2007 ASM MEETING SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS
This is the second call for oral and poster presentations for the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists to be held 6-10 June 2007 at University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The final meeting announcement will be made to all members early in 2007. Those outside of North America should consider this announcement as the official notification and should contact the Local Committee to receive information regarding registration and the submission of abstracts: William Gannon, Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131; +1 505-277-5312; FAX -0304; wgannon@unm.edu; Joseph Cook, Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, +1 505-277-1358; cookjose@unm.edu.
A detailed announcement concerning the meeting is published in this issue of Journal of Mammalogy. Conference and registration information is posted on the Internet – follow the link to “Meetings” on the ASM web page ( www.mammalsociety.org) or http://asm007.unm.edu/.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE C. HART MERRIAM AWARD
In 1974, the American Society of Mammalogists established the C. Hart Merriam Award to honor outstanding contributions to mammalogy through research, teaching, and service (Journal of Mammalogy 55:694, 1974). In 1996, the Board of Directors amended these criteria so that the award is now given in recognition of outstanding research contributions to the science of mammalogy. The recipient is invited to address the Society in a plenary session at its annual meeting, as well as to prepare a manuscript for the Journal of Mammalogy that is based on this presentation.
Nominations of mammalogists will be considered without regard to national citizenship and activity in the Society. Previous awardees have been J. N. Layne, J. K. Jones, Jr., J. S. Findley, T. A. Vaughan, R. J. Baker, J. F. Eisenberg, J. L. Patton, M. H. Smith, W. Z. Lidicker, Jr., H. H. Genoways, J. R. Choate, J. H. Brown, T. Clutton-Brock, G. G. Musser, C. J. Krebs, G. R. Michener, M. B. Fenton, K. Ralls, K. B. Armitage, T. H. Kunz, C. J. Phillips, M. A. Mares, T. H. Fleming, G. O. Batzli, R. T. Bowyer, O. J. Reichman, Kay E. Holekamp, and David W. Macdonald.
In an effort to consider as many excellent nominations as possible, the Merriam Award Committee has adapted the following schedule and procedures. By 1 February 2007, persons interested in nominating a candidate for the Merriam Award should send a single letter of nomination and a copy of the nominee's CV by e-mail to G. J. Kenagy, kenagy@u.washington.edu. Based on these materials, the Committee will select candidates for more extensive consideration. For finalists, the nominator is responsible for arranging to have ≤5 additional letters of support sent as attachments to e-mail (to kenagy@u.washington.edu) by 15 March 2007. The awardee is announced at the banquet at the annual meeting.
NOMINATION FOR THE H. H. T. JACKSON AWARD
The H. H. T. Jackson Award was established in 1977 for the purpose of providing recognition to individuals who have rendered long and outstanding service to the American Society of Mammalogists. Previous awardees are William B. Davis, William H. Burt, Bryan P. Glass, J. Knox Jones, Jr., Oliver Pearson, Sydney Anderson, Murray Johnson, Donald F. Hoffmeister, Karl F. Koopman, Marie A. Lawrence, John O. Whitaker, Jr., B. J. Verts, J. Mary Taylor, Robert J. Baker, James A. Lackey, Don E. Wilson, Clyde Jones, Gordon L. Kirkland, Jr., Elmer C. Birney, Richard W. Thorington, Jr., Suzanne B. McLaren, H. Duane and Dahnelle B. Smith, Hugh H. Genoways, Alfred L. Gardner, and David M. Leslie, Jr. Nominations and letters of support should contain specific information on the nominee's service to the ASM. A complete nomination package includes (1) a nomination letter; (2) a recent version of the nominee's curriculum vitae; and (3) no more than 5 letters of support. All of these materials should be incorporated by the nominator into a single PDF document and transmitted via e-mail to ensure receipt by Michael R. Willig (mwillig@eri.uconn.edu) no later than 15 March 2007.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE JOSEPH GRINNELL AWARD
The Joseph Grinnell Award was established by the Board of Directors of the American Society of Mammalogists in 1996 to honor individuals who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to education in mammalogy over a period of at least 10 years. The award recognizes excellence in education in the broadest sense. It encompasses not only the traditional roles of teaching in graduate and undergraduate institutions, but also educational activities such as production of materials for federal, state, or local agencies, public education through creations of museum displays, and enhancement or encouragement of education through stewardship activities. Previous winners are B. Elizabeth Horner, James L. Patton, Philip Myers, Robert J. Baker, Timothy E. Lawlor, John B. Bowles, David J. Schmidly, Norman A. Slade, Mark S. Hafner, and Jerry R. Choate.
