Chuck Schaffer

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of you to the Fourth Annual Conference of the IUCN Turtle Survival Alliance and the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. As you read this, know that this meeting continues the tradition of earlier meetings growing, improving and continuing to set important milestones. This is the first year for a true IUCN Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) Joint Symposium. Although there was considerable crossover in the past year, this year it is official. What the terrestrial and freshwater turtle community has long needed is an open venue where all groups are welcome and valued. Not only attendance, but participation and presentations at this symposium are open to all interested individuals and groups. But even more than that, many of us go to general herpetology meetings. And we go there for the turtle presentations. We sit through talks on other taxa and while there is nothing wrong with broadening our horizons, face it – turtle people like to hear turtle talks. The sea turtle folks realized this long ago and established a very successful forum to provide their yearly fix. And now we have our own.

We continue to grow in many ways. The abstract book itself shows this, increasing from 13 abstracts and 33 presentations in 2003, to 16 abstracts and 28 presentations in 2004, to 35 abstracts and 35 presentations in 2005, to over 100 abstracts and presentations at this conference. Expanding this year to a full three-day format with an additional day of organizational meetings, this is a major international conference, with presentations representing six continents, 16 countries, and 33 US states. It promises to be an exciting and memorable event. Sessions during the symposium include a number centered on Regional International Conservation and Field Research, each of which focuses on a particular area: Asia, SE Asia, South Pacific; North America, Central and South America, Middle East; Australia, SE Asia, Africa. We have also added a Species Focus Session; this year concentrating on Macrochelys (courtesy of John Carr), and hope it will become a permanent fixture. Other sessions include Captive Husbandry, Veterinary Management; and Graduate Research. And as the conference is dedicated to John Behler, there is a Tribute Session to him.

In addition to many fine oral presentations, the special poster session/social periods will allow for broader involvement and interaction between participants. And to encourage growth of the Symposium into the future and foster greater participation by students, the Chelonian Research Foundation has inaugurated an annual award for best student papers and posters, with $500 in first prizes and $250 for runners-ups. In addition, the TSA and TFTSG have inaugurated a special John Behler Turtle Conservation Award which will be presented annually at the Symposium as a major Award to a leading turtle conservationist. But an event such as this is not without costs both in time and resources. Without such a large group of distinguished presenters, tireless organizers, session moderators, and funding from a host of organizations and individuals, this would not have been possible and I thank them all. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the speakers, particularly Ed Moll, our keynote speaker, John Cann, our barbeque speaker, and Peter Pritchard, our banquet speaker, and of course you, the attendees.

Special thanks to the local organizing committee chair, Tom Barry, ably assisted by Jeff Ettling and Mark Wanner, all of whom worked tirelessly to make this happen. Also to the St. Louis Zoo, this year’s host institution, which really rolled out the red carpet for us and will make this a tough act to follow. And to Lonnie McCaskill and Andy Daneault, whose efforts to stave off total entropy and to obtain sponsorship contributed significantly to making possible the attendance of many speakers who would otherwise not have been able to come. To Disney for arranging printing of this program. To Dwight Lawson and Rick Hudson , TSA Co-chairs, who again worked to locate speakers and funding, tie together the many loose ends, to say nothing of once again tolerating my decidedly eclectic ideas. And none of this would be possible without the work of past program chairs who paved the way early on. Additionally, I would also like to express my appreciation to (in alphabetical, but no other particular order): Chelonian Research Foundation, Chelonian Research Institute, Peter Pritchard, and Anders Rhodin. Last, but not least, I am greatly indebted to our web guru and general jack of all trades, Darrell Senneke

Another great debt is owed to Jim Van Abbema of the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society, who generously gave me permission to use the slide show presented at their Conference (which I have expanded through the kindness of many friends) and to reprint John Behler’s landmark “Troubled times for turtles.” You will find it at the end of this program book as the parting thoughts of one who would have been with us today and is sorely missed. John IS with us in spirit, and perhaps more as he is even co-authoring several papers…

I hope to have last year’s meeting proceedings completed shortly followed by those of this year to serve as a permanent record of the information presented here. I look forward to next year as the conference continues to grow and improve with more new faces added and ever greater purpose expressed.

<< Back to Abstract Listing