Welcome to the SCBNA Blog!

This site provides news on the activities of the Society for Conservation Biology’s North America Section (SCBNA).

SCBNA and its 3,000 members work to advance conservation science and practice in North America.

NACCB2018, the next SCBNA biennial conference, will be held in Toronto, Ontario, July 21-26, 2018.

You can subscribe to SCBNA blog posts via RSS by clicking here. You can also connect with SCBNA on Facebook and Twitter.

Not a member of SCBNA? Join here.

Support SCBNA’s initiatives in conservation science!

–

General and Policy News

Chapters, Communications, Education, General, News, Student Affairs

SCBNA Student Affairs Committee Presents: Ask-An-Academic – A Two-Part Virtual Panel Discussion Series

November 4, 2022

Communications, General, News

SCB North America Board Special Election

The North America Section of the Society for Conservation Biology is excited to announce the start of its 2022 Board Special Election for the President Elect position! The election ballot will close on Monday, November 7th.

The President Elect position is a critical role on the SCBNA Board, as the first in the ‘President-series’ – a 6-year total commitment: 2 as President-Elect, 2 as President, 2 as Past-President. The President-Elect serves on the Executive Committee of the SCBNA Board, chairs the Conference Committee, and provides support for the President, including filling in as needed.

Even though there is only one excellent candidate running for President Elect, we still need SCBNA members to vote! Thank you for voting in this important election!

It’s easy to cast your ballot:

Go to the SCB website and log in to your member home page (click “Member Login” at the top of the page).
On your SCB member home page, click the link for the North America Section Election in the blue box at the top of the page.
Read the candidates’ profile on the bottom of the ballot.
Cast your vote.
After you select your candidate scroll to the bottom of the page and click “submit” to validate your vote.

Vote Here

Not a Member?

Click here to join!

Learn more about the President Elect Candidate:

Rebecca Hufft, PhD

Board Position: President-elect

Dr. Hufft is the Associate Director of Applied Conservation at Denver Botanic Gardens, where she has overseen plant conservation projects since 2011. Prior to coming to the Gardens, she received her doctorate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California Santa Cruz, conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at Colorado State University, and served as a Senior Supervising Scientist at the National Ecological Observatory Network. She is a broadly trained conservation biologist whose research interests include restoration, urban biodiversity, ex situ conservation, long-term monitoring, and phenology. She co-chaired the North American Congress for Conservation Biology 2020 and has served as the Treasurer for SCBNA since 2020. She has enjoyed helping to shape society meetings and engaging with SCBNA members. As an SCBNA board member she has also participated in planning for the global organizational restructuring and looks forward to continuing to shape SCBNA as it moves through this transition. She would like to continue to support the organization and its mission by continuing to serve on the board as President-Elect, contributing her many years of research, education, outreach, and project management experience.

October 6, 2022

General, NACCB, News

2022 Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award

August 11, 2022

General

Announcing New Members for SCB North America Board

June 17, 2022

General

2022 SCB North America Board Election

The North America Section of the Society for Conservation Biology is excited to announce the start of its 2022 Board Election! The election will open on May 4th and end on Monday, June 6th.

SCB North America Section members will vote to fill five seats on the Board: Equity, Inclusion, and Equity Officer; Vice President for Education & Chapters; Chapters Representative; Student Representative; and Member-at-Large.

Vote Here

Not a member?

Click here to join!

Learn more about the 2022 SCBNA Board candidates:

Equity, Inclusion & Diversity Officer

Brendan N Reid, PhD
- Board Position: Equity, Inclusion & Diversity Officer
- I have served as head of the SCBNA Allyship Committee since 2020. With the current EID officer (Gerald Singh), I coordinated a symposium on allyship at NACCB 2020 and initiated a video interview series highlighting the experiences of people from traditionally excluded groups in conservation. I would be honored to continue working with SCBNA on these projects. As the EID officer I would hope to serve as a conduit for all members of the Society to express their concerns and experiences, and I would work with the SCBNA board and coordinate with SCB global and outside organizations to plan effective initiatives that address these concerns at the society level and beyond.

Vice President for Education & Chapters

Martha Groom, PhD
- Board Position: Vice President for Education & Chapters
- I am endlessly fascinated by teaching and learning, and helping people gain capacities and understandings about conservation as a field and practice. I have been teaching conservation since the mid-1990s. Currently, I’m an active member of the Education committee, and have been on the parallel committee of SCB Global in the past. I am the lead author/editor of Principles of Conservation Biology (2006) in its third edition, and currently working on open source exercises in conservation. I co-founded and led a training program for graduate students in interdisciplinary pedagogy at UWB, and for the past nine years have served as the faculty lead of the undergraduate Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the University of Washington. I have co-led many teaching workshops at NACCB and other conservation meetings, and will co-host an interactive session on conservation literacies at the NACCB at Reno this July. I am particularly interested in supporting exploration of the multiple literacies that could be promoted among conservation students today.

