Desert Fishes Council Annual Meeting

Ventura, California

14 to 18 November, 2007

IMPORTANT DEADLINES
SEPTEMBER 30 - PRE-REGISTRATION (extended to October 5) AND ABSTRACT SUBMITTAL
OCTOBER 24 - HOTEL RESERVATIONS AT SPECIAL MEETING RATE
NOVEMBER 2 - ACCOMPANYING PERSON SOCIAL EVENT TICKETS, REGISTRATION CANCELLATIONS, FTP OF POWERPOINT FILES

The 39th Annual Meeting of DESERT FISHES COUNCIL will be held 14-18 November 2007 (Thursday through Saturday) at the Pierpont Inn, 550 San Jon Road, Ventura, California 93001 (805-643-6144 / 800-285-4667).

The local committee is chaired by Steven Norris. Onsite registration will begin Wednesday afternoon (14 November), and an informal social will occur at the Inn bar that evening. Technical papers and poster presentations will start Thursday AM and continue to 5:00 PM each day through Saturday. The DFC Business meeting and banquet will be held Friday afternoon and evening, respectively. Field trips to the Channel Islands and possibly local streams will be scheduled for Sunday. All events will be held at the Pierpont Inn, a very pleasant hotel that is a little bit of old Ventura, with many amenities and located in view of the Pacific Ocean.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Daily lodging at Pierpont Inn is $120 per night. The price includes a hot buffet breakfast for guests of the Inn. Reservations with one night’s deposit are required by 24 October 2007. Cancellations may be made up to 48 hours before the meeting to avoid charge. All 75 rooms and suites at the Pierpont Inn have been reserved for this meeting. It is expected that meeting attendance will exceed Pierpont Inn capacity. So, attendees are encouraged to make their reservation early in order to secure a room at the Pierpont, AND to cancel reservations in a timely fashion if unable to attend, in order to free the room for other attendees. Reservations at the Pierpont Inn will be first-come/first served. There is no charge for parking at the Pierpont.

For those wishing to arrive a day early or stay a day late, we have blocked a limited number of rooms at the Pierpont Inn for the Tuesday night (13 Nov.) and Sunday (18 Nov.). These rooms will be available at the steeply discounted meeting price for meeting attendees. When making reservations clearly identify yourself as a DFC attendee.

Other local lodging options (with distance to Pierpont Inn in mi/km) - standard rate (as posted on the internet) for one person per night is given for purposes of comparison only:

• Best Western of Ventura - 780 E. Thompson Blvd. (0.4/0.6) - 805-648-3101 - $89
• Vagabond Inn in Ventura - 756 E. Thompson Blvd. (0.4/0.6) - 800-522-1555 - $69
• Country Inn and Suites - 298 Chestnut Street (0.5/0.8) - 888-201-1746 - $99+
• Marriot Inn - 2055 Harbor Blvd. (0.7/1.1) - 805-643-6000 - $159
• Comfort Inn of Ventura - 2094 E. Harbor Blvd (0.9/1.4) - 805-653-5000 - $169
• Four Points by Sheraton (on Ventura Harbor)- 1050 Schooner (2.2/3.5) - 805-658-1212 - $116

Public campgrounds are close at hand; follow this link (http://www.familytravelnetwork.com/articles/rving_2.asp)

Ventura is a much visited tourist town. It is not a large city and any hotel/motel in Ventura will be reasonably close, particularly if you have your own transportation. A number of independent motels and bed-and-breakfast hotels are within several miles of the Pierpont Inn. They can be located and accessed with a little creative web-searching. If you have your own transportation, motels in Camarillo, Carpenteria or Oxnard (avoid city center) offer further options.

If you are looking for a roommate to share costs, post your offer/request to the DFC-L email list (DFC-L@lists.cc.utexas.edu; DFC-L) using the subject line “Sharing rooms in Ventura”. Those offering or seeking room sharing should reply leaving the original subject line intact so that those unable to help will quickly know to ignore the message, and all those interested can quickly find others in the single thread that will thus be created in the DFC-L archive.

TRANSPORTATION

The City of Ventura is located in Ventura County between Santa Barbara (to the north) and the Los Angeles sprawl (to the south). The city straddles Hwy 101, the major north-south artery along the southern California coast.

There are three regional airports: Santa Barbara, Burbank and Los Angeles International (LAX). Santa Barbara is the closest, but has the fewest flight options. Burbank Airport is smaller and easier to utilize than LAX, but has fewer flight options than LAX. Rental car and shuttle services to Ventura are available at all three airports. Round trip shuttle fares from LAX or Burbank run around $140 (representative shuttle companies: http://www.rrshuttle.com/main.aspx; http://www.venturashuttle.com/index.html).

Approximate drive time to Ventura from Santa Barbara is 30-40 minutes and from either Burbank or LAX: 1.5 - 2 hours (traffic dependent). A continually updated Los Angeles traffic map is available online (http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?Region=Greater+Los+Angeles)

Oxnard Airport (only 15-20 minutes from the meeting venue) has commuter flights from Los Angeles via United Express.

There is also Amtrak (via the Pacific Surfliner) (www.amtrak.com) and bus service to Ventura. Amtrak is convenient and inexpensive from both LAX and Burbank airports. Arrangements are being made to pick up meeting participants in Ventura at the Amtrak station. If you plan to arrive via Amtrak, please let Steve Norris (steven.norris@csuci.edu) know what train you will be on so there will be someone there to pick you up.

Car pooling to and from airports is ecologically sound and economically beneficial. Given the distances and costs involved, those planning to rent cars might consider seeking riders. If you are interested in carpooling to share costs, post your offer/request to the DFC-L email list (DFC-L@lists.cc.utexas.edu; DFC-L) using the subject line “Carpooling to Ventura”. Those offering or seeking rides should reply leaving the original subject line intact so that those unable to help will quickly know to ignore the message, and all those interested can quickly find others in the single thread that will thus be created in the DFC-L archive.

