Social and Other Special Events

Each year SCB presents its Distinguished Service Awards for outstanding contributions to conservation biology. Recipients are nominated by the SCB membership through the Awards Committee and are selected by the Board of Governors. This year's recipients are Javier Simonetti, Dee Boersma, Yolanda Kakabadse Navarro, Nature Conservation Foundation (India), and Mark Burgman. Read more about their contributions.

The Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award is given annually to an individual who has been a leader in translating principles of conservation biology into real-world conservation. Preference is given to individuals who have spent at least part of their career in public service. The recipient of the 2006 award is Stuart Pimm. Learn more about his work.

Presentation of the awards will be followed by a reception (drinks and hors d'ouevres), free to all meeting participants. Please join us in celebrating the achievements of our award recipients and connecting with old and new friends.

Sunday, 25 June, 8:00 P.M. Keynote Address by Secretary Bruce Babbitt The restoration of the Florida Everglades. The return of the wolf to Yellowstone and the condor to the wild. The Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. Dismantling obsolete dams. Each was a landmark of environmental progress in the 1990s and each was realized under the guidance of then Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. Now he draws on these experiences to support his message that such episodic conservation victories, however important, will not be sufficient either to protect our disappearing open spaces or to contain the blight of urban sprawl. In his presentation and in his new book Cities in the Wilderness, published by Island Press, Babbitt makes the case for a new national land use policy. Throughout the history of the United States, from the late 1770s to the present, federal policies have encouraged and subsidized destructive resource exploitation and out-of-control development that threaten the landscape. From Babbitt's incisive analysis comes a vision and a program for how it should be done: a federal leadership role in land use planning, a new way of thinking about open space that retains local control while acknowledging national interests. With Bruce Babbitt’s inspirational guidance, this presentation will celebrate key accomplishments in the environmental field while planning for greater ones.

During the past decade Jim Tolisano, a field ecologist, and David Dunn, a composer and sound artist, have collaborated on a variety of biodiversity conservation field research and education projects in the southwestern United States and South America. They will share with us some of the tools and techniques they have used to integrate the work of applied field ecology and acoustical ecology, and explore some of the far-ranging potentials of this and similar art and science collaborations. An enormous number of professional artists are actively engaged in work that enhances environmental education, public awareness and participation in biodiversity conservation activities, and Jim and David will began to examine ways in which this collaboration can yield important benefits for all conservation practice.

David Dunn, a world renowned composer and acoustical ecologist, records and applies the sounds of invertebrate and vertebrate species as both a form of natural symphonies and a tool for increasing human awareness and experience of biotic systems. Over the past 25 years his recordings and writings have profoundly influenced the rapidly growing field of acoustical ecology and he is widely recognized as a leader in this discipline. A growing body of scientists recognizes how his work also serves as a tool to monitor change in ecosystem dynamics. For example, David’s recent work studying the acoustics of bark beetles (Ips confusus) in the southwestern United States has provided a unique method to predict and map the colonization patterns of this opportunistic species. David will take us on a tour of the innovative technology he is using to reveal insightful patterns in the sounds of the natural world.

Jim Tolisano has worked in more than 30 countries as a field ecologist in the design and implementation of biodiversity conservation projects. Over the past 25 years his work has ranged from the development of large mammal inventory and habitat assessment programs to the elaboration of integrated community driven conservation and development strategies. He is presently working with rural communities in West Africa to develop chimpanzee conservation programs, the facilitation of a National Biodiversity Strategy for Suriname, and the development of a methodology for stakeholder implementation of transboundary conservation programs in Latin America. However, over the years Jim has also been actively engaged in environmental education programs that use storytelling principles to engage the general public in conservation actions. He directed an outreach and education program for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for many years in which he applied storytelling and the visual arts in youth-based ecosystem monitoring and community education projects, and created an innovative conservation science degree program at the College of Santa Fe that engaged art students in applied biodiversity fieldwork.

The event will conclude with a question and answer dialogue between David, Jim and meeting participants as we explore practical applications of the ways in which science and art can come together to celebrate and balance our relationships with the natural world.

A fun and relaxed event at which you can meet fellow conservationists and make new contacts. The event will be on the patio of a British pub near the convention center with live music, numerous appetizers, and several local beers and wines on tap. Come to the SCB Chapters Booth on Sunday or Monday to pick up a ticket (for a nominal fee) and to learn about joining or starting a SCB chapter in your region. Tickets are limited, so plan early.

Host: The SCB Local Chapters

Coordinators: Berkeley Chapter, Davis Chapter, Iowa Chapter, Minnesota Chapter, Toronto Chapter, Washington, D.C. Chapter, and the Local Chapters Advisory Committee

Sponsors: SCB Executive Office, SCB North America Section

Learn to be a powerful communicator of your science. Whether talking to a journalist about a conservation debate, writing an op-ed for a local paper, or providing testimony for a government official, scientists are increasingly called upon to explain their work to public audiences. This hands-on session will provide you with practical tools and tips for translating your science to audiences outside of academia. You’ll have a chance to practice these new skills and learn “do’s and don’ts” of a successful media interview. A team of trainers including Michelle Nijhuis of High Country News, Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellows Gretchen Daily (Stanford University) and Mark Hixon (Oregon State University), and Jessica Brown of SeaWeb / COMPASS (Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea) will share their insights and provide individual feedback on how to strengthen your message so that it resonates with your audience.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is launching a new postdoctoral fellowship program, the Kathryn S. Fuller Postdoctoral Fellowships in Conservation Science, to support research of fundamental and immediate importance to global biodiversity conservation. The fellowships are part of a broader Kathryn S. Fuller Science Innovation Fund at WWF, which will include visiting scientists, annual symposia, and a small grants program. The first fellowship applications will be due in late 2006, and the first cohort of fellows will begin in mid to late 2007. Please join us for a drink and some more information about the program. All are welcome!

The Society for Conservation Biology and the Society for Conservation GIS will be conducting a silent and live auction during this year's concurrent conference to share treasures and artwork from around the globe. We invite you to donate an item from your culture, community, or country and come to the auction prepared to bid on some wonderful and exotic items. All donations are appreciated and cherished; no item is too big, too small, or too unusual. Suggestions for donations include artwork, pottery, baskets, jewelry, books, photographs, specialty foods or spirits, or anything else you can think of! Share your work, your history, and your passion with other conservation colleagues.

Each item will be displayed with an auction bid sheet that provides a short description, cultural significance, origin information, and suggested minimum bid. If your donated item has a special story or unusual history, please share it with others. Please contact Michelle Kinzel at kinzel@cox.net for any auction-related questions, including shipping arrangements if necessary.

All money received from the auction will be shared by both societies to support international and domestic scholarship programs that provide travel and training assistance to fellow conservationists from around the world. Past auctions have raised more than $10,000, helping to support many conservationists in the SCGIS Scholarship Program. Let's all try to make this the most profitable and most enjoyable auction to date.

Even if you cannot donate an item, please come to the auction ready to bid on items and socialize with other conservationists. Dessert and drinks will be served.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Please join us in reflecting on SCB's past and looking forward at innovative ways that individuals and organizations are using to address conservation challenges in the twenty-first century.

Brief and spirited presentations by a diverse set of speakers will be followed by a reception, free to all meeting participants. The dress code for this event is casual, but we encourage all attendees to wear their favorite "biodiversity attire," such as shirts with floral patterns, earrings representing animals, butterfly bow ties, and so forth.