Dear Waterbird Society Members and Friends,
The Local Organizing Committee for the upcoming joint Waterbird Society and Pacific Seabird Group annual meeting in Costa Rica is reporting a huge turnout. To date, there have been over 300 submitted abstracts! The Program Chairs and Local Committee are hard at work building an exciting program.
We have also received over 100 travel award applications from potential presenters requesting a grand total of more than $175,000 dollars in travel support. Applicants include students and international scientists hailing from throughout Canada, U.S. (including Puerto Rico), as well as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Germany, Honduras, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, South Africa, the UK, and Venezuela. While some can cover part of their attendance through other funding sources, many are anticipating significant out-of-pocket expenses and may not be able to attend without travel support. Between the two societies, we currently only have about $27,000 to give away.
That’s where you come in. Your donation to the Waterbird Society will go directly toward helping these folks attend our meeting, share their exciting research, and connect with the WBS and PSG communities. Just fill out the form on our Member Services Page, and click on the DONATE button. Current members can just login. Non-members or expired members may have to register first. Any amount will help us to increase the number of people we can support. Donations are also welcomed via PayPal.
Think your employer might be interested in making a larger donation to support travel to the meeting? Contact the local committee at locochair@pacificseabirdgroup.org.
If attending WBS meetings has helped move your career forward, informed the direction of your research, or introduced you to people you now consider close colleagues and friends, now is the time to pay it forward!
Kind regards,
Ricardo Zambrano
President, Waterbird Society