Membership Criteria

• Demonstrated interest and commitment to zoo animal nutrition (as evidenced by):
  • Designation as a nutritionist in a zoo.
  • Regular attendance at nutrition meetings.
  • Provision of nutritional advice to zoos/collaboration on projects with zoos.
• Expertise in nutrition/diet management:
  • Advanced degree in nutrition.
  • Demonstrated expertise in zoo or wildlife nutrition/dietary husbandry/feeding management.
• No substantial financial interest in animal food manufacturing
  • Individuals who possess significant financial interests in animal feed manufacturing, who perform consulting for feed manufacturers, or those employed by feed companies will be considered for membership on a case by case basis as to the extent of their financial interest. These applicants may be considered for full-corporate membership if their financial interests are deemed by the committee to present a possible conflict of interest.
• Approved by the Steering Committee
  • Those not meeting membership criteria, including students with an interest in the field, or those who have limited time to commit, are eligible for Affiliate status.
  • Involvement in fulfilling the mission of the NAG
  • Those who are interested in the field of zoo and wildlife nutrition, but not necessarily in the service role of the NAG can join as inactive members.
  • Those who become involved as SSP or TAG advisors or members of a subcommittee within the NAG will be considered “active members.”
  • People who do not meet all of these criteria may be considered for affiliate or corporate membership, as appropriate.
• During Conference years, no new memberships will be processed once registration for the meeting opens (typically 1 July). Processing new memberships will resume immediately after the Conference ends.

NAG Membership Types

Full Members

1. Meet all criteria listed above
2. Are involved as an advisor/co-advisor of at least one SSP or TAG and/or a member of at least one subcommittee within the NAG itself.
3. Can be nominated for the Steering Committee.
4. Can vote for the Steering Committee (the only group of voting individuals in the NAG).
5. Can head working groups, subcommittees, etc.

Affiliate Members

1. Are involved as a co-advisor of at least one SSP or TAG and/or a member of at least one subcommittee within the NAG itself.
2. Should evaluate their status regularly and upgrade to full membership when criteria are met.
3. Are not voting members of the NAG, nor are eligible for positions within the Steering Committee.

Full-Corporate Members

1. Can be involved as an advisor/co-advisor of SSPs or TAGs and/or as a member of subcommittees within the NAG itself.
2. Are not voting members of the NAG, nor are eligible for positions within the Steering Committee.

Membership Status

Any of the membership designations can be active or inactive.

Active Members

1. Are involved as an advisor/co-advisor to an SSP or TAGOR
2. Are on an active subcommitteeOR
3. Are on the NAG steering committee

ONLY active members can vote in elections for steering committee members.

Inactive Members

1. Are interested in zoo and wildlife nutrition but do not have the time to commit to being advisors or part of a subcommittee within the NAG.
2. Are not voting members of the NAG, nor are eligible for positions within the Steering Committee

If you are currently listed as an inactive member in the NAG directory, and feel that you are mis-categorized, you must send in the update form on the directory page with a justification related to the criteria above in order to have your status updated. Those forms will be reviewed by the nominating subcommittee and adjusted appropriately.

General Member responsibilities

All members are encouraged to become a Nutrition advisor or co-advisor for a SSP or TAG.

Responsibilities of SSP/TAG Nutrition Advisor (volunteer position)

• Serve for a three-year term (renewable by vote of confidence of SSP/TAG)
• TAG Nutrition Advisor should be aware of activities of species advisors falling under the TAG group – suggest species advisors and encourage active participation; excellent two-way communications is crucial between SSP and TAG advisors
• Provide annual summary of activities (limited to no more than one page) for SSP/TAG Chair; copy to NAG Chair for AZA report
• Annually conduct comprehensive literature search and update bibliography for your species — to be submitted to SSP/TAG Chair and AZA Information Officer (if not initiated, establishment of these resources is highly recommended)
• Lead and participate in the development of the nutrition section of the husbandry manual. Review existing nutrition section of husbandry manual annually, and update as needed (at least once per 5 years), following the established NAG review procedures
• Ensure that the nutrition section and all written diet husbandry, feeding guidelines and updates are submitted to the NAG vice-chair for review in a timely manner
• If asked, assist with review of nutrition-related research proposals to the SSP/TAG
• Facilitate review of any NAG Fact Sheets pertaining to your species group
• Post SSP/ TAG Action Plan and encourage appropriate research activities addressing nutrition issues through listing on NAGNOTES (and other appropriate listserves)

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Membership Application