Candidates may be nominated by colleagues, supervisors, students, or others familiar with their devotion to, and execution of, their educational activities. A letter of nomination, maximum length 2 pages, should detail the candidate's excellence in education in mammalogy and should elaborate the reasons why this individual should be considered for the award. Nominations will be evaluated by the Grinnell Committee and full documentation will be solicited for all candidates judged to be competitive.
A single letter of nomination should be sent (by email, please) to Committee Chair Stephen Pugh, University of New Hampshire Manchester, 400 Commercial Street, Manchester, NH 03101, FAX 603-641-4192, spugh@cisunix.unh.edu, before 1 January 2007. Complete nomination packets (up to 4 letters of recommendation, candidate's CV, and other written materials illustrating the candidate's longtime commitment to excellence in education in mammalogy) are due by 15 March 2007. The recipient will be announced at the banquet at the ASM annual meeting in June 2007.
NOMINATIONS FOR THE ALDO LEOPOLD AND WILLIAM T. HORNADAY CONSERVATION AWARDS
In 2002, the American Society of Mammalogists established 2 new conservation awards to recognize outstanding contributions to the conservation of mammals and their habitats. The first award, the Aldo Leopold Award, is awarded to a well-established individual who has made a lasting scientific contribution to the conservation of mammals and their habitats. The second award, the William T. Hornaday Award, is awarded to a current undergraduate or graduate student who has made a significant scientific contribution as a student to the conservation of mammals and their habitats.
The recipient of each award will have contributed substantially to (1) the conservation of 1 or more mammalian species, subspecies, or populations, (2) to the conservation of mammalian assemblages and communities, and/or (3) to advancing the field of conservation biology through focal research on mammals. Those contributing to the conservation of land and/or marine mammals are eligible for consideration. We interpret “contribution” broadly to include (1) scientific research or political activism that has resulted in the preservation of an imperiled species; (2) development of protective management recommendations; (3) acquisition of new knowledge regarding the conservation status or causes for declines of mammalian species or populations; (4) the protection of significant mammalian habitat; or (5) promotion of the conservation of mammals through public education.
All persons are invited to submit nominations for these awards. For each award, the nomination packet should include:
1. A brief (2 pages maximum) narrative that introduces and describes the conservation accomplishments of the nominee;
2. As an addendum to this narrative, a list of relevant journal articles, government and NGO reports, newspaper clippings, and other materials that chronicle and corroborate the conservation-related accomplishments of the nominee;
3. A current CV/resumé;
4. Contact information for the nominator and nominee;
5. Supporting material:Aldo Leopold Award—include letters of recommendation from 3 individuals familiar with the nominee's contributions to mammalian conservation; 1 of the letters must be from the nominator.William T. Hornaday Award—include letters of recommendation from 2 individuals familiar with the nominee's conservation activities. One of these letters must be from the student's research advisor.
Electronic submissions of nominations and supporting documents are strongly encouraged. Completed nomination packets should be sent to Steven R. Sheffield, Department of Natural Sciences, Bowie State University, 14000 Jericho Park Dr., Bowie, MD 20715, USA; srsheffield@comcast.net; (301) 860-3309. The deadline for submission of completed nominations is 15 March 2007. Recipients of these awards will be announced during the banquet at the annual ASM meeting.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAMMALOGISTS LATIN AMERICAN FELLOWSHIP FUND OLIVER P. PEARSON AWARD
This award honors Oliver P. Pearson's remarkable 6 decades of work in Latin America and his continual, steadfast support for Latin American mammalogists of all ages and degrees of professional development. The award offers financial support to young professional mammalogists who hold academic or curatorial positions in Latin America, to help them establish or consolidate their research programs. A single award in the sum of $5,000 will be given each year. The funds may be used to carry out field work, purchase supplies or specialized equipment, attend scientific meetings, visit collections or other academic institutions, and other research-related activities.
Applicants may be of any nationality. At the time of application, he or she must have the following qualifications: (1) a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree conferred within the previous 5 years; (2) an academic position (post-doctoral, teaching, curatorial, or other comparable research-oriented position) in a Latin American institution; and (3) membership in the American Society of Mammalogists.
Submit applications by 15 May to the Chair of theLatin American Fellowship Committee, Enrique Lessa (lessa@fcien.edu.uy) and include the following: (1) a 1-page statement that describes (a) the nature and responsibilities of his or her academic position, (b) professional interests and goals for the next few years, and (c) detailed justification documenting how and why the award would benefit the applicant's research program; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) a copy of 1 published or accepted research paper; and (4) 2 letters of recommendation from established professionals familiar with the applicant, based either in Latin America or abroad. Applications will be evaluated by the ASM's Latin American Fellowship Committee, and the top-ranking applicant will be announced at the annual ASM banquet.
