Marine Mammal aficionados in the Pacific Northwest (AK, WA, OR, and BC): The annual spring meeting of the Northwest Student Chapter of the Society of Marine Mammalogy (NWSSMM) is quickly approaching. Were pleased to announce that this years meeting will take place for the first time in Bellingham, WA! We would like to invite all graduate (and undergraduate) students in the Pacific Northwest, who are entangled in the study of marine mammals, to attend and hopefully make a presentation about your research at the upcoming NWSSMM meeting, hosted this year by Western Washington University on April 8th and 9th, 2006. Dont forget to bring your advisors as well! Registration forms and abstracts for oral presentations are due by March 15th to Adria Banks (email below). Students at every stage in the research process are encouraged to present!! The purpose of the meeting is to gather students in a casual, relaxed atmosphere to share research ideas, tribulations, and triumphs. It is an opportunity to meet others across the region, collaborate, and generally have a good time in a supportive, unpretentious setting. The meeting registration form, details, and developments will be posted from here on out on the NWSSMM list serve, called Troll. If you havent already done so, please sign up on Troll by sending an email to troll-request@zoology.ubc.ca with subscribe in the subject. Sign up soon even if youre not sure that you can attend in April, being on Troll will keep you in the loop. If you have any questions or would like any clarification about the upcoming meeting, please do not hesitate to contact Katie Luxa (luxak@cc.wwu.edu) or Adria (banksa2@cc.wwu.edu). If you have any questions about the NWSSMM, please get in touch with the chapter contact member Amanda Bradford (alb992@u.washington.edu). We look forward to seeing you in Bellingham soon! Sincerely, Adria Banks Katie Luxa MSc candidate MSc candidate Department of Biology Department of Biology Western Washington University Western Washington University Bellingham, Washington Bellingham, Washington banksa2@cc.wwu.edu luxak@cc.wwu.edu