South Atlantic Chapter 2024 Conference

Description

Sustaining Our Roots: Balancing Development, Conservation, and Wetland Restoration 

Join us for the SWS-SAC 2024 Conference in Pensacola Beach, Florida, from June 19th to 21st, 2024. Themed Sustaining Our Roots: Balancing Development, Conservation, and Wetland Restoration, this conference explores the critical intersection of wetland science, environmental conservation, and sustainable development. Featuring workshops, field trips, oral and poster presentations, networking opportunities, and a special focus on student mentorship, this event brings together professionals, academics, and students passionate about preserving our wetland ecosystems. Don't miss this chance to engage with experts, exchange ideas, and shape the future of wetland conservation!

Registration prices will increase after June 1, so register today!

Submit your abstract here

Registration Pricing:

• Conference registration (regular): $350
• Conference registration (student): $100

Additional Items:

• Student Mentorship Luncheon (students only): $25
• Implementing the Uniform Wetland Assessment Method (UMAM) Workshop: $250
• Hydric Soils Workshop: $250
• Blackwater River Tubing Field Trip: $100
• Blackwater River State Forest and Escribano Point Field Trip: $50
• Pensacola Blue Wahoos Game: $40
• Project Greenshores Guided Tour Field Trip: Free

Tentative Agenda

Wednesday, June 19th, 2024

Workshops

1. UMAM Workshop - Matthew Miller (8 am - 12 pm, minimum 10 people, $250 ) Guadeloupe A This workshop will provide an introduction to wetland functional assessments and wetland mitigation implementation.

2. How to identify FeS, a recognized hydric soil indicator, in the absence of hydrogen sulfide in a coastal wetland - Richard Chinn (8 am - 12 pm, minimum 10 people, $250) Guadeloupe C A hands-on class on how to estimate/determine organic matter content in sand to distinguish between muck, mucky sand and no muck, using the AGCP Regional Supplement, the densities of organic matter and silica and the combustion method. This workshop will also discuss a better way to use the "Hydrogen Sulfide" Hydrology and Hydric Soil indicator, particularly in estuarine and marine environments.

3. Blackwater River State Forest and Escribano Point Field Trip (Meet at Hotel Lobby @ 7 am)

The red-cockaded woodpecker is on the Endangered Species list due to loss of habitat from logging and land clearing. In 1998, the Blackwater population had dwindled to just 12 pairs of birds. Since then, staff have translocated birds, installed artificial nest cavities, and proactively managed habitat to bring the population to recovery levels. Red-cockaded woodpeckers are social birds that live in family groups, staying close to their cavities and working cooperatively to build and maintain their homes and raise nestlings. They protect their nests by pecking resin wells which ooze pitch, giving the trees a white coating that can be seen from a long distance.

Seepage slopes are wetlands embedded within the high pine forest, and occur where underground water reaches the surface due to underlying clay layers. The wet, sandy, bogs are home to a wild variety of plants, including orchids and several carnivorous species. Locally, they are known as pitcher-plant bogs. Forest managers maintain these open, herbaceous plant communities by applying fire frequently.

Field Trip

Project Greenshores Guided Tour Field Trip (Meet at Hotel Lobby @ 7 am) This guided walking tour along Pensacola Bay will highlight Project Greenshores. Project GreenShores is a multimillion dollar habitat restoration and creation project in downtown Pensacola along the urban shoreline of Pensacola Bay. This habitat restoration effort partners DEP's Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves with the city of Pensacola, Escambia County, the Ecosystem Restoration Support Organization, the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, Gulf Power, local agencies, businesses and volunteers in a community-based effort to restore oyster reef, salt marsh and seagrass habitat within the Pensacola Bay System. Restoring the Pensacola Bay estuary to its historic state stabilizes shorelines and provides essential habitat for wildlife propagation and conservation.

Icebreaker Event 

Humble Oyster Movie Screening (Holiday Inn @ 5 pm) How can such a small creature make such a large impact? To tell the story of oysters in the Northwest Florida region, the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Estuaries Program (PPBEP) turned to the Mississippi State University (MSU) Television Center. Having been impressed by a previous short film focused on the Escambia Bay Watershed, PPBEP asked the TV Center to produce a half hour documentary outlining the importance of these indigenous oysters and their importance to the area’s ecology and economy. The MSU Films team followed the efforts of individuals working to revive the commercial oyster industry, supplemented by historical and expert perspectives on Pensacola oysters. The film, called, “The Humble Oyster” premiered regionally on WSRE-TV and was recognized with a 2023 Southeast Regional Emmy for Environment / Science – Long Form.

Sponsorship Levels

Title Sponsor (1 available): $5,000
•All the benefits of a Beach Mouse Sponsor
•Company logo alongside the Conference Logo on all emails and marketing material
•Large Company logo on the front of the SWAG bag

Student Poster Session Sponsor (1 available): $5,000
•All the benefits of a Beach Mouse Sponsor
•Individual company recognition of sponsorship at the selected break
•Company representative included on the student poster session judging panel and will present the award to the student recipients
•Company representative included in the student luncheon panel
•Small company logo included on the swag bag

Beach Mouse Sponsor (5 available): $3,000
•All the benefits of a Sand Dune Sponsor
•Additional 3 complimentary conference registrations (5 total, $2,250)
•Medium sized company logo on the swag bag

Sand Dune Sponsor (10 available): $1,500
•All the benefits of a Seagull Sponsor
•Additional complimentary conference registration (2 total, $900 value)
•Exhibitor booth

Seagull Sponsor (unlimited and In-Kind Sponsor for Planning Committee Members): $1,000
•Small company logo included on the swag bag
•1 Complimentary conference registration ($450 value)
•Company recognition at the start of each day

Surf Break Sponsor (6 available): $550
•Small company logo included on the swag bag
•Individual company recognition of sponsorship at the selected break 

Hotel Information
*Note: group events will be taking place at The Holiday Inn Resort