Members and More
President's Message by Matt Hane
First, let me thank the outgoing board members, Dave Budeau, Jennifer Gervais and Marissa Meyer, all of whom made substantial contributions to the Oregon Chapter. Second, I would like to welcome the newly elected members. Don Whittaker is the President-Elect after having served as a board member and in the Vice President office. Mindy Trask is the Vice President Elect, responsible for the arranging the scientific presentations at the 2010 meeting. Christian Hagan was reelected Treasurer. Patty Snow was reelected to the Board. Audrey Hatch and Steve Zack were both elected for the first time. Fran Cafferata Coe was named by the Board to fill the last year of Chris Maguire’s term. Although Chris resigned shortly before the Annual Meeting, she remains active in the Chapter.
Outgoing board members from left to right: Lisa DeBruyckere, Holly Michael, Fran Cafferata Coe, Jennifer Weikel, Dave Budeau, Christian Hagen, Don Whittaker, Matt Hane, Dan Edwards, Marisa Meyer, Patty Snow, and Betsy Glenn
Incoming board members from left to right: Lisa DeBruyckere, Mindy Trask, Fran Cafferata Coe, Jennifer Weikel, Don Whittaker, Christian Hagen, Matt Hane, Dan Edwards, Patty Snow, Betsy Glenn, and Steve Zack
Anyone who was at the 2009 Business Meeting will know that Holly Michael ascended to the Past President’s office with great joy and relief.
This being an odd numbered year, the Legislative Affairs Committee is already working hard tracking and commenting on bills before the House and Senate. We have already provided oral or written testimony on three bills. For longer as I have been active in the Chapter, the Legislative Affairs Committee has been led by Warren Aney. Late in 2008, Warren announced that 2009 would be his last year in this position. His leadership and knowledge will certainly be missed. Even with one month under my belt as president, I can see the hole that will be left. Assisting Warren are Bruce Campbell and Charlie Bruce and the entire board. We continue to retain the services of Stephen Kafoury.
One obvious challenge the board will face is fall out from the country’s economic collapse. Will employers remaining willing and able to support their employees active involvement in ORTWS? Budget cuts quickly translate to travel restrictions at best and staff reductions at worst. Ron Anglin, Wildlife Division Administrator for ODFW, is a strong supporter of his staff being active in the Chapter, and I thank him for this. A quick look through the membership list shows the chapter to be heavily populated with agency employees. Nor are private sector employees immune from the economic downturn. My company typically sends three or four people to the annual meeting. In February, I was the only representative.
How will agency and company budgets affect the ability of the board to function and what will the 2010 meeting look like? We are financially sound thanks in no small part to the efforts of Michael Pope in 2008. How does the board use and protect this capital? The board will be considering these issues at it’s April 3rd meeting and throughout the year. There have been informal discussions on ways to shorten the meeting while still providing all of the benefits and events our membership has come to expect.
The transition to an electronic newsletter is also presenting the Chapter with another set of challenges and at the same time, some exciting opportunities. On the challenge side, we appear to have lost track of some long time members. The business meeting made it clear that not everyone in the Chapter is being reached. We have work to do in order to reconcile our membership database with the mailing lists (electronic and postal). Once we get past this, we will have a much better handle on the active membership and the expertise they can provide to the Chapter.
Finally, Jim Thrailkill’s letter to the membership regarding barred owl removal will soon be posted on the Chapter’s website. Please read this and consider it carefully. The questions surrounding Barred owl removal experiments are quite weighty. Any action this Chapter takes needs to be thoroughly discussed and debated. We will be talking at length about Barred owl removal on April 3rd. In a related matter, Jennifer Weikel is the Chapter’s representative on the USFWS Barred Owl Working Group.
2008 - A Year in Review by Holly Michael
Chapter members,
Well, we can certainly say that 2008 was a challenging year for all of us. We faced, and continue to deal with, much uncertainty in our lives and profession due in large part to the economy.
The Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Society has faired well in this era. Our finances are in good shape overall, thanks in large part to the hard work of your Board and other members to provide great workshops, a successful annual conference and reduce costs.
The Board spent a lot of time this year on Chapter finances, and made changes where we could to pare down expenditures, increase efficiency and prepare for the future. Much of the credit goes to our Treasurer, Christian Hagen, for an exceptional job in tracking our finances, and managing our Vanguard and other accounts. The annual audit was held, and no inconsistencies or problems were identified. The market has taken a toll on Vanguard fund and some proceeds from the Wind Energy and Wildlife workshop are being directed into the fund.
