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Marine Turtle Newsletter 109:18-19, © 2005

Marine Turtle Newsletter-Online

The 26th International Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation
“Diverse Cultures, One Purpose”

Dimitris Margaritoulis
President, International Sea Turtle SocietyARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, Solomou 57, GR-10432 Athens, Greece (E-mail: margaritoulis@archelon.gr)

My first contact with the “Symposium” was in 1989, in Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA. It was also my first crossing of the Atlantic. I still recall my first impressions of the New World and of Jim Richardson, the then Symposium President (at that time called differently), coming to meet me at the tiny airport of Brunswick. What an honour! I was actually one of the first non-American participants. The Symposium has grown much since then but still has more or less similar objectives, motivations and moods. After 1989, I have attended almost all Symposia with unlimited interest and have learned a lot, not only about sea turtles, but also regarding people and international relations. I watched with joy as the Symposium began moving out of the United States of America and becoming global with the evolution of the International Sea Turtle Society. To bring the Symposium to Greece was nothing short of a dream for me; I was always postponing an unconscious desire with foolish excuses: too naive for such a huge event; not having yet the essential local support; let us mature a little more. Suddenly, I realized that I was getting old and adopting the wise proverb ”Better sooner rather than later”, I ran for President in 2004 and had the great honour of being elected, thus bringing the 26th Symposium to the “Middle of Lands” (= in the Mediterranean), in Greece, on the Island of Crete.

I invite you all to Crete. I have found an excellent hotel, Capsis Beach Hotel & Bungalows <http://www.capsis.gr/>, sitting on a beautiful peninsula overlooking the Aegean Sea. The meeting facilities are adequate, versatile and, most importantly, will be given to us for free. No more than 5 minutes walk from the hotel there is a small seaside village, Aghia Pelaghia, with cafes, tavernas and little grocery shops. Crete is a nice place for a spring vacation. This island, the fifth in size in the Mediterranean Sea, has an amazing diversity of landscapes ranging from wild mountains and gorges with rare birds of prey to exquisite beaches and blue lagoons with endemic plants. Archaeological ruins, going back to the beginning of the Minoan civilization about 5,000 years ago, are scattered over the entire island; the famous Knossos Palace is only 40 minutes by car from the hotel. Still today, Crete bears its own conspicuous culture; locals are well known for their hospitality, their philosophical attitudes, their bravery, their costumes (still worn in villages), and their notorious feasts accompanied by their unique traditional music and wonderful circular dances (not to say anything about tsikoudia or raki, a divine local drink). Crete is a peaceful and safe place, and you won’t have any problem with the language. It would be a great pity if you do not grasp the opportunity to go around Crete. I will try to arrange a number of selected trips for you, but you can explore very easily by renting a car or using the many public buses. Crete is a major tourist destination during the summer but at the beginning of April things are still on the quiet side and you can move around easily.

Apart from Crete you can extend your holiday to the nearby Cyclades Islands, the most spectacular being Santorini with its white houses crowning the ridge of an amazing caldera (now a blue sea bay), created by a tremendous volcano eruption, which probably destroyed the Minoans. The ferry-boat from Heraklion, Crete, takes 2 hours. You may also wish to visit Athens, on a stop-over too or from Heraklion. In Athens you can see the famous ancient temple of Parthenon on top of Acropolis in the middle of the city, the Archaeological Museum, the temple of Poseidon at Sounio and the Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Glyfada among many other attractions.

A great advantage of having the Symposium in the Mediterranean is the expected wide participation of colleagues from the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East, many of whom usually cannot come to the Symposia in other continents, for various reasons. This is reflected in the main theme of the 26th Symposium “Diverse cultures, one purpose” and in the emphasis given by the Program Committee to some special meetings and sessions.

While we are currently arranging the details, I provide below some initial information and I wish to see you all on Crete.

Symposium dates: 2 (Sunday) - 8 (Saturday) April 2006. Main dates: 5-7 April.

Venue: Capsis Beach Hotel, Aghia Pelaghia, Heraklion, Island of Crete, Greece.

Room prices: The price for a Standard Room (in the Beach Hotel & Bungalows), for up to four persons, has been arranged at 80 Euros (at this time about 100 USD) per night. There is also a possibility to take a Superior Bungalow (for up to three persons) at 130 Euros per night, or a Room-for-Two in the super luxurious Capsis Sofitel Palace (within the same compound) at 180 Euros per night. All above prices include taxes and buffet breakfast (for all persons in the room). Please, note that we have arranged that room prices will be the same for several days before and/or after the Symposium dates.

Regional meetings: The usual regional meetings (e.g., African, IOSEA, Latin American, Mediterranean, WIDECAST) are scheduled for the dates 2-4 April.

