SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS 2008 ANNUAL MEETING ASM

The Host Committee for the 89th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists announces the 2nd call for oral and poster presentations; the meeting will be held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Fairbanks, Alaska on 24–28 June 2009. The final meeting announcement will be sent to members of the Society early in 2009. Those members of the Society and others located outside North America that are interested in attending the meeting should consider this announcement as official notification of the meeting. Please contact the Local Committee to receive information on registering and submitting abstracts: Link E. Olson, University of Alaska Museum, 907 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775; +1 907-474-5998; FAX -5469; Link.Olson@uaf.edu. Kris Hundertmark, Institute of Arctic Biology, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK 99775; +1 907-474-7159; FAX -6967; ffkh@uaf.edu.

A detailed announcement containing information on the meeting will be published in February in Volume 90, Number 1 of the Journal of Mammalogy. Conference and registration information will be posted on the “Meetings” link on the ASM web page ( www.mammalsociety.org or  www.mammalogy.org).

NOMINATIONS FOR THE C. HART MERRIAM AWARD

In 1974, the American Society of Mammalogists established the C. Hart Merriam Award to honor outstanding contributions to mammalogy through research, teaching, and service (Journal of Mammalogy 55:694, 1974). In 1996, the Board of Directors amended these criteria so that the award is now given in recognition of outstanding research in mammalogy. Nominees should be established scientists who are actively engaged in research and who have made significant contributions to the science of mammalogy over a period of at least 10 years. The recipient is invited to address the Society in a plenary session at its annual meeting, as well as to prepare a manuscript for publication in the Journal of Mammalogy that is based on this presentation.

Nominations for the Merriam Award will be considered without regard to national citizenship and activity in the Society. Previous awardees have been J. N. Layne, J. K. Jones, Jr., J. S. Findley, T. A. Vaughan, R. J. Baker, J. F. Eisenberg, J. L. Patton, M. H. Smith, W. Z. Lidicker, Jr., H. H. Genoways, J. R. Choate, J. H. Brown, T. Clutton-Brock, G. G. Musser, C. J. Krebs, G. R. Michener, M. B. Fenton, K. Ralls, K. B. Armitage, T. H. Kunz, C. J. Phillips, M. A. Mares, T. H. Fleming, G. O. Batzli, R. T. Bowyer, O. J. Reichman, K. E. Holekamp, D. W. Macdonald, R. S. Hoffmann, and C. R. Dickman.

To facilitate the nomination and review process, the Merriam Award Committee has adopted the following schedule. Persons interested in nominating someone for the Merriam Award should send a single letter of nomination and a copy of the nominee's CV via email to E. A. Lacey (ealacey@berkeley.edu) by 1 February 2009. Based on these materials, the Committee will select candidates for more extensive consideration. Nominators for the finalists will be asked to arrange to have up to 5 additional letters of support sent via email to (ealacey@berkeley.edu) by 15 March 2009. The recipient of the award will be announced at the banquet at the annual meeting.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE H. H. T. JACKSON AWARD

The H. H. T. Jackson Award was established in 1977 for the purpose of providing recognition to individuals who have rendered long and outstanding service to the American Society of Mammalogists. Previous awardees are William B. Davis, William H. Burt, Bryan P. Glass, J. Knox Jones, Jr., Oliver Pearson, Sydney Anderson, Murray Johnson, Donald F. Hoffmeister, Karl F. Koopman, Marie A. Lawrence, John O. Whitaker, Jr., B. J. Verts, J. Mary Taylor, Robert J. Baker, James A. Lackey, Don E. Wilson, Clyde Jones, Gordon L. Kirkland, Jr., Elmer C. Birney, Richard W. Thorington, Jr., Suzanne B. McLaren, H. Duane and Dahnelle B. Smith, Hugh H. Genoways, Alfred L. Gardner, David M. Leslie, Jr., Barbara H. Blake, and Michael A. Mares.

Nominations and letters of support should contain specific information on the nominee's service to the ASM. A complete nomination package includes: 1) a nomination letter; 2) a recent version of the nominee's curriculum vitae; and 3) no more than 5 letters of support. All of these materials should be incorporated by the nominator into a single PDF document and transmitted via e-mail to ensure receipt by Michael R. Willig (michael.willig@uconn.edu) no later than 15 March 2009. The awardee is announced at the banquet of the annual meeting of the society.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE JOSEPH GRINNELL AWARD

The Joseph Grinnell Award was established by the Board of Directors of the American Society of Mammalogists in 1996 to honor individuals who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to education in mammalogy over a period of at least 10 years. The award recognizes excellence in education in the broadest sense. It encompasses not only the traditional roles of teaching in graduate and undergraduate institutions, but also educational activities such as production of materials for federal, state, or local agencies, public education through creations of museum displays, and enhancement or encouragement of education through stewardship activities. Previous winners are B. Elizabeth Horner, James L. Patton, Philip Myers, Robert J. Baker, Timothy E. Lawlor, John B. Bowles, David J. Schmidly, Norman A. Slade, Mark S. Hafner, Jerry R. Choate, Peter D. Weigl, and R. Mark Brigham.

Candidates may be nominated by colleagues, supervisors, students, or others familiar with their devotion to, and execution of, their educational activities. A letter of nomination, maximum length 2 pages, should detail the candidate's excellence in education in mammalogy and should elaborate the reasons why this individual should be considered for the award. Nominations will be evaluated by the Grinnell Committee and full documentation will be solicited for all candidates judged to be competitive.

A single letter of nomination should be sent to Stephen Pugh (stephen.pugh@unh.edu) before 1 January 2009. Complete nomination packets (up to 4 letters of recommendation, candidate's CV, and other written materials illustrating the candidate's longtime commitment to excellence in education in mammalogy) are due by 15 March 2009. The recipient will be announced at the banquet at the ASM annual meeting in June 2009.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE ALDO LEOPOLD AND WILLIAM T. HORNADAY CONSERVATION AWARDS

In 2002, the American Society of Mammalogists established 2 conservation awards to recognize outstanding contributions to the conservation of mammals and their habitats. The Aldo Leopold Award is awarded to a well-established individual who has made a lasting scientific contribution to the conservation of mammals and their habitats.

The recipient will be invited to address the Society in a plenary session at its annual meeting the following year. Previous awardees are Edward O. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier, George B. Schaller, Rodrigo A. Medellín, and Virgilio Roig. The William T. Hornaday Award is awarded to a current undergraduate or graduate student who has made a significant scientific contribution as a student to the conservation of mammals and their habitats. The awardee will be offered a travel grant to attend the ASM meetings in Alaska and will be invited to present a paper on their conservation activities at the plenary session. Previous awardees are Brent Sewall, Isabel Beasley, and Angelia Vanderlaan. Nominees should have contributed substantially to 1) the conservation of 1 or more mammalian species, subspecies, or populations, 2) the conservation of mammalian assemblages and communities, or 3) advancing the field of conservation biology through focal research on mammals. Persons contributing to the conservation of land or marine mammals are eligible for consideration. We interpret “contribution” broadly to include 1) scientific research or political activism that has resulted in the preservation of an imperiled species; 2) development of protective management recommendations; 3) acquisition of new knowledge regarding the conservation status or causes for declines of mammalian species or populations; 4) the protection of significant mammalian habitat; or 5) promotion of the conservation of mammals through public education.

All persons are invited to submit nominations for these awards. For each award, the nomination packet should include the following 5 items: 1) A brief narrative (2 pages maximum) that introduces and describes the conservation accomplishments of the nominee; 2) as an addendum to this narrative, a list of relevant journal articles, government and NGO reports, newspaper clippings, and other materials that chronicle and corroborate the conservation-related accomplishments of the nominee; 3) a current CV or résumé; 4) contact information for the nominator and nominee; and 5) letters of recommendation. For the Aldo Leopold Award, include letters of recommendation from 3 individuals familiar with the nominee's contributions to mammalian conservation; one of the letters must be from the nominator. For the William T. Hornaday Award, include letters of recommendation from 2 individuals familiar with the nominee's conservation activities. One of these letters must be from the student's research advisor.

Electronic submissions of nominations and supporting documents are strongly encouraged. Completed nomination packets should be sent to ThoringtonR@SI.EDU or Richard Thorington, Division of Mammals MRC 108, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012. Deadline for receipt of completed nominations is 13 March 2009. Recipients will be announced at the banquet at the ASM annual meeting in June 2009.

OLIVER P. PEARSON AWARD

This award honors Oliver P. Pearson's remarkable 6 decades of work in Latin America and his steadfast support for Latin American mammalogists of all ages and degrees of professional development. The award offers financial support to young professional mammalogists who hold academic or curatorial positions in Latin America, to help them establish or consolidate their research programs. A single award in the sum of $5,000 will be given each year. Up to an additional $2,000 is offered for the recipient to attend the mammal meetings of the year following the award. The funds may be used to carry out fieldwork, purchase supplies or specialized equipment, attend scientific meetings, visit collections or other academic institutions, and other research-related activities.

Applicants may be of any nationality. At the time of application, he or she must have the following qualifications: 1) a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree conferred within the previous 5 years; 2) an academic (post-doctoral, teaching, curatorial, or other comparable research-oriented) position in a Latin American institution; and 3) membership in the American Society of Mammalogists.

Acceptable formats for application materials include pdf (preferred) and Word (doc and rtf files). Letters scanned in jpeg format are also acceptable. Applications should include the following 4 elements: 1) A one-page statement that describes a) the nature and responsibilities of his or her academic position, b) professional interests and goals for the next few years, and c) detailed justification documenting how and why the award would benefit the applicant's research program; 2) a curriculum vitae; 3) a copy of 1 published or accepted research paper; 4) 2 letters of recommendation from established professionals familiar with the applicant, based either in Latin America or abroad.

To be considered, all application materials must be sent electronically to Dr. Enrique P. Lessa, Chair, eplessa@unm.edu (Phone: +598 2 525 8618 ext [7] 143) by APRIL 15. Recipients will be announced at the annual banquet of the American Society of Mammalogists, but awardees need not be present to receive the award.

The recipients will be announced at the Annual Banquet of the American Society of Mammalogists, but awardees need not be present to receive the award.

ONLINE ACCESS FOR JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY AND MAMMALIAN SPECIES

Journal of Mammalogy and Mammalian Species are now available online to all ASM members with back issues available via JSTOR. Members will also receive print copies of the Journal for an annual membership fee of $45 for regular members ($35 for students), or they may elect to receive online only versions of both publications for an annual fee of $30 ($20 for members in developing countries). Institutions may subscribe at a rate of $205 for print and online access to the Journal, $55 for online-only access to Mammalian Species, or $250 for both publications.

PDF files for the first 739 Mammalian Species accounts (1969 to 2003) are also available online via the URL below:  http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/default.html.

MAMMALIAN SPECIES ACCOUNTS

Twenty-four to 30 accounts are planned for publication in 2008. Each account is 2–14 pages in length and reviews the biology of a particular species in a standard format.

Mammalian Species accounts are produced by assignment only. Upon written request to the Editor for Mammalian Species, exclusive privileges to produce an account will be granted for 3 years; a 1-year extension may be requested if a manuscript is near completion at the end of the initial assignment. At the Editor's discretion, assignments not submitted at the end of this period may be cancelled. A maximum of 5 species may be reserved at 1 time. No free copies are given to authors; page charges may be paid on a voluntary basis.

Mammalian Species will be available online only to all ASM members, beginning in 2006; print copies will no longer be published. Orders for yearly sets of accounts within the past 5 years should be sent to Christy Classi, ASM Association Manager, 810 East 10th Street, P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044; 785-843-1235; FAX -1274; asm@allenpress.com. Individual accounts are no longer available for purchase. Requests for assignment of species and other editorial queries should be addressed to Meredith Hamilton, Editor of Mammalian Species, Department of Zoology, 430 Life Sciences West, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, 405-744-9685; FAX -7824; mjh@okstate.edu.

MAMMAL IMAGES LIBRARY

The Mammal Images Library is a non-profit education service of the American Society of Mammalogists with the goal of providing images of mammals for educational purposes worldwide. The present collection consists of >1,500 images depicting nearly 800 species, 440 genera, 100 families, and 24 orders. More than 110,000 images are now in use at >3,000 institutions in about 50 countries. Most of the images are available for non-profit use, in a form suitable for optical projection, on the Mammal Images Library webpage at the ASM website ( http://www.mammalogy.org/imagelibrary). In addition to optical projection for non-profit instruction, many of the images can be employed (with permission) for other purposes, including commercial uses. To obtain a catalog that describes the images and gives other information, send US$4 (US$5 outside USA) to Elmer J. Finck, Department of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, 600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601-4099; 785-628-4214; efinck@fhsu.edu. A simple listing of the images can be obtained free from the same address. For permission to use images for purposes other than non-profit optical projection, contact the committee chair: Matthew E. Hopton; hoptonm@email.uc.edu; 513-759-6551.

The Library continually seeks new images for the collection and urges anyone having images to contribute them. For information about contributing images, contact the committee chair. The committee thanks the 160 persons who have contributed images thus far.

In 1992, the Library instituted a program whereby grants in the form of images can be obtained by educational institutions in developing countries. About 60 grants to applicants from 20 countries have been awarded thus far. Institutions can select up to 50 images of their choice, and can reapply annually. Information about the program can be obtained from John O. Whitaker, Jr., Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809; jwhitaker3@isugw.indstate.edu. The Mammal Images Library urges ASM members to assist this effort by supplying information about appropriate institutions.

SPONSOR FUND

The ASM Membership Committee has devised a method of providing membership in ASM to mammalogists from outside the United States and Canada who wish to become members, but simply cannot afford to. Some members already sponsor ASM membership for foreign mammalogists on a continual basis. However, others who are unable to provide a full membership on a continual basis, may wish to contribute a partial membership or a full membership during some years. Such is now possible through contributions to the Sponsor Fund. The Fund will be handled as follows:

Members should submit names and mailing and e-mail addresses of foreign mammalogists in need of sponsorship to the chair of the Membership Committee: Michael R. Gannon, Department of Biology, Penn State University, 3000 Ivyside Park, Altoona, PA 16601-3760; 814-949-5210; mrg5@psu.edu.

MAILING AND ADDRESS CHANGES

Members and subscribers are advised that the Journal of Mammalogy is mailed in February, April, June, August, October, and December. Address changes MUST be in the hands of Christy Classi, ASM Association Manager, 810 East 10th Street, P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044; 785-843-1235; FAX -1274; asm@allenpress.com by the 1st day of the month of mailing. United States addresses must have zip codes. Address changes are expedited if former address, with zip code, is included.

ONLINE SUBMISSIONS

The Journal of Mammalogy accepts submissions of manuscripts via the Internet. The online system, AllenTrack, allows authors to submit manuscripts online and will speed transmission of manuscripts between reviewers and editors. Submit manuscripts at  http://jmamm.allentrack.net.

BUDDY SYSTEM FOR AUTHORS

ASM has a “buddy system” to assist authors who are not native English speakers. “Buddies” are mammalogists who have offered to preview manuscripts that need editorial revision for English. Authors interested in having a manuscript previewed should contact the Journal Editor or an Associate Editor for Journal of Mammalogy. Individuals interested in having their names added to the list of "buddies" should contact Alicia Linzey (avlinzey@verizon.net).

10TH INTERNATIONAL MAMMALOGICAL CONGRESS

The IMC-10 will be held in Mendoza, Argentina, from 9–14 August 2009. This is the 1st time the IMC/ITC conference will be held in South America. The organizers want to assemble the greatest diversity of researchers in the field of Mammalogy and to provide a forum for a stimulating exchange of ideas and promotion of collaborative and integrative research among members of our worldwide scientific community. This also is a fantastic opportunity for the promotion and consolidation of an increasing number of mammal societies in South America.

Mendoza is known as “la tierra del sol y del buen vino” [the land of sun and good wine]. It is located in the Andean foothills and offers a wide range of activities and excursions such as a trip to the highest peak in America. The city is well connected either by plane or bus, with frequent flights from Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile.

Proposals for symposia are welcome at this time. Standard presentations and poster sessions will be included in the congress. Please send inquires or information to Ricardo A. Ojeda, Chair IMC-10, GiB, IADIZA, CRICYT; CC 507, 5500 Mendoza, ARGENTINA, Tel: ++54-261-5244114, or mammal2009@lab.cricyt.edu.ar. Preliminary registration can be made at this e-mail address. The Congress website ( www.cricyt.edu.ar/imc10) will be linked to that of the International Federation of Mammalogists ( http://www.mammalogyinternational.org) and to the meetings page of the ASM website.

1ST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BAT MIGRATION

The aim of this symposium is to foster an exchange of ideas among international specialists from many disciplines working on migratory bats. Plenary talks and workshops include the following topics: “Migratory connectivity and phenology,” “Bat navigation,” “Physiology and Behaviour,” “Population genetics,” and “Conservation of migratory bats.” The symposium will be held 16–18 January 2009 in Berlin, Germany. For more information visit  www.izw-berlin.de or e-mail batmigration09@izw-berlin.de

NATIONAL EVOLUTIONARY SYNTHESIS CENTER (NESCent) – SEARCH FOR DIRECTOR

Applications and nominations are invited for the position of Director of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, NESCent ( www.nescent.org), a research center in Durham, North Carolina, USA. The Center is supported by the National Science Foundation, and is jointly sponsored by Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. The position of Director will be a faculty appointment at the senior level made by Duke University.

NESCent promotes collaborative research on fundamental synthetic questions in evolutionary biology by supporting visiting scientists in working groups and catalysis meetings (>500 scientists/year) and resident sabbatical and visiting scholars and postdoctoral fellows. The Center also has a large Informatics group and an active program in Education and Outreach in evolutionary biology.

Applications and nominations should be submitted electronically to nescent-director@duke.edu. Review of applications will begin December 1, 2008 and continue until the position is filled.

The full ad and application instructions can be viewed at:  http://www.nescent.org/about/employment.php.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS – NESCent POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS, SABBATICAL SCHOLARS, WORKING GROUPS, AND CATALYSIS GROUPS

The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) is now accepting proposals for postdoctoral fellows, sabbatical scholars, working groups and catalysis meetings. Proposals for postdoctoral fellowships are accepted at the December 1 deadline only. Proposals for sabbatical scholars, working groups and catalysis meetings are accepted twice a year, with June 15 and December 1 deadlines. Proposals for short-term visitors are considered four times a year, with deadlines on January 1, April 1, July 1 and September 1. For more information, please see our website at  https://www.nescent.org/science/proposals.php.

CLASSIFIED ANNOUNCEMENTS

Copies of classified announcements should be submitted to the Advertising Manager, Allen Press, Inc., 810 East 10th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044; phone 800-627-0932, ext 262; FAX 785-843-1853; e-mail jriling@allenpress.com. These announcements must be received at least 2 months prior to the publication date and should specify the number of issues the announcement is to appear in. The charge will be $90.00 for 5 lines and $5.00 each additional line. This charge will be billed after each insertion.

Translations of Czech, German, Russian, and Slovak original texts. Have them done by a fellow mammalogist! Dr. Emil Kucera, 74 Deer Lodge Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3J 2B8, (204) 885-4071;  www.kucera.mb.ca.