Chapters Representative

Alysha Cypher, PhD
- Board Position: Chapters Representative
- I currently serve on the SCBNA Board as the Chapters Representative and have been active with chapters since 2010. I believe chapters are an integral part of SCB that sets our organization apart from others. With a second term I would dedicate more time towards improving communication between chapters and the SCB structure and expand the reach of chapter events. Chapters rule!

Student Representative

Anna Weber
- Board Position: Student Representative
- Originally hailing from Michigan, Anna is currently a PhD candidate in the Biological Sciences Department at the University of New Orleans (Louisiana), with a focus on evolutionary biology and conservation genetics. Throughout her graduate and undergraduate career, she has gained considerable experience in organizing programs and events through multiple leadership roles. Most recently, she has pushed forward the initial efforts towards unionization of graduate students, faculty and staff at UNO through the United Campus Workers of Louisiana. She has also served as the president of UNO’s Biology Graduate Student Association, where she organized community service, outreach, and social events for graduate students. In all her service roles, Anna identifies the top priorities of group members and organizes programming that caters to those specific needs. She aims to provide “something for everyone”–relevant programming and resources for all disciplines and interests. As Student Representative, Anna hopes to serve as an advocate for her fellow students in the SCB North America section. She strives to enhance SCB’s tradition of providing an educational, inclusive, and welcoming environment for students, where they can be exposed to a broad variety of conservation disciplines, both within and outside academia.

Member at Large

Ashley Kidd, MS
- Board Position: Member at Large
- I have spent the last nine years discovering California’s kelp forests and contributing to ecosystem restoration through conservation aquaculture and field monitoring of the endangered white abalone and giant sea bass. I was a senior aquarist with the Aquarium of the Pacific before obtaining my Master’s in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Florida. My research focused on aquarium based sunflower star recovery after the extirpation of these species from California and Oregon, and am actively collaborating with academic, non profit and community groups to restore this species across its range. It was through my first aquarium exposure at the 2008 SCB in Tennessee that I found myself following this career path in the first place. I am currently serving on several organizing committees for the NACCB 2022 and it was suggested that I apply for a board position. After fourteen years working within our industry and interacting with the public and volunteers, I believe that my background and network will increase the depth of conservation voices and perspectives that will enrich the SCB board and their membership as a board member at large.
Lauren Jonaitis, MS
- Board Position: Member at Large
- I am interested in the Member at Large position because I have been involved with SCB North America (SCBNA) for the past 6 years. I currently serve on the Board as the Member at Large and the Communications Chair and would like to continue my involvement/initiatives. These initiatives include broadening outreach to underrepresented groups in conservation, and actively works to engage groups that have been historically marginalized. My current experience relates to SCBNA’s mission, as I am the Senior Conservation Director of Tropical Audubon Society (TAS), with the main priority to “conserve and restore South Florida ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats.” I work closely with local governments and other stakeholders / work towards fostering wise stewardship of native habitats, birds and other indigenous wildlife. In addition, through TAS, I work to advance a more meaningful community understanding of and appreciation for nature and our region’s unique environment and ecological relationships via robust education programs and cultivation of local conservation advocates.
Fred Van Dyke, PhD
- Board Position: Member at Large
- I would like to serve as Member at Large for the SCB Board to use the skills I have developed in organizational leadership to benefit other professionals engaged in conservation. My experience on many boards, not only as a trustee but as a board secretary, treasurer, and chair, can be of value to the SCB at this critical time when effective organizational leadership in conservation is much needed. I also have brought diversity to conservation efforts. As the former Executive Director of the Au Sable Institute, a non-profit conservation organization in Michigan, USA, I engaged the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, a Native American Tribal Nation, as a conservation partner in using sculpin species as indicators of stream habitat quality for the US Forest Service. I added more women to our faculty at Au Sable to serve an increasingly female-dominated student body, and I persuaded scholars from Majority World countries like Uganda to teach Au Sable courses like Forest Ecology to provide our students with a global perspective on solving problems of forest restoration. Professionally I have also been involved in a great diversity of conservation science, including large mammals, bird and plant communities of tallgrass prairies, forest amphibians, endangered species, and restoration of northern US deciduous and coniferous forests. I have mastered skills in prescribed burning, methods of detecting presence, occupancy and abundance of rare species, and mitigation techniques to reduce negative effects of energy development and fossil fuel extraction on wildlife populations. I have authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on conservation, including recent publications in Restoration Ecology, PLoS One, and the third edition of a globally-used textbook on conservation biology, Conservation Biology: Foundations, Concepts, Applications (3rd edition, Van Dyke and Lamb, Springer 2020).

