The New Year edition!
AFS Cal-Neva News & Updates
21 January 2019
In this edition you will find National Meeting news (including the Best Student Paper/Poster Symposium), the Chapter President's message, the new Small Grants Program, Travel Grants, the 2nd Annual Native Fishes Symposium, the Western Division Student Colloquium, a message about Membership, and opportunities and jobs.  See the highlights here, and use the links to delve deeper into the topics that interest you!
2019 Annual AFS/TWS Meeting in Reno

Due to the federal government shutdown, TWS/AFS have extended the 2019 symposia proposal and abstract submission deadlines for the Reno-Tahoe joint conference with The Wildlife Society. 

There will be a Best Student Paper/Poster Symposium. Interested in competing for two of the top student awards that AFS has to offer at this year's Annual Meeting in Reno? Apply by Friday, March 1, 2019 to participate in the competition for Best Student Oral Presentation or Best Student Poster Presentation. 

Also, p lease join the new Reno-Tahoe 2019 Facebook group , where you can collaborate with TWS colleagues on joint symposia ideas.
January Message from the President - Steve Brumbaugh

Happy New Year, Cal-Neva Chapter! As we dive into 2019, it's hard for me to fathom that I'm already nearly a third of the way through my term as President. Past-President Laurie Earley told me while I was developing my to-do list and preparing to take the reins that a year sounds like a long time, but it's gone in a flash. This sentiment has been echoed to me from all levels of AFS, and boy does it ring true! So, now seems as good of a time as any to reflect a bit on some of our achievements so far and mention things to come over the next several months. I've written up my thoughts on what I'd like to achieve before the end of my term in a President's Annual Plan of Work and we have posted it to our Chapter's Governance page. To keep the work plan manageable, it is framed around a few focused subject areas. Admittedly it's no Lord of the Rings, but I encourage you to take a look at this short summary of what I hope to accomplish and gain a little insight into the direction of the Chapter in coming months. I'm happy to say that we have progressed quite a bit on many of these items already.
 
Read more from Steve here.
2019 Travel Grants

The AFS California-Nevada Chapter (Cal-Neva) Travel Awards provide monetary awards of up to $500 each for deserving applicants to support their attendance of conferences, annual meetings, or workshops. Applicants who are active in fisheries, environmental sciences and management, or related aquatic disciplines are eligible to apply. Completed applications must be received no later than February 8, 2019 at 5:00 pm PST.

Get more information about Travel Grants here.
New Small Project Grant Program

ATTENTION MEMBERS: The Cal-Neva Chapter of AFS has created a 'Small Grants Program' to provide funding to fisheries-related projects in California and Nevada.  Our goal is to fund at least two grants, for a total of $3,000 across all grants.  This money can be used to get a project started or to supplement funding from other sources.  We are currently accepting applications and the deadline is March 1, 2019.  
Read more about the new Small Project Grants Program here.
ClearLakeHitch spawning by Richard Macedo CDFG
Hitch spawning at Bell Hill Road Crossing on Adobe Creek (Clear Lake, CA) on 4/21/2006. Photo by Richard Macedo, California Department of Fish and Game.
Second Annual Native Fishes Symposium: Clear Lake, California

Planning is underway for the second annual Native Fishes Workshop.  This year the spotlight falls on fish native to the Clear Lake Basin.  We have several excellent speakers lined up to cover topics ranging from the status, management and biology of Clear Lake Hitch to lampreys in the Clear Lake Basin (as well as discussions on several other species in between). The Workshop will include a half-day of presentations on the afternoon of April 4th, and on April 5th, a half-day of hiking along local creeks observing native fishes as they compete their spawning migrations.
Similar to last year's meeting in Tahoe, we will be taking over a campground and hosting a BBQ dinner on the evening of April 4th.
Planning is ongoing, and additional details will be forth coming in the next month or so.   But for now, mark your calendars and get ready for another exciting native fishes workshop!
If you have questions about the workshop, please contact Shawn Chase
Cal-Neva funds student travel to Western Division Student Colloquium

The students of both the Sacramento-Davis and Santa Cruz subunits of AFS want to express our gratitude to the California-Nevada chapter for funding our travel to the AFS Western Division Student Colloquium! With the grant provided by the chapter, we were able to rent a van and carpool together to the Menucha Conference Center on the Columbia River Gorge. The colloquium ran from the 15th to the 18th of November, and students from across the western United States came to participate. It provided a unique opportunity for students to network and learn from their peers in a friendly environment.


Read more about the colloquium here.

Cal-Neva AFS Chapter Membership

Do you know of fellow fish lovers who would be interested in joining the California-Nevada Chapter of the American Fisheries Society? We are always looking for interested new members to join our ranks of "fish heads"! Benefits include:
  • Discounts to the annual conference
  • Priority signups for workshops and symposiums 
  • Access to member-only networking events 
  • Continuing education opportunities 
  • Access to AFS scientific journals 
  • Access to AFS job boards and newsletters 
  • Resume building 

Please forward this newsletter to interested friends and colleagues who can email Heather Benko (hmbenko@gmail.com) for more information. Interested in getting involved in recruiting at your office or university? Contact Heather Benko (hmbenko@gmail.com) to receive recruitment materials you can use to help build our ranks of fish lovers!  

New Committee Chairs

Our Chapter couldn't operate without a large group of dedicated committee chairs.  They tackle a wide range of duties, from awards and grants to continuing education courses and special roles in planning the annual meeting. We have a number of new chairs who have joined the Executive Committee this year.  If you are interested, we are in need of a new Chapter Historian!

See our current roster of Committee Chairs and a description of their roles here.
Trawl for a meeting that interests you

Vernal Pool Branchiopods: A Workshop for Future Permit Holders. 
January 28-Feb. 2, 2019, in Davis

Drone Technology & Regulation for Biologists. 
April 9-12, 2019, Hastings Reserve
Angle for opportunities and jobs



AFS Cal-Neva Chapter | afs.calneva@gmail.com | afs-calneva.org
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