DEADLINE for submission of abstracts to be considered for oral presentations is: February 28, 2010. Poster abstracts will be accepted until July 15, 2010. HOW TO SUBMIT ABSTRACTS: Abstracts must be submitted electronically by sending an email to [email protected]. Include the abstract as an attachment (Microsoft Word) and identify whether you prefer an oral or poster presentation. See Instructions for Preparing Abstracts (next page) for formatting requirements. If you have questions as to whether your topic is relevant to the meeting, please contact: Dave Golden ([email protected]). Instructions for Preparing Abstracts Please read carefully and follow all directions. Abstracts should informatively summarize the contents of the oral or poster presentation and give important conclusions. Titles must be less than 20 words. Capitalize only the first letter of each word. Text of abstracts must be less than 250 words in length. Use Times New Roman (12 point) for text and include only one space after periods. Italicize all scientific names. List senior author first and indicate the presenting author by following their name with an asterisk. List the authors as you would like them to appear in the printed abstract volume. Authors' names must be followed by their affiliated department name, organization name, address, city, state and zip code, and email. ____________ Sample Abstract (from 2009 NEPARC Meeting) TITLE: PARC's Important Herp Areas: Identifying a Network of Priority Habitats for Amphibians and Reptiles in North America AUTHOR(s), AFFILIATION, ADDRESS, AND EMAIL: Phillip deMaynadier, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 650 State Street, Bangor, ME 04401; [email protected] ABSTRACT: Reptiles and amphibians are experiencing exceptional declines among North American vertebrates with habitat loss and fragmentation among the leading threats to both groups. The goal of an Important Herp Area (IHA) system is to identify valuable habitat for priority herpetofauna throughout the U.S. using a system informed by scientific criteria and expert review. Over the last year, the National Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) IHA Task Team has worked to produce a draft set of model criteria and associated implementation plans that could be used for designation of IHAs in each state. Model criteria draw on the concepts of species rarity, regional species richness, and landscape integrity as tools for shaping the boundaries of potential IHA candidates. It is anticipated that each regional PARC organization will form a task team to take charge of the IHA site selection process for individual states within their region. By introducing the IHA concept, model selection criteria, and a proposed organizational structure for implementation, this talk hopes to stimulate critical feedback and support for initiating a national model for IHAs that targets limited conservation resources toward portions of the landscape most valuable to reptiles and amphibians.
