SCB Newsletter

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2003 ANNUAL MEETING: CALL FOR SYMPOSIA, WORKSHOPS, AND ORGANIZED DISCUSSIONS

The local organizing committee for SCB's 17th annual meeting, to be held in Duluth, Minnesota, USA from 29 June to 2 July 2003, invites proposals for symposia. There will be opportunities for both 2-hour and 3.5-hour symposia. Presentations will be in multiples of 15 minutes so that the timing of the symposia will be coordinated with the contributed paper sessions. Symposia will either be related to the meeting theme, Conservation of Land and Water Interactions, or address newly emerging topics or significant syntheses, including (but certainly not limited to) those suggested below by the local organizing committee. Symposia proposals should differ from those addressed at recent SCB annual meetings.

The meeting's theme will focus attention on water, forests, wetlands, the Great Lakes and other large lakes and rivers of the world, and associated biodiversity issues. We are especially interested in symposium topics that focus on biodiversity issues at the land/water ecotone, at scales ranging from small streams to great lakes and rivers. The meeting will be held at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (www.decc.org), which is located near Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake in terms of surface area.

Proposals should be as brief as possible and include (1) a one-page outline that indicates the title of the symposium, whether 2 or 3.5 hours, goal or purpose, and an explanation of why the topic is appropriate and significant for presentation at the SCB annual meeting, (2) a tentative list of speakers, presentation titles, and whether they have agreed to participate, and (3) complete contact information for the organizers.

Proposals for workshops and organized discussions are also invited. Workshops facilitate the presentation and application of new concepts or methods. Discussions allow audience participation for exploration of new or controversial issues.

Proposals for workshops and discussions should be as brief as possible and include (1) a one-page synopsis composed of the title, goal or purpose, and justification (2) the organizational structure including format, duration, expected number of participants, and preferred date and time, and (3) complete contact information for the organizers. Dates and times of workshops and organized discussions should be structured to have minimal conflict with paper sessions (evenings, days immediately before or after the meeting, and lunches are preferred). All workshop and discussion organizers must be registered for the meeting.

All proposals must be submitted by 5 July 2002 to scb2003@d.umn.edu. The local organizing committee will complete the selection of symposia, workshops, and organized discussions for inclusion at the 2003 meeting by 15 August 2002. Proposal authors will be notified of the committee's decision as soon as possible so that organizers can acquire any necessary funding for their symposium. The Call for Abstracts will be published in September 2002. For more information contact scb2003@d.umn.edu or visit www.d.umn.edu/goto/scb2003/.

The local organizing committee would especially like to see proposals addressing the following preliminary list of topics:
Great rivers and lakes
Identification and issues surrounding marine sanctuaries
Issues in ecotoxicology
Biogeography of land/water interactions: altitude, latitude, and climate
Conservation and restoration of ecological processes and dynamic systems
Land/water interactions in agricultural landscapes
Ecological thresholds and conservation objectives
Issues and challenges in boreal forests
Conservation planning for wide-ranging species
Public involvement in conservation policy
Genetically modified organisms