Warmwater Stream Committee
Southern Division, American Fisheries Society
Meeting Minutes - February 13, 2003
Wilmington, North Carolina

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Chris O’Bara (WV), Chairman. Chris O’Bara distributed the meeting agenda and Dennis Riecke (MS), Secretary-Treasurer distributed the minutes from the previous committee meeting on June 24-25, 2002 in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

A. Approval of Agenda

Motion was made to approve the meeting agenda as written by Chairman Chris O’Bara.

B. Introduction of Committee Members & Guests

15 committee members were in attendance: Chairman Chris O’Bara (WV), Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Riecke (MS), Paul Balkenbush (OK), Dan Catchings (AL), John Copeland (VA), Jimmy Evans (GA), Frank Fiss (TN), Randy Hyler (OK), Elise Irwin (AL), Tom Kwak (NC), Don Orth (VA), Chris Thomason (SC), James Vincent (OK), Brian Wagner (AR), and Christian Waters (NC). Also present as guests were Jeff Boxrucker (OK), Larry Connor (FL), Steve Filipek (AR), Chris Goudreau (NC).

C. Secretary’s Report and Approval of Minutes

Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Riecke (MS) read the WWSC meeting minutes from the June 24- 25, 2002 meeting in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. A motion was made and passed to accept these minutes as read, with corrections to the attendance listing.

D. Treasurer’s Report

Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Riecke (MS) distributed and reviewed the January 26, 2002 - February 11, 2003 Financial Statement. Motion was made and passed to accept the Financial Statement as presented.

E. Outreach Liaison Report

Chairman Chris O’Bara (WV) reported that Betty Crumb (USFS - AR) accepted to perform these duties several years ago. Our WWSC Bylaws state that we will have such a position and asked if we want to continue having this position.

F. Chairman’s Report

• Chairman Chris O’Bara (WV) reported that we did have a workshop planned for this meeting and seven people had registered up to two weeks prior to this meeting. He was concerned that we would not recoup our workshop expenses. Dennis Riecke (MS), John Copeland (VA) and Chairman O’Bara discussed this situation and decided to cancel our workshop sponsorship. Chairman Chris O’Bara detailed our history of workshop sponsorship, financial arrangements, the increasing number of workshops, state fish and wildlife agency budget problems and that state employees usually comprise the majority of attendees at these workshops.
   
• Chairman Chris O’Bara reported that five individuals applied for the Jimmie Pigg Student Travel Award. It was an impressive group and he, along with Dennis Riecke (MS) and John Copeland (VA) evaluated the applicants.
   
• Chairman Chris O’Bara reported that he attended the SDAFS ExCom meeting in 2002 and the WWSC meeting at the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies meeting was cancelled but he heard that 8-10 members met informally.

F. Old Business

F1. Video Update
Chairman Chris O’Bara stated that he has a final version of the video script. He suggested that John Copeland (VA) and Dennis Riecke (MS) write an outline of the script that could be included with the video and posted on our website.

• Video donations and commitments -
  • Fisheries Educators Section donated $500.00 for up to 50 copies for any university that desires the video.
  • Fisheries Administrators Section donated $200.00 for copies to all state agencies outside of the Southeast and not MICRA members.
  • Fisheries Management Section pledged to donate (no money received yet) for copies to be sent to all AFS chapters that do not have a copy.

Chairman Chris O’Bara stated that in the next few weeks all 50 states and all 50 AFS state chapters will have a copy.

Elise Irwin (Auburn U.) suggested that video profits be used to fund the Jimmie Pigg Memorial Travel Award. She suggested that Student AFS chapters distribute the video for the WWSC. She advised against having the AFS Parent Society distribute the video.

We discussed distribution to federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations and decided to ask the AFS chapters to use their submaster copies to produce VHS copies for these entities.

Chris Thomason (SC) stated that he had copies of our Impacts to Warmwater Streams book that he would send to Dennis Riecke (MS).

F2. Safety in the Workplace

This has been a topic of discussion for several years. The Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries has a comprehensive safety plan. Auburn University has a safety manual. WWSC members feel there is an urgent need to get agency directors to realize this is an important issue.

Tom Kwak (NC) stated that he could not get a speaker for this topic at the 2003 SDAFS Midyear meeting due to scheduling conflicts. Dennis Riecke (MS) stated that he will talk to Jeff Boxrucker (OK) regarding having this on the agenda for the 2004 SEAFWA meeting. Perhaps it could be the presented in the Plenary Session by 3-4 speakers.

Paul Balkenbush (OK) and James Vincent (OK) thought training in first aid and electrofishing safety would be especially useful for field biologists. Chris O’Bara (WV) has safety plans from several states and private industries. James Vincent (OK) commented that the presentations need to focus on “horror stories” and “the other side” e.g. first aid and how to react prudently to dangerous work situations.

