Mark Your Calendar for the. . . Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference III April 22 - 25, 2008 The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience Marineland, Florida - AND - St. Augustine Beach, Florida http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/marinemammal <http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/marinemammal> You are invited to interact in an interdisciplinary setting to summarize and review state-of-the-art science, healthcare, and management activities, and to formulate goals and strategies for improvements in marine mammal health. Attendees will have ample opportunities to share information regarding issues that affect marine mammals during topical discussion periods, poster sessions and networking functions. Conference Objective The purpose of this conference is to address issues bearing on the health and well being of the four principal species of wild marine mammals found in Florida waters: manatees, bottlenose dolphins, pygmy sperm whales and Northern right whales, as well as captive marine mammals at theme parks, aquariums, and zoos. This conference will provide a forum for people working on issues affecting these and other marine mammal species, and provide an opportunity to review their current health status, discuss future directions of investigation, and determine actions likely to produce benefits to their health and survival. The last FMMHC was held in April 2005, and was attended by more than 200 people and we invite you to join us in 2008 as we investigate ways to reduce state and federal resources spent on marine mammal health issues by developing better preventative practices. Who Will Attend? The conference is designed to bring together scientists, veterinarians, wildlife managers, policy makers, planners and partners actively involved in and/or affected by all aspects of marine mammal health and welfare. Participants will include... * Veterinarians, Veterinary Students and Technicians * Marine Biologists * Aquarists & Aquarium Keepers * Zoo Managers, Zoo Veterinarians and Zoologists * Animal Curators and Conservation Biologists * Academic Faculty, Researchers and Graduate Students * Wildlife Managers * Policy makers and Government Agency Representatives * Boating Management Specialists * Population Managers and Species Survival Managers * Marine Mammal Stranding Volunteers and Coordinators * Marine Industry Consultants Call for Abstracts The program will consist of invited speakers, as well as oral and poster presentations selected from abstract submissions. You are invited to submit abstracts on all topics relevant to marine mammal health and we encourage you to share your results and experiences. All abstracts, both oral and poster, will be published in the conference book of abstracts. As with oral presentations, posters provide a valuable opportunity for scientific interaction and discussion of issues affecting marine mammal health. Abstracts are due no later than January 10, 2008 and must be submitted electronically via the online submission form posted on the conference web site. Detailed abstract submission instructions are provided on the conference website under the Call for Abstracts section. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions to ensure your abstract submission is received and properly recorded. For more information about abstract submission - visit the web site today at: www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/marinemammal Programmatic Topics We invite abstract submissions on all topics affecting marine mammal health, including but not limited to: * Virology * Pathology * Parasitology * Histology * Toxicology * Genetics * Emerging Diseases * Environmental Hazards * Veterinary Medicine * Care and Management * Marine Mammal Transport * Marine Mammal Stranding * Biotoxins * Right Whales * Power Plants and Manatees CEUs for Veterinarians If you are a licensed veterinarian or if you maintain a professional license issued by a society, an association, an occupational licensing board or a department of professional regulation within your state, you may be eligible to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for your participation in this conference. Be sure to contact the appropriate authority who manages your professional certification to verify this conference program meets your state's licensing requirements, and to confirm what documentation is required to earn CEUs. Veterinary doctor's credit hours will be based on one hour credit for each "contact" hour (no less than 50 minutes) of attendance. The preliminary agenda for this conference entails 9.5 contact hours. Sponsorship Opportunities & Recognition A Special Thank You to the Following Organizations who have graciously joined us as sponsors: * Florida Bay and Adjacent Marine Systems Science Program * Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission * Florida Sea Grant * Marineland * University of Florida/College of Veterinary Medicine * The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience Click here for information on how to become one of the diverse institutions supporting this endeavor. http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/marinemammal/Sponsor.pdf Conference Location The FMMHC will be held at the Center for Marine Science (CMS) located at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience located in Marineland, FL, just south of St. Augustine. The eight-acre campus is situated on a narrow barrier island, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, both of which are just a few hundred feet away. For more information on the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, visit their web site at: www.whitney.ufl.edu/ <outbind://93-000000005ED38E50BA845F469BD1CE6FBEAFB40C070071E377C8F0C840 4F83BDF22765D0DD9B000000067236000071E377C8F0C8404F83BDF22765D0DD9B000002 B3BFC20000/www.whitney.ufl.edu/> Hotel Accommodations Participants of the 2008 FMMHC will stay at the beautiful oceanfront Holiday Inn in St. Augustine Beach, Florida. Despite the fact it is winter and peak season in Florida, the Holiday Inn is offering us a very special reduced rate for standard guest rooms of $121.00 a night with 1 - 4 persons per room plus tax. Detailed hotel reservation instructions are posted on the conference web site. Be sure to book your guest room reservation as soon as possible to assure a room in the host hotel. Request for Your Assistance with Publicity - Please Help Spread the Word We would appreciate your help with getting the word out about FMMHC III to others involved in issues affecting marine mammal health. If you would be so kind, please take a moment to forward this email to your friends, colleagues and co-workers who may be interested in attending. And if at all possible, we would appreciate it if you could also add us to the Calendar of Events Section of your organization's web site, and provide us with any newsletter posting opportunities you might have. We look forward to receiving your abstract submission and hope you and your colleagues will join us at the conference! On behalf of the Conference Organizer, Dr. Roger Reep, and the entire planning committee, Sincerely, Ms. Beth Miller-Tipton, Director Office of Conferences and Institutes University of Florida / IFAS PO Box 110750 (Bldg 639, Mowry Rd) Gainesville, FL 32611-0750 PH 352-392-5930 / FAX 352-392-9734 EMAIL: bmt@ufl.edu Feel free to forward this message to your colleagues. For more information about FMMHC III, visit us online at: http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu ( http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/ ) <http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/marinemammal> /marinemammal