Section Minutes – 2018

2018 Annual Meeting

Monday, August 20, 2018  5:00-6:00 PM

Atlantic City Convention Center, Room 409

Atlantic City, New Jersey

 

Agenda:

  1. Determination of Quorum (minimum of 10 members present) – Michael Porter
    1. Reminder to non-member attendees to join AFS and the Fish Habitat Section ($10 for section membership, students and young professionals free)Quorum Present (25 section members, 13 non-members)
  2. Call to order – Tom Lang, FHS President
  3. Recognition of AFS officers, FHS officers (past and present), and other guests – Tom Lang
  4. AFS President and Executive Director remarks – Doug Austen, AFS Officer TBD
  5. AFS Policy Update and FHS support – Drue Winters and Tom Lang
    1. Recovering Americas Wildlife Act (RAWA) – Habitat Section is active
      Senate/House Bills – $1.38 B for State Wildlife Action Plans
      Land & Wildlife Conservation Fund – working with The Wildlife Society, National Wildlife Federation on Bills working through Congress
    2. Waters of the US / Clean Water Act – Oppose changes to 2015 Rules
      AFS is pushing back with conservation NGOs
      Headwaters working group
      Comment period – July-August 2018
    3. Magnuson-Stevens Act of 1993
      Amend Law to address issues specific to recreational fisheries
      Address annual catch in context of changing climate
      AFS going to the hill in support
      MSA provides a sound framework, more manageable approach
      Article based on special AFS panel due out in October Fisheries Magazine
      Thoughtful outreach to Congress
    4. National Fish Habitat Partnership → Law
      Section encouraged to write letters of support to Congress
      Funding toward implementation with less administration
    5. Water Resources Development and Infrastructure Act
      Natural Infrastructure → policy recommendations for USFS, USACE
    6. Joe Margraf
      Jess Trushendki – better effect on decision-makers
      Online training for AFS officers
      Develop interpersonal skills
      Joint meeting with The Wildlife Society in Reno, NV 2019; large meeting with complementary topics
  6. Approval of minutes from 2017 Business Meeting, Tampa, FL – Michael Porter, FHS Secretary/Treasurer (view minutes at https://habitat.fisheries.org/what-we-do/section-meeting-minutes/afs-fish-habitat-section-meeting-minutes/ )2017 minutes approved
  7.  Review of Financial Report – Michael Porter
    1. Current account balanceFinancial report ($12,322 balance)
      Previous balance $10,984; current balance $12,322
      Income $3,336
    2. Disbursements
      Disbursements $1,666
      Travel awards $1,120
  8. Committee Reports
    1. NFHP Board Report – Tom Lang
      Direct funding toward partnerships, less overhead
      USFWS an additional $800K to partnerships from USFWS admin overhead
      Continuing support in Congress
      Section President delegated to serve for AFS on NFHP board
      October National meeting
      Tom Bigford initiative – Habitat Hero Award
      Stephen Brown 2015 Assessment
      NMFS funds $50K for mid-Atlantic council assessment
      Proposals for habitat assessments in October 2018
      Alison Bowden at TNC is on board
    2. Student Presentation Awards – Tom Bigford and Stephen Brown
      Section sponsoring more symposia this year (Stephen Brown)
      2 judges / paper, multiple awards, last presentation on Thursday
    3. Membership Report – Michael Porter
    4. Social Media/website Report – report compiled by Amanda Babin and Elisabeth Maxwell, given by Kim Dibble
      Increased presence on social media
      Increased visitation on website, more time on site, retweets
      Active bloggers; posts reach between 130-2400 people (up from 250-1800 in 2017)
      359 Twitter followers, up from 187, with 98 countries represented
      We need to solicit more bloggers (they currently have 6 but ideally would have 8-10)
      If you know of interesting publication that was recently released, please send it to the blogging team to incorporate into next post
      Increase FHS visibility on Facebook and Twitter by following and sharing section news and blog posts. Also consider liking and retweeting messages from the FHS, or tagging @AFS_Habitat in your tweets. Utilize hashtags in tweets including #habitat, #fishsci, #AFS
      Utilize social media by announcing job openings, workshops, meetings, and short courses on Twitter and Facebook
      New Blogger Code of Conduct – The FHS approved guidance for bloggers posting to our website. The language relies heavily on the AFS Code of Conduct approved in 1997
  9. Old Business – Tom Lang
    Lang – reach out to co-sponsor symposia (16)
    Habitat covers broad range of topics
    Connected with other sections

