FWGNA + FMCS = GMTA!

Freshwater Gastropods of North America

and the

Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society

Great Minds Think Alike!

The purpose of this message is to invite all my colleagues interested in any aspect of the biology of North American freshwater gastropods to join me this March in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the first symposium of a new organization, the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society.

Some of the folks on this list will already be familiar with the origin of the FMCS. Briefly, the organization traces its roots back to the "Symposium on the Conservation and Management of Freshwater Mussels" held in St. Louis in 1992, sponsored by the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee. The UMRCC mussel ad hoc committee organized a second St. Louis symposium in 1995. In the spring of 1996 a mussel subcommittee was established under the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association, which then expanded its portfolio to include all states and became known in 1997 as the National Native Mussel Conservation Committee, with eight subcommittees. In March, 1998, the NNMCC voted to form a society, the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, and to broaden its interests to include gastropod conservation. Alan Buchanan of the Missouri Dept of Conservation has been the chair throughout this process (BUCHAA@mail.conservation.state.mo.us).

The first symposium of the FMCS will be hosted by the Southeast Aquatic Research Institute and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, March 17 - 19, 1999. In addition to the mussel presentations, there will be a special session focusing on the biology and conservation of freshwater gastropods. As with the St. Louis meetings, contributions will be published in a proceedings volume. All abstracts must be received by December 15.

The meeting will be held at the Chattanooga Clarion Hotel. Your early registration fee of $125 will cover breakfasts, lunches, and tickets to the mixers, as well as the registration packet and conference proceedings. To receive a formal announcement, including a call for papers, a registration form, and a tentative agenda, contact the local arrangements coordinator:

Dr. Paul Johnson Southeast Aquatic Research Institute
817-B North Market St. Chattanooga, TN 37405
Phone (423) 785-4074,
Fax (423) 266-5124
pdj@sari.org

Paul tells me that SARI will have a web site in the next few days. Meeting information and on-line registration should be available under the "Current Activities" link at: http://www.sari.org/

I'll see you there!
Rob

FWGNA Announcement to MOLLUSCA

All researchers interested in participating in a long-term, collaborative project entitled...

THE FRESHWATER GASTROPODS OF NORTH AMERICA

...are invited to an informal meeting Wednesday, July 29th, 7:30 pm GWU Thurston Hall Lounge (floor yet to be determined.)

The project will likely include a biotic inventory component, involving museum-based approaches (both traditional and modern) and field surveys. It should also include a component of primary research on species verification and phylogeny. Conservation will be a major theme.

The primary reason for this meeting is to gauge interest. We will, of course, share ideas on general goals, organization and approaches, but do not anticipate making any decisions at this juncture. Some parts of the project will be expensive. Ideas regarding funding will be welcome.

If you are interested in participating in the FWGNA project, but will not be in attendance at WCM in Washington, simply email me.

I'll keep everybody posted.
Best, Rob