RE: Interdisciplinary working group for Texas Eurycea salamanders: First meeting of the EuryceAlliance
Dear Colleagues, I am writing to invite you to the first meeting of the EuryceAlliance, an interdisciplinary working group of scientists dedicated to advancing our understanding and conservation of the neotenic Eurycea salamanders of central Texas. I was inspired to start this working group after the 2007 Texas Herpetological Society meeting on Texas Salamanders. With support from Texas State University San Marcos and the help of Dr. Caitlin Gabor (TSU Department of Biology) I am excited to announce that this meeting will finally become a reality! The inaugural meeting of this group (in spring 2011) will focus on synthesis of our current knowledge of this system in order to develop research and conservation priorities for the Texas Eurycea. The second meeting (in 2012) will focus on conservation initiatives and policy. I invite those of you who are working on any aspect of neotenic Eurycea biology to present that research at our first meeting. In addition, I would like you all to consider the following three questions as we get this group underway: 1) What do you see as the top three research priorities for the Texas Eurycea? 2) What do you see as the top three conservation priorities for the Texas Eurycea? 3) What do you think should be included in the mission or scope of a scientific working group like the EuryceAlliance? Please take a few moments to fill out a brief online survey (http://bit.ly/eurycea) by December 1, 2010 so we can begin planning this very exciting meeting, to be held at Texas State University - San Marcos. Also, please pass this invitation on to friends and colleagues doing research on the neotenic Eurycea or closely related species or topics relating to this system (including hydrology, geology, toxicology, etc.). If you have questions, comments or ideas for the EuryceAlliance, or are willing to lend a hand with the meeting organization, please dont hesitate to contact me. Most Sincerely, Hayley Gillespie Ph.D. Candidate Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution & Behavior University of Texas at Austin, Integrative Biology C0930 Austin, TX 78712 (512)964-0841 [email protected]
