Final Meeting Announcement

MEETING SITE:

The Fall 2006 New England Estuarine Research Society (NEERS) meeting will be held jointly with the Long Island Sound Foundation (LISF) at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. Several hotels are located in the Groton-New London area (see examples under ACCOMMODATIONS, below). The Coast Guard Academy is very excited about hosting this meeting. All sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be held in the new Alumni Center overlooking the Thames River.

Parking will be a major issue. Logistics are still being worked out. It is likely that there will be no parking on campus (except for those requiring handicap parking). Parking will most likely be off campus, with shuttles running between parking lots, hotels, and the meeting site. Stay tuned…more Parking information later. Even the off campus parking may be limited, so please make every attempt to carpool to the meeting.

SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM:

The meeting will begin Thursday, October 26th at 9:00 AM with a Special Symposium: On the Science and Management of Long Island Sound; a Multi-stressed Ecosystem. The Sound, a stressed ecosystem in a number of ways, has been a focus of substantial research and monitoring efforts. This special session will take place all day Thursday plus Friday morning, and will feature invited speakers, selected keynote lectures and contributed presentations and posters -from both LISF and NEERS members- pertaining to Long Island Sound. The regular NEERS meeting will take place Friday plus Saturday morning (see below).

Contributed Presentations (For Program, see separate document on Web site):

PROJECTION:

To facilitate the smooth running of the meeting, we are requesting everyone intending to use PowerPoint to plan on submitting their presentation to arrive by Tues, October 17th. This may be done by mailing a CDROM or sending the file as an attachment to an email to:

U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Dept. of Science
27 Mohegan Ave., New London, CT 06320

Presentations will be loaded onto an IBM compatible laptop. If your power point presentation has limited graphics and special effects, (e.g. embedded videos, animations), you can opt to bring a CD or Flash/thumb Drive and load your presentation the evening before your talk. No one should plan to use their own computer for their presentation. Everyone should plan to bring overheads as a back up in case of a technological crisis. If you intend to use overheads or slide projector, please let Sam know in advance of the meeting.

POSTER GUIDELINES:

Foam core poster boards, push pins and tape will be made available to poster presenters to mount their posters starting Thursday evening if the poster is not already mounted. All posters should be in place by the start of the Friday morning presentations or Thursday morning if part of the Long Island Sound Symposium. Posters should not exceed 40” by 60”. Poster will be displayed on easels in the Officers’ Club at the Coast Guard Academy. Presenters can retrieve their posters Friday evening. Presenters will be expected to be present during the dedicated poster viewing session on Friday. If you have additional needs, please contact one of the conference organizers.

NEERS STUDENT PRIZES:

Prizes will be awarded to students chosen by the judging panel in the following categories: graduate student oral presentation (Buck Ketchum Prize, $100), undergraduate student oral presentations (Stubby Rankin, $100), graduate student poster presentation (David Dean Prize, $100) and undergraduate student poster presentation (Scott Warren Prize, $100). All eligible students will be automatically entered into the appropriate presentation prize competition. Papers and posters are judged by a committee in terms of overall effectiveness, scientific content, and quality of the presentation. Students are encouraged to review the scoring criteria on the NEERS website. Students who have won an award are not eligible for that award again. NEERS appreciates contributions towards the endowment fund for these prizes, so give generously when you pre-register.

NEERS STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS:

Three $100 travel- awards will be awarded by NEERS, plus additional awards donated by our sponsors (some covering full travel costs). Graduate and undergraduate students may apply. Selection will be made by lottery and will not affect eligibility for student presentation prizes. To be considered for a travel award you must be a member of NEERS (by the meeting time). As always, NEERS greatly appreciates donations to the Bill Niering Student Travel Endowment fund.

