13th Biennial FMCS Symposium

Monday-Friday, April 10 -14, 2023
Unlike past years, the Symposium will be held Monday through Friday to accommodate the Easter holiday weekend. Portland, Oregon
From the Mountains to the Sea and Mollusks in Between
Options for live and in person in Portland or virtual attendance (limited program).
Need more information?
If you have specific or urgent questions, please contact
Emilie Blevins (Emilie.Blevins@xerces.org ) or
Megan Bradley (megan_bradley@fws.gov ).

Location

We welcome you to join us in Portland, Oregon! The goal for this Symposium is to highlight the unique natural history, mollusks, Tribal culture, and compelling river and landscape features in the Pacific Northwest, an area of the United States where one of our Symposia has not previously been held. This event will be the first opportunity in four years for FMCS members to gather at a symposium in person. We will bring together researchers, resource managers, consultants, and enthusiasts in a forum that will allow for collaboration opportunities and easy information exchange. If you are unable to attend in person, we will be supporting virtual access and interactions for some of the symposium components. There are many things to taste, see, and do in Portland. For information on many ways to enjoy Portland’s music, art, food, beer, outdoors, and cultural opportunities during your visit, check out Travel Portland: https://www.travelportland.com/

Lodging

The Symposium will take place at the DoubleTree hotel in Portland, Oregon. Lodging rates are based on the prevailing federal per diem rate for the area (see below). The standard room per diem rate for Portland in April 2023 is $152. The room block for the Symposium includes standard single queen, single king, or double queen guestrooms, and you can request a microwave and fridge in the room for no additional charge. All rates include complementary basic guestroom WIFI. These negotiated rates are available 3 days prior and 3 days after the event dates if you would like to arrive early or extend your stay.
To reserve your room:
https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/rooms/?ctyhocn=RLLC-DT&arrivalDate=2023-04-10&departureDate=2023-04-14&groupCode=CDTFMS&room1NumAdults=1&cid=OM%2CWW%2CHILTONLINK%2CEN%2CDirectLink.

If you reserve your room by phone, be sure to ask for the “Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society group rate” to ensure you receive the reduced rate.

For more information on the venue:
CLICK HERE
and
HERE

The hotel is easily accessible via the MAX light rail system directly from the Portland airport (PDX), Amtrack/Union Station, and Portland Transit Mall, so it is not necessary to rent a vehicle.