ONLINE ACCESS FOR JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY AND MAMMALIAN SPECIES
Journal of Mammalogy and Mammalian Species are now available online to all ASM members with back issues available via JSTOR. Members will also receive print copies of the Journal for an annual membership fee of $45 for regular members ($35 for students), or they may elect to receive online only versions of both publications for an annual fee of $30 ($20 for members in developing countries). Institutions may subscribe at a rate of $205 for print and online access to the Journal, $55 for online-only access to Mammalian Species, or $250 for both publications.
PDF files for the first 739 Mammalian Species accounts (1969 to 2003) are also available online via the URL below: http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/default.html
MAMMALIAN SPECIES ACCOUNTS
Twenty-four to 30 accounts are planned for publication in 2007. Each account is 2–14 pages in length and reviews the biology of a particular species in a standard format.
Mammalian Species accounts are produced by assignment only. Upon written request to the Editor for Mammalian Species, exclusive privileges to produce an account will be granted for 3 years; a 1-year extension may be requested if a manuscript is near completion at the end of the initial assignment. At the Editor's discretion, assignments not submitted at the end of this period may be cancelled. A maximum of 5 species may be reserved at 1 time. No free copies are given to authors; page charges may be paid on a voluntary basis.
Mammalian Species will be available online only to all ASM members, beginning in 2006; print copies will no longer be published. Orders for yearly sets of accounts within the past 5 years should be sent to Kathy Votaw, ASM Association Manager, 810 East 10th Street, P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044; 785-843-1235; FAX -1274; asm@allenpress.com. Individual accounts are no longer available for purchase. Requests for assignment of species and other editorial queries should be addressed to Meredith Hamilton, Editor of Mammalian Species, Department of Zoology, 430 Life Sciences West, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, 405-744-9685; FAX -7824; mjh@okstate.edu.
MAMMAL IMAGES LIBRARY
The Mammal Images Library is a non-profit education service of the American Society of Mammalogists with the goal of providing images of mammals for educational purposes worldwide. The present collection consists of >1,500 images depicting nearly 800 species, 440 genera, 100 families, and 24 orders. More than 110,000 images are now in use at >3,000 institutions in about 50 countries. Most of the images are available for non-profit use, in a form suitable for optical projection, on the Mammal Images Library webpage at the ASM website ( http://www.mammalogy.org/imagelibrary). In addition to optical projection for non-profit instruction, many of the images can be employed (with permission) for other purposes, including commercial uses. To obtain a catalog that describes the images and gives other information, send US$4 (US$5 outside USA) to Elmer J. Finck, Department of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, 600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601-4099; 785-628-4214; efinck@fhsu.edu. A simple listing of the images can be obtained free from the same address. For permission to use images for purposes other than non-profit optical projection, contact the committee chair: Matthew E. Hopton; hoptonm@email.uc.edu; 513-759-6551.
The Library continually seeks new images for the collection and urges anyone having images to contribute them. For information about contributing images, contact the committee chair. The committee thanks the 160 persons who have contributed images thus far.
In 1992, the Library instituted a program whereby grants in the form of images can be obtained by educational institutions in developing countries. About 60 grants to applicants from 20 countries have been awarded thus far. Institutions can select up to 50 images of their choice, and can reapply annually. Information about the program can be obtained from John O. Whitaker, Jr., Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809; j-whitaker@indstate.edu. The Mammal Images Library urges ASM members to assist this effort by supplying information about appropriate institutions.
SPONSOR FUND
The ASM Membership Committee has devised a method of providing membership in ASM to mammalogists from outside the United States and Canada who wish to become members, but simply cannot afford to. Some members already sponsor ASM membership for foreign mammalogists on a continual basis. However, others who are unable to provide a full membership on a continual basis, may wish to contribute a partial membership or a full membership during some years. Such is now possible through contributions to the Sponsor Fund. The Fund will be handled as follows:
a. From time-to-time, a form on which a member can state his or her name, address, and amount of donation to the Sponsor Fund will be printed in the back of the Journal of Mammalogy and on the reverse of the mailing label that accompanies the Journal.
b. When money in the Fund reaches any multiple of the current amount for annual dues, dues for a mammalogist in need of sponsorship will be paid. Contributions will be used directly to sponsor foreign members: the Fund will not be of the type from which only the interest is used to pay memberships.
c. Money in the Fund will be managed through the Secretary-Treasurer's office.
d. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be designated as the sponsor of record.
e. At the end of 3 years members of the Membership Committee will verify that sponsored individuals still need and want sponsorship. Sponsorship from the Fund could extend to a maximum of 5 years.
