Monday April 14

Meetings and Events

HYATT REGENCY ISLANDIA:

Registration
Open 7:30am to 6:00pm - Regency Ballroom Foyer

AFS Business Office
Open 7:30am-5pm - Garden Room C, Suite 120

Audio Visual Preview Room
Open 8:00am-5:00pm - Garden Room E

CAERS Inaugural Meeting
8:30am – 5:00pm - Hubbs Sea World Research Institute

Continuing Education Classes
8:30am-4:30pm - Hyatt Regency A, B, and C

WDAFS EXCOM Luncheon - Agenda [PDF file - 387 kb]
10:00am-2:00pm - Islandia Restaurant

Exhibit Show and Poster Setup Only
1:00pm-5:00pm - Mission Ballroom

AFS Leadership Training
2:00pm –5:00pm - Islands A

Volunteer Student Training
12:00pm-2:00pm - Garden Room E

CAERS Mixer
5:00pm-7:00pm - Hubbs Sea World Research Institute

International Reception
5:30pm –7:00pm - Hyatt Penthouse

Welcome to San Diego Social
7:00-9:00pm - Islandia Restaurant

Continuing Education

Workshop #1: Biological Assessments: Expediting Section 7 Consultations
Instructor: Penny Ruvelas, NMFS
Monday, April 14…….8:30am-4:30pm, Regency A-Hyatt Regency

Preparing an adequate Biological Assessment (BA) is a key to expediting Section 7 Endangered Species Act consultations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. NMFS personnel will discuss what information is required and recommended and why, with the goal of better and faster opinions. Topics will include:

• writing complete project descriptions
• assessing direct, indirect, and cumulative effects
• making effects determinations
• the ESA/NEPA and the ESA/EFH interface

Workshop #2: Biotelemetry Systems: Theoretical and Practical Considerations
Instructor: Mitchell M. Sisak, Applied Biometrics Inc.
April 14…….8:30am-4:30pm, Regency B - Hyatt Regency

This course will examine biotelemetry from both a theoretical and practical perspective. The goal of the workshop is to impart a good understanding of benefits and tradeoffs that must be made during the study design phase of a project. This will permit researchers employing biotelemetry to make informed decisions during the selection of system components, helping to ensure the ultimate success of their projects. The ultimate goal of the workshop is not to turn biologists into engineers, but to impart an awareness and appreciation of methods and techniques that can be readily employed to maximize system performance. Monday,

Workshop #3: Conflict Resolution Skills for Natural Resource Professionals
Instructor: Michael E. Fraidenburg, Dynamic Solutions Group, LLC
Monday, April 14…….8:30am-4:30pm, Regency C - Hyatt Regency

There is no shortage of conflict that natural resource professionals are asked to deal with. Natural resource issues elicit strong passions because decision-making materially affects people’s lives or there are radically different core values involved. People also have different conflict management styles that often make matters worse. Because resource professionals are usually involved in the early stages of a conflict they are well placed to apply conflict resolution skills before matters escalate to higher, often highly adversarial levels. Drawing on basic mediation techniques professionals can diagnose the causes of conflict and move a developing resource dispute from a "me-against-you" to an "us-against-the-problem” dialog. This workshop introduces conflict resolution skills that natural resource professionals can use to manage conflict.