76th Annual Conference

thank you for JOINing US! 

OCTOBER 23-26, 2022 | Charleston, West Virginia

WV DNR Logo

The 76th Annual Conference was hosted by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Thank you for joining us at the Charleston Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia, October 23-26, 2022. 

The Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is a forum for the exchange of ideas and critical information regarding the management and protection of fish and wildlife resources primarily in the southeast. The conference attracts over 500 representatives from state and federal agencies, citizens' organizations, universities, private wildlife research groups, fisheries and wildlife scientists, agency enforcement personnel, and other natural resource-related organizations. 

 

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Announcements & Important Dates

Please check back often for additional announcements.

Registration Information

Registration for the 2022 Conference has closed; this event has passed. Pricing below is for reference only. 

Registration Type Early Rate
(by Sept. 9)
Regular Rate
(after Sept. 9)
Professional Full Conference $400 $425
Student Full Conference $175 $200
One Day Only (Monday or Tuesday) $250 $275
Guest Registration Options
Guest Ticket for Welcome Social $40
Guest Ticket for Awards Dinner $70
Guest Tour 1: Monday 10/24/22 - Picnic on the New River $45
Guest Tour 2: Tuesday 10/25/22 – JQ Dickinson Salt-Works Tour $15

 

Questions? Please direct registration-related questions to info@delaneymeetingevent.com or call 802-865-5202. 

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation requests received by October 7, 2022 will be issued a refund less a $50 administrative fee. After October 7, no refunds will be issued but substitutions are allowed.

SEAFWA will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination to attend the Annual Conference. We will be enforcing any local, state, or national requirements as the COVID disease progresses through variants and spikes in frequency.

Travel & Lodging 

The 76th Annual Conference was held at the Charleston Marriott Town Center (200 Lee St E, Charleston, WV 25301). Overnight accommodations were available to conference participants at a discounted group rate of $129/night + 13% tax.

SEAFWA will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination to attend the Annual Conference. We will be enforcing any local, state, or national requirements as the COVID disease progresses through variants and spikes in frequency.

Schedule

The following schedule of events is from the 2022 Conference which has passed.  

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Special Symposia

The following organized symposia were offered as part of the technical program at the 76th Annual Conference.

Contact: Tabbi Kinion, Education Division Chief, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, tabbi.kinion@agfc.ar.gov

Co-Organizers: Stephanie Hussey, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation State R3 Programs Director; Spencer Griffith, AGFC Deputy Director Ben Batten, AGFC Deputy Director: Jenifer Wisniewski, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Director of Marketing and Special Projects; Darby Unruh, Attentive; BeBe Dalton Harrison, South Carolina Wildlife Federation, & JJ Gladden, AGFC Assistant Chief of Education; Jessica Feltz, AGFC Social Scientist; Chris Willard, Sovereign Sportsman Solutions (S3)

Overview: States across the southeast are becoming increasingly effective at targeting, training, and retaining anglers through integrated recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) programs. Join us for a day of conversation and presentions from state agencies, national organizations, and businesses that can help agency effectiveness. By the end of the day, you will increase your own understanding of these topics and take useful contacts and ideas back to your state that can be immediately integrated into your own work.

This session is best suited for leadership and practitioners of education, marketing, outreach, licensing, social science, and any fisheries staff that work with the public.

Contact: Darren Miller, VP, Forestry Programs, NCASI, dmiller@ncasi.org

Co-Organizers: Jimmy Bullock, Resource Management Services, LLC; Lauren Ward, Conservation without Conflict; Cindy Dohner, National Alliance of Forest Owners; John Tirpak, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Overview: Nearly 90% of forests in the southeastern U.S. are privately owned making these forests critical for conservation.   Although research has documented the value of private, working forests for conservation of biological diversity, including declining and at-risk species, more work is needed to understand conservation value of these forests to support implementation of appropriate conservation measures and to support science-based policy decisions around at-risk species.  Further, elucidating the role of private, working forests for conserving at-risk species within broader landscapes, including as part of regional conservation planning, is also important.  Achieving positive conservation outcomes on private forests requires collaborative conservation among state and federal agencies and private landowners.  Recent initiatives, including Conservation without Conflict and the Wildlife Conservation Initiative are emerging as effective strategies for conserving at-risk species on private lands.  However, for this approach to be successful, perspectives and needs of agencies and landowners must be understood and aligned.  Data on use of private forests by at-risk species are also critical to inform policy decisions and guide conservation efforts.  This symposium will explore perspectives on collaborative conservation on private, working forests and provide a venue to strengthen existing partnerships.  We will also present results from current collaborative conservation efforts.