Members should submit names and mailing and e-mail addresses of foreign mammalogists in need of sponsorship to the chair of the Membership Committee: Michael R. Gannon, Department of Biology, Penn State University, 3000 Ivyside Park, Altoona, PA 16601-3760; 814-949-5210; mrg5@psu.edu.
FIFTH EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF MAMMALOGY
The 5th European Congress of Mammalogy, ECM5, will be held in Grosseto, in the Tuscany region of Italy, 6-11 September 2007. The congress will focus on research on European mammals (but contributions from other regions are welcome). The town of Grosseto lies between Siena and the Mediterranean in the beautiful Maremma Toscana region, and the congress site is between the city and the seaside. The congress will include plenary sessions, workshops, standard sessions of submitted papers, and a poster session. Submitted papers will be organized into 4 sessions: Rodents and lagomorphs, Insectivores and bats, Ungulates, and Carnivores. ECM5 will be hosted by University of Siena – Polo Universitario Grossetano in cooperation with the Societas Europaea Mammalogica. Registration and abstracts are due by 15 February 2007. Registration is €250 (€100 for students) until 15 February 2007; late registration thereafter is €300 (€150 for students). (Note that the date of the congress has been changed from that in earlier announcements.) The organizers are Ernesto Capanna <ernesto.capanna@uniroma1.it> and Sandro Lovari <lovari@unisi.it>. More information is available online at the Congress website, www.euromammalcongress.org.
CONFERENCE ON FELID BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
An international conference on Felid Biology and Conservation will be held 17–21 September 2007 at Oxford University, United Kingdom, organized by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit in partnership with the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. The conference is open to professionals, graduate students and conservationists with an interest in the Felidae. Plenary and poster sessions will cover aspects of felid systematics, paleontology, biogeography, genetics, ecology, behavior, physiology, management and conservation biology. Additionally there will be a series of workshops on felid conservation. For further information contact Dr. Andrew Loveridge, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK. Tel: +44 1865 393115; E-mail: felid.conference@zoo.ox.ac.uk; Web: www.wildcru.org/conference
AUSTRALIAN MAMMAL SOCIETY MEETING
The Australian Mammal Society will be holding its 2007 Annual Conference on July 2–5, 2007, at the University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales. Further information, including registration procedures, will be posted on the Society's website: www.australianmammals.org.au. The current President of the AMS is Fritz Geiser, University of New England, fgeiser@une.edu.au.
MAILING AND ADDRESS CHANGES
Members and subscribers are advised that the Journal of Mammalogy is mailed in February, April, June, August, October, and December. Address changes MUST be in the hands of Kathy Votaw, ASM Association Manager, 810 East 10th Street, P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044; 785-843-1235; FAX -1274; asm@allenpress.com by the 1st day of the month of mailing. United States addresses must have zip codes. Address changes are expedited if former address, with zip code, is included.
ONLINE SUBMISSIONS
The Journal of Mammalogy accepts submissions of manuscripts via the Internet. The online system, AllenTrack, allows authors to submit manuscripts online and will speed transmission of manuscripts between reviewers and editors. Submit manuscripts at http://jmamm.allentrack.net.
Buddy System for Authors
ASM has a “buddy system” to assist authors who are not native English speakers. “Buddies” are mammalogists who have offered to preview manuscripts that need editorial revision for English. Authors interested in having a manuscript previewed should contact the Journal Editor or an Associate Editor for Journal of Mammalogy. Individuals interested in having their names added to the list of "buddies" should contact William Lidicker (wlidicker@berkeley.edu).
CLASSIFIED ANNOUNCEMENTS
Copies of classified announcements should be submitted to La Donna Clark, Allen Press, Inc., 810 East 10th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044; phone 800-627-0932, ext 262; FAX 785-843-1853; e-mail lclark@acgpublishing.com. These announcements must be received at least 2 months prior to the publication date and should specify the number of issues the announcement is to appear in. The charge will be $90.00 for 5 lines and $5.00 each additional line. This charge will be billed after each insertion.
Translations of Czech, German, Russian, and Slovak original texts. Have them done by a fellow mammalogist! Dr. Emil Kucera, 74 Deer Lodge Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3J 2B8, (204) 885-4071; www.kucera.mb.ca.
