All, I would like to bring your attention to the above Symposium, to be held in Memphis, TN, this fall. Registration is currently open, and has been extended to July 31 register early to ensure participation in all Symposium events. Additional information may be found here: http://yosemite.epa.gov/nerl/nerlreg.nsf/EventInfo!OpenForm.
In a nutshell: This is an excellent opportunity to present river ecosystem and wetland research to state, interstate, federal, and international scientists and natural resource managers, ideally facilitating technical transfer, collaborative opportunities, and advancement in river and wetland research. Please consider attending and presenting some of your recent research. We anticipate upwards of 200 attendees, including 50-60 members of the Chinese and Russian Academies of Science. Regards, Chuck Lane _______________________________________ Charles R. Lane, Ph.D. US EPA Office of Research and Development NERL/EERD/Ecosystems Research Branch 26 W Martin Luther King Dr. MS-642 Cincinnati OH 45268 Tel: (513) 569-7854 [email protected] General Information: The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee (LMRCC), and Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association (MICRA) announce the Third International Symposium on Ecology and Biodiversity in Large Rivers of Northeast Asia and North America, to be held in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, 20 - 24 September, 2010. Building on two prior symposia in Khabarovsk, Russia (2002) and Harbin, Peoples Republic of China (2006), the third symposium will bring together Chinese, Russian, and North American researchers, river engineers, wetland managers, and conservation biologists to discuss local and landscape-scale management of large rivers and associated natural resources. This symposium will focus on the countries' mutual objectives of managing riverine ecosystems to ensure optimal levels of water quality and quantity, restore and manage riverine and riparian wetlands, increase sustainable fishery stocks, and conserve their internationally significant natural resources. In addition to plenary and breakout sessions, symposium participants will participate in a one day trip on the Lower Mississippi River to discuss the role of river engineering in the restoration and management of large riverine ecosystems and view native fish species and habitats. Topics: The USFWS, USEPA, USACE, LMRCC, and MICRA encourage the submission of river ecosystem and riverine wetland management and research paper and poster abstracts from scientists, natural resource managers, river engineers, and others in the following topics: I. River Restoration: Research and management methods and techniques in river restoration, including in-stream habitat improvement, native fish and fowl restoration management, general river biodiversity improvement, off-channel restoration, water quality and quantity improvement, dam removal and mitigation projects, habitat destruction avoidance methods, and associated topics. II. Riverine and Riparian Wetland Restoration: Wetland habitat improvement and creation, levee modification, wetland water quality and quantity improvement, biodiversity, and associated topics. III. Biological and Abiotic Monitoring of River and Riverine Wetland Ecosystems: River and riverine wetland characterization for monitoring and assessment using biological data (e.g., fish, macroinvertebrates, diatoms/algae, waterfowl, plants, etc.) and abiotic data (e.g., water measurements of pH, nitrate, metals, PCBs, PAHs, etc.). Topics include monitoring for invasive species and other stressors. IV. Remote Sensing and GIS as a Tool for Conservation, Monitoring, and Planning: Use of remotely sensed data (e.g., Landsat, LiDAR, Quickbird, ICONOS, SPOT, hyperspectral imagery, etc.) and geographic information systems (GIS) to characterize, monitor, or assess river systems or riverine wetlands, use of spatially explicit models of river and riverine wetland processes and habitats. V. Functional Characterization and Ecosystem Services of Rivers and Riverine Wetlands: Analyses of ecosystem services associated with rivers and associated wetland features. Services include but are not limited to provisioning of food (e.g., aquaculture, fisheries, waterfowl) and fiber, nutrient processing, drinking water provisioning, floodwater attenuation (wetlands), carbon and nutrient sequestration, and others. Topical presentations include the effects of anthropocentric stressors on the provisioning of ecosystem services. VI. Conservation of Threatened and Endangered Species and Resources: Management and research of threatened and endangered species, including restoration efforts, monitoring, genetic studies, reintroductions, and related studies. Topics also include presentations on protected area management and outreach and education.
