What’s happening Friday at TWS’ Virtual Conference

John Organ, the 2020 Aldo Leopold Memorial Award recipient, delivers the keynote address on Friday as the conference wraps up with another day of activities.

Keynote

2020 Aldo Leopold Memorial Award recipient John Organ will deliver this year’s keynote address. A TWS past president, fellow and honorary member, Organ is recognized for his contributions to the wildlife profession as a scientist, administrator, educator, philosopher and mentor. The address will be followed by the announcement of the 2021 Aldo Leopold Memorial Award recipient.

Members meeting

Ask questions and raise issues at the annual member’s meeting.

Panel discussions

Establishing a Tissue and Reagents Repository for Chronic Wasting Disease: Chronic wasting disease can be found in 26 states and three provinces, but tracking its progression has been limited by the lack of a centralized collection of CWD tissues to study. A repository would help biologists assess CWD distribution and frequency, provide source tissue for research and help state agencies collaborate to combat the disease. Supported by the Wildlife Disease Working Group.

Science Training: Supporting Careers in Wildlife Management: Online science educators discuss current approaches and lessons learned in remote wildlife management courses.

Symposia

Drone Applications for Wildlife Research, Management, and Conservation: This symposium highlights the use of drones in wildlife ecology and provides a forum for discussion among experts and potential users that may result in future research collaborations. Supported by the Drone, Military Lands and Spatial Ecology & Telemetry working groups.

Navigating a Successful Career Path as a Wildlife Professional: Navigating the wildlife profession can be a daunting task. In this symposium, professionals cover topics including jobs in different sectors, career resources available through TWS, being an LGBTQ wildlife professional, climbing the career ladder and how to manage an online presence and maximize social media networking.

Forest Service, Climate Change and Aquatics: The last of a series of four sessions in which speakers highlight national and regional approaches using the U.S. Forest Service’s Climate Scorecard and collaborations with the USDA Climate Hubs. They will provide examples of work the Forest Service is doing to address climate change and how the Forest Service is tracking progress on climate change using its Scorecard and supporting land managers through the USDA Climate Hubs. Supported by the USDA Forest Service. Supported by the USDA Forest Service.

Special Poster Session: GIS in Wildlife Ecology: GIS and spatial analysis has become integral to wildlife management and research. The field has produced powerful methods and tools, but researchers are constantly finding new ways to apply them. This poster session illustrates innovative examples of GIS and spatial analysis applied to wildlife research and management. Supported by the Biological Diversity and Drone working groups.