The Election results are in! Congratulations and welcome to incoming President, Matthew Young, and incoming Secretary, Nicole Kwan! Official officer change of guard will occur September 1, 2020.
The Chapter extends a big thank-you to Past President Steve Brumbaugh and Secretary Kathleen Berridge! :-)
Get more information about the incoming officers here
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President's Message - April 2020
Greetings Cal-Neva Members! Most of you are likely aware that as the spread of COVID-19 really began to take off in California last month, Cal-Neva leadership had no choice but to cancel the Chapter's annual general meeting, which was to have taken place in Folsom, March 15-17, 2020. This newsletter is devoted to presentations that would have otherwise been made at the meeting, including Chapter awards and officer election results. In addition, we also have information about an opportunity for members to see some of the scientific presentations intended for the Folsom meeting. So, read on and throughout to gain all the latest news from the Chapter!
Even though we are unable to meet face-to-face, the Chapter's Executive Committee is still holding monthly conference calls and continues to conduct chapter business as usual. Among current business is review of applications received recently for small grants. The goal of the Chapter's small grants program is to provide at least two research funding awards totaling $3,000 that further the mission of AFS and strategic objectives of the Cal-Neva Chapter. Stay tuned for announcement of grant award recipients in a future newsletter.
As I close out this message, I just want to give a shout-out once more to President-Elect Dave Lentz, Time-and-Place Chair Kelly Souza, and the entire planning team for the Folsom meeting for all their outstanding effort in planning, organizing, and nearly pulling off what would have been a really great chapter meeting. The spirit of this group of dedicated fisheries professionals never ceases to amaze me. Fear not, though, as wheels are already in motion for the 2021 meeting, which will likely be held in Ventura, CA sometime in the late February-early March time frame. Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, and work hard on behalf of the fish!
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Cal-Neva Chapter Wins Western Division
2020 Outstanding Large Chapter Award!
Every year, the Western Division of the American Fisheries Society recognizes the chapters that best exemplify a commitment to the AFS mission through their work to achieve the goals of the Society's Strategic Plan. We are extremely pleased to announce that the Cal-Neva Chapter has been named the Western Division's 2020 Outstanding Large Chapter! Cal-Neva last won this award in 2008 so this year's award is truly cause for celebration! Typically, this award would be presented at the Western Division's general annual meeting, which was scheduled to take place this week in Vancouver, BC. However, like our chapter meeting, the Western Division meeting has also been cancelled due to concerns about COVID-19. Arrangements will be made to determine an appropriate venue for recognizing the Cal-Neva Chapter for its outstanding efforts. Congratulations to officers, committee chairs, and the entire membership for its outstanding contributions to the Society and its mission during 2019, not the least of which was its role in the planning, organization, and implementation of the joint annual meeting between AFS and The Wildlife Society (TWS) in Reno, Nevada last fall. From here, the Chapter's application will be forwarded to the AFS Outstanding Chapter Award subcommittee and will automatically be considered for the 2020 award at the Society level. That award will be given at the 150th anniversary meeting in Columbus, OH in August 2020.
Rob Titus
Chapter President
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Folsom Meeting 2020 Re-cap
For the first time in memory the annual meeting of the Cal-Neva Chapter was canceled in 2020. The meeting planned for March 15-17 at the Lake Natoma Inn in Folsom was shaping up to be a smaller, more intimate get together coming on the heels of the world's largest gathering of fisheries and wildlife professionals at the AFS/TWS meeting in Reno last October. The Cal-Neva ExCom made the decision to cancel after it became apparent that measures to deal with the COVID 19 outbreak would not allow for a gathering even as modest as our Folsom meeting appeared. Our decision was to plan for a larger, successful, and hopefully well-attended meeting in 2021.
Dave Lentz
President-Elect
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Virtual AFS Spring Conference 2020
As more AFS chapter and division meetings were canceled during pandemic conditions AFS sought to offer online alternatives for all those who prepared talks but were unable to present them because of the canceled meetings. A team of AFS leaders guided by the expertise of Aaron Bunch of the Tidewater Chapter began developing plans to hold virtual AFS meetings. The virtual meetings were presented in webinar format and recorded prior to the presentation date. This effort was intended for presenters who were unable to give their talks due to cancellations and was a separate event from the planned annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio just prior to Labor Day. For Cal-Neva presenters, we partnered with the Western Division and the webinar with Cal-Neva presentations was on Tuesday, May 5. Ten people who would have presented at the Cal-Neva Chapter annual meeting presented their talks virtually. On May 6, there was a virtual poster session including several Cal-Neva posters. This was an opportunity to see some of what we missed seeing in Folsom but from the vantage point of our new socially distanced circumstances. I hope that you were able to take that opportunity and to support our Cal-Neva presenters and AFS. The recorded presentations are still available online (you will need your national AFS login information).
Thanks, Dave Lentz
2020 Program Chair
Cal-Neva President-Elect
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Inaugural
Moyle-Deacon Native Fishes Award
Steve Parmenter is the first recipient of the new Moyle-Deacon Native Fishes Award, presented by Cal-Neva AFS's Native Fishes Committee. Steve has worked with California Department of Fish and Wildlife since the late 1980s, and he has played an important role in the conservation of several desert fish species including Mohave tui chub, Owens sucker, Owens speckled dace, and Owens pupfish. Throughout his career with CDFW, his talents and dedication have been put to use for a wide variety of projects. He has implemented a rehabilitation project for Owens Valley Native Fish Sanctuary and BLM Spring, worked with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to establish and maintain new refuge areas, and worked to curtail the effects of largemouth bass and tules on the refuges. Steve has been active and effective in carrying on the conservation message by teaching local students and working with local and federal government. Steve has been a dedicated member of the Desert Fishes Council and has helped to co-organize council gatherings in Death Valley. It is exciting to have Steve as the inaugural recipient of this award.
