2012 SYMPOSIUM
Desert
Tortoise Council 37th Annual Symposium
February 17 to February 19, 2012
Sam’s Town, Las Vegas, Nevada
Field Trip February 20, 2012
Symposium Index | Program
| Abstracts
| Hotel Information | Registration
| Photo Contest | Photo
Entries
Instructions
& Guidance for Speakers
The Annual Meeting of the Corporation
will be from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February
17. The Symposium will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. on
Friday morning and continue through 4:30 p.m. on Sunday,
February 19.
The Program
and Abstracts
for the 37th Desert
Tortoise Council Symposium are now available. Dr.
Robert Murphy, winner of the Robert C. Stebbins Research
Award, will be giving the Keynote
Address, on the desert tortoise species complex and the
naming of the new tortoise. Dr. Elliott Jacobson, the
winner of the Kristin H. Berry Annual Award, will give a
plenary address, coupled with a special session in his
honor on health, nutrition, and disease with both invited
and contributed papers. Dr. Wade Sherbrooke, renowned
expert on horned lizards has assembled the special
Saturday morning session on horned lizards. Invited
speakers for his session on horned lizards include
geneticist Dr. Adam Leache from the University of
Washington, Dr. Cameron Barrows from the University of
California, Riverside, Dr. Andrew Suarez from the
University of Illinois, Dr. Rosen from the University of
Arizona, and Dr. Kevin Young from Western Arizona College
in Yuma. They will cover a wide variety of subjects
including genetics, status, translocation, predation, and
threats.
Dr. Sherbrooke's books will be
available and there will be a special time for signing.
Dr. Craig Stanford, author of the book, "The Last
Tortoise: A Tale of Extinction in Our Lifetime," will
share his writings at the Saturday evening dinner and
program and will also sign his book. The Symposium will
feature several sessions with oral papers on such topics
as recovery efforts for Agassiz's desert tortoise by U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service employees; renewable energy
projects; head starting of desert and bolson tortoises for
long-term restoration efforts; effects of fire on
tortoises and their habitat; translocation of tortoises;
Morafka's desert tortoise in Arizona and Mexico; and
conservation and management issues. The poster session
already has five entries on a wide variety of subjects
ranging from winter activities to restoration of burned
tortoise critical habitats. On late Friday afternoon, we
will celebrate the lives of two members-Betty Burge, who
made major contributions to the desert tortoise in Nevada
and Arizona and to the Desert Tortoise Council from the
1970s until her death last summer, and to Council officer
Pat von Helf. Space is still available for posters and the
poster session.
Funds are available for students giving
papers and who require support for travel.
The “Annual Business Meeting” will be
held on Friday, February 17, 2012 from 8:00-9:00 a.m. in
the Virginia City Room at Sam’s Town. Desert Tortoise
Council members are invited to attend.
And don't forget
to enter the Desert Tortoise Council's Annual
Photo Contest. Submissions are available for viewing
on the Photo Entries
page.
Field Trip
On Monday, February 20, representatives from the USFWS
will lead a tour to the Large-scale Translocation Site
near Jean, Nevada. Kim Field of the Recovery Office will
be the trip leader. Kim Field and Jennifer Germano will
present their joint research project and plans. In
addition, Kim Field and Linda Allison have an ongoing
mark-recapture study that will be discussed. The focus of
the trip will be studies and research that are currently
underway or planned for the near future. Participants will
leave Sam's Town at 8:00 a.m. from the reception area and
will return shortly after lunch. Each participant should
plan on bringing walking shoes, hat, sun screen, sack
lunch, and water.
There will be a cap of 18 people on the field
trip. To sign up in advance, contact Kim
Field. An additional sign up sheet will be
available at the Registration Desk on Friday, February 17.
Hotel Information
We recommend that you register for the
Symposium early and take advantage of the lower rates. If
your registration is postmarked after January 18, 2012
rates are higher. We also recommend that you reserve your
room at Sam's Town Hotel and Casino before January 16,
2012. Room rates are: $26.99 for Thursday (February 16,
2012) and $59.99 for Friday-Sunday (February 17-19, 2012).
Guests should call the Hotel Reservations Department
office at the toll-free number (877-593-5993), which is
open Monday through Friday between the hours of 6:00 a.m.
and 11:00 p.m. as well as Saturday and Sunday between the
hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time).
This great, low rate is only available to those who make
their reservations directly with the Hotel Reservations
Department. Callers must identify themselves as attendees
of the Desert Tortoise Council or with the group code
DESB12A to obtain this special room rate. Please be
advised that there's a $4.50 Hotel service Fee per
room/per night. This fee includes unlimited local phone
calls, voice mail, wake-up calls, paging service, inbound
faxing, and shuttle service to Downtown and Strip
properties. Hotel check-in begins at 3:00 p.m. and
check-out time is 12:00 p.m.
Symposium Index | Program
| Abstracts
| Registration |
Guidance for
Speakers | Photo
Contest | Photo
Entries
|
