Election Results, Annual Chapter Meeting Highlights, Tidewater Goby Workshop, Student Subunits
AFS Cal-Neva News & Updates
7 May 2018
In this edition you will find the highlights of the 2018 Annual Chapter Meeting, a message from the President, Chapter election results, 2018 award recipients, an upcoming Tidewater Goby Workshop (please RSVP!), an article on the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, updates from student subunits, upcoming meetings, and opportunities and jobs.  See the highlights here, and use the links to delve deeper into the topics that interest you!
Success in SLO! - 52nd Annual Meeting in Hindsight

T he 52nd Annual Meeting of the California-Nevada Chapter of the American Fisheries Society marked a successful return to San Luis Obispo, with more than 250 attendees and more than 80 oral presentations and 40 posters! The Student-Mentor Lunch, an important opportunity to connect students with experienced professionals, was well attended. The field tours received great reviews. In addition, we were able to offer four fantastic continuing education opportunities. We recognize our members drive our annual meeting, from volunteering to participate in conference planning to presenting orally or via poster to simply attending each year. The success of our annual meeting is a reflection of the dedication of our membership, and the executive committee thanks you for that! 
 
Spring 2018 Message from the President, Laurie Earley

The start of a new year typically marks the beginning of meeting season. At the beginning of March, the chapter hosted our annual meeting in San Luis Obispo. I would like to give kudos to our President-Elect, Steve Brumbaugh, and the 2018 planning committee for all the efforts in preparing and successfully hosting another great meeting.  Steve has provided a meeting summary that is also included in this newsletter.  Please see his article for more information about the great time that was had in SLO.  Speaking of meetings, I also look forward to attending the Western Division AFS meeting this May in Anchorage, AK and the National meeting in Atlantic City, NJ.  Both these meetings will provide the opportunity for me to represent the CA-NV chapter, connect with AFS leadership at all levels, and to continue the discussions in preparation for the next National Meeting which will be hosted by our chapter in September 2019. 
 
Read more from Laurie here.

Incoming President-Elect Rob Titus
Chapter Election Results

In spring 2018 the Chapter elected two new Executive Officers, to the offices of President and Secretary. The incoming President-Elect is Rob Titus, and the incoming Secretary is Kathleen Berridge.

We offer a huge thank-you to outgoing Past-President Joe Merz and Secretary Stephanie Theis for their dedicated service to the Chapter!
 
The AFS Cal-Neva Chapter also voted on proposed changes to the Chapter Bylaws, which were approved.

Get more information here.
Student Award Winners 2018
Chapter Awards

At its 2018 Annual Meeting the Cal-Neva Chapter recognized the contributions of the following individuals:
  • Rachel Johnson, Distinguished Professional Achievement
  • Tom Taylor, Distinguished Professional Achievement
We would also like to acknowledge our students for their efforts. In addition to many of our student members volunteering their time to help run the conference, they contributed many great oral and poster presentations. Our students always produce high quality presentations, and students received awards for oral presentations, posters, and the Katrina Martin Memorial Award.

Tidewater gobies. R. Swenson.
Tidewater Goby Management & Ecology Workshop

September 21-23, 2018. Clem Miller Environmental Education Center, Point Reyes Station, CA. This workshop, jointly hosted by the Cal/Neva Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and the Western Section of The Wildlife Society, will focus on one of California's most enigmatic species: the Northern tidewater goby (Eucylogobius newberryi) and the recently named Southern tidewater goby (Eucylogobius kristinae). The instructors will discuss natural history, mitigation, restoration, and survey techniques for this Federally Endangered species. The field portion, demonstrating survey techniques for goby species, will take place in Lagunitas Creek, one of the few remaining freshwater creeks containing a near-pristine assemblage of native fishes. 
 
RAWA. What Is It?