Registration

Registration rates and deadlines are provided below. There will also be an option to join the Society or renew your Society membership during registration. Attendee Status Early Registration (Ends 1/27/2023) Late Registration (After 1/27/2023) Virtual* Member $415 $465 $275 Non-Member $500 $550 $355 Student/Retiree Member $275 $325 $185 Student/Retiree Non-Member $315 $365 $225 *See Symposium Format below for more details about offerings for virtual attendees. • Workshop: $55 • Field Trip 1: $100 • Field Trip 2: $100 • Field Trip 3: Please check the box if you would like to be added to the list for a trip to the coast. Transportation and plans for this trip will be developed based off of interest received. • Field Trip 4: Please check the box if you would like to be added to the list for a Willamette River field trip. Transportation and plans for this trip will be developed based off of interest received. ---------- Symposium Format The Symposium schedule will be similar to previous years except that we will begin on Monday (instead of Sunday) and have field trips on Friday (instead of Thursday). In-Person Attendees: The full symposium program schedule for in-person member and non-member attendees will be available online. Stay tuned for more information. Virtual Attendees: Virtual attendees may register for the workshop and participate via Zoom. Plenary talks and oral presentation sessions will be made available for virtual registrants via Zoom. The oral presentations, including lightning talks, will be a mixture of live, in-person and pre-recorded talks. Virtual attendees may also provide digital versions of posters, but the poster session will be in-person only. Registered participants will be given ZOOM meeting IDs and passwords for each available ZOOM session prior to the meeting. More information about the virtual meeting components will be updated on the Symposium webpage. Workshop Details Monday, April 10, 2023 Underwater Photography and Filmography A picture is worth a thousand words, especially in today's visually driven world of social media. Are you interested in improving your underwater filmography or photography skills to better capture and communicate the importance of freshwater mussels and snails? Join us for a workshop led by experts in the fields of nature photography and filmography, as well as science communication. You'll receive information and training regarding equipment and technique and learn more about using digital media for conservation. Field Trip Details Friday, April 14, 2023 Trip 1: Waterfalls, Sturgeons, and Dams This field trip will take participants along the Columbia River corridor in Oregon, stopping at Multnomah Falls (https://www.travelportland.com/region/multnomahfalls/), then traversing on to Bonneville Dam (https:// www.travelportland.com/region/bonneville-dam/). Attendees can take a tour of the dam, see the fish ladder, visit Herman the Sturgeon (https://myodfw.com/articles/ herman-sturgeon), and take a short self-guided hike to nearby Wahlclella Falls. The trip is less than an hour's drive from the hotel and will allow time for participants to enjoy some of the highlights of the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Trip 2: Conservation and Restoration Successes of the lower Columbia in Washington This field trip will take participants along the Columbia River corridor in Washington, first heading to Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge (https:// www.fws.gov/refuge/steigerwald-lake), following a 2- year closure and $31 million floodplain habitat restoration project. The site is home to native freshwater mussels, salmon and steelhead, and a variety of bird life. Following a tour hosted by USFWS staff, the field trip will continue on to Cape Horn for stunning views of the Columbia Gorge (hike optional, with stops at the overlook: https://gorge friends.org/hike-the-gorge/cape-orn.html). The trip also is less than an hour's drive from the hotel and will allow time for participants to enjoy some of the highlights of the Washington side of the Columbia River. Trip 3: Astoria and the Oregon Coast A trip to Oregon is never complete without a visit to the Pacific coast. This field trip will take participants to Fort Stevens State Park on the Oregon coast (https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park. profile&parkId=129), followed by an afternoon in Astoria (https://traveloregon.com/places-to-go/cities/ astoria/). Attractions include a historic shipwreck, the Astoria Column (https://astoriacolumn.org/), and the Columbia River Maritime Museum (cost is $16, to be paid by attendee; https://www.crmm.org/). The trip is approximately 2 hours from the hotel, with about a half our additional driving from the coast to Astoria. Trip 4: Willamette River Field Trip The Willamette River and Valley are iconic landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Join us on a field trip to experience the Willamette up close and personally. More information will be provided soon. ---------- Call for Abstracts—please post attached information in 2nd Call for Abstracts document Abstracts will be due by 11:59 pm Eastern time (U.S.) on Friday, January 27, 2023. ---------- Student Judging and Awards Judging of student presentations will occur as in the past. Beginning students (i.e. first year students with no or limited datasets) are encouraged to present their ideas or early findings in in any of the three presentation options, but especially either a poster or in a 5-minute lightning talk video. Students will be asked to identify themselves as students during the abstract submission process for award consideration. ---------- Sponsorship Please use the same language and categories as provided here: https://molluskconservation.org/EVENTS/2022WORKSHOP/2022Workshop_SPONSORSHIP.html. Please use the attached pdf letter ---------- 2023 Symposium Contacts For more information about the symposium or specific symposium planning committee contacts, please get in touch with the meeting organizers below. Megan Bradley, FMCS Meeting Chair and President-Elect US Fish and Wildlife Service megan_bradley@fws.gov Emilie Blevins, Local Committee Co-Chair Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Emilie.Blevins@xerces.org Michele Weaver, Local Committee Co-Chair Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife michele.h.weaver@odfw.oregon.gov Patty Morrison, Program Committee Co-Chair pearlymussel@gmail.com Alexa Maine, Program Committee Co-Chair Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation alexamaine@ctuir.org