CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTTHE WESTERN SECTION OF THE WILDLIFE SOCIETYWILL BE HOSTING THE 2012 ANNUAL CONFERENCE ONFEBRUARY 1- 3, 2012AT THE WOODLAKE HOTEL (formerly the Radisson Hotel)IN SACRAMENTO, CA |
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Come join other wildlife professionals to learn about cutting-edge research, management issues, and conservation challenges. See old friends and network with other professionals.
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Monday, January 30 | |
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Wilderness First Aid (Radisson, Room 305) |
6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Adult CPR (Radisson, Room 305) |
Tuesday, January 31 | |
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Wilderness First Aid (continues) (Radisson, Room 305) |
8:15 a.m. | Registration (Foyer) |
8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. | Coffee (Edgewater F) |
8:50 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | West Coast Fisher Symposium (Edgewater D, E) |
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Scientific and Technical Writing Workshop (Edgewater C) |
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Vendors and Exhibitors (Edgewater F) |
10:30 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. | Break (snacks provided) (Edgewater F) |
12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. | Lunch Break (on your own) |
3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. | Break (snacks provided) (Edgewater F) |
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | TWS-WS Executive Board Meeting (Basil’s Den, Members Welcome) |
5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | West Coast Fisher Symposium Reception with light hors dœuvres , No-Host Bar (Edgewater F) |
Wednesday, February 1 | |
7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Registration (Foyer) |
7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | Coffee (Edgewater F) |
8:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. | West Coast Fisher Symposium continues (Edgewater D, E) |
8:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. | Scientific and Technical Writing Workshop continues (Basil's Den) |
10:00 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. | Vendors and Exhibitors (Edgewater F) |
10:00 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. | Break (snacks provided) (Edgewater F) |
12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break (on your own) |
1:00 p.m. | 2012 Annual Meeting Opening |
1:00 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Conservation Planning & Environmental Offsets (Edgewater A) |
1:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Carnivores (Edgewater B) |
1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Upland Birds (Edgewater C) |
1:00 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Shorebirds (Edgewater D, E) |
2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Break (snacks provided) (Edgewater F, Foyer) |
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Conservation Affairs Committee (unofficial meeting) (Basil’s Den) |
3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Poster set-up (Foyer) |
5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | Welcome Reception, Poster Session, Mini-Quiz ( hors dœuvres , No-Host Bar) (Edgewater F, Foyer) requires ticket or symbol on name badge indicating payment. |
7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | Chapter Meetings (various locations; see Day and Room Designations for details; inside cover and page 1) |
Thursday, February 2 | |
7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | Conference Registration (Foyer) |
7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. | Vendors, Exhibitors, and Posters (Edgewater F) |
7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | Coffee / Light Breakfast (Edgewater F) |
8:25 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. | Plenary Session (Edgewater A, B) |
10:00 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. | Break (snacks provided) (Edgewater F, Foyer) |
11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break (on your own) |
1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Songbirds (Edgewater C) |
1:00 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Waterfowl and Wetlands (Edgewater D) |
1:00 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Military Lands (Edgewater E) |
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | California Bat Working Group (Executive Suite 117) |
2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. | Oral Presentation Workshop: How NOT to Give a Scientific Presentation (Basil’s Den) |
2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Break (snacks provided) (Edgewater F, Foyer) |
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Résumé Workshop (Basil’s Den) |
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. | HSU Alumni Meeting (Executive Suite 117) |
Thursday Evening: | |
5:10 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Annual Business Meeting and Member’s Forum (Edgewater D) |
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | No-host Cocktail Reception (Edgewater F) |
7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. | Banquet, Keynote Program,* Awards Ceremony, Raffle (Edgewater A, B) requires ticket or symbol on name badge indicating payment |
*Conference registrants are welcome to attend the keynote address without a banquet ticket. Limited seating will be provided starting at 8:15 p.m. in the back of the Edgewater B. The keynote address will begin at approximately 8:30 p.m. | |
Friday, February 3, 2011 | |
7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | Conference Registration (Foyer) |
7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Vendors, Exhibitors (Edgewater F) |
7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. | Coffee / Light Breakfast (Edgewater F) |
8:00 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. | Concurrent Session: Climate Change (Edgewater A) |
8:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.. | Concurrent Session: Implementation of Mitigation Measures (Edgewater B) |
8:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent Session: Mammal Ecology (Edgewater C) |
8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. | Job Interview Panel: I Got a Job Interview, Now What? - Getting Jobs in a Tough Job Environment (Basil’s Den) |
9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Break (snacks provided) (Edgewater F) |
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Résumé Workshop (Repeat) (Executive Suite 117) |
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | Career Fair (Edgewater D, E) |
11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break (on your own) |
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. | Student/Professional Lunch (Edgewater D, E). Free to students and professionals who have ticket or symbol on name badge indicating advance registration |
1:00 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Renewable Energy (Edgewater A) |
1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Diseases and Pathology (Edgewater B) |
1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. | Concurrent Session: Reptiles and Amphibians (Edgewater C) |
3:05 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. | Break (snacks provided) (Edgewater F) |
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Western Section Executive Board Meeting (Executive Suite 117) Members Welcome |
Session Title | Chairperson |
Challenges of Natural Resource Management in a Changing Climate | Armand Gonzales |
Renewable Energy and Wildlife Conservation | Steve Henderson |
Conservation Planning and Environmental Offsets: Tools for Species Recovery? | Lucy Harrington |
Mitigation Measures: Challenges and Realities During Project Implementation | Stephanie Parsons and Jon Waggoner |
Large Mammal and Big Game Ecology and Management | Jim Asmus |
Ecology and Management of Upland Game Birds | Erik Blomberg |
Ecology and Management of Waterfowl and Wetlands | Shaun Oldenberger |
Ecology and Management of Shorebirds | Mark Colwell |
Ecology and Management of Wildlife on Military Lands | Rhys Evans and Kirsten Christopherson |
Conservation and Management of Carnivores | Katie Moriarty |
Conservation and Management of Songbirds | Steve Henderson |
Wildlife Diseases and Pathology | Leslie Woods |
Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles | Michael Van Hattem |
Check http://tws-west.org for an updated list of technical sessions and schedule.
