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Marine Turtle Newsletter 88:16, © 2000

Marine Turtle Newsletter-Online

Travel Grants to Attend the 20th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation in Orlando, Florida

Wallace J. Nichols
Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences
POST: P.O. Box 752 Brookdale, CA 95007, USA (E-mail: wallacejnichols@hotmail.com)

A milestone of sorts for sea turtle people around the world, the 20th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation attracted record numbers of international biologists, conservationists and students thanks in part to the generous support of the David and Lucille Packard Foundation.

In past years, most of the funds to support international and student travelers came from the Symposium auction as well as generous grants and donations by many institutions, foundations and individuals. This year the majority of travel support was secured by Jack Frazier through a Packard Foundation grant to the Symposium. Additional support came from US National Marine Fisheries Service as well as Southwest and Continental Airlines. Ana Barragan, Alan Bolten, Annette Broderick, Michael Coyne, Karen Eckert, Brendan Godley and Nick Pilcher rounded out this year’s travel committee and devoted more than 675 volunteer-hours (that’s nearly seventeen 40-hour work weeks) to sorting through applications, awarding travel grants and generally helping to make the long-distance migration of researchers and conservationists to Orlando smoother.

This year the committee was able to offer grants in the form of support for travel costs or accommodations to 148 individuals from 51 countries—an increase of 40 over last year’s effort. This included authors and co-authors of over 150 papers or posters. Much of the data and many of the ideas presented may have gone unreported in an international forum were it not for symposium grants and travel support. Nearly 15% of symposium attendees received some sort of assistance from the travel committee!

Organization of these grants has been a team effort and represents many months of volunteer work by many people beyond the “official” travel committee. Symposium treasurer Ed Drane provided fiscal guidance, Chris Koeppel put out many fires and held the ship together through more than a few storms, Michael Coyne kept the technology on the cutting edge and saved us valuable time, Sheryan Epperly kept the letters coming and going and Captain Blair Witherington at the helm was somehow everywhere at once.

Most importantly, we once again extend our gratitude to the many “turtle-people” around the world that came to the Symposium to share their knowledge and experience, to teach and to learn.