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The Western Division AFS met this year in conjunction with the AFS parent society annual meeting in Phoenix, August 19-23. The meeting was hosted by the Arizona-New Mexico Chapter, who did a spectacular job on arrangements, the Western Division AFS, and Arizona Game and Fish Department. The theme of the meeting was “2001: A Fisheries Odyssey,The Journey of Science and Education Continues”. The theme addressed the future of aquatic resources as our odyssey continues into the first full year of the new millennium. Carl Burger, AFS President and our illustrious former Western Division President, presided over the meeting.
The meeting was packed with continuing education, section meetings, social activities, symposia, and technical sessions. Total Attendance at the meeting was 1,144. Continuing Education Workshops drew 115 attendees. There were 433 great oral presentations and 83 posters.
Western Division Highlights
Among the many other symposia and technical sessions, the Western Division of AFS and the Sustainable Fisheries Foundation, sponsored the highlight symposium of the meeting, entitled Can the Journey of Science and Education Lead to Fisheries Sustainability in North America? The symposium consisted of 22 excellent speakers who explored the most challenging sustainability issues to hopefully provide solutions to guide fisheries into the future. This 2-day session addressed human population growth, urbanization, the effects of broad landscape changes on fisheries, the biological, social, and economic impacts of overharvest, and new paradigms for management that account for ecosystem-wide effects. Invited experts recommended solutions that, in addition to improving fisheries science and management, will help move fisheries management to a new level of involvement with other societal sectors that often dramatically influence the success of fish populations, their habitats, and the fisheries they support.
The Western Division Executive Committee met on Sunday, August 19 and was attended by all the Division Officers and many Chapter presidents or their proxies, and the quorum required to conduct business was easily surpassed. The meeting included brief Chapter reports and discussion of activities to strengthen the Division. Much discussion and several votes revolved around refinement of the Western Division Grants Funding Program resolution to be presented to the membership for vote at the annual Business Meeting the following Tuesday (see below for final details). In addition, the EXCOM approved distribution of 2001-2002 Western Division grant funding as follows: Colorado/Wyoming Chapter Student Scholarship Fund support - $1,000; Ian Tatum/Portland State University “Stock Identification of Hood River Steelhead From Scale Pattern Anaylsis” - $300; and Sustainable Fisheries Foundation support for the symposium “Can the Journey of Science and Education Lead to Fisheries Sustainability” - $5,000. Please see the draft minutes of the 2001 EXCOM meeting for further details.
The Western Division Annual Business Meeting breakfast was held on Tuesday, August 21. The food was excellent and the affair drew over 400 participants. President Bill Bradshaw chaired the meeting. During that meeting, the Western Division presented its annual awards and scholarships.
Western Division Award winners were:
Award of Excellence: Jim Martin
Award of Merit: Brad Shepard
Award of Special Recognition: Paul Evans, Allen Bingham, Venice Beske
Robert L Borivicka Conservation Achievement Award: the Honorable David Andersen
WD Chapter of the Year Award: Oregon Chapter
Western Division Eugene Maughan Scholarship Winners were:
- Eileen Ryce, Montana State University
- Darin Jones, University of Idaho
- Michelle Koehler, University of Washington
- Jack Picollo, University of Alaska
Winners of the annual WDAFS elections were announced: Tom McMahon of Arizona was elected Vice President, and Monica Hiner from California was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Thanks were also given to candidates Ed Cheslak and Chuck McAda for their willingness to run for WDAFS office.
The membership also unanimously passed an important resolution directing the EXCOM to establish a long-term Western Division Grants Funding Program, which has been promoted and guided by President Bill Bradshaw. In short, $50,000 of the approximately $100,000 in Western Division savings, will be moved to an investment account. The goal is to elevate the investment account to a principal balance of $100,000 through further fund-raising activities. The proceeds from the investment account will be used to fund the annual Western Division Grants Funding Program. Previously, this program has distributed about $10,000 per year to worthy aquatic stewardship causes, but was funded from the annual Western Division revenue stream. Once the investment fund reaches the target goal of $100,000, its annual earnings will support the annual grants program, thereby freeing up the approximately $10,000 currently used for that purpose each year.
A truly memorable feature of the meeting was an evening at the Corona Ranch where among, many other great festivities, attendees witnessed their very own WDAFS luminaries, such as Carol Ann Woody and Ed Jarhke, chase down and tackle a gangly calf in the rodeo arena. Why would they do that, you ask? Well, to dress the calf in bloomers, of course. The Arizona-New Mexico Chapter sure knows how to throw a party!!
Now the Alaska Chapter will have the honor of trying to top that wild west show in 2005, because they won the bid to host the annual parent society in Anchorage that year. Discussions are already underway to have The Western Division co-convene with the Parent Society again in 2005 when the Society holds its annual meeting in Anchorage.