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Distinguished Professional Achievement Award - Dr. Stewart Reid
Stewart Reid is a recipient of this year's Distinguished Professional Achievement Award. Dr. Reid's career thus far has demonstrated a tremendous devotion to the conservation of fish species in Pacific coastal streams, the inland regions of California and Oregon, and even the Great Basin. At 13 years old, Stewart began his career in fish biology by working at Steinhart Aquarium. He was also involved at an early age in attempts to spawn Devils Hole pupfish with mentor Al Castro. After completing his graduate work on mesopelagic fish communities in the Hawaiian Islands, he began working with USFWS in 1997. In 2004, he founded Western Fishes in Ashland, OR. In collaboration with another of this year's recipients, Damon Goodman, Dr. Reid has worked extensively with lamprey populations along the California coast. His other projects have included research into gene flow between Modoc and Sacramento suckers in the Pit River watershed, research into hybridization of Pit and Riffle sculpins, assessments of the aquatic biodiversity of the Klamath Mountains, and research into tui chubs in the Cowhead Lake basin. Of all of Dr. Reid's projects, he is most proud of his involvement in the recovery of the Modoc sucker, and his efforts helped with the delisting of the species in 2015. He has served as an adjunct professor at Humboldt State University, and as President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Desert Fishes Council. Dr. Reid is a member of the steering committee for our chapter's Native Fishes Committee. He was the previous recipient of the 2017 Native Fish Conservationist of the Year Award from the Oregon Chapter of AFS.
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Distinguished Professional Achievement Award - Damon Goodman
Damon Goodman is a recipient of this year's Distinguished Professional Achievement Award. Damon has been working with lampreys since he was a graduate student at Humboldt State University, and he has been involved in the publication of more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles. His work with lampreys has been directed to promote their conservation and has involved various projects along the Pacific coast. In his work with Dr. Stewart Reid, he devised low-cost lamprey passage devices to provide access beyond California's longest and tallest fishway in the Eel River as well as to promote recolonization of San Luis Obispo Creek which expanded the southern extent of the species' coastal distribution by 130 km. He has also been involved in a wide variety of research projects in the Klamath River Watershed including researching mercury contamination in Western Pearlshell Mussels and lamprey, developing hydrodynamic models for restoration and streamflow management, and comparing different restoration scenarios for Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon and Steelhead. In addition, Damon has chaired and organized multiple technical sessions and workshops on lampreys at AFS workshops and conferences. Damon is most proud of his work to bring California's lampreys into discussions about management of rivers. Damon is also the new chairperson for the chapter's Native Fishes Committee, and the chapter is excited to have him onboard and leading the efforts to increase awareness for California's native fishes.
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Distinguished Professional Achievement Award - Dr. Nann Fangue
Dr. Nann Fangue is a recipient of the chapter's Distinguished Professional Achievement Award. Dr. Fangue is a Professor at UC Davis and has led an accomplished and productive research laboratory at UC Davis since 2009. Since just 2018, the Fangue Lab and its colleagues have published over 25 peer-reviewed journal articles concerning conservation physiology and the management of California fish species. Recent research in Dr. Fangue's lab has included investigations into a wide range of topics such as the consequences of elevated temperatures on swimming activity, group structure, and predation of endangered delta smelt, the effects of LED lights on Chinook salmon smolt entrainment, habitat use and behavior of acoustically-tagged juvenile green sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the use of scutes in estimating the ages of white sturgeon, and the effects of climate change on Emerald rockcod in Antarctica. This research has been published in a wide range of peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Fish Biology, Conservation Physiology, and Hydrobiology. Dr. Fangue also serves as the Chair of UC Davis's Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology and teaches undergraduate classes in conservation biology and conservation physiology. She has advised over 50 graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, undergraduate researchers, and early-career professionals that have worked in her lab. The research conducted in Dr. Fangue's laboratory has helped to inform management and conservation decisions in California.
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Special Contribution Awards 2020
Kelly Souza
As Time and Place Committee Chair, Kelly's hard work transforms into outstanding experiences for members at our annual meetings. Finding the right venues, negotiating arrangements, and handling a multitude of behind-the-scenes details has been Kelly's special gift to the Cal-Neva Chapter. Cal-Neva folks may not see the time and effort that Kelly has put in but all of us get the benefit of her work at the well-run meetings with food and refreshments and opportunities for socializing that we are accustomed to.
Brian Mahardja
Brian has recently ended a long term as our Continuing Education Chair and service on our Chapter Executive Committee. We have been fortunate under Brian's watch to have an outstanding array of courses and learning opportunities that many in the chapter have experienced. These opportunities that Brian organized constitute an important part of the AFS mission, providing a valued service to our members. Brian also helped Cal-Neva being a liaison with the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) with joint planning efforts prior to both Cal-Neva and IEP losing their March meeting opportunities. As a "parting gift" Brian even recruited his own replacement as Cont. Ed. Chair, relieving the Chapter President of that task.
Jim Hobbs
After serving multiple terms as Cal-Neva Treasurer Jim has stepped up to be the Chapter Historian. This is fitting as Jim continues to find ways to help Cal-Neva and the recent history of the Chapter's success has Hobbs fingerprints there. When a task needs to happen for a Cal-Neva meeting or event Jim Hobbs is often the one who volunteers to get it done, or else he knows who the right person is to take care of that task and he recruits that "volunteer". Cal-Neva activities are the product of many members volunteering their time and efforts. Jim has contributed way more than his share and we are grateful. On top of all that, Jim knows a great deal about how to order sushi.
Thank you Kelly, Brian, and Jim - your contributions are truly appreciated!
Dave Lentz
President-Elect
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