AERS
NEERS
SEERS
GERS
PERS

Message from the President

Greetings ERF Members,

A great deal has happened with the Estuarine Research Federation these last few months. I hope you can take the time to thoroughly read this newsletter and get caught up on all of ERF's activities even if you are feeling the end-of-summer crunch. Here are just a few highlights on what is happening.

Congratulations to the Scientific Award Winners
The Awards and Education Committees selected the 2001 recipients for the Odum, Cronin and the new William A. Niering award. Dr. Larry Pomeroy, of University of Georgia, will receive the Odum Award for lifetime achievement in estuarine science. The Cronin award, given to recognize an estuarine scientist early in their career, will go to Dr. Jaye Ellen Cable, Louisiana State University. The William A. Niering Outstanding Educator Award was established last year to honor someone who has played a significant role in the education of estuarine scientists. Dr. Joy Zedler, who holds the Aldo Leopold Chair in Restoration Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, will be the first recipient of this award.

Congratulations to these three outstanding individuals and thank you to all of our members who took the time to nominate candidates for these awards.

New Program for Recent PhD Recipients
A new dissertation symposium for graduates in estuarine, coastal and Great Lake environments has been launched for 2002. The DIACES symposium (Dissertations Symposium for the Advancement of Coastal, Estuarine and Great Lakes Science) is modeled after the highly successful DIALOG symposium held for graduates in oceanography and limnology. The goals of the DIACES symposium are to promote the career development of recent graduates in aquatic sciences with a strong emphasis on enhancing interdisciplinary understanding of coastal environments. This symposium will include the effects of human impacts to help foster research that can lead to better policy and management decisions.

The program is sponsored by ERF, with the generous support of NOAA. Susan Weiler of Whitman College is heading up the effort. Please see Susan's article in this newsletter for more information and note that the symposium will be for graduates completing their PhD requirements between January 1, 2000 and March 21, 2002. The DIACES application deadline is May 1, 2002. ERF will also now co-sponsor the DIALOG V symposium. These symposia offer outstanding opportunities for recent graduates, so we hope that all eligible ERF members will register their dissertations and apply for the symposia.

The Gulf of St. Lawrence Estuarine Research Society is Born
This May, I traveled to Canada to be on hand for an exciting event, the formation of the Gulf of St. Lawrence Estuarine Research Society (GSLERS). The meeting was held at the Irving Eco-Center located on the beautiful Dunes of Bouctouche, New Brunswick. The meeting was jointly sponsored by the Dunes of Bouctouche and the Kouchibouguac National Park. The meeting focused on the state of estuaries in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, an area that includes over 300 estuaries. An active group of researchers and managers reported on the state of many pristine systems but also chronicled their efforts to stem environmental problems resulting from sewage and agriculture runoff in other estuaries.

We wish our Canadian colleagues the best of luck in their new venture and we will explore how GSLERS and ERF can have closer ties in November

ERF's Conference Momentum Builds
ERF 2001 promises to be a very exciting meeting that you won't want to miss. The conference steering committee has put together an excellent scientific program, organized wonderful field trips and planned many social activities. Now is the time to register before the September 21 early registration deadline!
On behalf of the ERF board and members, I 'd like to recognize the outstanding work of conference chair Mark Luther, scientific program co-chairs Penny Hall and Susan Bell and poster session chair Evan Chipouras. To them and all members of the steering committee, we offer our thanks.

This will be my last newsletter article before handing the reins over to Dennis Allen in November. It has been a privilege serving as your president. I feel especially fortunate to have worked with such an outstanding Governing Board and wonderful staff. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer and see you in November.

Sincerely,

Anne E. Giblin
ERF President 1999-2001
agiblin@mbl.edu