2010 Meeting Home Page
TCAFS Annual Meeting, January 21-23, 2010
by Ken Kurzawski
The Texas Chapter AFS annual meeting will be held at the Richard M. Hart and Johnny Morris Conservation Center at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens on January 21-23, 2010. The theme for the Plenary Session is “Future impacts to management of fishes and aquatic systems in Texas.” The meeting will consist of two continuing education courses, an evening social on Thursday, plenary and contributed sessions, our banquet/auction on Friday, and the TCAFS business meeting on Saturday. See information below on program overview, registration, and lodging to help plan your trip.
Program Overview
Continuing Education Seminars (Thursday, 3:00-5:00P)
Benefits of AFS Professional Certification — Aaron Jubar
Digital Photography Basics — Larry Hodge
To register for these seminars, contact Aaron Jubar aaron.jubar@tpwd.state.tx.us or 903-593-5077.
Student Photography Contest (Thursday after seminar through Friday, 1:00pm) Students are invited to use the skill taught in Larry Hodge’s seminar to take photos during the meeting and enter them in a photography contest. Rules will be announced at the end of seminar, and prizes will be awarded for top photos at the Friday evening banquet. Contestants must bring their own digital camera and a cable for photo downloading onto a computer.
Student/Professional Mixer (Thursday, 6:00 – 9:00 PM) — Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided. There will be fun activities for students and plenty of networking opportunities.
Plenary Session (Friday, 8:00 AM- 12:00 PM) — Future Impacts to Management of Fishes and Aquatic Systems in Texas. Invited speakers include Dr. Karl Eschbach, Texas State Demographer, and Dr. Nielssen-Gammon, Texas State Climatologist, who will speak to changes that will impact both natural resources and the state’s population. Additional presentations will address issues specific to fisheries and aquatic resources.
Lunch — will be provided Friday as part of yor registration. Student-mentor lunch will be on-site. To sign up for the student-mentor lunch, check the appropriate spot on the meeting registration form or contact Mandy Scott at mandy.scott@tpwd.state.tx.us or 325-651-5556.
Contributed Papers and Presentations — Friday afternoon, 1:00 – 5:00 PM and Saturday morning, 8:00 – 10:00 AM.
Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center Tours (Friday, 5:00 – 6:00 PM) — Take this opportunity to experience the indoor and outdoor exhibits that make the Center a one-of-a-kind facility.
Banquet, Awards Ceremony and Auction (Friday, 6:00 – 10:00 PM) — A BBQ dinner and beverages will be provided along with the World Famous TCAFS auction and raffle.
TCAFS Business Meeting (Saturday, 10:20 AM – 12:00 PM)
Registration
Registration includes access to all continuing education workshops, Thursday night Student/Professional Mixer, all technical sessions, Friday lunch, and Friday night banquet. The deadline for early registration is January 6, 2010.
Lodging – Because of the excellent response for the TCAFS Annual meeting and another event occurring simultaneously in Athens, hotel rooms are in short supply. As of December 18th, the Holiday Inn Express (903-675-2500) and the Super 8 (903-675-7511) have a few single rooms remaining. There are some other options. Although we do not have any agreements with other hotels, their rates should be comparable to than the Holiday Inn and Super 8 (approx. $89). The Quality Inn http://www.qualityinn.com/hotel-athens-texas-TXD20 may also have some singles left. The America’s Best Value Inn in Athens http://www.americasbestvalueinn.com/bestv.cfm?idp=1193 has some double rooms left. After that, the next best option is motels in nearby Malakoff (Countryside Inn http://countrysideinn.info/) and Gun Barrel City (Best Western http://www.bestwesterntexas.com/hotels/best-western-gun-barrel-inn/). Numerous motel options exist in Canton (30 mile north) and Tyler (35 mile to the east). Sorry for the inconvenience!