F3. 2004 SDAFS Midyear Symposium Planning

Considerable time was spent discussing the organization, planning, program, publicity and products for the Warmwater Streams Symposium the WWSC intends to sponsor at the 2004 SDAFS Midyear meeting in Oklahoma City. The committee wrestled with several aspects and options under each topic listed above and reached decisions.

Symposium Organization

WWSC members decided that the symposium will be organized into 3 modules covering a 1.5 day period, since they will not be concurrent modules. Each module will be organized as follows:

• Time frame: 4 hours (240 minutes)
• Invited overview presentation - 20 minutes
• Seven contributed papers - 20 minutes each ( 140 minutes)
• Panel discussion - 60 minutes
• Break - 20 minutes

The time of the break should coincide with the break scheduled in other sessions. The panel discussion is long enough to be meaningful and should be moderated. Questions will not be solicited until the panel discussion.

Module Topics

1. Fisheries Management
2. Habitat Restoration
3. Species Recovery/Restoration

1. Our audience is both state fisheries biologists who are primarily concerned with sport fish species and federal fisheries biologists who work with nongame fishes.
2. Fisheries management papers should deal with species that state manage for in streams: bass, catfish, paddlefish, muskie, walleye, bream, striped bass and American shad.
3. Public involvement papers can be placed either in the Fisheries Management or Habitat Restoration modules.
4. Species restoration papers should cover species such as sturgeon, striped bass, paddlefish, robust redhorse, darters and minnows. Papers should focus on species that occur in several states and discuss multiple techniques being used to recover these fishes.
5. Papers can be comprised of case histories, ongoing work or student research currently in progress. Invited and contributed papers will be considered.

Symposium Planning

1. Local Arrangements - Randy Hyler (OK)
2. Overall Planning - John Copeland (VA) & Dennis Riecke (MS)
3. Overall Program - Chris O’Bara (WV)
4. Module Chairman -
   1. Habitat Restoration - Paul Balkenbush (OK)
   2. Species Restoration - Jimmy Evans (GA) with perhaps Ed Scott (TVA)
   3. Fisheries Management - Frank Fiss (TN) with perhaps Dan Catchings (AL), Scott Smith (VA) and Bill Fisher (OK).

Publicity

1. Inform all WWSC members to solicit papers and funnel presenters to module chairman.
2. Announce symposium and call for papers in the SDAFS June 2003 newsletter.
3. Inform all SDAFS chapters. Invite papers via a notice in Fisheries.
4. John Copeland (VA) to contact NCDAFS Rivers and Streams Committee chairman to solicit papers; to contact Western Division and Northeast Division presidents and distribute NAJFM management brief guidelines.

Paper Selection

1. To evaluate speakers ask them to submit titles and abstracts to module chairman by Sept. 1, 2003. Look for broad papers or ones that are specific, interesting and present new information or techniques.
2. Select all speakers by September 1, 2003.
3. Notify SDAFS Midyear Program Chairman of rejected presentations.

Paper Submission & Editing

1. Notify presenters that their papers must be submitted by December 1, 2003.
2. SDAFS Midyear Program Chair needs paper titles by December 2003.
3. Try to get 10 WWSC members or others to read all papers for content, proper format. Is the paper well written? Is it understandable?
4. Complete all paper reviews by December 15, 2003
5. Presenters will publish their abstract in the SDAFS Meeting Program and indicate sponsorship by the WWSC.
6. Final submission deadline for papers is January 1, 2004.
7. 2004 SDAFS Midyear is February 26-29, 2004.

Symposium Product
Jeff Boxrucker (OK) related his experience with various types of publications in the AFS journals. Options, editorial processes, constraints and costs were discussed at length. Jeff said that the Parent Society would grant approval to producing a CD and web versions of the papers prior to a module publication in the NAJFM.

• WWSC members decided to produce a CD containing all the papers. Larry Connor (FL) suggested we talk to Charlie Mosley at the Parent Society to resolve all copyright issues for CD and web publications.
• It was suggested that the overview papers be submitted to Fisheries for publication.
• It was suggested that the abstracts and papers be posted to the WWSC website. This could be advertised in Fisheries and on the SDAFS homepage.
• Randy Hyler (OK) suggested that a Fisheries article be developed from the notes taken during the presentations and at the panel discussion. Something entitled “Issues in Warmwater Stream Management”. A WWSC member could write it with some level of editing, adhering to format guidelines but with plenty of authorship leeway.
• Paul Balkenbush (OK) asked if a PowerPoint presentation could be put on the WWSC website. We will check on this with Fred Jansen.
• It was decided our goal was also to publish an article in Fisheries based on the symposium. All WWSC members will assist the module chairman in writing, editing this article.