A poster session will be held for the Annual Conference on the evening of Wednesday, February 1, during the welcome mixer and social. Posters will also be available for viewing at other times and locations throughout the week. Contact Canh Nguyen at cvnguyen@dfg.ca.gov if you have questions.
Chuck Bonham, Director of the California Department of Fish and Game, will provide a keynote address during the banquet and award ceremony. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to hear about DFG’s priorities and perspective on wildlife management issues.
West Coast Fisher Symposium
The annual conference will be preceded by a symposium focusing on contemporary conservation concerns of fishers (Martes pennanti) throughout their west coast range. This 1½ day symposium will explore current challenges and conservation relevancy of research. A social mixer and dedicated poster session for fisher-related submissions & project updates will occur Tuesday evening.
Note- this symposium runs concurrently with the Writing Techniques Workshop.
Writing Techniques Workshop
The annual conference will be preceded by an interactive workshop on technical writing techniques. This 1½ day workshop will provide you with guidelines, structures, and strategies that will help your words fall into place for technical writing projects that are clear, concise, and easy to understand.
Note- this workshop runs concurrently with the West Coast Fisher Symposium.
Wilderness First Aid Class
In addition to a half day of outdoor scenario practice of first aid and leadership skills, this class focuses on practicing skills and covering: patient assessment, shock and bleeding, head and spinal injuries, wounds, musculoskeletal injuries, heat and cold illnesses and much more. Gain some good tools and knowledge to handle a wilderness first aid emergency. Successful completion of class includes a Wilderness First Aid certificate.
Adult CPR Class
After this 4-hour Adult CPR course, you can really make a difference in an emergency situation. This class provides training in how to recognize an emergency, activate the EMS system and how to care for a person who is not breathing, choking or in cardiac arrest.
Student–Professional Lunch and Career Fair
The Section will host a student–professional lunch and career fair, free to students, at noon on Friday, February 3, 2012. Students will have the opportunity to discuss career choices, the job market, and job qualifications with practicing professionals from the Western Section. Students should indicate their intent to attend the free lunch when they register for the conference. Space is limited. Those not indicating their intent to attend on the registration form will be accommodated as space allows.
Career Fair Participants
Resume Workshop
The Western Section is pleased to announce the return of our fantastic résumé workshop! Barbara Peters from the Career Center at Humboldt State University (retired) will be present to offer outstanding guidance on job searching to students and young professionals. Workshops will be held on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
Effective Oral Presentation Workshop
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve, this informative (and likely humorous) mini-workshop will provide you with information and tips for presenting your research work to your peers. Instructor Jon Hooper will provide demonstrations on how to give an effective presentation….and how NOT to. Scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Annual Raffle & Auction
A raffle and silent auction will be held during the conference banquet on Thursday, February 2. Tickets for the raffle will be available for purchase throughout the conference. Typical donations for the raffle include wine, wildlife artwork, books, travel and field gear. In addition, the Section is seeking, and will offer through the raffle and auction as available, hunting and fishing trips, adventure travel trips, whitewater rafting trips, and similar items. To donate items for the raffle, please contact Lisa Olliver at lollivier@fs.fed.us or call (707) 840-0829.