Other savings came from switching to an on-line newsletter (saved us printing and mailing expenses), and cutting back on a few extras at the annual conference. The cost-savings watchdogs for this have been Christian, Don Whittaker, Lisa DeBruckyere and Matt Hane. The hard work of Mike Pope, Audrey Hatch, Patty Snow, Jennifer Weikel, Mark Penninger, Jeff Reams, Dave Kennedy and several other members brought in several thousand dollars through workshops, sponsorships and donations. These funds go right back into the Chapter, and looking into the future, we are establishing a rainy day fund to help us through any long term downturns or unanticipated costs.
Our newsletter is better than ever, and Lisa DeBruckyere and Betsy Glenn do a wonderful job of keeping it updated and full of information and career news for you. Betsy, as Chapter Secretary, also has the unenviable task of taking notes from the Board meetings and getting them posted on the website. All this while pursuing her PhD.
An example of one of very successful workshops, which also generated considerable revenue for the Chapter was on Wind Energy and Wildlife. It was held in The Dalles and co-sponsored by TWS and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Over 130 professionals attended the 2 day workshop which brought experts from around the country to speak on the impacts to avian, bats and other species. A tour of the Klondike wind farm gave participants an opportunity to see a wind facility firsthand and discuss siting and operations with wind energy experts.
Through our Government relations liaison duo, Stephen Kafoury and Warren Aney, TWS provided testimony and written comments on many tiopcs, including cervid ranching, cougar management, the Oregon Conservation strategy, federal forest management, and others. Past Chapter Presidents Charlie Bruce and Bruce Campbell joined the Conservation Affairs Committee, and their insights are invaluable as we move through issues and legislative affairs.
We started the application process to get the 2012 National TWS Conference in Portland. Dave Kennedy, Fran Cafferata Coe and I met with the National team and the City of Portland Travel Bureau to look at options and responsibilities. The Board agreed to move forward with the application and we are now waiting for an answer from the National Committee. We should hear soon. We will need a lot of support, participation and volunteer hours from our members, and I have no doubt we’ll host another terrific National conference, as we did in 1995. Dave Kennedy has stepped up to coordinate our piece of this work and we’ll be developing committees in he near future, should we be awarded the event. Stay tuned!
Thank you to all our 2008 Board members and best wishes to the incoming 2009 Board. Please consider serving on your Board in the near future, and making a contribution to our profession by bringing your skills, ideas and energy to TWS.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as your 2008 President. The Wildlife Society is one of the finest organizations I have ever been a part of, and this Chapter – our Oregon Chapter – I consider one of the best in the nation for engaging in issues and opportunities that arise almost daily, providing a top-notch conference and workshops, and being committed to serving our members…you.
Holly Michael
2008 President, Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Society
Monterey 2009
The Wildlife Society 16th Annual Conference, September 20-24, 2009 in Monterey, California includes workshops, symposia, panel discussions, breakfast roundtables, special poster sessions, contributed papers (oral presentations), and contributed posters.
We invite submission of contributed papers and posters on topics of wildlife science, management, conservation, education, or policy within the broad theme of use and abuse of wildlife science in policy decisions.
Presentations will not be published, so we encourage reports from the author’s most recent scientific investigations and management experiences.
All contributed papers (oral presentations) will be scheduled for 20 minutes, which includes 15 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions. Oral presentations are limited to Microsoft PowerPoint; no other formats (such as slides, overheads, or video) will be accepted.
We urge participants to consider presentation of their work as posters. Posters provide an opportunity for authors to participate in more detailed communication with attendees. Posters are displayed for a half or full day and authors are requested to attend their posters during scheduled breaks. Posters will be displayed on horizontal cloth-covered boards 4-ft. high x 8-ft. wide.
Instructions for Submitting Abstracts
The OASIS site will lead you through the submission steps. You may initiate a submission, leave it, and return to complete or revise your submission as often as you like until the submission deadline. The submission deadline is March 20, 2009 at midnight CST. Abstracts that miss this deadline will not be considered. Only one contributed paper or poster maybe submitted per primary author. This is to allow as many people as possible to present.
Complete submission details can be found on the OASIS site. Highlights are listed here to aid in preparing your abstract. You will have the option of submitting the body of your abstract (maximum 300 words) either by typing directly into the space provided or inserting a Word file. Abstract should include a statement of objectives, brief description of methods, principal results, and conclusions. Include scientific names in the abstract but not in the paper/poster title. Also, do not abbreviate place names (e.g. state or country) in the paper/poster title. Do not include paper/poster title or author information in the abstract. This information must be entered in the spaces provided on the site. You will be asked to choose one of the following subject categories for your paper/poster.
Conservation and Management of Birds
Ecology and Habitat Relationships of Birds
Population Dynamics of Birds
Conservation and Management of Mammals
Ecology and Habitat Relationships of Mammals
Population Dynamics of Mammals
Reptiles and Amphibians
Biometrics
Conservation of Communities, Ecosystems, and Landscapes
Human Dimensions, Conservation Education, and Conservation Policy
Wildlife Damage Management
Wildlife Diseases and Toxicology
New Technology and Applications
Abstract Evaluation
Papers and posters will be accepted based on their technical merit and contribution to our knowledge of species, populations, communities, ecological processes, management practices, conservation initiatives, education models, or policy issues. Papers and posters should present results from completed studies or completed phases of long-term projects. Work in progress is more appropriate for presentation at local or regional meetings and will not be accepted.