May 4, 2022

General

NACCB 2022 Registration: OPEN

NACCB 2022 Registration is OPEN

We are happy to share that #NACCB2022 will be a hybrid conference with opportunities to participate in Reno, Nevada, and virtually!

The 2022 North America Congress for Conservation Biology’s theme is Restoring Connections and Building Resilience in a Changed World. The conference will be held in Reno, Nevada, July 16-21, 2022 (scientific program takes place July 18 – 20). The scientific program will include plenary sessions, invited symposia, interactive sessions, poster sessions, and concurrent sessions of contributed oral presentations and speed presentations.

Register here and learn more about what is offered for each type of attendee at this year’s conference: http://ow.ly/bcQH50IvcZ1

+ Late Breaking Call for Abstracts – opening March 29 thru April 19!

Did you miss the first Call for Abstracts, but would still like to present at NACCB 2022? We’re opening a late-breaking Call for Abstracts and especially encourage speed and poster presentation submissions!

Review the criteria for selection for abstracts here on the full website.

March 29, 2022

General

Join the SCB North America Board: Nominations are Open!

Make a positive difference in conservation and give back to our community. Nominate yourself or someone else to serve on the Society for Conservation Biology North America (SCBNA) Board of Directors.

We are inviting you to help us nominate SCB North America members (or yourself) to stand for election! We are especially interested in increasing equity and inclusion at all levels, including on the board, and encourage nominations of individuals from historically underrepresented groups. Each nominee must be a current member of SCBNA and demonstrate relevant skills and experience to the position being covered. After reviewing nominees, the SCBNA Nominations Committee will put forward the slate of candidates for each office and announce the start of the voting period.

The call for nominations is open now through April 11, 2022. See the attached Board Code of Conduct and the SCBNA Bylaws for position descriptions and expectations of board members, and refer to the SCBNA website for further information on the North America section and its activities. Please contact Megan Keville, megan.keville@scbnorthamerica.org with additional questions regarding these positions.

Nominations are open for:

President-Elect (5 year term total – 1 year as President-Elect, 2 years as President, 2 years as Past-President)
- The President-Elect serves on the Executive Committee of the SCBNA Board, chairs the Conference Committee, and provides support for the President, including filling in as needed. Chairing the conference committee includes playing a significant role in selecting the location for the upcoming NACCB as well as co-chairing the organizing committee for that meeting. Nominees for this position must have previously served on the SCBNA Board or another SCB Board (e.g., working group or SCB global board). For full descriptions of the other positions in the President Series (President and President-Elect), please see the Board Role Descriptions webpage.

Equity, Inclusion & Diversity Officer (3-year term)
- The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer serves on the Executive Committee of the SCBNA Board, chairs the standing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and participates regularly in quarterly board calls and meetings. The DEI Officer facilitates and carries out initiatives designed to promote equity, inclusion and diversity within SCBNA, and works to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of Conservation across all levels. This includes both mainstreaming diversity, equity and inclusion in all regular tasks and events (such as the biennial North American Congress for Conservation Biology) and carrying out special projects intended to mainstream diversity, equity and inclusion across the field of research and practice. The position requires exposure and experience in dealing with and addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in an institutional setting. We acknowledge that no one candidate will be able to fully understand and anticipate all experiences and impacts relevant for this role, so the position requires someone willing to work broadly across the board and society at large. The DEI Officer will also engage with the SCB Global DEI Officer and serve on the global DEI committee as we move towards 2026.

Chapters Representative (2-3-year term; must be a current or past member of an SCB chapter)
- Currently, the SCBNA Chapters Representative serves as the North America (NA) Section Representative alongside other section representatives on the global SCB Chapters Committee (https://conbio.org/about-scb/who-we-are/committees/chapters). As part of this role, one participates in chapters committee quarterly board calls and meetings and provides support to NA-based chapters through assisting with the chapter registration and/or new chapter formation processes, organizing chapter-focused events, programming and financial support at SCBNA’s biennial conferences, and communicating with chapters about other opportunities and resources available to Chapters. The Chapters representative also chairs the ad hoc North America Chapters Committee, which works to support NA chapters through the activities described above and maintains the NA Chapters webpage on the SCBNA website (https://scbnorthamerica.org/).