Field Trip
Sampling for Federally Listed Species in Vernal Pool Landscapes
Please join us for a half-day field trip to a natural northern California vernal pool landscape! The field trip will occur on a private ecosystem preserve one hour drive from Sacramento that is home to federally and State-listed species including vernal pool fairy shrimp, tadpole fairy shrimp, Conservancy fairy shrimp and California tiger salamanders. The trip will include carpool transit to and from the site from the Sacramento Radisson, introductory talk by a recognized expert on vernal pools and local species, and hands-on aquatic surveying in the numerous onsite features. Light snacks and water will also be provided. The maximum amount of attendees for this site visit is 20 people so sign up soon! You must sign up by Thursday, February 2 at 5PM. Please contact Lucy Harrington at lharrington@westerveltecologicalservices.com or sign up at the registration desk at the conference.
Times: 1-5 PM on Friday, February 3, 2012
Cost: FREE with TWS Western Section Conference attendance (any day)
Minimum Number of Attendees: 10
PLEASE COME PREPARED FOR THE FIELD: There are no trees or other cover and the site is subject to high winds and rain. You will need appropriate footwear, windbreakers and potentially raincoats/rain pants. If you plan on participating in the aquatic sampling, please bring knee-high (or higher!) rubber boots.
On-line registration for the Western Section Annual Conference opened on December 1, 2011. Registration is now closed.
VERY IMPORTANT CHANGE -- As of December 29, 2011, the hotel has changed names from the Radisson Hotel to the Woodlake Hotel. The venue has not changed, just the name on the building.
The 2012 Annual Conference will be held at the Woodlake Hotel (formerly the Radisson Hotel) in Sacramento. The Woodlake Hotel is conveniently located 5 minutes from the Capitol, Old Sacramento, Cal Expo, Arden Fair Mall, Railroad Museum, and the Light Rail System. Please help keep conference registration rates low by staying at the Woodlake Hotel. The Woodlake Hotel Sacramento is located at 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento CA 95815, Reservations can be made by calling (855) 922-5252 or (916) 922-2020. More information is available online at http://www.woodlakehotel.com/.
By January 2, 2012, the hotel online reservation system should be up and running. Use the code "WILD" to get the special conference rate on hotel rooms. There are a LIMITED number of discounted rooms. You must make your reservation by January 13th to get the discount rate, but they may sell out of the discounted rooms early. So make your reservation today!
single occupancy | $84 |
double occupancy | $104 |
triple occupancy | $124 |
quad occupancy | $144 |
Over the past several years, the Western Section has collected donations from conference attendees with the proceeds being used to fund local restoration projects that will offset the carbon footprint of the conference. This year, the registration fee includes a $5 surcharge for carbon offsets and ecological karma. The Western Section will match the amount collected from attendees, effectively doubling the amount of funding. The donation will be provided to the Sacramento Valley Conservancy, which is working to preserve the beauty, character, and diversity of the Sacramento Valley landscape.
Our contribution will help the Sacramento Valley Conservancy’s Deer Creek Hills Oak Woodland Preserve and Working Ranch located in the Blue Oak Woodland Legacy Area of Sacramento County. The375-acre addition would add a linear mile of Deer Creek, associated riparian habitat, and blue oak woodlands to the existing 4,062-acre Preserve. Our support will also help with stewardship at our Sacramento Prairie Vernal Pool Preserve in Sacramento County, and the Elkhorn Basin Ranch in Yolo County on the Sacramento River right across from the Sacramento International Airport (look down on your landing or take-off and you will see the site!). For more information, see
http://www.sacramentovalleyconservancy.org.
A limited number of spaces are available at the 2012 annual conference for vendors and publishers. The basic fee for a space is $150. If you are interested, please contact Candace Renger at candace.renger@gmail.com by January 10, 2012.
We welcome potential sponsors to the meeting, individual events within the meeting or the pre-conference symposia. Organizations, agencies, consulting firms, chapters, individuals…let us know if you’re interested. Sponsors can qualify for exhibit space, discounted or free event registrations, acknowledgement in the program and more. Opportunities start at $250. Contact Linda Leeman at lwleeman@gmail.com for more information.
Opportunities abound. Please contact Lacey Kreiensieck at lkreiensieck@gmail.com if you are interested.
A limited number of student travel grants may be available. Check our website under “Resources” for more information or contact the Awards and Grants Committee Chair (rburg@parks.ca.gov) for additional details.
Members will be eligible to earn credit hours for Professional Development, Professional Development Certificates and for TWS Certification renewal (note: meetings such as this do not normally qualify for an initial TWS certification application). Additional information will be provided in the final conference program.
Presenters of papers at the Western Section's Annual Conference are urged to submit their papers for publication in the "Transactions of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society." There are no page charges for papers published by current members of the Western Section! Potential authors should review the guidelines for preparing and submitting manuscripts under the “Resources” tab on the Section web site at http://tws-west.org/ or contact the Transactions Editor, David Wright (dwright@dfg.ca.gov).
The Western Section is pleased to help facilitate the meeting of several working groups during the annual conference, as has been done in the past. In order to ensure space is available and to help minimize scheduling conflicts, if you are interested in holding a working group meeting at the annual conference, please contact Scott Osborn, Working Group Coordinator at sosborn@dfg.ca.gov.