F4. WWSC Membership

Chairman Chris O’Bara (WV) stated that he had not been able to solicit committee members from Florida and Louisiana. John Copeland (VA) talked to Scott Stranko (MD) about joining the committee. Chairman Chris O’Bara discussed membership with Leroy Couch, a USFWS employee. Leroy is not an AFS member and didn’t know if the USFWS would support his attendance. Historically, the USFWS employees have not been involved in the committee and few attend the SDAFS meetings. Paul Balkenbush (OK) has some names of USFWS employees for John Copeland (VA) to contact. We need to encourage more university people to attend our meetings.

F5. Jimmie Pigg Memorial Student Travel Award

Students from Texas Tech, Auburn, North Carolina State, Texas A & M and Virginia Tech applied for the award. David Hewitt, at North Carolina State who is working on the Lower Roanoke River was selected as the 2003 recipient. David was invited to attend the WWSC meeting but is teaching a class. He will present a paper at the SDAFS meeting.

Jeff Boxrucker (OK) suggested the WWSC ask the Oklahoma Chapter to help fund the award since many members remember Jimmie’s work on Oklahoma streams.

F6. Outreach Liaison

We should consider assigning these duties under the responsibility of the Secretary-Treasurer or abolish the position unless someone is willing to assume the duties of the outreach liaison. If the duties are assigned to the Secretary-Treasurer, the procedural section manual will need to be revised to eliminate the outreach liaison position.

F7. SEAFWA meeting changes

Jeff Boxrucker (OK) reported that the SEAFWA directors are willing to accept changes in their proceedings publication. They have embraced all the changes suggested by fisheries personnel. They are seeking to:

1. have interdisciplinary workshops e.g. “How to work with a commission”
2. have interdisciplinary technical sessions
3. trying to institute a Fisheries Technical Committee.

The SEAFWA meeting is evolving with format changes. The SDAFS will help SEAFWA sponsor workshops.

At this point Chairman Chris O’Bara (WV) passed leadership of the WWSC to Chair-Elect John Copeland (VA). Chairman John Copeland (VA) presented Chris O’Bara with an appreciation plaque recognizing his service as WWSC Chairman from October 2000 to February 2003. John Copeland (MS) announced that Dennis Riecke (MS) had agreed to serve another 2 year term as WWSC Secretary-Treasurer.

G. New Business

G1. 2003 Summer Meeting

Chairman John Copeland (VA) asked if members would be able to attend a meeting in either June or September in Virginia. In 1997 a WWSC meeting was held in Blacksburg, VA. The response was favorable for a September meeting. Chairman John Copeland (VA) will explore local arrangement and field outing options.

G2. 2005 SDAFS Mid-Year Meeting

Chairman John Copeland (VA) distributed copies of the 1988 update of the WWSC Stream Sampling Techniques Manual which is now out of print. He asked if we want to update it. James Vincent (OK) asked how much the existing manual been used. This was not known. Elise Irwin (Auburn) stated that much progress has been made in sampling strategies e.g. mussel sampling but the information has not be published in a user-friendly way.

Dan Catchings (AL) commented that he wrote a chapter and there was quite a bit of interest in the manual in the first few years after publication. The electrofishing and snorkeling sections need updating. The WWSC perceived a need and produced the manual to fill it.

Chris O’Bara (WV) stated that perhaps we should sponsor a sampling symposium at the 2005 SDAFS Midyear meeting with a management brief publication.

Tom Kwak (NC) related that several people have already written chapters for other books and our product needs to be very specific. Paul Balkenbush (OK) expressed the desire for a statistical paper. Elise Irwin (Auburn) commented that Alabama and Georgia have performed plenty Aquatic GAP work predicting aquatic fauna distribution. Chris O’Bara (WV) stated that we need to cover data handling and analysis rather than merely sampling. Don Orth (VA Tech) stated that a book is a 3 year effort that should be well defined. Dennis Riecke (MS) commented that we should think about the end product.

G3. Committee History

The WWSC is 30 years old. Chairman John Copeland (VA) received committee records from past chairman Dan Catchings (AL) in 2 year time blocks by past chairman in 3 ring binders. Dan Catchings (AL) will send history bullets to Chairman John Copeland (VA).

John expressed the desire to summarize committee activities and accomplishments. He asked for volunteers to do this.

G4. Funding the Jimmie Pigg Memorial Student Travel Award

Currently we have 2 years funding left. The Oklahoma Chapter also has a similar award.

Several members suggested that the WWSC sponsor a raffle and purchase a big item to be given away. Chairman John Copeland (VA) will discuss purchasing a gift certificate for a big item with the Oklahoma Chapter.

 

The meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m. The roundtable discussion of current stream activities in the states followed.