Envirovet Summer Institute

 


Envirovet Summer Institute

Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Issues and Techniques for the Developed World
With Outreach to Developing Countries

Developed Country Session

Session One: Terrestrial Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
White Oak Conservation Center, Yulee, Florida, USA
June 16 - July 3, 2010

Session Two: Aquatic Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
July 5 - July 18, 2010

The Developed Country Session of Envirovet Summer Institute 2010 provided four weeks of intensive lecture, laboratory and field experiences related to understanding wildlife health in the context of overall ecosystem health. The University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife Health Center and The University of Illinois Department of Veterinary Biosciences plans and administers this part of Envirovet Summer Institute.

Topics of emphasis in the developing country session will include: terrestrial and aquatic ecology, population biology, epidemiology, infectious and toxicologic diseases of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, wildlife immobilization, mapping, environmental laws including those related to wildlife conservation and environmental pollution, conservation strategies (e.g., ecotourism, Endangered Species Act litigation, habitat restoration), translocation medicine, conservation genetics, theriogenology, communication skills, and grantsmanship. Students will be introduced to such field and laboratory techniques as wildlife capture and immobilization, necropsies and sample collection, telemetry, and using global positioning systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS). Each lecture, laboratory or field exercise will be led by one or more highly-regarded experts, skilled in teaching, who are involved in their subject areas on a daily basis as part of their regular jobs. In this way, students will gain firsthand knowledge of the myriad ways in which they can play a significant role as veterinarians on ecosystem health teams.

Veterinarians and other scientists, primarily from North America, will contribute expertise in ecology, wildlife biology, conservation and animal health. A range of political, economic and sociologic factors that influence ecosystem stewardship will be addressed by the instructors. Two weeks of this session will be held at White Oak Conservation Center, near Jacksonville, Florida, which is supported by the Howard Gilman Foundation. White Oak Conservation Center is a premier educational center and major facility for breeding and research on endangered terrestrial vertebrate megafauna.

In addition to classroom and laboratory sessions at White Oak, Envirovet participants will study and work at St. Catherine's Wildlife Survival Center, sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society. At this facility on a barrier island, St. Catherine's Island (Midway, Georgia), students and faculty will apply a range of field techniques to the monitoring and care of a range of unique species.

The aquatic-focused portion of Session One will be hosted at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, located on the Indian River Lagoon, the most biologically diverse estuary in North America. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution is comprised of state of the art oceanographic, aquacultural, biomedical, and environmental research facilities as well as a full-service conference facility with on-site housing for visiting scholars and educational groups.

Below is the itinerary from the 2009 session. Please note that some units and instructors may change, and that the 2010 terrestrial and developing country sessions may each be extended by an extra day or two. Many of our instructors return year after year to teach at Envirovet, so the 2010 sessions should reflect those of 2009. We will post an updated itinerary as schedules are finalized.

Session One: Terrestrial Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
White Oak Conservation Center, Yulee, FL, USA
June 16 – July 3, 2010

Below is the 2010 schedule.

Tuesday June 16   ARRIVAL DAY

Students arrive throughout day.

5:30 – 6:00 pm:  Introduction to Envirovet Summer Institute Session I
Presenter:  Kirsten Gilardi, Co-Director, Envirovet Summer Institute, UC Davis Wildlife Health Center
            Gilardi will walk students through the schedule for our two weeks at White Oak and on St Catherines Island, orienting students to White Oak Conservation Center and describing what to expect and prepare for throughout the session.

6:00 – 6:45 pm: Ice-breaker 
            Students will introduce themselves to fellow students and faculty, and share their motivations and hopes for participation in Envirovet 2009.

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening: Open

Wednesday June 17   DRIVERS OF ECOSYSTEM DECAY & STRATEGIES FOR RECOVERY  

7:00 amBreakfast

8:00 – 9:45 am: Ecosystem Health as a Condition, a Principle, and an Organizing Framework
Presenter: Val Beasley, University of Illinois.
            Beasley will introduce concepts of ecosystem health and conservation medicine, and will challenge participants to consider how vibrant natural ecosystems function and how human systems have caused ecosystems to become dysfunctional.  Participants will be challenged to start thinking about where we are in human history, and the roles and responsibilities of the veterinary profession, government, academia, the corporate sector, grassroots organizers, and other groups in implementing innovative new strategies to accelerate our progress through to an era of ecological recovery. 

10:00 – 11:30 am:  Biodiversity and Climate Change
Presenter:  Kirsten Gilardi for Tom Lovejoy, H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment
            Climate change is one of the defining environmental issues of our generation. Gilardi will deliver Lovejoy’s foundational presentation to help set the tone for Session I with a presentation on the importance and value of biodiversity, and on the current and future impacts of global climate change on fundamental biological processes and ecosystems.

