Whales in a Changing World American Cetacean Society's 11th International Conference November 13-16, 2008 Monterey Bay, CA **With a Gray Whale and Climate Change Symposium following on Monday, November 17** . Early Bird Deadline has been extended to October 31st! There's still time to register and save! . We've also just added special One-Day and Half-Day rates! . Last call for Photo Contest Entries! Deadline is October 31st (See details below) Tell your friends, co-workers, fellow students and anyone who has a passion for whales! We're pleased to announce that the 11th International ACS Conference will be held November 13-17, 2008, in Monterey Bay, California. American Cetacean Society conferences have a long tradition of presenting the latest findings and news about whales and other marine life. We also work to promote discussion and thought about the role and conservation of whales in an ever-changing world, and leave attendees motivated to work together for the good of the whales. American Cetacean Society conferences are open to everyone -so come, be informed and inspired, and immerse yourself in the world of "Whales in a Changing World". For more information, and to register online, visit the ACS website at <www.acsonline.org <http://www.acsonline.org/> >. Conference Venue Embassy Suites - Special rate of just $169/night for a suite! Please note that all reservations made at the Embassy Suites help keep our costs, and therefore, YOUR registration costs, down! Please make your overnight accommodations at the Embassy Suites - be sure to mention ACS to get the great rate of just $169 night! You must make your reservation before the October 31st deadline. The Program Whales in a Changing World will look at how whales, dolphins, and porpoises are currently adapting to rapid environmental changes and altered ecosystems. Human uses of the ocean have irrevocably changed the ecosystem where whales have thrived, including the overfishing of whales and many other marine species. As roads become more crowded, we look to the ocean for increased levels of transport of both people and goods. As energy gets more scarce, we look to the ocean as a source of power (from such things as wind energy and the potentially disastrous return to offshore oil drilling); and to build shipping terminals that had previously been associated with ports of call (e.g. offshore LNG terminals). Further, the changes that we have brought to the global climate will also likely affect oceans and their ecosystem, potentially in serious ways. Join us as we take a look at the Whales in a Changing World from a wide range of views: Orcas in a Changing World Orcas off Monterey by Nancy Black of Monterey Bay Whale Watch SPLASH: Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance, and Status of Humpbacks Program overview & results from photo ID by John Calambokidis Assessing health and human impacts by David Mattila of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary geneSPLASH, the influence of maternal fidelity on migratory destinations in North Pacific humpback whales by Scott Baker of Oregon State University Whaling in a Changing World The U.S. effort to stop whaling by D.J. Schubert of "Whales Need Us"/PEW Whaling in the 21st Century...the Writing is on the Wall...and it's in Japanese....and It's Not Good by Jonathon Stern of San Francisco State University and ACS National Conservation Chair Whale Conservation in a Changing World Witness to Extinction: How We Failed to Save the Chinese River Dolphin by Sam Turvey of the London Zoo Western Pacific Gray Whales by Dave Weller of NOAA/NMFS What Went Wrong for the Right Whales? by Sharon Young of the Humane Society of the United States Whales in a Changing World Marine Mammals and Climate Change by Sue Moore of Alaska Fisheries Science Center Cetaceans and Climate Change: What can they tell us about the marine environment? by Steven Swartz of NOAA Polar Bears and climate change by Bob Wilson of Polar Bears Alive With Ian Stirling (Canada) & Steve Amstrup (USGS) via teleconference The environment and the current political climate by Kieran Suckling of the Center for Biological Diversity We're also holding 2 very special morning sessions: The history of studying whales by Graham Burnett of Princeton University, and Fat and Wet: Being A Brief And Most Peculiar History Of Marine Mammal Science by Phil Clapham, National Marine Mammal Lab, Seattle Join us for an evening with Ken Balcomb, celebrating a lifetime of studying cetaceans at Saturday evening's Banquet at the Monterey Beach Resort. Gray Whales and Climate Change: Sentinels of the North Pacific/Arctic Ecosystems You are invited to a workshop on gray whales and their apparent responses to changes in their environment on Monday 17 November 2008. The workshop will bring together a group of marine scientists with broad research interests to review and discuss gray whale population dynamics and behavior change in the context of environmental changes that are being observed throughout the gray whales' North Pacific and Arctic range. Specific topics will include observed changes in physical, chemical, and biological oceanography of the North Pacific and Arctic and the time scales of those changes, and the history and current status of the gray whale population including shifts in distribution, phenology, population dynamics, and behavior throughout their range. All of this information will be discussed in the context of how well gray whales serve as indicators of environmental change, and how they serve as "sentinels of the North Pacific/Arctic ecosystems". This workshop will contribute to the development of a qualitative framework for integrating gray whales and other marine mammals into ecosystem and climate change studies. This workshop will follow the Biennial Conference of the American Cetacean Society's Biennial Conference in Monterey, California 15-16 November 2008. The gray whale workshop will be from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Monday 17 November 2008 at the same venue as the American Cetacean Society Biennial, and is sponsored by the Pacific Life Foundation. Fantastic Field Trips Join fellow whale lovers aboard the "Sea Wolf II" for a natural history trip in world-famous Monterey Bay. Blue whales often linger into November and humpback whales are still a good possibility. The first gray whales can be expected on their southward migration. Many species of dolphins are regular in the bay, including Pacific white-sided, Northern right whale, long-beaked and short-beaked common, Risso's and bottlenose as well as harbor porpoise. We did have killer whales on the conference field trip in 2000, and they are spotted regularly in Monterey Bay. Many other species are possible. Enter the Photo Contest We invite amateur photographers to participate in the "Whales in a Changing World" photo contest. The winning entries will be displayed during the conference Monterey Bay, CA, on November 13 - 16, 2008. Entries must be received by October 31, 2008. For entry form and guidelines, please visit www.acsonline.org We look forward to seeing you there. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Diane Alps ACS Conference Co-Chair and Event Coordinator dianealps@acsonline.org (310) 500-8485 Sign up now! The ACS Conference is Nov. 13-17 in Monterey Bay. More details are available at www.acsonline.org