Vice President for Education & Chapters (3-year term)
- To represent the wider membership of SCBNA at a board level and to assist in board activity as required. This position chairs the standing Education Committee and participates regularly in quarterly board calls and meetings. This position requires carrying out initiatives designed to promote the education—at all levels, including preparatory and continuing of the public, of biologists, and of managers in the principles and practices of conservation biology. This includes, but is not limited to, coordinating and promoting education-related programming at NACCBs.

Student Representative (2-3-year term; must be a student at the time of election in conservation biology or a closely related field and attending an accredited university or college)
- The Student Representative chairs the ad hoc Student Affairs Committee, which organizes programs and events targeting undergraduates, graduates, and early career professionals in conservation or adjacent fields – some examples include a webinar series and programming at biennial conferences. The Student Representative also participates regularly in quarterly board calls and meetings. The Student Representative may also be involved in developing and organizing programming and conference planning for NACCB.

Member at Large (2-3 year term)
- There are two Members at large positions on the SCBN Board of Directors. Members at large participate in quarterly board calls and meetings, and often participate on one or more SCBNA committees. The Member at Large position is an accessible point of entry into board service for those who have never served on a board.

Every board member attends one in-person meeting (some financial support may be possible) and 4-5 virtual SCBNA Board meetings per year plus performs committee work (e.g., meetings, writing).

Submit a Nomination

To submit a nomination please fill out the this Goog le Form for yourself or whoever you are nominating. We wish you the best of luck and hope you will take the courageous step to support the SCB North America section!

If you have any questions about the nomination process, please email us: mail@scbnorthamerica.org

February 8, 2022

General

NACCB Abstract & Proposal Deadline Extension

You’re in luck!

A little groundhog wants to let you know that… We are extending our Abstract and Proposal deadline to February 18th (11:59pm PT) for the 2022 North American Congress for Conservation Biology (NACCB). Congrats if you’ve already submitted an abstract or proposal for NACCB 2022! However, we know that many could use a little extra time.

Contributing your ideas to #NACCB2022 can allow others to learn from you, broaden your networking circle, and also give you professional experience sharing your research. In addition, opportunities to explore our host city (Reno, Nevada) will be options for those interested!

Visit the Call for Abstracts page for criteria & requirements, and to submit your abstract.

Visit the Call for Proposals page for criteria & requirements, and to submit your session proposal.

We hope to see your submissions soon!

February 2, 2022

General

SCB North America Service Information Session

Join us on January 25th!

On this date, we will hold an Information Session for anyone interested to learn more about board and committee service with SCB North America!

Current board and committee members will discuss their experience, describe specific roles and committee priorities, and address any questions and concerns you might have.

If you’re on the fence about running for a board position or joining a committee, this is a welcoming and open forum to learn more with no commitments required!

A zoom registration link and time of the meeting will be published soon for your convenience.

We hope to see you there!

January 6, 2022

General, NACCB

NACCB 2022 Submissions Now Open

The NACCB 2022 Abstract and Bonus Proposal Submissions are now OPEN!

That’s right, we’re opening a bonus Call for Proposals for Workshops, Short courses, Symposia and Interactive sessions (plus a new Organized Networking Session!).

This new session gives you the opportunity to create a networking session open to all conference attendees! These sessions can be tailored to students, LGBTQA+ members, conservation disciplines, and endless other topics/target participants ⭐️

The submission deadline for both abstracts and proposals is February 4, 2022. If you didn’t get to submit a proposal in the Fall, you have another chance to do so this Winter.

We invite you to submit to share your ideas, research, and/or work!

You’ve got this 👏

Learn how to submit yours for NACCB 2022 here: http://ow.ly/FcBf50H8saO

Organized Networking Session Proposal information: http://ow.ly/z64150HaIAI

December 15, 2021

General, NACCB, News

2022 Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award

August 11, 2022

General, NACCB

NACCB 2022 Submissions Now Open

The NACCB 2022 Abstract and Bonus Proposal Submissions are now OPEN!

That’s right, we’re opening a bonus Call for Proposals for Workshops, Short courses, Symposia and Interactive sessions (plus a new Organized Networking Session!).

The submission deadline for both abstracts and proposals is February 4, 2022. If you didn’t get to submit a proposal in the Fall, you have another chance to do so this Winter.

We invite you to submit to share your ideas, research, and/or work!