The first half of the Symposium will use case studies to demonstrate mechanisms for collaborative conservation.  The second half of the symposium will be a panel discussion, bringing together key stakeholders to discuss conservation needs and outcomes and how to increase collaborative conservation on private lands.  Each speaker will have 5 minutes for an opening statement before taking questions from the moderator/audience.

Contact: Amanda Sesser, SECAS Coordinator, US Fish & Wildlife Service, amanda_sesser@fws.gov

Co-Organizers: Rua Mordecai, Southeast Blueprint Coordinator and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Raleigh, NC

Overview: The Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy partnership is working toward a vision of connected lands and waters that support thriving fish and wildlife populations and improved quality of life for people.  In support of that vision, SECAS partners are leveraging both the framework and tools of the initiative to make significant conservation accomplishments in the Southeast, ranging from local to landscape scales. The symposium will focus on specific examples of how the Blueprint has been successfully applied across scales, ranging from the landscape, state, community, to local scales. Invited presenters will demonstrate the value, opportunities, and challenges of applying the Blueprint within each category. Cross-cutting themes, such as diversity and inclusion, will be addressed in all categories. Presenters will be asked to end their presentations with recommendations for other organizations who may be interested in similar conservation or resource management activities. Specific speakers are to be determined. 

Following the presentations, a panel discussion comprised of the presenters, select SECAS Steering Committee Members, and staff will discuss future directions for the SECAS partnership, focusing on how the framework and tools of SECAS can be leveraged to inform a more sustainable future. This panel discussion will set the stage for continued dialogue within the partnership to guide future strategic direction, identify opportunities for voluntary, landscape-scale collaboration, and address barriers for working across organizational boundaries.

Contact: Katie Zipfel, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, katherine.j.zipfel@wv.gov

With the increasing number of invasive species occupying our landscape, there has been an additional increase of science and exploration to determine the most appropriate avenues for control measures. Whether that becomes an eradication, bounty, commercial harvest, etc., it is increasingly evident that successful management and conservation of our natural resources requires collaboration and strong communication with stakeholders. The goal of this symposium is to display current efforts in building fruitful collaborative research, management, and/or outreach initiatives. We welcome all presentations working to increase interactions, tackle complex issues, incorporate ecological knowledge, and breakdown barriers between stakeholders, addressing the very “human” element of both fisheries and wildlife. Whether working with state/federal agencies, recreational and/or commercial fisheries, industry partners, NGO’s, the public, or zoos/aquariums, we encourage presenters to share successes, experiences, and lessons learned.

Call for Program Content

  • Call for Organized Symposia: Opens March 9; Closes May 6
  • Call for Abstracts: Opens May 16; Closes July 8
  • Presenters Notified of Acceptance & Schedule Posted Online: End of July
  • Call for Related Meetings: Opens August 1; Closes September 9

Call for Related Meetings | CLOSED! 

Related meeting requests are now being accepted for committees and working groups, universities, organizations, agencies, and others interested in holding a meeting or social function in association with the 76th Annual SEAFWA Conference. Please note: we are planning for a fully in person conference at this time and cannot guarantee that virtual options will be available. Deadline to submit requests: September 9, 2022

 

About the Scientific Program 

The scientific program will consist of three types of sessions:

  • Organized Symposia – A series of integrated presentations that address aspects of a single topic or theme;
  • Contributed Oral Presentations – Individual oral presentations that are grouped into thematic sessions based on selected disciplines: Law Enforcement, Legal, Marketing, R3 & Communications, Fisheries, and Wildlife
  • Poster Presentations – 4’x4’ printed poster showcased as part of the Poster Session & Networking Social.

Call for Abstracts | CLOSED! 

The Call for Abstracts for General Contributed Oral and Poster presentations is closed; the deadline to submit proposals was July 8.

  1. Contributed Oral Presentations – Individual oral presentations that are grouped into sessions by conference organizers. These are 20-minute presentations that will be organized within the following Program Tracks: Fisheries; Wildlife; Law Enforcement; Legal; and Marketing/R3/Communications. 

  2. Poster Presentations – 44"x44" printed poster showcased as part of the Poster Session & Reception scheduled for Monday, October 24th from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

Track Options: 

  • Contributed Oral and Poster presentations will be grouped with similar presentations to form thematic sessions, based on selected disciplines: Law Enforcement, Legal, Marketing, R3 & Communications, Fisheries, and Wildlife. 
  • Oral presentation authors also have the option of indicating interest in an Organized Symposium, either as an invited speaker or if you want your talk to be considered for a particular symposium. Organized symposia will be finalized first and added to the general Call for Papers with “Symposia Overviews” posted to the conference website for reference.
  • Please note: we are planning for a fully in person conference at this time and cannot guarantee that virtual presentations will be included.