11:45 am – 12:30 pm: Linkages between Human Health and the Environment
Presenter: Aaron Bernstein, Harvard School for Global Health and the Environment
            Why are the majority of emerging infections diseases in humans are zoonotic?  What causes a pathogen to jump from animals to people? How are humans contributing to this natural phenomenon, and when and why is it not natural? Bernstein will discuss the interrelatedness of ecosystem health and human health, focusing on examples of where and how ecosystem disturbance and loss of biodiversity impacts human health and well-being.

12:30 pm:  Lunch

1:30  – 2:15 pm: Human Health and the Environment (cont).

2:15 – 3:00 pm: Group Discussion – How do we change underlying drivers of ecosystem degradation?
            How are health and climate change policies flawed? How should and can they be applied in developed vs. developing nations? Are current health and climate change policies compatible with ecosystem health? What can we do as veterinary professionals to understand the links ?

3:15 – 4:15: Gilman International Conservation Projects Worldwide
Presenters: Steve Shurter, Gilman International Conservation, White Oak Conservation Center
            Lukas will provide an overview of White Oak Plantation, White Oak Conservation Center, the Howard Gilman Foundation and Gilman International Conservation.
Shurter will introduce flagship species conservation, a tool utilized by White Oak to protect remarkable sites of biodiversity, using Gilman International Conservation (GIC) work to conserve okapi in Central Africa as a prime example.
 
4:15 – 4:30 pm: Group Assignment Introduction
Presenter: K. Gilardi
            Gilardi will describe the group project assignment for Session I and assign working groups.

4:30 – 6:00 pmGroup project work time

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening:  Free

 Thursday June 18   DRIVERS OF ECOSYSTEM DECAY & STRATEGIES FOR RECOVERY (cont).  

7:00 am: Breakfast

8:00 – 10:45 am: Civil Upheaval and War
Presenter:  Mishkat Al-Moumin, Futrell Visiting Scholar, Environmental Law Institute
            Al-Moumin, former Iraqi Minister of the Environment, will describe how poverty, violence, civil upheaval and war are causal of, and caused by, ecosystem degradation. Poverty, corruption, religious and tribal conflict, and limited access to resources can lead to cruel governance, spark civil unrest, and cause war.  Such civil violence then exacerbates human pressures on the environment.  Al-Moumin will wrap up with a case study on the “ecocide” of wetlands in southern Iraq.

11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Mitigating civil disparity and poverty
Presenter: Patricia Erickson, University of Vermont 
            Erickson will describe the mission and operations of a non-profit organization she and her husband Jon Erickson established in the Dominican Republic called Batay Libertad which strives to improve the health and well-being of a Haitian community through education and health delivery.

12:30 pm:  Lunch

1:30 – 3:00 pm: Ecological Economics
Presenter:  Carol Franco, University of Vermont
            How do we place economic value on healthy ecosystems?  What does it cost society to implement ecosystem health programs, and what does it cost society if we don’t?  What are the trade-offs, and how do we work towards solutions that balance ecosystem health and conservation with the economic well-being of individuals, communities, and the business sector?

3:15 – 4:00 pm: Group Discussion: How do we change underlying drivers of ecosystem degradation?
            How are economic policies flawed? How should and can they be applied in developed vs. developing nations? Are current economic policy and globalization compatible with ecosystem health? How do we effect positive change for the environment in the context of war and poverty? What can we do as veterinary professionals to understand the links ?

4:15 – 6:00 pm: Grassroots Soccer
Presenter:  Erickson
            Students will get outdoors and play Grassroots Soccer, a program which aims to raise awareness about health and well-being issues among youth in developing countries.

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening: Group Project work time recommended

Friday June 19   STRATEGIES FOR ECOSYSTEM HEALTH RECOVERY

6:30 am Breakfast

7:30 am:  Part I of Group Assignment due

7:30 am – 12:30 pm: Tour of White Oak Conservation Center
Guides: White Oak Conservation Center staff
 Join White Oak Conservation Center staff for a guided open-bus tour of the White Oak Conservation Center's threatened and endangered species collection.  Bring your cameras!

12:30 pm:  Lunch

1:30 – 2:45 pm: The Okapi Project
Presenter: Rosie Ruf, Gilman International Conservation
            Ruf has managed the Okapi Project in the Ituri Forest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for many years, and will describe the day-to-day operations of a conservation program that full integrates a species preservation effort with the needs of surrounding communities, and provide a first-hand account of the challenges and rewards of working on a flagship species in a region in peril.

3:00 – 3:45 pm: Prepare/pack for trip to St. Catherines Island

3:45 pm: Depart White Oak for St. Catherines Island

5:30 pm: Depart St. Catherines Island dock for 30-min boat ride to island.