REGISTRATION:

The pre-registration fee for this meeting is $65.00 for NEERS members, $85.00 for non-members, and $40.00 for students. All coffee breaks, and the social (and two free drink tickets for use during the social) are included in the registration fee- all this in addition to the stimulating talks, river views and great company! The pre-registration deadline is October 11, 2006; after that date the walk-in rates will be assessed, so put your Halloween plans on hold long enough to squeeze in a last minute registration to what promises to be a great meeting. Pre-registration is a HUGE help to the organizing committee plus you save money so PLEASE PRE-REGISTER and make life a little less chaotic for the Treasurer and Organizing Committee. Pre-register on the web at www.neers.org (select “meetings”, then “Fall 2006”) and then send in a check to our treasurer or send in the registration form below with a check, (made payable to NEERS) to:
Steve Hale
US EPA-AED
27 Tarzwell Drive
Narragansett, RI 02882-1153

To get the pre-registration rate, your check must be received by the Treasurer by Oct. 18., one week after the pre-registation deadline. And to qualify for the member rate, your 2006 dues must be paid as of Oct. 18. Note that all presenters must be members. Use this opportunity to make sure your 2006 NEERS dues are paid!

NEERS is also offering a one-day registration rate ($30 for students, $50 for members, $65 for non-members). If you wish to only attend for one day please indicate which day you plan to attend on your registration form to help us with meal planning.

OPTIONAL LISF LUNCHEONS:

There will be a buffet lunch on Thursday in the Officers’ Club at the Coast Guard Academy, where posters will be on display. You have a choice of either the sit-down lunch ($16), or you may purchase a box lunch ($10) for more casual munching if you prefer (see check-off boxes on Registration Form). There will be another LISF luncheon on Friday, featuring Connecticut Dept. of Environ. Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy, speaking on “The Science & Management of Long Island Sound”. A box lunch will also be available on Friday if you prefer that option (indicate choice on registration form).

NEERS SOCIAL / LISF BANQUET:

A NEERS Social will be held at the Officers’ Club at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Thursday night, following the first day of presentations of the special Long Island Sound symposium. During the social, members and friends will enjoy the pleasant view of the Thames River, and the pleasant company of fellow NEERSians and LISFians. Two free drink tickets are included in your registration fee (if of legal drinking age). Immediately following the social will be an optional LISF Banquet (see Registration form), featuring special guest speaker Atty. General Richard Blumenthal to speak on the Public Trust Doctrine.

NEERS BANQUET:

The NEERS Banquet will be held Friday evening at the Officers’ Club and members and friends are invited to sign up for the banquet when they register (only those that pre-register for the banquet can be guaranteed a meal). The banquet will be buffet style with a range of meat and vegetarian options plus a cash bar will be available. The Student awards for best presentations and posters will be awarded at the close of the banquet. Following the banquet, the organizing committee will have identified a likely venue for some post- banquet calorie burning, (aka dancing).

FIELD TRIP:

Following the Saturday morning presentations, the organizing committee will offer a 2-part field trip – Part 1 will be a tour of the U.S. Coast Guard Barque EAGLE. You are invited to bring a box lunch with you (sign up on registration form). The tour, led by cadets from the Coast Guard Academy, should last less than an hour, and will be followed by Part 2: A field trip to the Barn Island Sound marsh sites used by Conn. College. This part of the trip will be led by Sr. Scott Warren of Conn. College.

NEERS POSTER TRIVIA CONTEST:

Contest forms with questions based on information on the posters will be distributed, and a lucky winner drawn from those with correct answers. The winner will receive a $25 prize, consisting of a year of NEERS dues and the balance in cash.

OTHER MEALS:

The cost for continental breakfast (Th, Fri), and coffee breaks on Thurs, Friday and Saturday will be included in the registration fee. Other meals are available on site for an extra fee (see Registration Form). Without the pressure of finding off-site dining, the lunch breaks should be a good opportunity to view posters and catch up with colleagues. A list of nearby restaurants will also be available at the registration table.

