Winter 2005 Newsletter
The fall NEERS meeting on Block Island was another memorable one. Over 100 people braved the autumnal waters of Rhode Island Sound for the 12 mile ferry ride to spend October 21-23 with their colleagues, listen to the latest in New England estuarine research, and explore this small island gem. Strong north winds that picked up during the meeting kept participants well focused on the conference by making it difficult even to push open the doors of the hotel to get outside.
A special symposium was held on the topic of oligotrophication, the reduction in nutrients in estuaries. Scott Nixon started off by describing how our perspectives of the impact of nutrients in estuaries have changed over time. Before the 1950, scientists focused on the positive effects of nutrients on secondary production. This was followed in the latter half of the 20th Century by an emphasis on the nitrogen as the cause of eutrophication. Current management efforts to reduce the impacts of over-enrichment may lead to reduced secondary production and cause us once again to reexamine our perspectives. Nixon's talk was followed by case studies of Boston Harbor, Long Island Sound, and Narragansett Bay. NEERSians continued to discuss how to implement research and monitoring related to oligotrophication at an informal evening meeting around a fireplace.
The Friday session included contributed papers and posters. A special session on scientific writing, led by Estuaries' Managing Editor Steve Threlkeld, was held on Saturday morning. Steve focused on how to make the most of peer reviews.
At the banquet on Friday evening, awards were given for student presentations. As usual, the quality of student papers was particularly impressive and the judges had a difficult time making their selections. The Dean Prize for the best graduate student poster went to Debora Fillis (Yale University) for "A systematic assessment of New England coastal wetlands." The Ketchum Prize (best graduate student oral presentation) went to Lora Harris of URI GSO for "Modeling growth and resource allocation of Zostera marina: A comparison of previous models and a new approach." The Warren Prize (best undergraduate poster) went to Michael Wielenga of East Stroudsburg University for "Seasonal diatom assemblages of Chincoteague Bay." The Rankin Prize (best undergraduate oral presentation) was given to Stephen Oravitz (East Stroudsburg University for "Water quality assessment and diatom assemblage of Chincoteague Bay."
Elections of officers were held at the business meeting. Robert Buchsbaum was elected President- Elect and Steven Hale Treasurer. Cindy Delpapa was re-elected as Secretary. Thanks to David Burdick for his four years of service as Treasurer and to Linda Deegan, for her six years as President-Elect, President, and Past President.
The Spring 2005 NEERS meeting will be at the Captain's Quarters, North Eastham on Cape Cod from April 28-30, 2005. Sandy Macfarlane, the meeting organizer, is pulling together a special symposium, Water to Water: Watersheds and the Estuaries They Affect. This relationship between watersheds and estuaries is particularly compelling to examine on Cape Cod where towns have been wrestling with ways to prevent nonpoint pollution, particular wastewater from septic systems, from degrading their estuaries. A mini special session on salt marsh restoration is also being planned, as are field trips to various wonderful Cape Cod habitats.
A special event at the meeting will be the awarding of the NEERS Achievement Award to Ivan Valiela of the Boston University Marine Program. This award recognizes scientist who have made significant contributions over a period of years to estuarine science, education, conservation, or management.
Sandy hosted the memorable NEERS 25th Anniversary meeting in 1994 in Orleans, during which an accidental spill of toxic chemicals near a tested estuary caused us to temporarily put aside our regular program and provide advice to the community on how to deal with the potential disaster. Although the odds are that we will not have a toxic spill this time, the meeting promises to be as exciting, stimulating, and well attended as the last one Sandy ran.
To encourage student involvement at this meeting, NEERS will give student travel awards to help cover travel and lodging costs. Selection will not affect your eligibility for student presentation prizes. To be considered for a travel award, you must be a member of NEERS (by the meeting time) and have your faculty advisor certify that you are a student in good standing, are presenting (include abstract) and you would benefit from the financial assistance.
Check the NEERS website for additional information about the meeting and travel awards.
[ back to top ]