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EXPANSION AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF SCB'S CHAPTERS

During the past few years, SCB's chapters have grown in terms of membership, resources, and activities. Five years ago, there were perhaps a dozen active chapters, most based at universities scattered across North America, with one chapter in South America. In 2003, Executive Director Alan Thornhill created an advisory group, loosely referenced as the Chapters Advisory Committee, to help SCB chapters establish and grow, to enable chapters to exchange ideas and information and to network worldwide, and to create a more visible presence for chapters within SCB. This advisory group has worked closely with the Executive Office and the chapters during a period in which chapters have thrived.

-- There are now approximately 30 active chapters around the world, representing 150% growth in five years, with substantial increases in member retention and chapter viability.

-- There are about five to ten chapters in formation at any one time, with additional monthly inquiries on how to establish a chapter (for details see www.conbio.org/chapters/ChapterCreationGuide08-2006.pdf).

-- The number of active chapters outside North America has grown from one to four, with interest from at least ten more countries.

-- The chapters advisory group drafted a five-year (2006-2010) strategic plan, which has helped to guide the growth and feasibility of chapters (www.conbio.org/chapters/info/SCBChaptersStrategicPlan%202-07short.pdf).

-- Chapters convene well-attended events at SCB's annual meetings, including workshops, business roundtables, and mixers with the Board of Governors.

-- Several chapters hold large, successful regional meetings of one to four days in duration.

-- Chapters in the United States took the lead in developing SCB policy statements on the U.S. Farm Bill and gray wolves in the Rocky Mountain region.

-- Several chapters in coastal zones have undertaken wetland restoration projects with their own funding.

-- Chapters have created curricula for students in primary school and secondary school, and one chapter is writing a book.

-- At least half of SCB's chapters include professional members from multiple sectors, including government, nonprofit organizations, and private organizations. Some chapters also include members of the general public. Many chapters are based outside academia or are housed across multiple institutions. The scope of individual Chapters ranges from cities or counties to regions, countries, and multiple countries.

TRANSITIONS AND NEWS

Tom Sisk's term as chapters representative on SCB's Board of Governors ended in July 2008. The position is now held by Fiona Nagle.

Aletris Neils, a graduate student at the University of Arizona in Tucson, is the new chair of the chapters advisory group. Aletris has eight years of experience with chapters, and was a member of the advisory group for two years.

Laura Walko, SCB's Membership Coordinator, is the chapters liaison in SCB's Executive Office

The new bylaws for chapters have been completed. The four documents are available at www.conbio.org/chapters/info/NewChapters.cfm. All active chapters must revise their bylaws by 31 January 2009. Contact Fiona Nagle (finagle@umn.edu) with questions.

As of 7 October 2008, a conference call will be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:00 P.M. Pacific Time (GMT -8) for chapter leaders. Participation of one or more officers of Chapters that are active or in formation is encouraged. Contact Aletris Neils (aletris_neils@yahoo.com) for additional information.

The Chapters Web site (www.conbio.org/Chapters/) has been redesigned. If you would like to post an announcement or update Web links, please contact Kelly Pennington (kmp@umn.edu).

CHAPTER EVENTS

The Georgia Chapter participated in the Goldenrod Challenge for the DiscoverLife Project, www.discoverlife.org. The goal of the Challenge, which took place from 4 October to 4 November, was to photograph the maximum number of species of invertebrates that use or inhabit goldenrod communities. The Challenge documented the distribution, abundance, and interactions of pollinators and other insects to evaluate ecological changes in response to climate change and invasive species. The Georgia Chapter also organized a wildlife monitoring project, helping the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to document relative abundance, distribution, and threats to the rare Gopher Tortoise in a natural area in middle Georgia. Their first count of tortoise burrows was completed in October.

The Montana Chapter held its first research symposium, Applying Conservation Science to Action, 9-10 October in Missoula. Plenary tropics included the protection of migration corridors, an assessment of policy related to National Forests, and the future of conservation biology.

The 11th annual San Francisco Bay Area Conservation Biology Symposium, co-hosted by the Central California Chapter and the Population and Evolutionary Biology and Ecology group within Stanford University's Department of Biological Sciences, will be held 31 January 2009. The deadline to submit abstracts is 9 January, and the deadline for early registration is 23 January. Further information is available at www.bacbs.com.

The first joint conference of chapters in North America, supported by the North America Section, will be held 5-8 October 2009, in Flagstaff, Arizona. This conference, Collaborative Conservation in Rapidly Changing Landscapes, will be an expansion of the tenth Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau Chapter and U.S. Geological Survey are leading organization of the meeting, with assistance from the Central Arizona, Colorado State University, Orange County, and Sul Ross chapters. Northern Arizona University also is a partner in the meeting.

Fiona Nagle

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