Annual Meeting

Announcement and Call for Papers
The Waterbird Society is pleased to announce its 35th and 2011 meeting, to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, 10-12 November 2011. The meeting will be held in historic, charming Annapolis – the capital of Maryland and home to the U.S. Naval Academy. It is situated approximately 33 miles from Washington, D.C. and 30 miles from Baltimore, Maryland

Scientific program
Simultaneous paper sessions will be held Thursday, 10 November; Friday, 11 November ; and Saturday, 12 November. The poster session will be held on Friday evening, 11 November.

Submit an abstract and/or register

Registration
Deadlines and fees:

Category Deadline Rate Banquet ticket
Members
Early, student July 31 $200 Included
Early, professional July 31 $375 $35
Regular, student September 30 $225 Included
Regular, professional September 30 $425 $35
Late, student October 1 and later $250 Included
Late, professional October 1 and later $460 $35
Nonmembers
Early, student July 31 $240 Included
Early, professional July 31 $425 $35
Regular, student September 30 $265 Included
Regular, professional September 30 $475 $35
Late, student October 1 and later $290 Included
Late, professional October 1 and later $510 $35
One day
Students n/a $150 $35 (if available)
Professionals n/a $250 $35 (if available)

Registration fees include breakfasts and lunches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Food at the reception, all socials, and coffee breaks is also included with registration. Dinner is on your own. For students, the cost of the banquet is included in the registration.

Registration packets and for those wishing to register on site
The Registration desk will be open Wednesday, 8 November from 1300-1700 hrs and from 0700-1000 hrs on all conference days at the Doubletree Hotel.

Hotel
The meeting will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland. We have reserved a block of 35 single rooms and 60 double rooms of the hotel’s 219 rooms. The special room rate of $99 single/double will be available until 9 October 2011, subject to room availability. This rate includes parking and internet access in the guest rooms.

All events will be held at the hotel’s conference center.
Book directly by calling (410) 224-3150; ask for the Waterbird Society rate.

Food
Breakfast and lunches will be provided (included in registration fee) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Food will also be provided at the opening reception and poster session but those seeking a more substantial meal will find several casual restaurants within a two-block walk of the hotel, at the Annapolis Mall, or in the center of Annapolis. The hotel has a free shuttle service to the Mall and into the center of Annapolis. A list of restaurants will be provided in the registration packet.

The banquet will be held at the hotel. The banquet ticket is included in the price of registration for students; for all others, the banquet ticket is $35.

Convenience items (bags, mugs, and water bottles)
In order to reduce the impact on the environment and on your budget, we will forego conference bags and mugs this year. You are encouraged to bring your own bags and mugs and…a prize will be given for the oldest Waterbird Society meeting bag.

Should you forget your mug or water bottle, a small number of generic mugs and bottles will be available for purchase.

Abstract Booklets
These will only be available on line. As soon as they are available, the organizers will send e-mail notices to all who have registered. Download and print your abstract booklet to bring to the meeting.

Social Events

Ice breaker Wednesday, 9 November
The ice breaker social will be held on Wednesday evening. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Poster Session Friday,11 November
The Poster session will be from 1600-1800 hrs on Friday and will feature a cash bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres. Posters can be displayed as early as Thursday morning but must be displayed no later than 9 a.m. on Friday, 11 November and poster presenters should be next to their posters from 1600-1800 on Friday.

Banquet Saturday, 12 November
The banquet will take place on the evening of Saturday, 12 November.

Transportation
Air: The two nearest airports are Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) and Reagan National Airport (DCA). Although Dulles International (IAD) is also in the region, the 60-mile drive to Annapolis can be difficult, particularly in rush-hour traffic, and in this area, rush hours are approximately four hours long.

Train: Amtrak to BWI Train Station, shuttle to main terminal (to Super Shuttle or car service).
Bus: From National Airport, take the Blue Line to Metro Center and transfer to the Orange Line to the New Carrollton metro station. From the New Carrollton metro station, take Dillon’s Bus Service to Annapolis. Schedule here: http://www.dillonbus.com/pdf/921_1.pdf. Please re-check schedule prior to conference.
Ground transfer: Round-trip shuttle service on Super Shuttle < https://www.supershuttle.com> from BWI is $70; from National, the round-trip fare is $82.

We have also arranged discount rates with a private car service, as follows:
Sedan from BWI $78 per car (maximum three per car)
Sedan from National $90 (maximum three per car)
Van from BWI $125 (maximum 10 per van)
Van from National $175 (maximum 10 per van)

The car service will need your flight information and will assemble groups for a fixed airport departure time. Therefore, you may have a short wait at the airport for other members of your group to arrive. Your rate will depend on the number of people in each vehicle. Note, however, that if members of your group are delayed, the cost will be shared among those who are actually in that vehicle. If you miss your scheduled van, you will need to use Super Shuttle.

Extraordinar Limousine, Inc.
Tim Konig
tim@bigcars.com
info@bigcars.com
Phone (800) 633-5466  Cell (443) 463-8845

Field Trips

Post-conference field trips will be held on Sunday, 13 November.   Two field trips are offered:

Easton Waterfowl Festival
Twelve venues throughout the quaint and historic town of Easton, Maryland feature world-class wildlife paintings, sculpture, carvings and photos from hundreds of exhibitors. You will also find collectible decoys, sporting gear and adventures to delight every outdoorsman. Also scheduled are World Championship Calling Contests, decoy auctions, retriever, fly-fishing and stunt dog demonstrations, and kid’s activities. A festive atmosphere topped by great food and music make this event a must each November. The bus will leave the hotel at 9 a.m. and return at approximately 4:30 p.m. The ­­­­­­­­­$45.00 cost covers transportation only.  Food is available for purchase at the festival. You will also need to purchase the $10 festival pass; festival proceeds totaling tens of thousands of dollars each year from the festival support a variety of conservation projects.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland
This trip highlights the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge on the Eastern Shore to look for recently arrived waterfowl and migrants. The next stop is the Great Oak Pond and vicinity, an area that over the years has earned quite a reputation for attracting many rarities. A quick stop will be made at Remington Farms to sort through the puddle ducks, followed by a stop at the Chestertown wastewater treatment plant which often hosts a great number and diversity of waterbirds. Heading back to Annapolis, the next stop will be Kent Narrows, an area that holds large numbers of bay ducks fall through early spring. The $65 cost will include a box lunch and beverage.

Huntley Meadows
For those who want to do a little birding before heading home, we will arrange carpools to Huntley Meadows, a popular birding site that features a boardwalk through the wetlands and several upland trails. The park is just a few miles from National Airport and because we will have volunteer drivers, participants will be able to leave as needed to catch flights. This trip is not recommended for those flying from BWI unless the flight is late afternoon or later; arrangements will be made to take participants to the Metro, where a train to either the New Carrollton or Union Station metro stops and a transfer to Amtrak or MARC will take passengers to the BWI Railstop. Alternatively, there is a bus from the Greenbelt Metro that takes passengers directly to the BWI terminals. See http://www.wmata.com/bus/b30_brochure.cfm.