Marine Turtle Newsletter: 28th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico January 19-26, 2008
- wallacejnichols
- March 6, 2007
President, International Sea Turtle Society
POB 324, Davenport, California 95017 USA (E-mail: wallacejnichols@mac.com)
Venue and Theme: Our plans for the 28th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation (STS) are coming together nicely. The Symposium will take place in the coastal town of Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico, from January 19-26, 2008. You may have heard that the symposium will be a different sort of gathering this year. It most definitely will, thanks to both the planning of the 2008 organizing committee, in Mexico and the U.S., and the venue itself. And there are a few things we hope that you will think about and do to make this a successful, unique and memorable week. This year’s theme will be Native Oceans. It asks us to consider the relationship between sea turtles and humans and celebrate and learn about the world’s turtle cultures, both past and present. We are making an extra effort to invite members of various indigenous groups working on sea turtle research and conservation programs. The Seri (Comcáac) Indians of Sonora, Mexico will share their leatherback ceremony throughout the STS. The Native Oceans theme also asks the question: “How many turtles were there?” Please consider taking some space in your presentation to describe your “baseline.” In Baja, we get some fascinating insights into the former abundance of sea turtles based on accounts of native people, explorers and missionaries as well as whalers and early turtle hunters. Combined, this information may give us a sense of what the ocean was once like. Another theme of the symposium this year is sustainability. This year we have an STS “green team” working on making the footprint of the meeting compatible with our values. We ask that you consider this as you make your plans to attend. Michael Coyne and the STS 2007 organizers have left us in good shape financially and have set a high bar for a smooth-running and fun meeting. We hope to build on that and send a healthy, green STS on to Australia in 2009.
Why Baja California? Ten years ago, I worked with STS President Alberto Abreu and Raquel Briseño to help organize the 18th STS in Mazatlán. Afterwards, I sincerely asked Alberto to stop me should we decide to take on the STS in Baja. Years later, here we are planning the 28th STS in Baja (Albertoooooo!!!!). However, the reasons for this are compelling. First, it is an ideal opportunity for the members of the STS from around the world to interact, share and learn with our colleagues on the Baja California Peninsula. What has happened on the peninsula over the past two decades is worth pondering and discussing: a grassroots sea turtle conservation movement emerged out of communities where turtles were hunted to the edge of extinction. We believe there are now many new opportunities for fruitful collaboration between you and our colleagues in northwest Mexico and I’d like the chance to introduce you to them. It’s likely that many members of the Grupo Tortuguero (the growing sea turtle network in northwest Mexico) would not normally attend the STS as many are fishers and low-income coastal residents and therefore wouldn’t be able to afford the travel or the time away from home. Bringing the STS to them in Baja seemed a good idea. In addition, this year the STS coincides with the tenth anniversary of the Grupo Tortuguero (you can read more at: <http://www.grupotortuguero.org>). Turtles are making a comeback in northwest Mexico and we’ll celebrate that together in Loreto. In a way, having the STS in Baja at the tenth anniversary of the Grupo Tortuguero is a gift to the people working on one of the “front lines” of sea turtle conservation. We think you’ll enjoy meeting them, and vice versa.
Another reason for hosting the meeting in Loreto is because this is the “Year of the Sea Turtle” in Mexico. As the region’s sea turtles return, people are faced with some new decisions about how to manage them. New marine protected areas and sea turtle reserves have been decreed while others have been proposed by fishers and coastal residents and supported by the state and federal governments. A new livelihood alternative associated with the protected areas is ecotourism. While visiting Baja you’ll have the chance to learn about the reserves and participate in an emerging ecotourism economy. We deliberately chose to hold the STS in the town of Loreto rather than one of the existing coastal mega-developments such as Cabo San Lucas. It’s my hope that the ISTS members will understand this choice as one in favor of spreading our dollars among many people and embracing a different model for tourism over the more convenient mega-resort choice. We want to be clear here that this choice begs your patience and planning as well as your responsibility for your own consumption and waste in order to be successful. Think: organic tequila, reusable cups, short showers, biodegradable soap, walks across the plaza and sustainable seafood! We hope that you come early to Baja and stay long. It is gray whale calving season on Baja’s Pacific coast, the birding is excellent and the towns, islands and bays of the peninsula are wonderful to explore. We know that members of the Grupo Tortuguero will be proud to share their work with you.
An Evolving Schedule of Events: The final schedule for the meeting is still under development. The following represents the current thinking of the organizers (regular updates will be posted on www.seaturtle.org and CTURTLE). Due to limited resources and space in Loreto, and in order to accommodate members who make their living as fishers during the week the Grupo Tortuguero/RETOMALA meeting and the STS/regional meetings will be staggered; however, people are welcome to stay for all of the meetings if desired.