 

Call for Organized Symposia | Closed! 

An Organized Symposium is a series of integrated presentations that address aspects of a single topic or theme. Symposia are the scientific centerpiece of the conference and will run concurrently with other technical sessions. A symposium can consist of invited speakers only or be open to accepting presentations from the general call for abstracts, which will open in mid-May.

Anyone interested in coordinating a symposium for the 2022 Conference should submit a proposal online by May 6, 11:59 PM (EST).

 

Click here for details on peer-reviewed manuscripts

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities 

On behalf of the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA), we invite you to participate as a sponsor or exhibitor! The 2022 Annual Meeting will be held October 23-26, 2022 in Charleston, West Virginia. We hope you will be able to join us!

UPDATE: Sponsor and exhibitor registration as closed. Thank you for your interest! 

About the Conference

The Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is a forum for the exchange of ideas and critical information regarding the management and protection of fish and wildlife resources primarily in the southeast. The conference attracts over 500 representatives from state and federal agencies, citizen’s organizations, universities, and private wildlife research groups, fisheries and wildlife scientists, agency enforcement personnel, and other natural resource-related organizations.

QUESTIONS ABOUT EXHIBITING OR SPONSORING? 

Contact Karen Forbes at (802) 865-5202 or karen@delaneymeetingevent.com.

Already registered as a sponsor or exhibitor?

SEAFWA will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination to attend the Annual Conference. We will be enforcing any local, state, or national requirements as the COVID disease progresses through variants and spikes in frequency.

Paul R Johansen Conference Steering Committee - Chair paul.r.johansen@wv.gov
Zack J Brown Conference Steering Committee - Vice Chair zack.j.brown@wv.gov
David W Trader Conference Steering Committee - LE Program Track Lead david.w.trader@wv.gov
Jennifer L Snow Conference Steering Committee - Registration jennifer.l.snow@wv.gov
Ashley N Anderson Conference Steering Committee - Marketing, R3 & Communications Program Track Lead ashley.n.anderson@wv.gov
Chris Scraggs Marketing, R3 & Communications Program Track Lead chris.g.scraggs@wv.gov
Scott Warner Plenary Lead scott.a.warner@wv.gov
David Wellman Plenary david.i.wellman@wv.gov
Steven Rauch Plenary steven.e.rauch@wv.gov
Chris Ryan Track Lead christopher.w.ryan@wv.gov
Vinnie Johnson Wildlife Program Track Lead vincent.m.johnson@wv.gov
Linda Ordiway WIldlife Program Track Lead linda.d.ordiway@wv.gov
Dustin Smith Fisheries Program Track Lead dustin.m.smith@wv.gov
Glenn Nelson Fisheries Program Track Lead glen.r.nelson@wv.gov
Mark Scott Fisheries Program Track Lead mark.t.scott@wv.gov
David Trader Law Enforcement Program Track Lead david.w.trader@wv.gov
Terry Ballard Law Enforcement terry.a.ballard@wv.gov
Jerry Payne Law Enforcement jerry.e.payne@wv.gov
Katie Franklin Legal katie.h.franklin@wv.gov
PingHeng Lee Minorities pingheng.lee@wv.gov
Andrea Tinsley Minorities andrea.l.fouttinsley@wv.gov
Brandon Keplinger Poster Committee Lead brandon.j.keplinger@wv.gov
Kevin Oxenrider Poster Committee Lead kevin.j.oxenrider@wv.gov
Charles Kennedy Exhibitor/Trade Show Coordination charles.e.kennedy@wv.gov
Bill Rheinlander Exhibitor/Trade Show Coordination (Backup) bill.rheinlander@wv.gov
Mark Buchanan Social Events/Student Activities mark.a.buchanan@wv.gov
Vincent Johnson Social Events/Student Activities vincent.m.johnson@wv.gov
Woodrow Brogan Social Events/Student Activities woodrow.w.brogan@wv.gov
Brandy Bachman AV & IT Committee (Speaker Ready Room) brandy.l.bachman@wv.gov
PingHeng Lee AV & IT Committee (Speaker Ready Room) pingheng.lee@wv.gov
Lisa Scarberry Local Arrangements lisa.m.scarberry@wv.gov
Amber Heath Local Arrangements amber.j.heath@wv.gov
Jennifer Snow Registration jennifer.l.snow@wv.gov
Mary Elliott Registration mary.s.elliott@wv.gov