*Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NEPARC) Annual Meeting*
*Alton Jones Education Center, University of Rhode Island, West Greenwich, RI* *August 18-20, 2015* CALL FOR ABSTRACTS Abstracts are invited for oral and poster presentations at the 17th annual meeting of the Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NEPARC) to be held August 18-20, 2015 at the Jones Education Center of the University of Rhode Island, West Greenwich, RI. (http://web.uri.edu/wajc/). NEPARC is an active, diverse, and inclusive partnership dedicated to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles and their habitats throughout northeastern North America. Annual meetings are an ideal forum to share current research and conservation initiatives, participate in working group sessions, and to network with like‐minded herp enthusiasts in the Northeast. Please visit www.northeastparc.org to learn more about NEPARC’s mission and current conservation initiatives. You have two options for oral presentations. These time frames include time for questions. 1. 15 minute regular talk 2. 5 minute speed talk A special poster session and social will be held to facilitate the sharing of ideas and interactions among attendees and presenters. Presentations are invited on *all topics related to reptile and amphibian conservation*. Presentations by students (graduate and undergraduate) are encouraged. Due to the structure of the meeting (including working group sessions), there will be limited speaker slots available and some oral presentations may be asked to consider a poster presentation. Registration will begin soon. Please check the NEPARC website periodically for more information: http://northeastparc.org/next-meeting-info/. Field trips will be offered during the day on August 18. Registration and an informal social will begin on the evening of August 18. All presentations will occur on August 19-20. DEADLINE for submission of abstracts to be considered for oral presentations is: *May 11, 2015*. Poster abstract deadline is: *July 26, 2015*. HOW TO SUBMIT ABSTRACTS: Abstracts must be submitted electronically by sending an email to *[email protected] <[email protected]> **with the subject line ‘NEPARC 2015 Abstract’*. Include the abstract as an attachment (Microsoft Word), and the attachment file name must be indicated with your last name and the type of presentation you would like to give (for example: ‘SpeedTalk_Karraker’, ‘RegularTalk_Gipe’ or ‘Poster_Erb’). See Instructions for Preparing Abstracts (below) for formatting requirements. If you have questions as to whether your topic is relevant to the meeting, please contact: *[email protected] <[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. · Please specify what type of presentation you prefer: Speed Talk, Regular Talk (15 min talk), or Poster. · 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 2012 NEPARC Meeting)* *TITLE: *Patterns of Amphibian Occurrence in Alpine Wetlands in Québec, Newfoundland, and New England *AUTHOR(s), AFFILIATION, ADDRESS, AND EMAIL: *Michael T. Jones*, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003; [email protected]; Lisabeth L. Willey, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003; [email protected]; Scott D. Smyers, Oxbow Associates, 629 Massachusetts Ave., Boxborough, MA 01719 *ABSTRACT: *Arctic-alpine habitats are relatively rare in eastern North America, where they reach their southernmost extent in New York and New England. Alpine habitats are more widespread and diverse in Newfoundland, Labrador and Québec, where common alpine wetlands include bogs, fens, and rocky pools. Alpine areas are subjected to extreme environmental conditions including summer frosts, short growing seasons, late ice-out, strong winds, frequent fog, and elevated UV. Little is known about the amphibian communities of eastern alpine wetlands, but they are likely to respond quickly in response to environmental change and are thus reasonable long-term bio-indicators. We evaluated patterns of amphibian occurrence in alpine environments at two scales. At a broad scale, we surveyed 90 pools in 12 ranges in Québec, Newfoundland, and New England. At a finer scale, we employed visual surveys and acoustic recorders to establish long-term monitoring sites on the Presidential and Franconia Ranges, New Hampshire. Nine species were detected; these exhibited different patterns of occurrence. We found *Anaxyrus americanus*, *Lithobates sylvatica*, and *Pseudacris crucifer* broadly distributed in most alpine areas surveyed in Québec and New England. *Lithobates clamitans*, *Ambystoma maculatum*, *Eurycea bislineata*, *Plethodon cinereus* and *Notophthalmus viridescens* were sporadically encountered in mainland alpine environments. Some northern species such as *Lithobates pipiens*, *L. septentrionalis*, and *Ambystoma laterale* were not detected in mainland alpine areas, although introduced L. septentrionalis were locally abundant in alpine areas in Newfoundland, co-occurring with *A. americanus*. At a finer scale, anurans in New England alpine areas do not appear to show signs of cold-adaptation.