6:15 pm: Set up camp

7:30 pm:  Dinner, brief orientation to the island

Saturday June 20  ST. CATHERINES ISLAND 

6:30 am: Breakfast 

8:00 – 10:00 am:  Field Exercise:  Avian disease surveillance
Instructors: Jen Hilburn, Brad Winn, Felicia Sanders, Terry Norton, Al Segars, Val Beasley, Liz VanWormer, Veronica Greco
            Students will get hands-on experience in setting up avian mist nets, removing captured birds from nets, and processing captured birds (handling, banding, physical exam, bleeding), and will learn about how these techniques are used to survey free-ranging bird populations for disease.

10:00-10:30 am: Transport to beach

10:30 -11:45 am: Field Demonstration:  Shorebird Conservation and Capture
Instructors: Brad Winn, Felicia Sanders, Terry Norton, Jen Hilburn, Veronica Greco         
Students will help set up a cannon net and learn about how these nets are used to capture shorebirds, as well as how St. Catherines Island participates in various shorebird conservation programs, e.g. American Oystercatcher health assessments

12:00-1:00 pm:  Lunch

1:00 - 2:00 pm:  Introduction to Map Reading
Instructor:  Tim Keith Lukas, University of the South
            Students will learn how to read maps and chart paths, and to use a compass and a hand-held GPS unit.

2:00 - 4:00 pm:  Field Exercise: Orienteering
Instructors: Norton, VanWormer, Beasley, Lukas, Segars
            Students will test their new knowledge of maps and navigational aids by forming teams and going on an ecological "treasure hunt" through the woods.

4:30 – 5:30 pm: Reptile and Amphibian Trapping Techniques
Instructors: Tracey Tuberville, Kimberly Andrews, Chris Hagen
            Interested students can help biologist set traps for reptiles and amphibians around the island, for checking tomorrow morning.

6:00 pm:  Dinner

7:30 - 8:30 pm:  Cultural History of St. Catherines Island
Instrucor:  Royce Hayes
            Superintendent Hayes will take us to an archaeological site on the island and tell us about the rich history of the settlement of St. Catherines Island hundreds of years ago.

8:30 - 10:30 pm:  OPTIONAL: Nightlife on St. Catherines Island
Instructors: Norton, Segars, Tuberville, Andrews, Hagen
            Students will learn to identify amphibian calls, locate amphibians and alligators at night, and then we'll check out bioluminescence at the beach.

Sunday June 21   ST. CATHERINES ISLAND

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 - 9:30 am:  Field Demonstration:  Reptile and Amphibian Capture Techniques
Instructors: Tuberville, Hagen, Andrews, Norton, Segars
            Students will observe various traps and techniques for sampling reptile and amphibian populations, and will help biologists check traps set the night before for reptile and amphibian captures.

10:00 am -12:00 pm: Field Exercise: Wildlife Telemetry
Instructors: Belgio, Inman, Lukas, Norton.
 Students will use radiotelemetry receivers and antennae to locate troops of lemurs that are free-ranging on St. Catherines Island.

12:00 pm: Lunch

Afternoon:  Field Exercise: Gopher Tortoise Health Assessment and Conservation
Instructors:  Norton, Segars, Hagen, Andrews, Tuberville, Greco, assistants.
            Students will conduct annual health assessments on the St. Catherines Island gopher tortoise population.  Students will learn about diseases of free-ranging tortoises, gopher tortoise ecology and breeding biology, and free-ranging gopher tortoise management in the southeast.

6:30 pmDinner

Evening:  Loggerhead sea turtle population and health monitoring in the southeastern US
Instructors:  Norton, Segars
            Norton and Segars provide veterinary support to numerous state and federal efforts focused on loggerheads and other sea turtle species. They will describe current research on loggerhead sea turtle populations, major threats to these populations, common clinical presentations, and management strategies.

Monday June 22  ST. CATHERINES ISLAND  

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 - 10:00 am: Field Demonstration:  SCI Sea Turtle Nest Protection Program
Instructors:  Gayle Bishop, Norton, Segars
            Students will learn about the loggerhead sea turtle nest protection program at St. Catherines and will (hopefully!) have a chance to help find and relocate a sea turtle nest to higher ground.

10:00 am:  Pack up

11:00 am: Depart St. Catherines Island

Afternoon:  Tour of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, and return to White Oak

6:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening: African Elephants: Saving an Iconic Species from Overpopulation
Presenter:  Mark Stetter, Disney Animal Programs
            Stetter will describe his collaborative work to assist wildlife managers in South Africa with the problem of elephant overpopulation in parks and reserves by developing techniques for surgical sterilization of free-ranging elephants in the field.