Students can submit work-in-progress abstracts as part of a separate poster session held in conjunction with the conference. Preference will be given to work not previously presented elsewhere. All abstracts will be reviewed by at least two reviewers in a blind review process. Please note that presentations from students are welcome but are not given preferential treatment. We have found that students do as well as or better than professionals under our blind review process. However, time/space is a limiting factor and we will not be able to accept all papers/posters submitted (whether from students or professionals).
Notice of Decision
Notice of acceptance will be made by June 4, 2009.
Registration
All presenters MUST register and pay the appropriate conference registration fee. Advance registration is strongly recommended. Registration information will be posted on TWS website in June.
Questions?
Questions about the conference program may be directed to Consulting Program Assistant Tricia Fry at tricia@wildlife.org. For all other conference questions, please contact Conferences and Membership Assistant Lisa Moll at (301) 897-9770 or lisa@wildlife.org.
Associate Editor - Wildlife Biology
A peer reviewed journal, Northwest Science is an outlet for original papers on wide ranging natural history and general science topics, including anthropology, aquatic biology, botany, ecology, fisheries, forestry, geology, geography, soils, wildlife biology, and zoology. The geographic scope of Northwest Science is the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. Northwest Science was recently added to the BioOne.2 (www.bioone.org) collection and will institute an online manuscript submission and peer review tracking software (Peer Track, provided by Allen Press) in the near future.
Associate editors, who serve 2-year terms, are assigned manuscripts according to subject expertise. They are responsible for finding and corresponding with peer reviewers, evaluating the manuscript and reviews for scientific content, and providing a recommendation to the editor.
Qualified candidates who are interested in serving should send their CV to Jeff Duda at jduda@usgs.gov.
Journal Website = http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/org_nws/Journal.htm
Jeffrey J. Duda
Research Ecologist
USGS Biological Resources Division
Western Fisheries Research Center
6505 Northeast 65th Street
Seattle, Washington 98115 206.526.6282 x233
http://wfrc.usgs.gov/about/profiles/Prof_Duda.htm
An Invitation to Participate in Northwest Section of TWS Events by Sanjay Pyare
Hello Northwest’ers of The Wildlife Society:
I wanted to send a personal invitation to you all to participate in a number of important and upcoming opportunities pertaining to the Northwest Section of The Wildlife Society. Please note that I have attached 2 documents (the Section newsletter and 2009 Call for Abstracts) that have more details about these opportunities, but here are the main highlights:
- Annual Conference. We’ll be teaming up with the Alaska Chapter to hold our annual conference in Fairbanks, Alaska, during April 7-8, 2009. Symposiums will include: “Emerging diseases and parasites of Alaska wildlife”, and “Impacts of invasive plants on wildlife: a growing threat in Alaska”. On April 9, there will also be a special session and workshop, “Practical moose population modeling.” We’ll be co-hosting plenary speaker Shane Mahoney, Executive Director, Newfoundland Dept. of Environmental Conservation. We’ll also be holding a social mixer with the Alaska Chapter during the poster session and conducting our usual annual business meeting. Please see the Newsletter and Call for Abstracts for more information.
- NW Section Professional Awards. At this years Conference, we hope to recognize up to 2 wildlife professionals for research or administrative service in the NW region via 2 Section awards, the Arthur S. Einarsen Award and the Wildlife Administrators Award. If you are interested in nominating a distinguished professional for one of these, Shelly Adams, our new Awards Committee chair, would like to hear about it! See the newsletter for her contact info and details.
- Elections. We have scoped over the last several months (in 2 newsletters and through a canvassing effort) for candidates for a new Section President, and we’ve got an esteemed candidate, Dr. Terry Bowyer, who I believe will provide an unparalleled level of enthusiasm, productivity, and prominence to the Section. Please be sure to cast your official ballot online by Feb. 21 at http://www.doodle.com/participation.html?pollId=fm3az75zzxvgzzg8 . Please see the newsletter for more information about Terry’s background.
- Student Travel Assistance If there are any students interested in, or already planning on, presenting at this year’s conference, consider applying for up to $500 in travel assistance; especially students from WA, OR, ID, and MT. Please see the newsletter for more information.
Hope to see some of you in Fairbanks!
Regards,
Sanjay Pyare, President
TWS - Northwest Section
Professor of GIS / Biogeography
University of Alaska Southeast
11120 Glacier Hwy
Juneau AK 99801
907-796-6007
sanjay.pyare@uas.alaska.edu
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