TCAFS

TCAFS Annual Meeting - February 10-12, 2011

by Craig Bonds

The Texas Chapter AFS annual meeting will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in San Marcos on February 10-12, 2011. The theme of the Plenary Session is “Fish Habitat: Contemporary Approaches for Assessment, Conservation, Enhancement, and Restoration.” The meeting will consist of one continuing education course, an evening social on Thursday, plenary and contributed sessions, our banquet/auction on Friday evening, and the TCAFS business meeting on Saturday. See information below on program overview, registration, and lodging to help plan your trip.

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Program Overview:

• Continuing Education Workshop (Thursday, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 – 5:30 PM) Application of Side-Scan Imaging Sonar and GIS Software for Mapping Aquatic Fish Habitat – Adam Kaeser and Thom Litts (Georgia DNR).  Lunch will be on your own.  To sign up for the workshop, check the appropriate spot on the meeting registration form or contact Craig Bonds (craig.bonds@tpwd.state.tx.us; 903-566-1615, extension 202).

• Student/Professional Mixer (Thursday, 5:30 – 7:30 PM) Light snacks and beverages will be provided (for both hotel and non-hotel guests) in the hotel lobby atrium as part of the nightly manager’s reception. Hotel guests need only to show a room card to be served.  Non-hotel guests will be provided drink tickets.  There will be plenty of fun, networking opportunities for students.

• Plenary Session (Friday, 8:00 – 10:40 AM) Fish Habitat: Contemporary Approaches for Assessment, Conservation, Enhancement, and Restoration. Presentations by a host of invited speakers will address a comprehensive list of fish habitat topics. 

  Presentations and speakers are listed below (in no particular order).

  Aquatic Plants for Fish Habitat: a National Perspective
  Dr. Michael Smart (USACE - Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility)

  Low-Cost Sonar Habitat Mapping: a New Tool for Research and Management of Fish Habitat across Aquatic Landscapes
  Adam Kaeser and Thom Litts (Georgia DNR)

  The Big Picture for Fish Habitat Conservation:  Moving the Needle in Texas through Collaboration at Regional and National Scales
  Tim Birdsong (TPWD-Inland Fisheries)

  A Classification and Threat Condition Assessment of the Rivers and Streams of Texas
  Ryan Smith (The Nature Conservancy)

  Estuarine Habitat Restoration Efforts on the Texas Coast:  Leveraging Resources to Maximize Restoration Opportunities in our Multi-use Estuaries
  Jamie Schubert (TPWD-Coastal Fisheries)

• Lunch (Friday, time period TBD) Friday’s lunch will be on your own, including the Student-Mentor Lunch.  On-site dining is available for a fee inside the hotel’s Rocky River Grille.  To sign up for the student-mentor lunch, check the appropriate spot on the meeting registration form or contact Mandy Scott (mandy.scott@tpwd.state.tx.us; 325-651-5556).

• Contributed Papers and Presentations (Friday, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday, 8:00 – 10:00 AM)

• Evening Pre-Banquet Social (Friday, 5:30 – 6:30 PM) Light snacks and beverages will be provided (for both hotel and non-hotel guests) in the hotel lobby atrium as part of the nightly manager’s reception. Free beverage service will be provided similar to the Thursday Student/Professional Mixer.

• Banquet and Auction (Friday, 6:30 – 10:00 PM) Supper and beverages will be provided as part of the registration price along with the famously entertaining TCAFS auction and raffle.

• TCAFS Business Meeting (Saturday, 10:20 AM – 12:00 PM)

Early registration fee will be $85 and $45 for professionals and students, respectively, and includes access to continuing education workshop, Thursday night Student/Professional Mixer, all plenary and technical sessions, and Friday night banquet.  Important - The deadline for early registration is January 21, 2011. Late registration will increase by $10 for both professionals and students. The registration form can be found at the end of this newsletter or it can be downloaded from our website at: http://www.sdafs.org/tcafs/meetings/11meet/TCAFS_Registration_Form.pdf.

The Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center is located on the IH 35 corridor (exit McCarty Lane; hotel is on east side of interstate) and immediately NE of the outlet mall complex.  Room rates are $85 for single king and $152 for double queen rooms. Please identify yourselves as being with the “Texas Chapter, American Fisheries Society” in order to secure the group rate.  I encourage all those needing commercial lodging to stay at the conference hotel to ensure we meet our room block obligations.  The number to call to make your reservation is 512-392-6450.  Important – the cutoff date for making your reservation is January 17, 2011.

• Click here to view the meeting "Program at a Glance"

• Click here to view Guidelines for Oral Presentations

• Click here to view Guidelines for Poster Presentations

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