You’ve got this 👏

Learn how to submit yours for NACCB 2022 here: http://ow.ly/FcBf50H8saO

Organized Networking Session Proposal information: http://ow.ly/z64150HaIAI

December 15, 2021

General, NACCB

NACCB 2022 Call for Proposals is Now Open!

Call for Proposals Is Now Open – Deadline November 5, 2021

Organize your own session for NACCB 2022, taking place July 16-21 at the Silver Legacy in downtown Reno, Nevada.

View criteria and instructions for submitting your workshop, short course, symposium, or interactive session proposal at https://scbnorthamerica.org/index.php/2022-call-for-proposals/. We welcome session proposals of all types that relate to the meeting theme, including and not limited to topics in indigenous-led conservation, early-mid career professional development, education, climate change, human dimensions of conservation, community science, policy, and diversity in conservation leadership.

The Scientific Program will take place July 18 – 20, 2022. Workshops & Short Courses will primarily take place July 16, 17, and 21, 2022, with limited availability for short lunchtime sessions during the Scientific Program.

September 15, 2021

General, NACCB, News

2020 Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award

August 13, 2020

General, NACCB, News, Policy

SNAP Policy Committee- NACCB Policy Resolution

July 9, 2020

General, NACCB, News

NACCB 2020 is Going Virtual – Registration is now Open!

June 17, 2020

General, NACCB, News

NACCB 2020 Registration is Now Open

NACCB Registration now open

Registration is now open for NACCB 2020, July 26-31, 2020 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown in Denver, Colorado.
In addition to registering for the conference, you’ll be able to register for an amazing selection of workshops & short courses, events, field trips, and more! See a sampling of NACCB offerings below, but please check the conference website often at www.scbnacongress.org for the latest NACCB updates.

NACCB Offerings & Programming

NACCB will offer an impressive array of field trips, short courses, and workshops, available for sign up via registration until May 30. These will take place July 26, 27, and 31. NACCB plenaries, invited symposia and interactive sessions will take place during the scientific program days of the conference, July 28-30.

NACCB Financial Support

The following opportunities are available for NACCB financial support –

Student Travel Awards, competitive, due April 8, 2020
Chapter Travel Awards, details and deadline coming soon
Chapter Lodging Awards, details and deadline coming soon
Journalist Support, continuous until capacity filled
Financial Assistance Grant, first come, first serve for select priority categories, review begins April 8, 2020
Sign up to volunteer at NACCB 2020 during registration (first come, first serve) and get a $75 reimbursement upon completion of 4 volunteer hours

NACCB Accommodations

NACCB is conveniently located in the host hotel, the Sheraton Denver Downtown. Please support SCBNA by taking advantage of the discounted rate available through our block. Tight on $? Share with a friend, or make a new one by using the NACCB roomshare discussion board. Follow this link to the block & discussion board!

Coronavirus Information

The NACCB 2020 organizers and Society for Conservation Biology North America are closely monitoring the changing situation related to the spread of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. For now, NACCB 2020 is proceeding as planned. The health and welfare of NACCB attendees is our highest priority, and we will continue to monitor the situation, consult advice from public health authorities, and provide updates as necessary. All updates will be posted to the conference website and communicated to NACCB registrants.

March 12, 2020

General, NACCB, News

COMPASS Journalism Fellowships are back for NACCB 2020

We’re excited to announce that COMPASS will be providing travel fellowships for journalists from across North America to attend the North American Congress for Conservation Biology (NACCB) in Denver, Colorado, July 26-31.

The biennial conference brings together over 1,000 conservation scientists, professionals, and students to share the latest research, explore challenges, and foster collaborations. The conference theme for 2020 is Crossing Boundaries: Innovative Approaches To Conservation.

The application period closes March 16, 2020. Please see this blog post or this downloadable flyer for more details on how to apply, and please share broadly with your network! To learn more about past journalist fellowships, click here.

February 4, 2020

General, NACCB, News

NACCB 2020 Exhibitor Registration is Now Open!

November 20, 2019

EID News, General, NACCB

Fall 2019 SCBNA Newsletter Released – NACCB 2020 Call for Proposals Deadline Extended

In This Issue

NACCB 2020 Updates – Call for Proposals Deadline Extension to November 6, 17:00 MT!
News from the NA Equity, Inclusion & Diversity Committee: Allyship Program in Development
Conservation News and Perspectives from the North
NA Chapters Update
SCBNA Annual Members’ Meeting – December 2019
COMPASS Message Box Workbook now available in Spanish!

Read On!

October 30, 2019