinary meetings. If
the Board of directors are satisfied that the appealing member has proved
they have not breached the originations code of conduct, then at the
discretion of the board the said appealing member shall be reinstated to The
Mill River Conservation Group.
11. Dissolvement of Group: The Mill River Conservation group may only
be dissolved with a fifty percent majority vote in favour of dissolvement of
the group by the board of directors, in the instance of this action taking place
all remaining funds shall be returned to the relevant funding bodies and any
other conservation group moneys may be donated to a similar conservation
or environmental group within the Inishowen Area of County Donegal.

12. Amendments to the Constitution The Constitution will only be

changed through agreement by majority vote at an AGM or EGM.

13. Declaration Mill River Conservation Group (MRCG) hereby adopts

and accepts this constitution as a current operating procedure and
regulating the actions of members.

On this day the 31/07/2022 the named Board of directors of the Mill river
Conservation Group are:

Thomas Lawrence (Director Chairman, Planning & Development)

Michael Mc Laughlin ( Director Vice Chairman - Genealogist)

Sally Friel Lawrence (Director Secretary and Climate Ambassador)

 Maebh Ní Dhómhnaill (Director Treasurer and Environmentalist )

Members: Caolan Doherty, Pat Kane, T.J Lawrence, Darren Mc Fadden

Signed - Thomas Lawrence

----------------------------------------------------------- Date 31/07/2022Director

Chairman
The Mill River Conservation Group
Buncrana F93CX24