2009

The 41st Annual meeting of the DESERT FISHES COUNCIL (DFC) will be held 19 TO 22 NOVEMBER 2009 (Thursday to Sunday), hosted by the U.S. National Park Service at Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley National Park.

The local committee is chaired by Phil Pister. Onsite registration will begin on Wednesday afternoon 18 November and an informal cash bar mixer will be held in the hotel pub that evening. Oral and poster technical sessions will be Thursday and Friday (19-20th), with the DFC Business Meeting on Friday afternoon and a barbecue on Friday evening. A special symposium on restoration efforts in Ash Meadows and an update on Devil’s Hole pupfish, as well as continuing technical papers are planned for Thursday, November 19th. Local field trips and possible on-the-ground restoration activities in Ash Meadows are planned for Sunday (22nd). All events except the barbecue will be in the Furnace Creek Visitor Center.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Furnace Creek Ranch is holding a block of rooms for us until 18 October at the special rate of $115 (single or double occupancy; motel or cabin), plus tax and $2.50 surcharge (total $131.30). To receive the above discounted room rate you must make your reservation by phone (760 786-2345 voice; 786-2307 FAX) and provide the DFC booking number – 10974. Reservations must be made at least 30 days in advance and, to insure refund, cancellations must be within 48 hours of anticipated arrival. Although the Ranch has an online reservation system, and you might use it to get more information, you will not be able to get DFC’s discounted rate if you use it to make your reservation.

Camping is also available – see the NPS camping web page. Those interested in room sharing or car pooling might announce their interests via DFC-L.

TRANSPORTATION

Las Vegas, Nevada is the nearest major airport, from which rental cars are the most practical way to get to Death Valley. Another option is to fly into Ontario, California and rent a car there, however that drive is 100 miles longer than that from Vegas. Click here for driving directions from various regional cities.

Car-pooling – The DFC-L email list is being used for communications by those interested in ride sharing. Ride-offerers and ride-seekers should reply to the original email “About car pooling to Death Valley” (but to DFC-L@lists.cc.utexas.edu) or send your own original email to the list (remember you must first be subscribed) using that same subject. Following these instructions will assure that all car-pool-related information will be included in the same thread in the DFC-L archive for easy discovery by others with the same interests.

REGISTRATION

Register, pay dues, and purchase DFC products online at the DFC Online store.

Registration types (Early categories disappear from the Online store at midnight on October 1) Fee (U.S. Dollars)
EARLY meeting registration – DFC Latin American student member. $40.00
EARLY meeting registration – DFC Latin American regular member. $60.00
EARLY meeting registration – DFC student member. $60.00
EARLY meeting registration – DFC regular member. $150.00
EARLY meeting registration – DFC non- member. $190.00
LATE meeting registration – DFC Latin American student member. $60.00
LATE meeting registration – DFC Latin American regular member. $90.00
LATE meeting registration – DFC student member. $90.00
LATE meeting registration – DFC regular member. $225.00
LATE meeting registration – DFC non- member. $285.00
Meeting registration rates increase 50% after the 1 October pre-registration deadline. Cancellations will be accepted until 31 October, but a $5.00 USD fee will be charged. Email your online store receipt to Phil Pister for a credit to your credit card if you have to cancel.

BARBECUE

All registration categories include a ticket to the barbecue on Friday night. Choose the “Accompanying person social event attendance” item ($38) in the DFC Online store to buy tickets for accompanying persons who are not registered for the meeting. “Accompanying person” tickets will not be available after October 20 since the caterer requires advance notice of the number to be served. The regular menu will be half a rack of ribs and a quarter chicken. A vegetarian option may be requested by simply emailing Phil Pister.

PRESENTATIONS

Abstract Submission

As in the past, presentation abstracts are submitted via an online web form – See below.

Whether oral or poster, presentations must fall within the scope of the DFC’s mission. No abstract will be accepted or scheduled unless submitted in compliance with the instructions to authors.

The deadline for abstract submission has past, no new abstracts will be accepted at this time. As always, DFC membership and meeting pre-registration paid by the abstract deadline are pre-requisites for abstract acceptance; if you plan to present a paper, when you submit your abstract (or before) be sure to pre-register and pay DFC membership dues for 2009.

Oral presentations are allotted 15 minutes (including questions and responses). Each presenter is limited to a single oral presentation, but poster presentations are not limited and are encouraged. Program space is limited and order of receipt will determine acceptance and programming of presentations.

Delivery of PowerPoint files

We no longer require delivery of PowerPoint files by FTP. Simply follow these new instructions. Additional details regarding local ability to read different media (USB memory, CD’s etc.), file naming, etc., may be posted by the local host to DFC-L shortly before the meeting. If you think you may have missed any such notice in your email, you can consult the DFC-L archive.

Viewing submitted abstracts

Submitted abstracts may be viewed here, along with their presentation dates and times once that has been added by the Program Committee.

SYMPOSIUM

A special symposium on restoration efforts in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge as well as an update on the Devil’s Hole pupfish are planned for November 21st.

AREA REPORTS

These are special oral reports coordinated by ecoregion. Agency offices and other organizations desiring to contribute information to these reports should contact their corresponding Area Coordinator. Area coordinators will also be contacting individuals in their areas to solicit input to their reports. More information or help with this process can be obtained from the Areas Coordinator, who coordinates the work of all of the Area Coordinators.

AWARDS

Awards are presented annually for the best presentations given by students. Students competing for these awards must indicate that in the submission of their abstract.

TRAVEL GRANTS

DFC routinely helps defer expenses incurred to travel to present papers or posters, with preference given to students and citizens of Latin American countries. Special instructions detailed in the travel grants page must be followed to request travel support. Travel grant request forms must be received one month prior to the deadline for abstracts.

MEETING RESOLUTIONS

Resolutions must be submitted via the same form as for abstracts and by the same deadline. Additional information and a specific format are required, however, as detailed in the 2004 meeting minutes.

FIELD TRIPS

The Ash Meadows DFC field trip is scheduled for November 22, 2009. Details are available here, will be sent via the DFC-L mailing list, and will be discussed at the meeting.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE MEETING

Watch for announcements to be sent via the DFC email list (DFC-L) and for periodic updates to these web pages.

Leave a Reply

Translate »