Turtle Survival Alliance

About the Conference

The 11th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles will be hosted August 7-10, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. The meeting, sponsored by Zoo Med Laboratories, Inc., is co-hosted by the Turtle Survival Alliance and the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG).

The meeting, which has hosted an average of more than 250 attendees over the past several years, represents the largest gathering of non-marine turtle biologists in the world and provides an unmatched opportunity for networking and strategizing turtle conservation. By bringing such a diversity of “turtle minds” together, the meeting is a catalyst for the creation of new programs, initiatives and partnerships. In addition, the meeting provides a venue for existing turtle conservation organizations to meet. The annual meetings of the boards of directors of the Turtle Survival Alliance, Behler Chelonian Center and Turtle Conservation Fund, as well as the TFTSG Steering  Committee all coincide with the symposium each year.

A dedicated Program Committee works each year to bring together a wide variety of presentations from around the world, ranging in topic from captive husbandry to field techniques to conservation. This symposium also provides a venue for specialized symposia. During its ten-year history, symposia have included special sessions covering China, Madagascar, India, Australia, and South America, Long-term Chelonian Studies, Ranavirus in Turtles, and Nesting Ecology to name a few.  Past workshops have dealt with egg incubation, filtration, and translocation.

This symposium represents an excellent value for meeting attendees, including reduced registration and membership rates for students. With a low registration cost that includes daily breaks with snacks, several meals, an icebreaker event and off-site special events, this symposium represents a bargain for attendees. In addition, conference venues are selected where rooms can be reserved at reasonable rates.

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