The Freshwater Working Group (FWWG) has had a busy year. It started with members preparing presentations and activities for World Fish Migration Day 2016 (WFMD 2016). WFMD 2016 was held on May 21, 2016 and our board members held activities around the world, including a 24-hour video stream sharing stories about fish, rivers and people. Other activities included production of short videos about the values of migratory fishes for communities in Ecuador as well as presentations and discussions about migratory fishes and freshwater ecosystems in Ecuador, India, and the United States. We had very positive feedback about all of our activities, and look forward to sharing with more communities and schools at WFMD 2018!
The middle of 2016 was filled with more academic activity, with members preparing two manuscripts for peer-review. This is ongoing work that stemmed from meetings at the last International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) in Montpellier, France in 2015. Look for completion of both of these works in 2017.
Currently, the board is preparing for ICCB 2017 in Cartagena, Colombia. Two of our board members, Sukh Mantel and Jorge Celi, are actively involved in the planning process through the Diversity Committee and Scientific Committee, respectively. The FWWG board are interested in having a number of symposia, discussions and activities related to freshwater conservation during this meeting. Given the expanding threats to Colombia’s freshwater resources through damming and changing land uses, we believe there would be great value in highlighting the science and conservation being done in the region, and beyond. If you are interested in proposing a symposium, discussion or other activity about freshwater ecosystems for ICCB 2017, please be in touch with our Vice President, Sukh Mantel to express your interest.
FWWG President Steph Januchowski-Hartley, along with Anne Hilborn, Katherine Crocker and Asia Murphy, composed a sign-on statement in support of halting the Dakota Access Pipeline development until more comprehensive environmental and cultural assessments are undertaken, as proposed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in a recent lawsuit against United States Army Corps of Engineers. The group published a letter in the journal Science. The statement is an open sign-on for scientists, with 100 signatures to-date, and growing. Scientists interested in signing the statement in support, can contact Steph Januchowski-Hartley. Read more about the statement here.
Finally, this fall, 2016, we are sharing field work stories from our board members on our Facebook Page. The first story is about a field trip with a difference, from board member, Helen Barber-James. We are interested in hearing from and sharing stories from our members. If you have a field-work story that you would like to share, please get in touch with President, Steph Januchowski-Hartley
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