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FMCS 2008 WORKSHOP - JULY 13 - 15, 2008

The 2008 Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society (FMCS) Workshop was held at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Tuesday, July 15, 2008, in conjunction with the 4-day Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB).  FMCS also conducted a half-day Symposium for SCB on Monday afternoon, July 14, 2008, and co-sponsored a day-long field trip to the Duck River on Sunday, July 13, 2008.

 

 

Aquatic Field Trip:  A Day in a Freshwater Biodiversity Rainforest:

The Duck River of Central Tennessee    

(Co-sponsored by FMCS and the SCB Freshwater Working Group)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

 

The Duck River supports over 140 species of fish and 75 species of freshwater mollusks, along with equally diverse communities of other aquatic groups.  Participants on this all-day trip will be able to use snorkeling and seining to observe many of the species present at the site.  Local experts in the identification and natural history of these species will coordinate the sampling and provide an overview of the current threats and opportunities for conserving this extraordinary freshwater ecosystem.

 

FMCS Symposium  --  Beneath the Surface:

The Freshwater Mollusks of the Southeastern United States

Monday afternoon, July 14, 2008

 

This Symposium is being designed to generate an appreciation for – and the challenges associated with – conserving the mussels and snails living in the southeastern United States.

 

Tentative Agenda

·     The [Former] Diversity and Zoogeography of Southeastern Freshwater Mussels.  John Jenkinson, Retired from the Tennessee Valley Authority

·     Wonders Down Under:  Adaptations to Larval Parasitism in Freshwater Mussels.  Chris Barnhart, Missouri State University

·     A Biodiversity Assessment of North American Freshwater Gastropods.  Paul D. Johnson, Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center

·     The Functional Role of Freshwater Mussels in Ecosystems.  Caryn Vaughn, University of Oklahoma

·     Propagation and Culture of Endangered Freshwater Mussels.  Richard Neves, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University

·     Chemical Impacts to Freshwater Mussels:  A Comparison of Life Stage Exposure and Sensitivity.  W. Greg Cope, N.C. State University, Teresa J. Newton, USGS, and Christopher G. Ingersoll, USGS

·     Freshwater Mussel Assemblage Change in Response to Habitat Alteration.  Wendell Haag, US Forest Service, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research

·     Tennessee’s Duck River:  A Rare Gem of Aquatic Diversity.
Leslie Colley, The Nature Conservancy

 

--- FMCS 2008 Workshop ---

The Road to Recovery:

Science to Secure Freshwater Mollusk Diversity

Chattanooga Convention Center, Tuesday, July 15, 2008

 

The purpose of this full-day Workshop is to address the major science needs for conservation actions to recover freshwater mollusks that are imperiled, including species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

 

Tentative Agenda

Recovery Science and Policy Overview

·       Recovery under the Endangered Species Act.  Debby Crouse, USFWS

·       The Science of Recovery.  Michael J. Scott, University of Idaho

·       Metrics and Decision-making for Recovery of Endangered Species.  Michael Runge, USFWS

Genetics

·       Examples of Genetic Variation in Freshwater Mussels at Different Spatial Scales and the Implications for Species Conservation.  Kevin Roe, Iowa State

·       Applied Conservation Genetics and Freshwater Mollusks.  Tim King, USGS

Propagation

·       Minimizing Genetic Risks Associated with Hatchery Propagation and Augmentation of Freshwater Mussel Species.  Greg Moyer, USFWS

·       Progress in Freshwater Mussel Cultivation and Recovery at Virginia’s Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center.  Nathan Eckhart, Virginia Game & Inland Fisheries

Genetics and Propagation Panel Discussion

Life History and Habitats

·       Effects of Small Impoundments on Freshwater Mussels.  Michael Gangloff, Appalachian State University

·       Hydrophysical Factors Affecting Native Mussel Distributions in Large Rivers.  Steve Zigler, USGS

·       Freshwater Mussels: Challenging Conservation Efforts in a Race Against Time.  Tom Watters, Ohio State University

·       The Role of Freshwater Mussels in Food Webs and their Nutritional Requirements in Ecosystems.  Jeri Nichols and Teresa Newton, USGS

·       The Effects of Contaminants and Other Water Quality Factors on the Recovery of Freshwater Mollusks.  Tom Augspurger, USFWS

Monitoring and Recovery

·       Monitoring Needs to Recover and Sustain Freshwater Mollusks.
Alan Christian and John Harris

·       Global Diversity and Conservation of Freshwater Mollusks: Causes, Consequences and Challenges for the Future.  Arthur Bogan and Ellen Strong

Ecosystems

·       Context-dependent Effects of Freshwater Mussel Communities on Stream Ecosystem Function.  Caryn Vaughn, University of Oklahoma

·       Vision for a Watershed Approach to Rebuilding Native Bivalve Resources from the Headwaters to Coast for Both Biodiversity and Population Biomass.  Danielle Kreeger,  Delaware Estuary Partnership