NEERS BUSINESS MEETING:

The Business meeting will be held after the last presentation on Friday afternoon. Please plan on attending the meeting as we value all member input and participation. The election of officers will be a major agenda item, so your presence is essential. ERF 2007 updates, (which will be in NEERS land - Providence, RI) and other exciting agenda items will be discussed.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS:

The U.S. Navy Submarine Base, complete with a very interesting museum is right across the Thames River from the meeting site. The Connecticut College Arboretum is right across Rt. 32 from the Academy. Two world-class casinos (Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods) are minutes away. Mystic Seaport is 20 minutes east. Fort Trumbull is a nice park along New London’s waterfront. Or, you can tour wine country in SE Connecticut or on Long Island (accessible via ferry). UCONN-Avery Point is nearby in Groton. There are several beaches nearby.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

A block of rooms has been reserved at reduced rates at the Red Roof Inn, the Holiday Inn and the Relax Inn, all in New London and close to the Academy. When you call specify “Long Island Sound Research Conference”.

Holiday Inn, Bayonet Street, New London
Telephone: (860) 442-0631
$99.00 plus tax per night. (King or two double beds)
Deadline: October 2, 2006

Red Roof Inn, Coleman Street, New London
Telephone: (800) 733-7663
The room rate is $57.99 and $79.99 plus tax per night (Double beds or King)
Group # B145000993
Deadline: October 2, 2006

Relax Inn & Suites, Bayonet Street, New London
Telephone: (860) 443-3440
The room rate is $69.00 plus tax per night for (either King or double beds)
Deadline: October 15, 2006

Directions:
From 95 North:
Exit 82A to the Coleman Street Sub-exit.
Turn right at Coleman Street light.
At the next stop light, turn left onto Bayonet Street.
Hotel is on Bayonet Street.

From 95 South:
Exit 83 Frontage Road.
Take Coleman Street exit. Turn right.
Turn left onto Bayonet Street.
The Hotel is on Bayonet Street.

GETTING TO the Coast Guard Academy:

The address is 27 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT 06320. Get directions on Mapquest, Google maps, or check out this link: http://www.uscga.edu/about/info_directions.aspx.

From New Haven, New York City and Other Points West:
Take I-95 North to Exit 82A (Frontage Road).
Take Briggs Street Exit off Frontage Road.
Go To “A” below

A:
Turn left on Briggs Street at the traffic light at the top of the exit ramp.
Continue on Briggs Street through three traffic lights. You will now be on Mohegan Avenue.
The Academy's Main Gate will be on your right immediately after the third traffic light.

From Hartford:
Take Route 2 South to Route 11 to the end.
Turn left to go to Route 85 in Salem.
Take Route 85 South to I-95 North.
Get on Route I-95 North for a VERY SHORT 1/4 MILE distance.
Exit on Exit 82A (Frontage Road), follow to Briggs Street Exit.
Go To “A” above

From Providence, Boston and Other Points East:
Take I-95 South to Exit 83 (Frontage Road).
Take Briggs Street Exit off Frontage Road.
Go To “A” above

From Norwich and Worcester:
Take I-395 South to Exit 78 (Route 32 South).
Continue on Route 32 approximately 3 miles.
Take exit to I-95 South to New Haven.
Turn right onto Briggs Street at stop sign at top of exit ramp.
Turn right on Williams Street at next stop sign.
Cross bridge and turn left on Mohegan Avenue at first traffic light.
The Academy's Main Gate will be on your right.

There is also a ferry from Orient Point, Long Island to New London.

NEERS LISTSERVER SIGNUP:

Future conference updates will occur via the electronic NEERSLIST. It is highly recommended you sign up on the NEERSLIST in order to receive conference updates and other important NEERS communications in a timely manner, (and note we do not share the NEERS list with others). Go to www.neers.org and click on the link to the LISTSERVER (just to the right of the beautiful eelgrass photo). Good instructions for signing up (quick and painless) are contained on the listserver page.

QUESTIONS?

Contact any of the following:
(Organizer);
(Co-organizer & NEERS President); (General Questions)
(Co-Organizer & NEERS Secretary): (General questions)
(Program Chair): (Abstracts or other program concerns)
(Treasurer): (registration and student travel awards)