REMINDER from Ellen Hines: Proposals for “Beyond the Obituaries: Success Stories in Ocean Conservation” are due Monday, Dec. 15th. " Background:The International Marine Conservation Congress will take place in Washington, DC May 19th through the 24th 2009. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History will help kick-off the conference on a positive note with a one-day public program on May 20th entitled “Beyond the Obituaries: Success Stories in Ocean Conservation.” The event, organized by Nancy Knowlton and Jeremy Jackson, will highlight conservation efforts that are making a difference around the world, allow conservation professionals to learn from the success of others, and demonstrate to the public and policy makers that the situation is not hopeless. A reception and public talk by Dr. Daniel Pauly will follow. Criteria:We are looking for clear, tangible results. We are not looking for descriptions of public awareness campaigns (unless there are tangible behavior changes tied to them) or for accounts of legislative actions that have not yet played out in the real world. We seek proposals that go beyond describing conservation efforts (e.g. the establishment of an MPA) to describe successful outcomes (e.g. a rebound in target species within the MPA). We aim to have a diversity of proposals in terms of goals, ecosystems, strategies, and geography. What to Send:Please send one- to two-page proposals clearly outlining the success story you would like to present. Explain why this case study is noteworthy and how “success” has been measured. Include your name and contact information, your organization, and your role in the case study you are presenting (e.g. are you an academic who has studied the rebound of a certain organism’s population, a resource manager who has implemented a local program, etc.). Send proposals (due December 15th 2008) or questions to Christine Hoekenga: hoekengac@si.edu. What to Expect:You will be notified if your proposal has been selected by mid-January. If selected, you or someone from your project will be invited to present your success story at the symposium in May. For more information on the International Marine Conservation Congress, visit: http://www.conbio.org/imcc " Sincerely, Sarah Wilson IMCC Chair: Education, Outreach, and Capacity BuildingWeb Coordinator, Thank You Ocean Campaignwww.thankyouocean.orgNational Marine Sanctuaries Foundation sarahw-thankyouocean@hotmail.comGet LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah4ocean Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOODJoin me