Untitled Document

PROGRAM OF THE FALL 2000 MEETING

2-4 NOVEMBER 2000
SPRING HOUSE HOTEL
BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND

JOINTLY HOSTED
BY
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF OCEANOGRAPHY
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
AND
US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, NHEERL,
ATLANTIC ECOLOGY DIVISION, NARRAGANSETT, RI
AND
US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY COASTAL FIELD STATION
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
AND
RHODE ISLAND SEA GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

Synopsis:
Wednesday, November 3 (optional)
Arrive on Block Island, activities on your own

Thursday, 2 November: 12:30 PM – 10 PM
Others arrive on Block Island, Registration, Lunch,
21^st Century Symposium, Social, Dinner, Shallow Water Discussion Group

Friday, 3 November: 8:00AM – 10 PM
Contributed Oral Presentations, Lunch, Shallow Water Nutrient Presentations,
Poster Session, More Talks, Social, Banquet, Student Awards, Festivities

Saturday, 4 November: 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM, (to 5 PM = Optional)
Contributed Oral Presentations, More Shallow Water Nutrient Presentations, Box Lunch,
Optional Field Trip, Depart Block Island

Meeting Program on following pages
All talks take place in Victoria’s Parlor and all posters are in the Sunroom Wing

Wednesday, 3 November 2000 (optional)

2:00 PM Ferry departs Pt. Judith for Block Island
3:00 PM Arrive on island. Check into Hotel and help put up poster boards. Then on your own to tour the island, swim, practice your talk, etc.
6:00 PM Meet in Hotel foyer to go out to dinner.

7:00 –9:00 AM Continental Breakfast, Spring House Hotel, or
6:00 AM Be at Block Island Ferry dock in Pt. Judith, RI, for ferry that departs at 6:30, or
10:30 AM Be at Block Island Ferry dock in Pt. Judith, RI, for ferry that departs 11:00 or as soon as filled.
Look for Pam Arnofsky and the NEERS table on this ferry so you can register there.
12:15 – 1:15 PM Buffet Lunch in the Oceanfront Dining Room, Spring House Hotel
(must either be staying at the Spring House Hotel Thursday night or have pre-registered for lunch)
12:30 – 3:30 PM NEERS meeting registration, foyer, Spring House Hotel
1: 30 PM – 5:00 PM 21^st Century Symposium, Victoria’s Parlor, Spring House Hotel

SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM
Estuaries: How Smoothly Will They Flow into the 21^st Century?
Session Chair = Walter Berry, US Environmental Protection Agency

1:30PM Introduction and welcome, Walter Berry, Symposium organizer

1:45 Michael S. Connor, Vice President, Programs and Exhibits, New England Aquarium, Boston, MA
WHAT WILL THE PUBLIC WANT FROM COASTAL RESEARCH IN THE NEXT CENTURY?

2:15 Anne E. Giblin, Scientist, The Ecosystem Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA and President of the Estuarine Research Federation (ERF)
ESTUARINE SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT IN THE 2I^STCENTURY - WILL WE EVER GET OUR HEADS OUT OF THE SEWER?

2:45 Jan Reitsma, Director, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Providence, RI
KEY ESTUARINE ISSUES IN NARRAGANSETT BAY: A RESOURCE MANAGER’S PERSPECTIVES

3:15 BREAK

3:30 Scott W. Nixon, Professor of Oceanography, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI
NEW ENGLAND ESTUARIES - THE FUTURE REMEMBERED.

4:00 Peter Lord, Science Writer, Providence Journal and Associate Director of Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, Narragansett, RI
THE AHUPUA`A CONCEPT OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN HAWAII.

4:30 PANEL DISCUSSION - Estuaries: How Smoothly Will They Flow into the 21^st Century?

5:00 PM Symposium Social, Victoria’s Parlor, Spring House Hotel
5:30 – 7:30 PM NEERS meeting registration
6:00 PM ferry back to Pt. Judith for those who have been voted off the island
6:00 PM ferry arrives from Pt. Judith with NEERS newcomers
7:00 PM – 9:00PM Dinner served, Dining Room, Spring House Hotel (Pick your own time)
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM Poster set up, Sunroom Wing, Spring House Hotel
9:00 PM Discussion Group on Nutrient Enrichment in Shallow Water Systems,
Providence (The guesthouse, not the site of the ERF’97 nor the TV show), Spring House Hotel

(note: if you want to attend this morning’s session & you come by ferry, you MUST arrive on Thursday.)
6:45 AM – 7:45 AM Continental Breakfast, Dining Room, Spring House Hotel
6:45 AM – 7:45 AM Poster set-up, Sunroom Wing, Spring House Hotel
7:45AM – 12:00 PM Meeting Registration, Foyer, Spring House Hotel

MORNING CONTRIBUTED PAPERS SESSION
Session Chair = Scott Warren, Connecticut College

(K indicates denotes Ketchum Prize candidate, R denotes Rankin Prize candidates, * denotes presenter)

8:00 Brief Presidential Remarks, Scott Warren, NEERS President
8:10 (K) Carabetta*, M. and, R.S.Warren
HYDROPERIOD, SALINITY, AND SOIL DRAINAGE INFLUENCES ON PHRAGMITES EXPANSION IN TWO UNRESTRICTED TIDAL MARSHES

8:30 (R) Greenbaum*, A.H., and A.E. Giblin.
DIFFERENCES IN PROPERTIES OF SALT MARSH SEDIMENT BETWEEN HAYED AND REFERENCE SITES

8:50 (R) Horowitz*,J.D., L.Deegan, R. Garritt.
STABLE ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS OF FOOD WEBS IN HAYED AND REFERENCE SALT MARSHES

9:10 (R) Jamie R. Haines*, Matthew Cieri and Linda Deegan
FOOD CHOICE CONVERGENCE OF BENTHIC AND PELAGIC FISHES ALONG AN ESTUARINE GEOMORPHOLOGICAL GRADIENT

9:30 (K) Holt, E.R
THE IMPORTANCE OF MARSH SIZE IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF SALTMARSH
SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS ( IMPLICATIONS FOR SALT MARSH MITIGATION

9:50 BREAK – Foyer Spring House Hotel, informal poster viewing

10:10 (K) Taylor, D.L.
EFFECTS OF INCREASED WATER TEMPERATURE ON SAND SHRIMP PREDATION ON YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR WINTER FLOUNDER PREY: A PROPOSAL

10:30 (K) Kelly*, R.P. and Moran, S.B.
SEASONAL VARIATION IN GROUNDWATER FLUX AND DISPERSION IN A TEMPERATE ESTUARY USING RADIUM ISOTOPES AS TRACERS

10:50 (K) Pospelova*, Vera, Gail L. Chmura, and James S. Latimer
DINOFLAGELLATE CYST RECORDS AND HUMAN DISTURBANCE IN NEW BEDFORD HARBOR AND APPONAGANSETT BAY ESTUARIES, MASSACHUSETTS (USA)

11:10 (K) Spasojevic*, Zorana, Gail L. Chmura, James S. Latimer, Warren S. Boothman
The Biogenic Silica Sediment Record in New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts.

11:30 (K) Ford*, K.H., J.W. King, J.G. Quinn
BASELINE DISTRIBUTION OF CONTAMINANTS AND EVIDENCE OF STORM IMPACT IN QUONOCHONTAUG POND, RHODE ISLAND

11:50 (K) Beskenis, J. L.
DOES THE BIOFILM ON THE BROWN ALGA FUCUS VESICULOSUS BIND COPPER OR ZINC AND REDUCE THE METAL LOAD OF THE HOST PLANT?

12:10-1:30 LUNCH – Dining Room, Spring House Hotel (must either be staying there or have pre-registered)
Accompanied by kite flying on the Spring House Hill by NEERS Past President Fred Short and a soccer demonstration by NEERS president elect Linda Deegan & ERF Executive Director Joy Bartholomew on the Spring House Volley Ball Court.

SHALLOW WATER SPECIAL SESSION
Session Chair = Veronica Berounsky, University of Rhode Island

1:30 (K) Vaudrey*, J.M.P. and J.N. Kremer
ECOSYSTEM METABOLISM IN THREE SHALLOW SUB-ESTUARIES IN RELATION TO NUTRIENT LOADING

1:50 (K) Biddle*, A.B. and J.N. Kremer.
THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF CHLOROPHYLL AND COLORED DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER (CDOM) IN THE ATTENUATION OF LIGHT IN SHALLOW COASTAL WATERS

2:10 (R) Hinckley*, E.S., and C. Neill
THE PATH OF TOTAL DISSOLVED NITROGEN IN AN INTACT COASTAL FOREST, EDGARTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS

2:30 Hughes*, J. E., L. A. Deegan, and J. E. Costa.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF WATER QUALITY TO FISH COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND ESTUARIES

2:50-3:50 BREAK TO LOOK AT POSTERS – Sunroom Wing, (D) indicates Dean Award Candidate (D) Adamowicz*, S.C., C.T. Roman.
NEW ENGLAND SALT MARSH POOLS: A SURVEY OF CURRENT CONDITIONS AND AN INITIAL EVALUATION OF RESTORATION EFFORTS IN SOUTHERN MAINE

(D) Beecher*, C. Beth and Gail L. Churma
CALIBRATION OF POLLEN ASSEMBLAGES FOR VEGETATION RECONSTRUCTION IN BAY OF FUNDY SALT MARSHES

Benoit, L.K
A threat to the Connecticut River estuary: The aquatic invasive plant Water chestnut is removed from a tidal cove and a tributary

(D) Ruth H. Carmichael* and Erica T. Weiss
THE EFFECT OF TERRIGENOUS NITROGEN LOADING ON GROWTH RATES OF QUAHOGS (MERCENARIA MERCENARIA) AND SOFTSHELL CLAMS (MYA ARENARIA) THROUGH CHANGES IN WATER COLUMN AND HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS.

Casanova, T.
The Ecology of the Japanese Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus de Haan) and its niche relationship to the green crab (Carcinus maenas) along the coast of Connecticut, U.S.A.

Concascia*, R., D. Scott and J. Swenarton.
LONG TERM MONITORING COMBINED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Currie*, W. J. S. and J. N. Kremer
MODEL SEEKS DATA FOR MUTUAL GRATIFICATION

(D) Goldstein*, J.H., and J.H. McKenna
TIDAL PULSING, ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY, AND PHYTOPLANKTON DYNAMICS IN THE MYSTIC RIVER ESTUARY, CT

Hale*, S.S., and H.W. Buffum.
MANAGING TROUBLED DATA: GETTING COASTAL MONITORING DATA SYSTEMS TALKING TOGETHER

Hampson, G.R
DESTRUCTION AND RECOVERY OF THE WINSOR COVE, CATAUMET SALT MARSH FROM A #2 FUEL OIL SPILL: A 25 YEAR HISTORY.

(D) Ignudo*, S.E., and R.N. Zajac
SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG NATURAL PROCESSES, HUMAN IMPACTS, AND BENTHIC COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN NEW HAVEN HARBOR, CONNECTICUT

(D) Kroeger*, K. D., M.L. Cole, J. W. Brawley, and I. Valiela,
THE INFLUENCE OF WATERSHED LAND USE AND VADOSE ZONE THICKNESS ON THE QUANTITY AND LABILITY OF ORGANIC NITROGEN TRANSPORTED BY GROUNDWATER TO COASTAL WATERS

Laliberte*, E.M., J.W. King
HISTORIC AND RECENT SEASONAL CHANGES IN ANTHROPOGENIC TRACE METAL CONTAMINANTS IN NARRAGANSETT BAY, RHODE ISLAND SEDIMENTS

(D) Lewis*, J.L., S. Pianka, D.T. Osgood, R.M Chambers, and D.J. Yozzo
DOES PHRAGMITES EXPANSION INFLUENCE NEKTON HABITAT UTILIZATION?

Peck*, Myron A., Timothy R. Gleason, and David A. Bengtson
PROJECTED POPULATION-LEVEL EFFECTS OF PENTACHLOROPHENOL EXPOSURE ON THE INLAND SILVERSIDE, MENIDIA BERYLLINA.

Pregnall*, A. M. and M. M. Pregnall
LONG-TERM RECOVERY AND FLUCTUATION IN AN EELGRASS (ZOSTERA MARINA) POPULATION IMPACTED BY COMMERCIAL OYSTER CULTURE

(D) Refai*, F.R. and R.N. Zajac.
RESPONSES OF FIDDLER CRABS (UCA SPP.) TO PATCH STRUCTURE IN DISTURBED AND UNDISTURBED SALT MARSHES

Ryan*, William B. F., Robin Bell, Suzanne Carbotte , Cecilia McHugh , Roger Flood, Henry Bokuniewicz, Vicki Lynn Ferrini
EXPLOITING A NEW GIS DATABASE OF THE HUDSON RIVER TO UNDERSTAND ESTUARY PROCESSES

Robert Shields* and David Klarer
OLD WOMAN CREEK ESTUARY: THE HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE (WE ARE LOW SALT)

Taplin*, B.K., and R.J Pruell
STABLE ISOTOPE RATIOS IN ARCHIVED STRIPED BASS SCALES

(D) Thimmayya, A.C
ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS RESPONSES TO NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS ADDITIONS ALONG A TIDAL GRADIENT IN A TIDAL, FRESHWATER MARSH

Exhibit 1: ERF 2001, AN ESTUARINE ODYSSEY, Joy Bartholomew, ERF Executive Director.

Exhibit 2: YSI EQUIPMENT DEMONSTRATIONS. Kevin McClurg, General Manager and
Northeast Regional Sales Manager, YSI Massachusetts

3:50 PM Talks resume, Veronica’s Parlor

3:50 Gaines, A.G.
TROPHIC "INWELLING" IN A SHALLOW ESTUARY: SENGEKONTACKET POND, MARTHA'S VINEYARD.

4:10 Brawley*, J.W. and J.N. Kremer
MODELING ECOSYSTEM RESPONSES TO NUTRIENT INPUTS TO THE WAQUOIT BAY ESTUARINE SYSTEM

4:30 Crawford, R.
MONITORING IN AN ESTUARY: MATCHING SCALE OF OBSERVATIONS TO DYNAMIC STABILITY IN ESTUARINE CIRCULATION

4:50 Cicchetti*, Giancarlo, James Latimer, Edward Dettmann, Richard McKinney, Steven Rego, Darryl Keith, Russell Ahlgren, and Robert Diaz
EUTROPHICATION OF COASTAL WATER BODIES: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NUTRIENT LOADING AND ECOLOGICAL RESPONSE.

5:10 Wrap Up: What have we learned about nutrient enrichment in shallow water systems?

5:15 BUSINESS MEETING, INCLUDING NEERS ELECTIONS (any NEERS member leaving the room may be nominated!)

6:00 POSTER RECEPTION AND SHALLOW WATER SOCIAL, Sunroom Wing and Foyer
7:00 Arrival of more NEERSians on the ferry that departed Pt. Judith at 6 PM
7:30 Awards Banquet, Dining Room, Spring House Hotel
(must either be staying at the Spring House Hotel Friday night or have pre-registered for banquet)
Presentation of Student Prizes: Ketchum, Rankin, and Dean; other fun & games

8:10 Osgood*, D., D. Yozzo, D. Jacobson, T. Hoffman, and J. Wnek
SPATIAL PATTERNS OF NEKTON USE WITHIN PHRAGMITES AND SPARTINA HABITAT ON THE HOUSATONIC RIVER, CT.

8:30 Vasilakos*L., R. Orson, D. Osgood and R. Zajac
BASELINE SAMPLING AND HABITAT ASSESSMENT OF SYBIL CREEK MARSH, BRANFORD, CT. PRIOR TO RESTORATION

8:50 Wigand*, C, R. McKinney and M. Charpentier
TOWARDS DEVELOPING INDICATORS OF SALT MARSH CONDITION

9:10 James-Pirri*, M.J., K. Tuxbury and S. Koch
SPAWNING DENSITIES AND POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS OF HORSESHOE CRABS FROM PLEASANT BAY, CAPE COD BAY, AND MONOMOY NWR, MASSACHUSETTS.

9:30 Bell*, R.E , R. Flood, S. Carbotte, W.B.F. Ryan, C. McHugh, V. Ferini, H. Bokuniewicz, J. Thissen, J.W. Ladd , W.C. Nieder , and E.A. Blair
SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND BENTHIC HABITATS IN THE HUDSON RIVER

9:50 Hinga, K.R.
IMPROVED PREDICTIONS OF BIODEGRADATION RATES OF LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN COASTAL SEDIMENTS

10:10 BREAK

10:30 Walker*, H.A., B. Yarnel, V.M.Berounsky, E.H. Dettmann, J.S. Latimer, and N. Jaworski
CLIMATE VARIABILITY, ANTHROPOGENIC CHANGE AND CONSEQUENCES IN THE MID-ATLANTIC.

10:50 Berounsky*, V.M., H. A. Walker, and N. Jaworski
THE ROLE OF ANTHROPOGENIC WATERSHED LOADING AND CLIMATE VARIABLITY ON NITROGEN FLUXES TO THE POTOMAC RIVER ESTUARY

11:10 Dettmann*, E.H. and H.A. Walker
EFFECTS OF NITROGEN LOADING, FRESHWATER RESIDENCE TIME, AND INTERNAL LOSSES ON NITROGEN CONCENTRATIONS IN ESTUARIES

11:30 Brush*, M. J., S. L. Granger, and S. W. Nixon
OFFSHORE NUTRIENT INPUTS AND THE PRODUCTIVITY OF NARRAGANSETT BAY.

11:50 Bintz*, Joanne C., Scott W. Nixon, Betty Buckley, Stephen Granger, and Susan Sherwood
RESPONSE OF COASTAL LAGOON PHYTOPLANKTON, MACROALGAE AND SEAGRASS TO MANIPULATIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND NUTRIENT LOADING

12: 10 Final Presidential Remarks, Linda Deegan, new NEERS President
(Al Gore and G. W. Bush too busy to join us)

12:15 Adjourn, box lunches available to those who ordered them

1:30 Field Trip of Block Island natural sites led by Scott Commings of The Nature Conservancy,
or Ferry to Pt. Judith .

5:00 Last Ferry of the day to Point Judith, Return to “real” life.

MEETING SITE: After the well attended 1996 New England Estuarine Research Society (NEERS) meeting on Block Island, participants wanted another NEERS meeting on this island 12 miles out from Rhode Island mainland, and now we are giving you the opportunity! Return to the island that the Nature Conservancy calls ?one of the world’s last great places? on November 2-4 to listen and talk about research in, management of, and education about estuarine and coastal ecosystems. You can do all this while gazing out over the Atlantic Ocean from the wraparound veranda of our meeting site, the grand hotel, ?The Spring House Hotel?. Just a 15 minute walk from the ferry landing, Block Island’s oldest hotel is situated on a 15-acre promontory overlooking Old Harbor and the Atlantic and the Block Island foothills. The Spring House Hotel has hosted numerous meetings in recent years. Sessions are held in its elegant and spacious salon, Victoria’s Parlor, with unobstructed views, both inside (of speakers) and outside (the Atlantic Ocean). What better place could there be to celebrate NEERS’ 30th year of meeting as a scientific society?!

SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM: NEERS would like to mark the end of one millenium and the beginning of another with a special symposium. "Estuaries: How Smoothly Will They Flow into the 21st Century?" will be a 1/2 day forum with talks from 5 distinguished speakers from the New England estuarine research, regulatory, and public outreach communities followed by a panel discussion of the speakers. As population pressures increase in the urbanizing northeast, protecting and managing estuaries will become more challenging and the research questions posed to the scientific community are sure to become increasingly complex. We have asked each speaker to look toward the future and attempt to answer from their own unique perspective several "big picture" questions: What major issues confronting estuarine protection in New England are likely to emerge in the next several decades and what present issues will persist? What will be the key estuarine research topics or areas? As we enter the 21st century, what are the major unanswered research questions? As societal needs change and population distribution and demographics change, how will this affect the ecology of New England estuaries? How can we keep the public informed and interested? These are just some of the topics that the symposium will try to address. We know that the invited presenters, all good speakers and well-respected in their disciplines, will put forth some interesting ideas and will generate a lively dialog among the meeting participants. Even more, we hope that this Symposium will continue to stimulate forward thinking ideas after the meeting as NEERS members develop future estuarine protection policies, start new research initiatives, and engage in innovative education programs.

This symposium will take place on Thursday, November 2 and will “kick-off” the NEERS meeting. The symposium is being sponsored by Rhode Island Sea Grant. We have planned the timing of the symposium program around the ferry schedule (see “Getting There” section). You can take the 11:00 AM ferry over to Block Island, be on island at 12 noon, check into your room, enjoy lunch at the Spring House dining room, then be ready for the first talk at 1:30 PM in Victoria’s Parlor of the Spring House. If you are staying at the Spring House Hotel, the lunch is included in your package plan. If you are not staying there, you can pre-register for lunch at the hotel for $10.00. The session will finish with a panel discussion, ending at 5 PM. The symposium discussion will continue at the NEERS Social. (The symposium will finish in time for people to partake in some informal discussion and still catch the 6 PM ferry back to Point Judith, for the unlucky people that that have to go back to the mainland that day). Registration for the symposium is included in the registration for the NEERS meeting. Contact symposium organizer Walter Berry (401-782-3101, berry.walter@epamail.epa.gov ) if you need more details.

SESSION ON NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT IN SHALLOW WATER SYSTEMS:
The previous NEERS meeting in Portland, ME ended with a discussion on how or if one could predict responses to nutrient enrichment in the very shallow lagoon or salt pond estuarine systems often found in our region, the northeastern US. In such systems light reaches the bottom and there is a diverse mix of primary producers. The lengthy formal and informal discussion led to the conclusion that much is still not well understood about this subject. At this meeting, we have put together a dedicated session of oral and poster presentations on this topic. Most presentations will take place Friday afternoon, but some pertinent talks will also be given on Saturday morning. We will get the discussion going with an informal discussion session Thursday night, around the fireplace in the guesthouse called “Providence”. Contact session organizer Veronica Berounsky (401-783-8437, vberounsky@gso.uri.edu) for more information.

POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS: If you are doing a powerpoint presentation, you will not be permitted extra time for setting up your personal computer or for technical difficulties, and you may be banished to the cupola if you delay your session! To try to avoid these delays at the Block Island NEERS meeting we would like to load all the powerpoint presentations onto either an IBM-compatible or Mac laptop ahead of time. To do this, please follow the instructions below.

POSTERS: We will have available free-standing poster boards that you may use tacks or tape to attach your poster. Some are 5 ft x 5 ft and extend to the floor, some are 4 ft x 3ft, some are 4 ft x 6 ft. Posters can be set up starting Thursday evening. The boards will be available on a first come, first served basis, so come early for a better choice in sizes. Posters will be up all day on Friday.

STUDENT PRIZES: The Bostwick (Buck) Ketchum Prize (of $100.00) will be awarded to the graduate student who, in the opinion of the prize committee, presents the best paper in terms of scientific content, and in clarity and professionalism of presentation (including graphics). To be eligible, the student must clearly be the major contributing author of the paper and may not have been a previous winner. The John (Stubby) Rankin Prize (of $100.00) is for the best paper by an undergraduate student, but otherwise the guidelines and the selection criteria are the same as for the Ketchum Prize. Both graduate and undergraduate students can compete for the David Dean Prize (of $100.00). This prize (named after the first elected President of NEERS) is for the best student poster in terms of scientific content and in clarity and professionalism of both presentation and responses to questions about the poster. Contributions towards the endowment fund for these prizes would be greatly appreciated by NEERS.

STUDENT TRAVEL FUNDS WINNERS: NEERS is happy to announce the winners (by lottery) of the four student travel awards, each for $100, to help cover travel and lodging costs for this Block Island NEERS meeting. We had 13 applicants. Congratulations go to Joanne Bintz, University of Rhode Island; Kathryn Ford, University of Rhode Island; Julie Horowitz, Hampshire College; and Vera Pospelova, McGill University

ACCOMMODATIONS: The Spring House Hotel, known to Islanders as “the Jewel” for 140 years, was refurbished this past winter. It offers Victorian charm and elegance in comfortable accommodations in two adjacent historic buildings. There are also four modern guesthouses. We will have the Hotel buildings all to NEERS. The dining room offers exquisite meals with majestic ocean views. All accommodations, meals, and meeting events will be at the Spring House Hotel, 1 Spring Street, Block Island, RI. Spouses, friends, and children are welcome. Find out more about the Spring House Hotel at their web page: www.springhousehotel.com. NEERS has an all-inclusive price package that includes a room with a queen bed or 2 twin beds, private bath, phone, and 3 meals a day for $100 per night plus tax for Thursday and Friday. Additional adults in a room are each $50 per night plus tax, which includes 3 meals a day. Many of the rooms are actually two room suites or studios with a sofa bed. If you want to arrive early, you can stay out on the island on Wednesday for $69 plus tax which covers your room and continental breakfast the next morning. (You can check out ?downtown? restaurants for dinner Wednesday night.) The 3 meals that come with Thursday’s and Friday’s stay are lunch and dinner that day and breakfast the following day. (If you arrive Thursday evening, you get a lunch at the end of your stay.) Please make your reservations directly with the Spring House Hotel, at 1-800-234-9263 or (401) 466-5844 (a local call from Rhode Island’s South County) and identify yourself as attending the NEERS meeting.

We have already sold out the hotel! We encourage you to share hotel rooms in order that the Spring House Hotel can accommodate all NEERS attendees. When looking for rooms, call the Spring House Hotel first in case some rooms become open. Other hotels open are the Hotel Manisses (1-800-626-4773 and the Blue Dory Inn (1-800-992-7290). See www.blockisland.com for more information.

NEERS SYMPOSIUM SOCIAL & DINNER: The discussion generated by the 21^st Century Symposium on Thursday will continue to flow freely at the NEERS social. Enjoy beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and the perspectives of estuarine scientists, managers, and educators, starting right after the Symposium (about 5 PM), at the Spring House Hotel on Thursday November 2. You can then enter the Spring House Hotel dining room for dinner anytime between 7 PM and 9 PM. Instead of pre-selected dinner choices, you will be able to order Thursday’s dinner off a special menu. The price of this dinner is included in your accommodation package.

AWARDS BANQUET: The banquet will be held at the Spring House Hotel on Friday evening at 7:30 PM, preceded by a reception at the posters and socializing about the Shallow Water Nutrient Enrichment Session. It will include a choice of Block Island swordfish, non-Block Island prime rib, chicken, or a vegetarian entrŽe (please note your selection on the registration form). The price is included in your accommodation package if you are staying at the Spring House Hotel. The Ketchum, Rankin and Dean Prizes will be awarded at this time and all candidates for these awards will receive a free banquet ticket. (Actually, NEERS will refund you the price of the banquet from your Spring House Hotel accommodation package.) If you are NOT staying at the Hotel, you can still attend the banquet for $25. We are planning some fun & games over dessert, so be sure to be there. Post-Banquet dance venues are being investigated. With the reputations of outgoing and incoming Presidents Warren & Deegan at stake, there is no question that there will be serious dancing (even with bionic knees). There may even be a contest to see which administration can dance longer (Al Gore and G.W. Bush will, again, be too busy to join us). If you are musically inclined (or even if you are not), bring instruments & voices for the NEERS band & singalong event which may take place both nights.

ANNIVERSARY SLIDE SHOW: NEERS held its inaugural scientific meeting in 1970 and NEERS wouldn’t want to let its 30^th Anniversary go by without notice. If you have interesting slides of past NEERS meetings, bring them to Block Island and we will show the ones we deem appropriate. We have prizes for slides of the most changed and least changed NEERS members, best and worst estuarine view, and most interesting NEERS activity.

OTHER MEALS: If you are staying in a Spring House Hotel property, the 3 meals that are included with each night’s stay at the Spring House Hotel are lunch and dinner that day and breakfast the following day. (If you arrive Thursday evening, you get a lunch at the end of your stay.) All meals will be held in the Spring House Hotel dinning room. You can order (on the registration form) a box lunch on Saturday for $10.00 to take either on the field trip or on the ferry home. If you have who already pre-registered for the meeting, send an email to Pam Arnofsky (PArnofsky@ensr.com ) to sign up for this box lunch.

MORE MEALS: If you are NOT staying at the Spring House Hotel you can still eat meals there with your NEERSian colleagues. The catch is you need to pre-register for them (see registration form). For all of you good people who already pre-registered for the meeting, send an email to Pam Arnofsky (PArnofsky@ensr.com ) signing up for these other meals. You can eat at the previously mentioned Awards Banquet for $25. There will be a lunch immediately before the 21^st Century Symposium for $10. You can also get dinner on Thursday for $28 and lunch on Friday for $15. Box lunches are available on Saturday for $10 to take either on the field trip or on the ferry home.

BUSINESS MEETING & ELECTIONS: This will take place after the last paper on Friday, November 3. President Scott Warren will become past and President-elect Linda Deegan will be suitably inaugurated. It is election time, not only for the United States but also for NEERS. Come and vote! Candidates for NEERS President-Elect are (in alphabetical order) Robert Buchsbaum, of Massachusetts Audubon Society and Marshall Pregnall of Vassar College. Candidates for Treasurer are waiting for university or government approval and will be announced on www.neers.org and via the NEERS email list. Nominations for officers are also welcome from the floor. Also, get the details about the spring 2001 NEERS meeting and catch the latest news from ERF. A special guest will be Joy Bartholomew, the Estuarine Research Federation (ERF) Executive Director. She will be happy to discuss any ERF issues with you and she is looking forward to seeing all the NEERS members she met in Providence at ERF’97.

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration for this meeting is $30 and includes the 21^st Century Symposium. Student registration is only $15.00. The rate for non-members is $45. The Pre-registration deadline is OCTOBER 18. You can pre-register on the web at www.neers.org/formprereg.html and follow that with a check made out to ?NEERS? and mailed to Pam Arnofsky, NEERS Treasurer, ENSR, 89 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543. Or you can send the form via US mail, but only if it will be received by October 18. On-site registration is $40 for members, $20 for students, and $55 for non-members. The NEERS registration desk will be open at the Spring House Hotel on Thursday from 12:00 noon to 3:30 PM, that evening from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, and on Friday morning from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon. This is Pam’s last meeting as Treasurer, so show your appreciation for all her hard work over the last four years, & pre-register! She encourages web page pre-registration! If you haven’t already, you also can pay your NEERS dues for 2000. If you haven’t paid by this meeting, you can expect a dunning letter from Pam & Pam (Arnofsky & Morgan).

GETTING THERE: You need to either take the ferry or a plane to get to the island. The “Block Island Ferry” (401-783-4613) runs from Point Judith in Narragansett:

	Leaving POINT JUDITH	Leaving BLOCK ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, NOV 1	11am, 2pm	12:30pm, 4pm
THURSDAY, NOV 2	6:30am, 11am, 5pm	8am, 2pm, 6pm
FRIDAY, NOV 3	11am, 6pm	3pm, 7pm
SATURDAY, NOV4	7:30am, 11am, 3:30pm	9am, 1:30pm, 5pm
SUNDAY, NOV5	7:30am, 11am, 3:30pm	9am, 1:30pm, 5pm

Passengers should be at the ferry dock a half-hour before departure. Missing your ferry is not a legitimate reason for getting your hotel deposit back, so don’t be late! The trip to the island takes about an hour and costs $16.30 round trip for an adult. See also www.blockislandferry.com for the full ferry schedule and prices and other information. (Note that Friday’s session will start about 8:00 AM, and the first ferry over to Block Island arrives about 12 noon. So if you are coming by ferry, you must arrive sometime Thursday in order to be there for the beginning of the session.)

Directions to the Point Judith Ferry Dock: From the South: From 95N take Exit 92; turn right onto Rte. 2; turn right on Rte. 78; at end of Rte 78 turn left onto Rte.1. Take "Galilee/Pt. Judith" exit on Rte. 1 (sign will say BI Ferry). Turn right off exit and then right onto Rte 108. Right hand exit after about 3 miles for Block Island Ferry.

From the North: From 95S take Exit 9 (Narragansett) to Rte 4; follow Rte 4 to Rte 1; take Rte 108 exit from Rte 1. Continue on Rte 108 for 3 miles to right hand turn for Block Island Ferry.

See www.blockisland.com. for airplane and other information. You will NOT need a car for the meeting (parking is available near the Ferry Dock in Point Judith for $5-$10/day). A bike is a good idea to bring ($4.60) or rent on island. One can easily bike most of the island in an afternoon (with nice views and not too many hills!).
When you get off the ferry on Block Island, walk straight ahead through the parking lot and then to the right to the ?taxi? lot. There various vans and vehicles (Spring House Hotel, EPA, USGS, URI, etc.) will be waiting to take you and/or your luggage the short distance up the hill to the Spring House Hotel.

FIELD TRIP: Since Block Island has been designated as one of the “12 Last Great Places” in the Western Hemisphere by the Nature Conservancy, we would be remiss if we didn’t give you time to roam the island or take a field trip. On Saturday afternoon at 1:30 we will be taken on a driving & walking tour of the island led by Scott Comings of The Nature Conservancy. We will be back in time to catch the 5PM ferry to the mainland. Please sign up for the field trip on the registration form. (If you have already registered, send an email to Charley Roam-an, the field trip organizer, (croman@gso.uri.edu) saying you want to join the trip.)

THE ISLAND: Block Island contains a variety of habitats, such as morainal grasslands, coastal bluffs, sand & cobble beaches, salt & brackish ponds, sand dunes, various freshwater wetland ecosystems, and watering holes, several of which remain open even during the fall migration. Several varieties of berrys are found on island, in addition to the species walter. Twenty-four percent of the island’s land is preserved as open space. Block Island is home to over 40 rare or endangered species and natural communities and is one of the few remaining sites of the endangered American Burying Beetle. It has been called the best birding site in North America during the fall migration (so bring your binoculars. Bring your bike to do some sight-seeing on your own or to get to the Island’s many nature trails. There are some nice beaches and the water is clear, so don’t forget your swimsuit and mask & snorkel or your fishing gear. Check out more about Block Island through the Nature Conservancy’s web page, www.tnc.org/infield/State/RhodeIsland/projects.htm or at www.blockisland.com. Another interesting and informative site is www.ultranet.com/block-island/. Tours of the town may be given by NEERS Honorary Member and one time Block Island summer resident Bernie McAlice.

QUESTIONS? Walter Berry from EPA (401-782-3101, berry.walter@epamail.epa.gov ) and Veronica Berounsky from URI (401-783-8437, vberounsky@gso.uri.edu ) are again running another NEERS meeting in Rhode Island (will our luck hold out for a FIFTH time?), with Charles Roman from USGS (401-874-6886, croman@gso.uri.edu). Pat Kremer of UCONN - Avery Point is continuing as the NEERS Program Chairperson, (860-405-9140, pkremer@uconnvm.uconn.edu).

NEERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
Scott Warren, President & ERF Representative
Pam Arnofsky, Treasurer
Pam Morgan, Secretary & ERF Correspondent
Linda Deegan, President-Elect
Fred Short, Past President
Michele Dionne, Member-at-large
Charles Roman, Member-at-large
Patricia Kremer, Program Chairperson
Alan Young, Historian

PRE-REGISTRATION FORM FOR NEERS MEETING AND
21^ST CENTURY SYMPOSIUM
November 2-4, 2000

NAME _____________________________________________________________
last, first
ADDRESS___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

EMAIL ADDRESS _______________________________

PHONE (____)___________ NEW MEMBER? ____ NEW ADDRESS? _____
If new member: areas of interest?
1.______________________ 2. __________________________ 3._________________

Plan to attend 21st CENTURY SYMPOSIUM? ____

PRE-REGISTRATION (Thursday, Friday & Saturday):
MEMBER ($30.00), STUDENT ($15.00), NON-MEMBER ($45.00) ________

BANQUET CHOICE (INCLUDED IN HOTEL PACKAGE):
(Please include choices for you and also other people in your hotel package who are not registering for the meeting)
Swordfish # = _______
Prime Rib # = _______
Chicken # = _______
Vegetarian # = _______
Child’s menu # = _______

If you are staying at the Spring House Hotel Complex, you can buy a ticket for
SATURDAY BOX LUNCH?????.____________ ($10.00)

If you are NOT staying at the Spring House Hotel Complex, you can buy a ticket for:
SYMPOSIUM LUNCH ON THURSDAY__________ ($10.00)
THURSDAY DINNER ………………….___________ ($28.00)
FRIDAY LUNCH ……………………….___________ ($15.00)
NEERS BANQUET ON FRIDAY ……...____________($25.00) (Please check choice above)
SATURDAY BOX LUNCH…………….____________($10.00)

Plan to attend the SATURDAY FIELD TRIP? _____

NEERS appreciates contributions to Student Prize Endowment Funds:
KETCHUM PRIZE ENDOWMENT DONATION __________
RANKIN PRIZE ENDOWMENT DONATION __________
DEAN PRIZE ENDOWMENT DONATION _________

BACK DUES OR NEW MEMBER DUES ($15/YR, $5 IF STUDENT) __________

CHECK (MADE OUT TO "NEERS") ENCLOSED FOR __________

Please mail by OCTOBER 18.to NEERS Treasurer Pam Arnofsky at
ENSR Consulting and Engineering, 89 Water St., Woods Hole, MA 02543

DON’T FORGET, YOU CAN PRE-REGISTER ON THE WEB AT WWW.NEERS.ORG select meetings link from table of contents, then select fall meeting, then select online pre-registration link!

NEW ENGLAND ESTUARINE RESEARCH SOCIETY