The 36th Annual Meeting of the DESERT FISHES COUNCIL (DFC) will occur 11 to 14 NOV (Thursday - Sunday) 2004. Registration and an informal roundtable discussion with the DFC Excomm will take place Wednesday (10th) afternoon (details to be announced), followed by an informal cash bar mixer that evening in the hotel. The local committee, chaired by Scott Bonar (sbonar@ag.arizona.edu) at the University of Arizona, has worked hard to obtain an excellent package for us at the Doubletree Inn at Reid Park where all meeting activities will take place.  The host city, Tucson, also known as the “Old Pueblo”, contains world-class culture, restaurants, and museums.  It is ringed by National Park and Forest land ranging from vast deserts to high mountains containing hundreds of miles of hiking trails through habitats as diverse as lower Sonoran Desert to high-elevation Spruce-Fir forests.

The basic program includes Area (EcoRegion) reports and contributed papers on Thursday & Friday (11th & 12th), with the DFC business meeting and barbeque scheduled for afternoon/evening of Friday 12th. A Special Session honoring the legacies of Seth Meek and Robert Rush Miller to the ichthyology of North American deserts will be included with the presentation sessions on Saturday (organized by Steven Norris - see Presentations). There will be two SUN (14th) field trip choices:  One will be all day to Aravaipa Creek, an outstanding riparian area in the Galiuro Mountains containing several native Arizona fishes.  The other will be a morning trip to Sabino Canyon, a beautiful riparian area in the Catalina Mountains on the outskirts of Tucson where a rescue effort took place to save the Gila chub from destruction from the 2003 Aspen Fire.  The trip will then go to the University of Arizona where Gila chub are being propagated for repatriation into the creek.  In the afternoon, the trip will end at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum where unique desert fishes are being displayed to educate millions of visitors to the desert Southwest. Local host Scott Bonar (sbonar@ag.arizona.edu) should be contacted for additional fieldtrip details.

REGISTRATION - In order to participate in the meeting, a MEETING REGISTRATION FORM and payment must be received by 27 August, 2004 to avoid a late registration fee. Refunds (less $5.00 processing fee) are possible.  This year, registration includes both the banquet and the Wednesday night mixer. Field trip arrangements will be made with the local committee during on-site registration.

TRAVEL to/from Tucson. Tucson is served by a major international airport and major freeways. The Doubletree Hotel offers free airport shuttle service to the hotel and free parking.  Those interested in car pooling and/or room sharing should post requests or offers to the DFC bulletin board.

LIMITED TRAVEL GRANTS are available to present papers at DFC meetings. See the Travel Grants page for applications, instructions and deadlines.

HOTEL - The Doubletree at Reid Park is offering special rates for DFC. Single occupancy will be $58.00/day or $78.00/day double occupancy (plus 11.5% and $1.00 per room, per night city tax, and a $1.25 surcharge for unlimited local phone calls). These rates will also be offered, based on availability, to attendees 3 days before and 3 days after the meeting dates.  Reservations must be made by October 11 and, to insure refund, cancellations must be within 72 hours of anticipated arrival. Reservations made after this date will only be accepted based upon availability. Contact either the hotel directly (520)-881-4200, the Central Reservations System at 1-800-222-TREE or e-mail to reservations@dtreidpark.com. Be sure to clearly identify yourself as being with the Desert Fishes Council to receive the discounted room rate. Currently, Doubletree Hotel is charging an Early Departure Fee ($50.00) to any guest who checks out of the hotel before their stated departure date.  Guests will have the opportunity to change their departure date at Check-In without being assessed the fee. Those interested in car-pooling and/or room sharing should post requests or offers to the  DFC bulletin board. 

PRESENTATIONS of both oral papers and posters relevant to the mission of the Desert Fishes Council are solicited, as are resolutions for consideration at the business meeting. Only members of the Council may present papers and posters and submit resolutions. Space is limited; order of receipt of abstracts will determine acceptance of papers. Oral presentations are 15 minutes (including questions). Each speaker is limited to one oral presentation (to include special session - below); poster presentations are encouraged.

· NO PAPER OR POSTER WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT RECEIPT OF

1. Payment of membership dues for calendar year 2004 on or before the 27 August, 2004 deadline

2. Pre-registration, and

3. Correctly formatted electronically submitted abstract. Space in the program is limited and order of receipt will determine acceptance.
    

· ALL ABSTRACTS AND RESOLUTIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED USING THE ELECTRONIC, BILINGUAL FORM. Difficulties should be reported to Dean Hendrickson [voice: (512) 471-9774; webmaster at desertfishes dot org] or Peter Unmack (mailto:peter.unmack_at_asu.edu). Abstracts and resolutions must be RECEIVED electronically on or before 27 August (FR).
 

· AREA REPORTS are coordinated by ecoregion and can be multi-authored; any group can contribute. Contact either Nadine Kanim [(530)-842-5763; nadine_kanim_at_fws.gov], or area coordinators directly. Area report abstracts should be submitted as per instructions for all abstracts (above).
 

·  AWARDS are given every year for best student papers presented at meetings. Those who wish to compete for awards should first review the awards page to determine whether their papers qualify, and must indicate that they wish to compete when submitting the abstract.
 

· FTP instructions - all PowerPoint presentation files must be electronically deposited on the FTP site by October 29.

The Special Session honoring the legacies of Seth Meek and Robert Rush Miller to the ichthyology of North American deserts will be included with the presentation sessions on Saturday (November 13). This session celebrates the publication of Miller's "Freshwater Fishes of México" in 2004, one hundred years after Meek published his "Freshwater Fishes of México". Appropriate topics include historical / personal perspectives on Seth Meek or Bob Miller, or just about any topic in desert ichthyology, especially regarding Mexican fishes, that might be linked to their work. Contributors who would like to be included in the special session, or whose subjects are related to Meek's or Miller's interests, are asked to indicate that with their abstract submittal and to contact Steven Norris (steven.norris@csuci.edu) for more information.

Additional information about the meeting is added, as it becomes available, to this Web page and is also distributed via e-mail to DFC-L. Subscribe to DFC-L now if you wish to receive these notices.

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This page last modified:  25 April 2005