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Marine Turtle Newsletter 104:26, © 2004

Marine Turtle Newsletter-Online

First Announcement:
25th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation (Savannah, Georgia, USA, January 16-22, 2005)

Thane Wibbels
President (2004/2005), International Sea Turtle Society,
Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
(E-mail: twibbels@uab.edu)

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to attend the "25th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation". This is our "Silver Anniversary", and it will be reflected in the theme of the meeting: "A quarter century of advancements that propel us into the future." The 2005 symposium will be held at the Hyatt Regency on the Savannah River in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia, USA. We were fortunate to find a great facility in an excellent location at a reasonable price. For more information see < http://www.savannah.hyatt.com/property/index.jhtml/> In addition to a large auditorium, the hotel includes a Harborside Center that overlooks the river and will be an ideal location for socials, poster sessions, and coffee breaks. The hotel is situated directly on the historic riverfront near the location where Savannah was founded as the first city in Georgia in 1733. A wide variety of restaurants, galleries, shops, and pubs are within walking distance of the hotel. There are also numerous historical sites nearby. In fact, Savannah has been listed by travel magazines as one of the best cities in the USA for historical and cultural walking tours. Additionally, there are a number of wildlife preserves in the area, including the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the Savannah Coastal Refuges. Several of the coastal refuges include nesting beaches for the loggerhead sea turtle. We anticipate having a variety of tour activities available for meeting attendees.

In order to obtain optimal room rates and complete access to all of the hotel's meeting facilities, we have scheduled the symposium for one month earlier than the 2004 symposium. It will be held the third week of January, 2005, with full day sessions currently being planned for January 19th, 20th, and 21st, and a half day session (e.g., MTSG meeting, etc.) planned for the 22nd. We anticipate that the regional meetings (e.g. African, IOSEA, Latin American, Mediterranean and WIDECAST) will be held during 16th -18th of January. This is usually a very nice time of year to visit Savannah since there should be comfortable temperatures and the camellias will be in bloom. Savannah is centrally located along the Atlantic coast of the USA, so it is within driving distance for many of the attendees who live in the eastern or southeastern USA. Savannah also has a new international airport that is located a short distance from the hotel, and receives direct flights from locations such as Miami, New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Houston.

Emphasising the theme of the meeting, the schedule will include invited speakers that will highlight the advancements in sea turtle conservation and biology over the past 25 years. Invited speakers will also describe state-of-the-art technology used in sea turtle conservation and biology, including their projections of where research will lead us in the future.

So please mark your calendars and begin planning your trip to attend the 25th Annual Symposium. Since the meeting will be held in late January, the deadlines for registration, abstracts and application for travel support will be shifted accordingly and will be October 1 2004. A full announcement will appear in MTN 105, on CTURTLE and where possible on other regional e-mail dissemination lists. It is suggested that overseas applicants apply as early as possible for their visas. In the near future we will have a web page <https://seaturtle.org/symposium/> that will provide all the necessary specific information regarding the meeting. I look forward to seeing you at what should be an exciting and informative "Silver Anniversary" symposium.