    1. Annual meeting workshops and symposia endorsed or assisted by FHS:
      1. Advances in Habitat Science to support Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Framework
      2. Advances in Understanding Landscape Influences on Freshwater Habitats and Biological Assemblages
      3. Advancing Environmental Flows: Novel Findings, Challenges to Conventional Thinking, and Embracing Uncertainty
      4. Celebrating the lifelong achievements of Kenneth W. Able, director of the Rutgers University Marine Field Station since 1987
      5. Challenges in Protecting Fish and Shellfish at Cooling Water Intakes: Case Studies and Experiences Complying with the 2014 Clean Water Act 316(b) Rule
      6. Challenges, Opportunities and Successes in Coastal Bivalve Management for Habitat Restoration, Fishery Enhancement, and Ecosystem Service Delivery
      7. Climate impacts on fish and fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic
      8. Ecological Consequences of Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbance
      9. Emergent properties of aquatic, coastal, and marine ecosystems due to climate change
      10. Extreme Events and Inland Fish
      11. Fisheries Research and Long-term Data Collection in Support of Coastal Management at National Estuarine Research Reserves
      12. Habitat Enhancement for Conservation and Management in Marine and Freshwater Environments: Effects and Mechanisms of Response
      13. Impacts of Hypoxia on Fishes and Food Webs in Freshwater, Coastal and Oceanic Ecosystems: A Global Perspective
      14. Life in the Big City: Understanding Urbanization Impacts on Estuarine Fishes and Shellfish
      15. Meeting NOAA’s Needs: Collaborative Research to Conserve Living Marine Resources, Habitats, and Ecosystems
      16. Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, The Grand Vision and Funding for Conservation
    2. Best Student Paper Award – Seeking judges for student presentations
  10. New Business – Tom Lang
    1. NFHP and FHS Award – Tom Bigford
      Identified gap for national / career award
      One page synopsis for award
      Request nominees for first award in early 2019
      Complement other awards with NOAA, AFWA, and AFS
      AFS Level Award for lifetime achievement; FHS level award for young professionals
      Section leads process for both awards
      Projects or Individuals eligible
      Responsibility of the Fish Habitat Section Past-President with aid from earlier PPs
    2. Annual Meeting Travel Award for Student/Young Professionals presenting in a FHS sponsored symposium – Tom Lang
      Annual meeting travel award for students / young professionals
      Pilot basis for travel awards – pay registration fees
      Presentation at Fish Habitat Section sponsored symposia
      Encourage organizational support3 students / 1 young professional
      Joseph Langan, University of Rhode Island
      Alexandria Schneider, Rutgers University
      Amy Teffer, University of Victoria
      Yu-Chun Kao, Michigan State University
    3. Book Funding Requests
      1. “Advances in Understanding Landscape Influences on Freshwater Habitats and Biological Assemblages” – Dana Infante
        Wed-Thurs 2018 Symposia
        2019 AFS book
        Request $500 donation from Fish Habitat Section
        John Boreman made motion to fund book
        Jeff Boxrucker – seconded motion
        Motion received unanimous approval
      2. Multispecies and Freshwater Habitat – 2017 symposia (Dan Dauwalter)
        30 conservation assessment delivery presentations
        Texas key watersheds, Montana Parks & Wildlife
        Case studies at landscape scale
        2019 AFS book
        Request $750 donation from Fish Habitat Section
        Joe Margraf motion for $500 to fund book
        Jeff Boxrucker – seconded motion
        Motion received unanimous approval
      3. Third International Catfish Symposium 2020 (Conner C)
        Anticipate 300 participants
        Jeff Boxrucker made motion to support Catfish 2020 for $1500
        Mark Porath seconded motion
        Discussion – Southern Division meeting in Little Rock, AR
        Consider budget for coming year
        Motion received unanimous approval
    4. Division Meeting Symposia – Tom Lang
      1. Southern Division meeting, January 2019, partnering with RFHP
        Reservoir Fish Habitat at Southern Division meeting Jan 2019
    5. Upcoming Annual Meetings
      1. Reno meeting (2019) – Joint meeting with The Wildlife Society
      2. Columbus (2020) – 150th Annual Meeting
    6. Other Business?
      Proposed budget for awards
  11. Adjourn
  12. Addendum
    1. Best Student Paper Awards
      1. Joseph Langan, University of Rhode Island
      2. Shadaesha Green, University of Maryland
    2. Honorable Mention
      1. Matthew Acre, Texas Tech University
      2. Mikaela Provost, University California Davis