Spotted, blanding's & wood turtle conservation symposium

The Spotted Turtle, Northeast Blanding's Turtle, and the Northeast Wood Turtle Working Groups are partnering to host a Spotted, Blanding's & Wood Turtle Conservation Symposium on November 4-5, 2019 at the Cacapon Resort State Park in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. The symposium is supported by USFWS Competitive State Wildlife Grants and hosted by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, American Turtle Observatory, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

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Overview

The Spotted, Blanding's, and Wood Turtle Conservation Symposium aims to convene experts across the region to network and share ongoing research and conservation efforts for the three species. The first day will be heavily focused on the Spotted Turtle, discussing spatial and reproductive ecology, monitoring techniques, and land management successes. The second day will be focused on conservation topics relevant to all three species, including evaluating the ongoing regional projects, climate change, genetics, threat mitigation, and successful outreach and conservation efforts. Throughout both days, breakout sessions will occur for groups to discuss current concerns for the three species and to develop a clear plan for future collaboration and necessary next steps for working together across the species' ranges to continue to advance their conservation.

 The Symposium will be held at the Cacapon Resort State Park: 818 Cacapon Lodge Dr, Berkeley Spring, WV 25411.

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Registration   Instructions

There is no registration fee for attending the symposium, however, if you intend to eat in the dining hall, you must purchase meal vouchers! You need to pay in advance for the number of meals you would like to purchase to prevent the resort processing 100+ payments at once. You will be required to present your meal voucher at the door! All meals will be buffet style and they have an excellent selection of food! We recommend purchasing meal vouchers rather than eating off site to encourage more socializing and networking. If you are participating both days, we recommend purchasing 2 breakfasts (Mon/Tues), 2 lunches (Mon/Tues), and 1 dinner (Monday night). The deadline for purchasing is September 30th, 2019. 

**Registration is currently under construction. Check back soon!

Meal vouchers for the symposium can be purchased HERE.

Lodging   information

To reserve a room or cabin at Cacapon Resort State Park, please call the front desk at 304-258-1022 (ext. 4202 or 4200). 

Rooms are limited and we highly suggest that you find a roommate(s) for the symposium!!! The resort can split the bill between roommates, but will not assign you a roommate.

Deadline for reserving a room/cabin is September 30th, 2019.





*Specific questions regarding the symposium and registration can be directed to Jess Meck (meckj@si.edu or 540-635-6580)

Symposium Hosts