Thank You to our 2016 Annual Meeting Sponsors

CONDOR Premier Sponsor

 BIGHORN Gold Sponsor

         

 SEA TURTLE Bronze Sponsor

                            

      

Join us in Pomona!  

February 22-26, 2016

I hope to have you join us at the next annual meeting of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society in Pomona, CA from February 22-26, 2016.  The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel and Conference Center – with a brand-new LEED-silver certified meeting space!

This year’s annual meeting theme is “Digging Into the Roots of Conservation Conflict.” The plenary session and other events will look deeper into the roots of human-wildlife and conservation conflict.  With the help of distinguished wildlife and conservation leaders from state and federal agencies, zoos, and conservation NGOs, the plenary session will change up the format a little, to briefly introduce theories and principles of conflict transformation, hear personal experiences from the panelists, and then challenge them with hypothetical and real-world situations (and be prepared for some audience participation).

This year’s pre-meeting symposia will focus on some southern California hot topics, and help you improve your professional skills, from improving conservation of Mojave Desert species that lack sex appeal (though I’m sure you can agree that Amargosa vole and Mohave ground squirrels have great personalities), to a special introductory symposium on Endangered Species Action Section 7 (interagency conservation responsibilities and consultations) and Section 10 (incidental take permits, recovery permits and Habitat Conservation Plans).  This year for the first time, the Western Section is also offering a brand new training to provide an introduction to construction monitoring for recent graduates, early career professionals, and regular construction monitors.  Attendees will receive a certificate of completion and helmet sticker that shows prospective employers and construction personnel in the field that they have attended WildC.A.T. training.

Other annual meeting highlights include the ever-popular breakfast roundtable discussions, resume workshops, how NOT to give an oral presentation workshop, career fair and student-professional mentoring lunch, job interview workshop, and a restoration day in the Chino Hills with California State Parks.

I am sure that you will enjoy the beautiful and well-organized meeting space to listen to exciting scientific talks, attend workshops and small meetings, and network with your colleagues and friends.  For wildlife processionals at every level, from students, to early career, to mid- and late-career professionals, the annual meeting will offer you new tools, skills, and ideas to make you better qualified for jobs, or improve how you face challenges in your current workplace.

I hope you are now excited about this annual meeting as I am.  You will learn, make new connections, reconnect with colleagues, and hopefully leave feeling re-energized.  You can learn more about the annual meeting and register to attend at: http://tws-west.org/pomona2016/.

Sincerely,

Rachel Sprague
President-Elect, Western Section of The Wildlife Society