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Colleagues,
Greetings to all my fellow South Atlantic Chapter members! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who voted for me and I’m looking forward to serving you for the next couple of years. At this time I’d also like to express my sincerest thanks to Ann Jennings for her outstanding service to the chapter as the previous chair. Luckily for us, she is still serving on the executive committee.
If you’ve checked out the chapter website then you know that we now have a new South Atlantic Chapter Poster that was created by Juanita Blocker and Ken McLeod. Please feel free to print this poster and post it on bulletin boards or other places in an effort to attract new chapter members. Currently we have about 900 members and I’d like to see this number grow.
Our fall workshop has now been scheduled for December 11 and it will be held at the Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah. The title of the workshop is "Isolated Waters in Southeastern United States: the Reality versus the Regulatory." The focus of the workshop will be on the SWANCC decision and its implications for Federal Clean Water Act regulation of isolated wetlands in the southeast. We’re going to have a mix of speakers that address this issue from both a policy and a science perspective. There is a lot of interest in this subject and I think we’re going to have a very good turnout. For those of you who want a little more information on this important issue go to any search engine and type in SWANCC. Several large conservation organizations have published position papers that provide a lot of useful background information. More details on the workshop will be forthcoming shortly on the website.
In the more distant future, the chapter will again be holding its annual luncheon at the 2004 ASB meeting in Memphis and we’re going to co-host the 2004 fall workshop with the South Central Chapter. This joint meeting will be held in early October in Pensacola Beach Florida. And lest I forget, we will also be hosting in 2005 SWS Annual Meeting in Charleston.
Finally I’d like to thank those members who have contacted me and volunteered to help out in various capacities with chapter activities and I’d like to encourage anyone else who’d like to help to give me shout at sjmiller@sjrwmd.com. I can also be reached at 386-329-4387. I hope to see you in Savannah!
Steve
Miller
Chapter Chair
| 2003 Fall Workshop | |
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SWS SOUTH ATLANTIC CHAPTER The Coastal Center, Savannah, Georgia 11 December 2003 T he overall objective of the workshop is to give the audience an overview of the SWANCC decision and its implications for isolated wetland ecosystems and federal Clean Water Act regulation of wetlands. Our particular focus will be on how southeastern states will be affected. Specific questions with regards to public policy include: How are individual states responding to the potential loss of federal regulatory authority and will state and local regulations fill the gap? Can we quantify the types and extent of wetlands that have the potential to be most negatively affected and what this means in terms of the ecosystem services provided by isolated wetlands? Participants can expect an increased knowledge of the SWANCC and its impacts to the clean water act, why this is a critical issue, what habitats are at the greatest risk, and what some states are doing. |
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New student travel award for SWS Annual Meeting The Chapter has initiated a $500 travel award for the SWS annual meeting. Applicants must be currently enrolled graduate students and members of SWS in good standing. Check out the full set of guidelines at the Chapter’s web page: www.sws.org/regional/southatlantic/swstravelguidelines.html. Student travel award to the 2004 ASB Annual Meeting The South Atlantic Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) will again offer it’s student travel award to support students presenting wetland research at the Association of Southeastern Biologists annual meeting in Memphis. We will award at least $100 to a maximum of five students. The Chapter’s Awards and Executive Committees will judge the applicants based on the scientific quality and importance of their research as described in the abstract. All students presenting research on a wetland topic are eligible; membership in SWS is not required. Please check the appropriate box on the ASB registration form and submit your abstract as instructed in the ASB call for papers. Further, applicants must also submit their abstract, by electronic mail, to Cliff R. Hupp at mcrhupp@usgs.gov. Award winners will be invited to the Chapter’s luncheon meeting (no charge for awardees) held during the ASB annual meeting. New chapter poster Thanks to Juanita Blocker and Ken McLeod, the Chapter has a new recruiting and advertising poster. Download a copy from the Chapters web page (www.sws.org/regional/southatlantic/SWS_SA_Chap_Flyer.pdf), print out some copies, and post them! Our goal is to increase awareness and member participation in the Chapter. 2005 SWS meeting The Chapter is working on putting together the committees necessary to hosting the 2005 Society meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. Committees include Program, Silent Auction, Sponsors, Exhibitors, Field Trip, Publicity, Events, Children’s Program, Judges, and Education. Thanks to Cliff Hupp and Frank Reilly who have agreed to serve as co-chairs of the Program committee, Diane DeSteven as chair of the Field Trip committee, Morgan McClure as chair of the Sponsor committee, and Dan Tufford as chair of the Silent Auction committee. We are still looking for volunteers to assist in these efforts. To hold a successful meeting will require a commitment by many individuals to help with the numerous details that come with planning. We ask that you please consider helping and contact William Conner at wconner@clemson.edu and he will put you in touch with the right person. |
Reports from the Chapter's Meetings: |
 2003
ASB luncheonThe Chapter held its annual luncheon at the 2003 Association of Southeastern Biologists conference. We met in Arlington, VA, and the minutes from the luncheon are posted on the Chapter’s web page: www.sws.org/regional/southatlantic/reports/minutes_april_03.pdf. Congratulations to Sherry Holmes for winning the Chapter’s student travel award. Pictured: Ann Jennings (right), past Chair of the Chapter, presents the ASB student travel award to Sherry Holmes at the luncheon.
The minutes from the annual business meeting during the 2003 SWS conference are also posted on the Chapter’s web page: www.sws.org/regional/southatlantic/reports/minutes_june_03.pdf. Our new Chair, Steve Miller, was introduced, and we discussed the treasurer’s report, the new graduate student travel award to the SWS meeting, the 2003 and 2004 Fall Workshops, and many other topics. |
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Other News: Workshops, Conferences |
If you know of a workshop or conference that you would like to have posted in the next newsletter, please contact Greg Noe (noeg@fiu.edu).
The SWS and Chapter web sites have listings of upcoming meetings:
www.sws.org/meetings/
www.sws.org/regional/southatlantic/happenings.html
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2003 SWS
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