39th Annual Natural Areas Conference October 9-12, 2012 ♦ Norfolk, Virginia
Hosted by the Natural Areas Association and co-hosted by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The conference will provide hands-on workshops, field trips and enlightening presentations designed to foster learning and promote discussion around the conference theme: Keeping Natural Areas Relevant and Resilient in today’s dynamic, competitive and technology/information- driven environment. It has become apparent to many natural resource managers that program budgets are tighter, constituent support is more critical than ever, outreach and messaging have become critical program functions – and time is more valuable than ever before. Yet, we endeavor to maintain and grow active resource protection and conservation programs. How can public and private conservation efforts stay relevant and resilient in this changing landscape? And, how can natural areas managers maintain resilient ecosystems that can withstand or adapt to change? The 2012 Natural Areas Conference, through plenary sessions, symposia, contributed oral and poster presentations,networking opportunities and field trips will provide a forum to explore these themes as well as other topics that are relevant to natural areas conservation, ranging from invasive species to fire ecology to outreach, communication and marketing. Abstracts for all papers and posters presented at the 2012 Natural Areas Conference will be published in a special Conference Proceedings edition of the Natural Areas Journal! Presentation Types: Oral Presentations 20 minutes in length, followed by 5 minutes for questions (time strictly enforced). Microsoft PowerPoint is required for oral presentations. If your abstract is accepted, you will be provided further information on operating system requirements for your presentation, instructions on getting your presentation loaded, etc. Also, check the NAA 2012 conference website for this information as it becomes available. Poster Presentations Strongly encouraged as they allow extended informal discussions and active participation of co-authors. They are displayed in highly visible locations throughout the conference week. You are required to be present during the formal poster session on October 10 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Posters must be landscape-oriented, sized 4 ft by 4 ft (1.2 m x 1.2 m) or smaller. Conference Themes/Session Topics While presentations on all topics relevant to natural areas conservation and management will be considered, submissions related to the following topics and which support the overall conference theme will be given special consideration. • Natural Areas Program Relevance and Resilience • Marketing, Communications and Outreach • Land Conservation • Coastal/Marine Issues • Cave/Karst Issues • Cultural Resource Management • Managing Climate Disruption Effects • Managing Public Access in Natural Areas • Fire Ecology and Management • Invasive Species Management • Conserving Rare Species Student Presentation Competition Students planning to present a paper and/or poster at the conference are strongly encouraged to enroll in the Student Presentation Competition. Along with your abstract, send a short statement of intent to participate in the competition and proof of student status (copy of current registration, letter from academic advisor, etc.). Mail hard copy documents to Rick Myers, Virginia DCR-Natural Heritage, 217 Governor Street,Richmond, VA 23219 or attach a scanned copy as a PDF file to your email abstract submission. Winners will be announced and awards presented at the conference. Each submitted abstract must include the following and carefully adhere to these guidelines: • Title – Complete title must be in bold text, including subtitle. • Author(s) – List the full first and last names of each author. Underline and list the corresponding/presenting author first, and include his/her full contact and affiliation information below this item. Use superscripts to identify multiple authors with different affiliations. Do not use superscripts for single authors or multiples from the same affiliation. Separate multiple email addresses from the same affiliation with semicolons. Hyperlink email addresses. • Presenter’s contact information – Name, address,phone number, email. • Body of Abstract – Abstracts must not exceed 250 words. Emphasize the results of a study or the practical application of a resource management project or program. If there is more than one paragraph, double space between paragraphs and do not indent. • Key Words – Capitalize all KEY WORDS and include no more than five. • Abstracts must be submitted electronically by attaching the Microsoft Word file containing the abstract to an email message. The email must include the information listed exactly as below. • Format – Indicate oral presentation or poster presentation. Abstract Submission must be received by July 1, 2012!! TO: [email protected] SUBJECT: NAA 2012 Abstract – (corresponding author’s last name) Please include the following in your email message: • Corresponding author name, affiliation • Address, city, state/province, country, postal code • Telephone, FAX • Preferred email address • Indicate preference for oral presentation or poster presentation, as well as interest in either entering or judging the student paper contest or student poster contest. • Attach abstract following the specified guidelines. You will be notified of receipt via email. You will be informed by the third week of July if your abstract is accepted. If you have questions during abstract submission, contact the NAA 2012 Conference Program Chair, Rick Myers, at [email protected] or 804-371-6204. Note: All oral presenters and poster presenters are required to pay for conference registration. Please visit www.naturalarea.org to find more information regarding the conference. We hope to see you all there!
