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Marine Turtle Newsletter 105:16-17, © 2004

Marine Turtle Newsletter-Online

Second Announcement
25th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation (Savannah, Georgia, USA, January 16-23, 2005)

Thane Wibbels
President, International Sea Turtle Society, Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, (Email: twibbels@uab.edu)

The “25th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation” is now only six months away. 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. This is a great facility located 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, pubs, and historic sites are within walking distance from the hotel. Additionally, there are a number of wildlife preserves in the area, including the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the Savannah Coastal Refuges, which include nesting beaches for the loggerhead sea turtle. We anticipate having a variety of local tours and activities available for meeting attendees. Listed below is specific information regarding the 25th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation.

Schedule: 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 on Wednesday through Friday January 19th, 20th, and 21st, and a half day session (e.g., MTSG meeting, workshops, etc.) planned for Saturday the 22nd. We have reserved Sunday through Tuesday, January 16th-18th for regional meetings (e.g. WIDECAST, Latin American, African, Mediterranean, etc.). There will be an opening social on the evening of Tuesday January 18th, the auction will be held on the evening of Thursday January 20th, and the meeting banquet will be held the evening of Friday January 21st.

Meeting Agenda: We are currently in the process of developing a general agenda for the meeting. Considering that this is the silver anniversary symposium we envision some presentations that provide an overview of the advancements and achievements in sea turtle conservation and biology over the past quarter century while other presentations will cover state-of-the-art methods and technologies including the direction of sea turtle conservation and biological studies in the future. If you have any suggestions for special sessions that you would like to organize or that you would like included in the symposium, please contact Thane Wibbels (twibbels@uab.edu) or the Program Chair, David Owens at owensd@cofc.edu. We intend to put a significant emphasis on the poster sessions during the symposium, including larger blocks of time for specific poster sessions in which the presenters will be stationed at their posters. The hotel’s Harborside Center, located on River Street, represents an ideal room for poster sessions, vendors, and coffee breaks

On-Line Registration: You will need to register for the meeting on-line using the Symposium’s user-friendly website that can be found at <http:// www.seaturtle.org/>. Preregistration deadline is October 1, 2004 if you want to avoid the higher fees associated with late registration. Preregistration fee is $115.00 (U.S. dollars) for regular members of the International Sea Turtle Society and $60.00 for student members. Late registration will be $150.00 for regular members and $75 for student members. During on-line registration you will have the option of paying for tickets to the opening social ($20.00 to cover cost of food and beverages) and to the banquet ($45.00). There will be a $3.00 fee if you will require a headset for bidirectional simultaneous translation of the presentations. All fees can be paid on-line via a credit card. If you prefer to mail your registration payment, please send check (drawn on U.S. bank) or money order (U.S. funds) made out to “Sea Turtle Symposium” to: The Zenith Group, P.O. Box 835, Augusta, WV 26704 USA Attention: Donna Broadbent. Credit card payments will only be accepted online.

Abstracts: All abstracts for oral or poster presentations must be submitted on-line at the Symposium’s website that can be found at <http:// www.seaturtle.org>. Deadline for submission of abstracts is October 1, 2004. The instructions for composing and submitting abstracts are listed on the Symposium’s website. You will need to register and pay online prior to submitting your abstract. All abstracts will be reviewed by the ISTS Program Committee. Abstracts need to be of high quality or they may be rejected by the Program Committee. The final abstracts to be included in the proceedings of the symposium will be limited to one page with no figures.

Resolutions: Anyone wanting to submit resolutions for consideration by the ISTS Board of Directors must submit resolutions by October 1, 2004. Submit resolutions to the ISTS Secretary Manjula Tiwari (mtwari@zoo.ufl.edu).

Travel Grants: The ISTS always attempts to provide a significant amount of funds to help support the travel of students and researchers from around the world who lack funding to attend the Annual Sea Turtle Symposium. The instructions for applying for a travel grant can be found on the Symposium’s web site at <https://seaturtle.org>. The deadline for applying for travel funds is October 1, 2004. In previous years we have had numerous individuals request that their registration fee be waived. All such requests must be submitted in the same fashion as a standard request for travel funds. Additionally, all requests for a registration fee waiver must be submitted by October 1, 2004. The ISTS travel Committee will evaluate all travel fund and registration fee waiver requests.

Hotel Reservations: The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency on the historic riverfront in Savannah, GA. The Hyatt is providing a special rate of $112.00 (U.S.) per room for up to four people per room (i.e. no additional charge for extra people in a room).This is less than half their regular price for these rooms. Reservations for hotel rooms must be made through Donna Broadbent at The Zenith Group <http:// www.thezenithgrp.com>. A link to that website is available on the Symposium’s website that can be found at <https://seaturtle.org> Please note that the discounted room rate of $112 is only available through The Zenith Group. The deadline for reserving hotel rooms is November 30, 2004.

Travel Information: Savannah, GA 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 has a new international airport that is located approximately 20 minutes from the hotel, and receives direct flights from locations such as Miami, New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. Current taxi fare from Savannah International Airport to the hotel is approximately $20.00 (plus $5.00 for each additional person). Alternatively, Savannah, GA is located 140 miles from the Jacksonville, FL airport.

Visas: If you will require a visa to enter the USA to attend the 25th Annual Sea Turtle Symposium, you should immediately begin the application process. A number of people were not able to attend last year’s symposium due to delays associated with obtaining visas. Information regarding visas is included on the Symposium’s website.

Auction Items: Please start thinking about items that you might donate for the auction and silent auction. The auction and silent auction represent a major avenue for raising funds to help support travel grants for the Annual Sea Turtle Symposium, so please try to contribute an auction item. Information forms for auction items can be downloaded from the Symposium’s website so you can fill out the form prior to arriving at the symposium.

Vendor Information: The Hyatt Regency’s Harborside Center will be the location used for poster sessions, coffee breaks, and vendors. This large room is located on River Street and has a direct view of the river. River Street is in the heart of the historic district and the main tourist attraction in Savannah. As such, the Harborside Center represents an ideal location for vendors. Information for vendors who would like to reserve space at the 25thAnnual Sea Turtle Symposium is located on the Symposium’s website. Additional information can be obtained from the Vendor Chair, Janet Hochella (Janturtle@aol.com)

Coffee Break Sponsors: Please consider becoming a sponsor for refreshments for the coffee breaks or evening events (i.e. sponsor a keg). During the on-line registration on the Symposium’s website you will be able to sign up to be a coffee break sponsor.