Welcome Reception, Member’s Banquet and Poster Reception

sliderTuesday  –  Welcome Reception & Wildlife Photo Gallery

  • Tuesday, 7-9pm, February 23
  • Extra Fee Required, $15

Join us on Tuesday evening to kick-off the Annual Meeting and make connections with new & old friends and colleagues. We will serve up a slider buffet, and a well-stocked no-host bar will also be available. Tuesday evening will also launch our  wildlife photo exhibit. Check out what fellow Western Section members have been up to lately and celebrate the opening night of our 61’st Annual Meeting. Relax, you have arrived in Pomona! We have a great week ahead of us.

Menu:
Signature slider bar – Mini angus beef (and vegetarian) patties, soft potato rolls, assorted cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, bread & butter pickles, cole slaw garlic aioli, mustard, ketchup, crisp bacon, BBQ sauce, & battered onion strings.  Served with chips & dip, vegetable crudite and freshly sliced fruit cups.  (Special diets easily accommodated with advance notice)

Submit your photos and Win an iPad… 

Send us your photos!  A slideshow will be displayed at the Welcome Reception during our upcoming annual meeting. The content is up to you! Send in your photos of wildlife, coworkers, TWS workshops, study animals, unexpected situations, beautiful locations, etc. Help us celebrate wildlife and the wildlife profession! Please send photos in jpg format to evelarrucea@gmail.com by February 12th. Each person that submits a photo(s) for the Tuesday night wildlife gallery will be entered in a drawing for a brand-new iPad! The drawing will be held on Tuesday evening at the Welcome Reception. Need not be present to win.

 

20150130 232 copy_medWednesday – Member’s Banquet and Section Awards:

  • Wednesday, February 24
  • 6-7pm – No-host Cocktail Reception
  • 7-10pm – Banquet, Awards Presentation and Dutch/Bucket Raffle
  • Extra Fee Required, $40

Enjoy an evening of reconnecting with your colleagues and friends and making new acquaintances over a good meal at the annual member’s banquet.  During the banquet, we will also celebrate and recognize individuals, groups and chapters for their achievements and accomplishments with our Western Section Awards.  If you haven’t previously attended a Western Section banquet, now’s the perfect time to start a new tradition.

Banquet Schedule
6-7pm No-Host Cocktail Bar
6:45pm Doors Open for seating
7:00pm Banquet Begins, Salads Served
7:20pm  Entrees Served
8:00 pm Awards and Recognitions (Extra seats available at 8pm for those who did not sign up to dine.  All meeting attendees welcome to join us at 8pm for the Program.)
9:00pm Raffle

Awards Banquet Menu:

Choice of:
(1) Port Rosemary Braised Top Sirloin & Grilled Natural Chicken Breast with rosemary porcini scented glaze
(2) Pan Roasted Skuna Bay Salmon with shiso red miso-beurre blanc
(3) Butternut Squash & Squash Blossom Risotto with sweet pepper puree

Served with farm greens salad, sustainable market vegetables, oven baked rustic bread and sweet butter, bittersweet chocolate mousse with salted brittle and seasonal berries, freshly brewed Starbucks coffee and assorted Tazo teas and condiments.  (Special diets easily accommodated with advance notice)

20150130 300 copyRaffle and Silent Auction:

The raffle will be a little different this year!  Raffle tickets will be sold starting at the Tuesday night Welcome Reception and continuing through 7:30pm Thursday.  All ticket sales support student activities!  The raffle will be split into two pieces.  The first raffle will be a Dutch/Bucket raffle at the end of Wednesday night’s banquet.  Place tickets in the buckets for the prizes you hope to win.  We will hold a separate raffle on Thursday at the end of the Poster Reception.

The silent auction will open on Wednesday and will close during the morning break on Friday. Items must be purchased and picked up by 12:00 p.m. on Friday.

Raffle and auction proceeds support the Western Section’s student programs including travel grants, awards for best papers, and student-mentor activities. We encourage everyone to purchase raffle tickets, which are available at the Registration Desk or from Western Section Executive Board members and volunteers. Raffle and silent auction items will be displayed near the Registration Desk.  Please contact Raffle and Silent Auction Co-Chairs Sandra Hunt von Arb and/or Lisa Ollivier if you have any questions or would like to donate an item to the raffle and/or auction.  lisaollivier2013@gmail.com   pnwb@suddenlink.net 

 

poster sessionThursday – Poster Session and Reception:

  • Thursday, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, February 25, 2016
  • Session Chairs: Jessica Martini-Lamb and Carlos Alvarado
  • Poster Session and Reception included with conference registration fee!

A poster session will be held on the evening of Thursday, February 25, 2015. At this time, authors will be available to answer questions about their posters.  Posters will also be available for viewing at other times throughout the week.  For more information on poster present guidelines, click here.

The poster session reception is included in the meeting registration price. There is no extra cost to registered conference participants to attend the Poster Session.   A taco buffet will be served and each registrant will also receive two free drink tickets to be redeemed at the Poster Reception compliments of the Sheraton Fairplex.  Taco buffet menu coming soon!