REGISTRATION

Register, pay dues, and purchase DFC products online at the DFC Online store.

 

 

Meeting registration rates increase after the September 30 pre-registration deadline. Cancellations will be accepted until November 2, but a $5.00 USD fee will be charged. Email your online store receipt to Dean Hendrickson for a credit to your credit card if you have to cancel.

BANQUET

A banquet will be held Friday evening at the Pierpont Inn. This cost is included in the registration fee. For additional guests the charge will be $32 per person (this includes not only the banquet, but also opening social and all coffee breaks). Accompanying person tickets must be purchased by Friday, 2 November (via the DFC Online store).

PRESENTATIONS

Abstract Submission

Whether oral or poster, presentations must fall within the scope of the DFC's mission. No abstract will be accepted or scheduled unless submitted in compliance with the instuctions to authors.

The deadline for abstract submission is September 30 at midnight Central Standard Time. As always, DFC membership and meeting pre-registration paid by the abstract deadline are pre-requisites for abstract acceptance; if you plan to present a paper, when you submit your abstract (or before) be sure to pre-register and pay DFC membership dues for 2006.

Oral presentations are allotted 15 minutes (including questions and responses). Each presenter is limited to a single oral presentation, but poster presentations are not limited and are encouraged. Program space is limited and order of receipt will determine acceptance and programming of presentations.

Use the online web form to submit your abstract.

Viewing submitted abstracts

The meeting abstract database may be consulted at any time. Abstracts will be displayed there as soon as they are submitted.

Delivery of PowerPoint files

We no longer require delivery of PowerPoint files by FTP. Simply follow these new instructions. Additional details regarding local ability to read different media (USB memory, CD's etc.), file naming, etc., may be posted by the local host to DFC-L shortly before the meeting. If you think you may have missed any such notice in your email, you can consult the DFC-L archive.

SPECIAL SESSION

A special session, "Aquatic Biota of Arid Coastal Streams" (Saturday), will focus on aquatic organisms occupying streams along arid coastlines of western North America and their adaptations to this distinctive environment. The session will center on fishes, but papers on other groups of aquatic organisms, plants or habitats are welcome. Presenters wishing to participate in the special session should note this in their abstract submittal. For more information contact Stewart Reid (WesternFishes@opendoor.com).

AREA REPORTS

These are special oral reports coordinated by ecoregion. Agency offices and other organizations desiring to contribute information to these reports should contact their corresponding Area Coordinator. Area coordinators will also be contacting individuals in their areas to solicit input to their reports. More information or help with this process can be obtained from the Areas Coordinator, who coordinates the work of all of the Area Coordinators.

AWARDS

Awards are presented annually for the best presentations given by students. Students competing for these awards must indicate that in the submission of their abstract.

TRAVEL GRANTS

DFC routinely helps defer expenses incurred to travel to present papers or posters, with preference given to students and citizens of Latin American countries. Special instructions detailed in the travel grants page must be followed to request travel support. Travel grant request forms must be received by the deadline for abstracts.

MEETING RESOLUTIONS

Resolutions must be submitted via the same form as for abstracts and by the same deadline. Additional information and a specific format are required, however, as detailed in the 2004 meeting minutes.

FIELD TRIPS

A day trip to Santa Cruz Island (Channel Islands National Park and The Nature Conservancy) has been scheduled for Sunday 18 November. The cost of this trip will be $42 per person ($29 for children age 3-12). The cost includes boat transportation from Ventura Harbor to Santa Cruz Island (and back), and the services of an island naturalist/guide. The ferry has a snack bar, but there are no facilities on the island. The ferry departs Ventura Harbor at 9:00 AM; returning to Ventura Harbor between 4:30 and 5:00 pm.  Ventura Harbor is about a 15 minute drive from the Pierpont Inn.  Box lunches can be purchased at the Pierpont Inn. Transportation to the island and all other services for the day will be provided by Island Packers. See their website for more information about their facilities, trips and Santa Cruz Island.

Steven Norris is the ‘group leader’ for this outing.  Contact him directly for more information.  Spots on this trip can be reserved by sending a check made out to “Island Packers” to Steven Norris (Biology Program, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA  93012), in the amount of $42 per adult; $29 per child (age 3-12).  Include a note with your check with the names, contact phone numbers and email addresses of all field trip attendees you are paying for.  To aid in planning, submit your reservations and checks as soon as possible, but no later than 1 Nov.  If the trip is cancelled checks will be returned.

One or two additional field trips to see local freshwater habitats may be scheduled for Sunday if there is sufficient interest. These trips are free, but people must provide their own transportation. Look for details and sign-up sheets at the registration desk.

A couple other websites also provide information about the Northern Channel Islands and access to them. (http://www.nps.gov/chis/ ; http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/california/preserves/art6335.html).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE MEETING

Watch for announcements to be sent via the DFC email list (DFC-L) and for periodic updates to these web pages.

VENTURA COUNTY AND VICINITY

Ventura County is ecologically and culturally diverse. The city of Ventura (or Buenaventura) was founded around an old Spanish Mission. It offers a variety of museums and shopping. Santa Barbara and Ojai are two other popular destinations in the vicinity. Camarillo is home to a large outlet mall, and the Western Foundation for Vertebrate Zoology (www.wfvz.org), a large, private ornithological collection and research center (special tours may be possible with advance notice). Numerous public beaches, The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Channel Islands National Park are close at hand. Weather in November is pleasant during the day, but chilly near the coast, cold at night. Rain is quite possible.

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This page last modified:  10 June 2007