What is RAWA? It is the Recovering America's Wildlife Act. It is a federal bill introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives.  If it becomes law it would provide $1.3 billion to state fish and wildlife agencies for the conservation of imperiled species. The bill was introduced in December 2017, by Representatives Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.)  Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.).
Why? Roughly one in three wildlife species in America are at an increased risk of extinction. 
Where would the money coming from? RAWA would redirect current revenues from energy and mineral leases on federal lands and waters.  Through State Wildlife Action Plans, the health of fish and wildlife would be assessed and conservation actions to prevent listing under the Endangered Species Act are identified. Nationwide these plans have identified nearly 12,000 species nationwide that are in need of conservation actions. RAWA would provide 75 percent of the funding to implement each state's Wildlife Action Plan.  Twenty-five percent of the funding would come from the states. It is estimated that California could receive $61 million per year from RAWA.
Read more about RAWA and how you can get involved here.
University of Nevada-Reno Student Subunit is Revamping!

The AFS subunit at UNR is revamping this semester and for the upcoming year. We are hoping to engage both graduate and undergraduate students in the fish biology community of Nevada as well as the AFS community of California and Nevada. For this spring, we are planning a trip to the Marble Bluff Fish Hatchery at Pyramid Lake to see spawning Lahontan cutthroat trout and the hatchery's "ice harbor ladder" technology. For this coming summer, we are planning to work with the Trout Unlimited Sagebrush Chapter for the McCarran Ranch Truckee River Cleanup. We also would like to plan a lake trout charter fishing day on Lake Tahoe before the summer comes to a close.

Find out more about the UNR Student Subunit here.
Sacramento-Davis Student Subunit Participation in the 2018 Cal-Neva Chapter Annual Meeting

Back in March of 2016, I had the honor of attending the annual California-Nevada Chapter meeting for the first time. It was my first real exposure to AFS, and until that point, I did not really have a good sense of what the organization was all about. I expected to see some interesting breakout session presentations, take in some compelling plenary talks, and hoped to make a few new professional connections. When I arrived, I immediately recognized some familiar faces - colleagues from other agencies that I had interacted with on field projects, collaborative efforts, and stakeholder meetings. I was working for the National Marine Fisheries Service at the time, and as a young professional only having finished my B.S. in fisheries science five years prior, I hoped to learn as much as I could about the current happenings in California fisheries, and to expand my professional network. 

Read more about the subunit's experience here.
No SLO-Down Here: SCMBAS Makes the Most of the Cal-Neva Annual Meeting

Over the past three years, the Santa Cruz-Monterey Area Subunit of the American Fisheries Society (SCMBAS) has sent a large contingent of students to the California-Nevada Chapter Annual Meetings. This year was no exception, with ten SCMBAS members making the journey to San Luis Obispo to present their work, network with other students and professionals, and participate in meeting organization/planning. We highlight a few of our favorite moments from this year's meeting below. 
  • SCMBAS participated in pre-conference planning
  • Members made connections with other subunits
  • Research was presented in posters and presentations
  • SCMBAS was recognized for multiple accomplishments
Trawl for a meeting that interests you
2018 Western Division/Alaska Chapter Meeting

Welcome to fisheries in the last Frontier! The Alaska Chapter is proud to welcome you to the 2018 Western Division Meeting "Change, Challenge, and Opportunity in Fisheries: Fishing for Solutions."  The 43rd Annual meeting will be held in Anchorage, Alaska from May 21-25, 2018. The heart of Alaska, Anchorage is a bustling metropolis yet surrounded by wilderness and minutes from adventure in any direction. Fisheries are vital to the Alaskan economy and way of life. The conservation, research, and management that have helped Alaska maintain a strong connection to fisheries is paramount and discussions of Change, Challenge, and Opportunity from across the west will be welcomed in the Greatland!


The Mid-Atlantic Chapter invites you to attend the 148th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society -  Communicating the Science of Fisheries Conservation to Diverse Audiences. The meeting will take place  in Atlantic City, New Jersey from August 19-23, 2018.  There is plenty to see and do in this exciting city.  From beaches and boardwalks, to fishing and amusement parks, Atlantic City has something for everyone. Registration for the Annual Meeting is now open. Register early to maximize savings. 
Angle for opportunities and jobs



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