MTSG meeting: 8 April.

Transportation: The hotel is about 25 km from the Heraklion International Airport. Ground transportation will be arranged through shuttle bus or taxi. For those of you who would like to have a stopover in Athens, either before or after the Symposium, an alternative route would be to make use of the daily ferry connecting Piraeus (the main harbor of Athens) with Heraklion. Specific instructions and approximate costs for local transportation and alternative routes will appear on the Symposium website.

Meeting agenda: The Program Committee is currently working to establish the thematic sessions with appropriate specialist chairpersons in each subject area. As we try to avoid concurrent sessions, we should make good use of the limited plenary time. Nevertheless, if you have firm suggestions for Workshops, Special Sessions or other side-events please contact the Symposium Program Chair: Brendan Godley bgodley@seaturtle.org .

Registration: All those who will attend the Symposium must register. Registration will be on-line through the Symposium website <https://seaturtle.org/>. It is highly preferred that registration fees are paid on-line using a credit card. If you must mail your payments, please consult the Symposium website for specific instructions.

Abstracts: All abstracts must be submitted on-line through the Symposium website <https://seaturtle.org/>. The deadline for submission is 15 November 2005. Please note that submitted abstracts should be ready for the Symposium’s Proceedings (one page with no figures). There will be no chance for submitting another abstract for the proceedings. So, please draft your abstracts by precisely following the Instructions for Abstract Submission posted on the Symposium website. Please note that you will be asked to register and pay before submitting your abstract. All abstracts will be reviewed by the Program Committee comprising of panels of subject specialists, ensuring the best possible content for the Symposium. Abstracts should be of high quality. Some abstracts will be rejected by the Program Committee. As we shall not have concurrent sessions, plenary time is short; therefore, please help us by considering presenting your contribution as a poster. In this symposium true emphasis will be given to the poster sessions.

Travel grants: The deadline for travel grant applications is 15 November 2005. Instructions for Travel Grants can be found on the Symposium website. Hopefully, we will be able to cover a good part of travel expenses for those in need. Of course, matching funds will be essential; so, please, start looking from now for potential sponsors.

Hotel reservations: Reservations for hotel rooms will be made through the hotel’s website (to be announced through the Symposium website, as soon as the necessary reservation forms are ready). Deadline for hotel room reservations is 1 March 2006. After that time room reservations will subject to availability and room rates will not be guaranteed.

Visas: Please visit the website of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gr/english/foreign_policy/eu/visa_inf.html> for information on which nationalities need a visa to enter Greece. Please apply for a visa well in advance to the Consulates of Greece in your country (you can find their contact details at the website address <http://www.mfa.gr/english/the_ministry/missions/>). If you encounter difficulties in obtaining a visa, please contact the Symposium Coordinator, Thanos Belalides (details below),explaining the problem and providing your full personal details; we will try to help but the more time available increases the likelihood of success.

Auction items: The Auction is an amazing tradition of the Symposium and we should continue it. Further, it provides to the Symposium much-needed funds. Please start from now to think what you will bring along for this important side-event. Take care that auction items, besides the bottles with unusual drinks, are connected somehow with marine turtles. Any item, no matter how silly it looks, is a potential money-bringer to the Symposium; the Auction Committee will do its best to reveal its hidden value.

Vendors: We shall have the usual vendor and display tables, for a small price. By renting a table you can exhibit or sell items from your Organization (e.g., books, handicrafts, brochures) or advertise products from your Company or Agency. Further information on Vendor & Display Table booking forms and rates will be found in the Symposium website.

Coffee-break sponsors: You will do a great favor to the Symposium if you or your Institution/Government/Company/University/Organization/Agency can sponsor a coffee-break. One full coffee break costs about 2,700 Euros (3,500 USD) but we can split a coffee break among several sponsors. Of course, we will acknowledge the sponsors’ names, unless they wish to remain anonymous. Please, do your best in trying to locate potential donors and either persuade them yourselves or let us know to take action.

Volunteers: Another great tradition of the Symposium is volunteering. No need to stress that with so many tasks we shall need your help as a volunteer. If you are interested in offering your capabilities and your time, and you want to share this pleasure with others, check the Symposium website for whom to contact.

Communications: Please do not neglect to regularly visit the Symposium website <https://seaturtle.org/> for new information. If you have any questions, please contact either me margaritoulis@archelon.gr or the Symposium Coordinator, Thanos Belalidis symposium@sympraxis.gr .

Acknowledgements: I thank all those who have provided, and continue to freely provide, their assistance, ideas and wisdom for the success of the Symposium in Greece. Alan Rees gave me the idea of the Symposium’s theme.