Friday (pm), January 18:
• 10th Grupo Tortuguero & Latin American Sea Turtle Specialists (RETOMALA) Meeting – arrival and registration opens
• Pre-Symposium excursions
Saturday, January 19
• 10th Grupo Tortuguero & Latin American Sea Turtle Specialists
(RETOMALA) Meeting – continues
• Pre-Symposium excursions continue
• Registration for STS open
Sunday, January 20
• 10th Grupo Tortuguero & Latin American Sea Turtle Specialists (RETOMALA) Meeting – continues and concludes
• Pre-Symposium excursions continue
• Other Regional Meeting attendees arrive
• Registration for STS open
Monday, January 21
• Pre-Symposium excursions continue
• Other Regional Meetings (WIDECAST, IOSEA, Mediterranean, Africa, etc); Locations TBA
• Registration for STS open
Tuesday, January 22
• Pre-Symposium excursions continue and conclude
• Other Regional Meetings continue and conclude
• Registration for STS open
• Sea Turtles of the Californias session (morning)
• Welcome social & opening remarks, music; Main Plaza, Loreto
• Seri leatherback ceremony begins (4 days)
• Posters go up; Main Plaza and vicinity
Wednesday, January 23
• Poster and oral sessions; Main Plaza and Municipal Auditorium
• Workshops; Locations TBA
Thursday, January 24
• Poster and oral sessions; Reception and awards ceremony sponsored by Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy; Tippling Turtle Bar
Friday, January 25
• Posters, oral sessions and workshops continue
• Awards Banquet, closing remarks
Saturday, January 26
• MTSG meeting
• Post-symposium excursions (go see the gray whales!)
Associated Events
One of the highlights of the meeting will be a minisymposium on binational sea turtle conservation and research in the Californias on Tuesday the 22nd; for more information, please contact Jeffrey Seminoff (E-mail: Jeffrey.Seminoff@noaa.gov). The 28th Symposium will also serve as the venue for the 10th Annual Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero together with the meeting of Latin American Sea Turtle Specialists (RETOMALA), to take place in the Municipal Auditorium in Loreto. The coordinators for this meeting are Omar Chassin (E-mail: chassin@oikos.unam.mx) and Chuy Lucero (E-mail: chuy@grupotortuguero.org). As usual, the MTSG annual general meeting will occur the morning after the banquet, Saturday the 26th. We also welcome all other regional meetings (contact Jeffrey Seminoff to schedule special meetings and events).
Call For Papers, Posters and Resolutions: The program committee will review all abstracts received prior to 15 September 2007. Final details are still being worked out regarding the themes and chairs for the various sessions. Nonetheless, we would like to provide you now with the information required for abstract submission. We urge all potential presenters to review the Symposium website over the coming months to determine the oral or poster sessions most appropriate for their presentation, and we also request that you consider the theme of the Symposium, as described above – Native Oceans – as you conceive your topics for presentation. Use the Symposium web site: <http://iconferences.seaturtle.org/> to access guidelines and to make your submission. If you wish to submit a Resolution to be considered by the Board of Directors of the ISTS please follow the guidelines on the Symposium website.
Symposium Registration: You must register to attend the Symposium and to submit an abstract. The preferred registration method is to use the Symposium’s web site <http://iconferences.seaturtle.org>. There you will find everything you need to know about the Symposium in addition to a user-friendly interface for registration.
Lodging and travel to the ISTS: The Organizers are currently negotiating discounted lodging and airfares, as well as a formal relationship with a travel provider that will allow for the purchase of tickets and the arrangement of pre- and post- symposium travel online. All STS travel and lodging as well as pre- and post- symposium travel will be coordinated by Journey Mexico (contact: Rebecca Scotti (rebecca@journeymexico.com). Because we are organizing such a large group of people and using every hotel, bus and taxi and plane in and to Loreto, we ask that you please coordinate your lodging and travel with Journey Mexico (contact: Rebecca Scotti (rebecca@journeymexico.com). Please keep an eye on CTURTLE, <http://iconferences.seaturtle.org> and future articles in the Marine Turtle Newsletter for updates on travel arrangements and tips.
Visas: Please begin the process of getting your visa and updating your passport NOW. If you envision that you may have difficulty obtaining a visa in your home nation, please seek advice from the ISTS website <http://iconferences.seaturtle.org> or the Symposium Organizing Committee, c/o Raquel Bernaldez (E-mail: rakelbkin@hotmail.com).
ISTS Travel Assistance: As in past years, the ISTS will provide support for a limited number of qualified presenters at the 28th Symposium from around the world. The deadline for submission of applications will be 15 September 2007. See the symposium website for more information: <http://iconferences.seaturtle.org>.
Conclusion. The ISTS Board of Directors, the Organizing Committee and I are all very excited about the 28th Symposium, and are working hard to assure that it will be both a wonderful experience for you, the participants, a positive event for the community of Loreto as well as advancement for the conservation of sea turtles in Baja and around the world. Check our website for regular updates <http://iconferences.seaturtle.org> and we will continue to provide additional information through CTURTLE and the MTN. We look forward to seeing you in Mexico next January.
ISTS President
Wallace J. Nichols - jnichols@oceanconservancy.org
Program Co-Chairs:
Jeffrey Seminoff - Jeffrey.Seminoff@noaa.gov & Raquel Briseño - raquel@servidor.unam.mx
Symposium Travel and Accommodations
Rebecca Scotti, Journey Mexico - rebecca@journeymexico.com
Symposium Coordinator (Mexico):
Raquel Bernaldez - rakelbkin@hotmail.com
International Travel Chair
Hoyt Peckham - hoyt@propeninsula.org