Tuesday June 23 WILDLIFE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND RISK ASSESSMENT

7:00 am:  Breakfast

9:00 - 10:30 am: Wildlife Epidemiology and Risk Assessment
Presenter:  Jonna Mazet, UC Davis Wildlife Health Center
            Mazet will introduce principles of wildlife epidemiology and risk assessment as they pertain to real-world problems and projects in wildlife conservation and ecosystem health.

10:45 am – 12:15 pm: Population and Disease Modeling
 Presenter:  Phil Miller, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
            Miller develops, tests, and applies computer-based models for risk assessment and decision making for wildlife conservation. These models, which focus on small population biology, conservation biology, human demography, social learning, and threats to sustainability including infectious diseases, have been developed to produce realistic management recommendations to prevent extinction of endangered species. 

12:30 pm:  Lunch

1:30  – 4:30 pm: Epidemiology / Risk Assessment and Management Exercise
Leads:  Mazet and Miller
            Students will engage in a group-based exercise to develop skills needed for outbreak investigation, epidemiologic modeling, risk assessment and risk reduction

4:45 - 6:30 pm: Group Assignment Time

            Time for groups to start Part II of their projects and seek advice from faculty.

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening:  Corporate Environmental Responsibility
Presenter: Jackie Ogden, Vice President of Disney’s Animal Programs and Environmental Initiaties, Orlando, FL.
            Ogden will talk about Disney’s commitment to corporate environmental responsibility, using their business and operational initiatives, stewardship and public education/outreach programs to illustrate the ways that businesses can help ameliorate threats to the environment.

Wednesday  June 24   WILDLIFE IMMOBILIZATION

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 am – 12:30 pm:  Immobilization of Wildlife - Lecture
Presenters:  Scott Citino, Jeff Zuba (San Diego Wild Animal Park), and Greg Fleming (Disney Animal Kingdom).
Citino, Zuba and Fleming will provide a comprehensive overview on comparative anesthesiology and pharmacology, immobilization methods and equipment, physical vs. chemical restraint, and safety practices for use with captive and free-ranging wildlife.

12:30 pm:  Lunch

1:30 – 6:00 pm: Immobilization of Wildlife - Lab
Leads: Citino, Zuba, and Fleming
            A hands-on laboratory introducing students to anesthetic monitoring equipment for the field, dart projectors and darting.  Video examples of physical and chemical immobilization will be presented.

7:00:  Dinner

Evening: Open

Thursday June 25   WILDLIFE IMMOBILIZATION (CONT.)

5:30 am:  Breakfast

6:15 am – 12:30 pm:  Immobilization of Wildlife – Field Demonstrations
Leads:  Citino, Zuba, and Fleming and WOCC animal care staff
          Field demonstrations of, and hands-on experience with, physical restraint and immobilization of large ruminants (bongo), zebra, and other sensitive and/or difficult species (e.g. gerenuk).

12:30 pm:  Lunch; video presentation by White Oak Animal Care staff on mechanical, physical and behavioral restraint techniques used at White Oak Conservation Center.

1:30 – 6:30 pm:  Group Assignment Working Time

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening:  P.S. Wildlife immobilization case studiesPresenters: Fleming and Zuba
Leads: Fleming and Zuba
            Fleming and Zuba have both worked closely in cooperation with African colleagues on various wildlife health and conservation challenges which have presented their teams with wildlife immobilization challenges. They will wrap up the wildlife immobilization unit by describing their experiences and encouraging students to thinking about how they would address challenging situations that may arise when immobilizing free-ranging wildlife.

Friday June 26  

7:00 am: Breakfast

8:00 – 11:00 am: Group Assignment Time
            Turn in Part II of assignment at 11:00

11:15 am: Depart White Oak for Jacksonville Zoo (bag lunch)

12:00 – 5:30 pm: Jacksonville Zoo Field Trip
Leader: Nick Kapustin, Senior Veterinarian, Jacksonville Zoo
            Kapustin and his colleagues will present an overview of Jacksonville Zoo’s local and international conservation partnerships, illustrating important contributions that zoos can make to both conservation and public awareness. We will tour the zoo’s new Amphibian Conservation Center and other exhibits linked with conservation efforts, and have free time to explore the zoo.

7:00 pm: Dinner

Evening: Introduction to Envirovet 2009 Tanzania Session
Presenter: Deana Clifford, UC Davis Wildlife Health Center
            Clifford will provide a glimpse of your time in Tanzania: the schedule, logistics, the people you will meet, and the sites and projects the course will visit.

Saturday June 27     NON-CLINICAL COMPETENCIES & CAREER PATHS

7:00 am: Breakfast

8:00 - 9:30 am: Human Dimensions of Wildlife
Presenter, Michael Manfredo, Colorado State University
             Manfredo is Head of the Departments of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship at Colorado State University. He will get us started thinking about the role of social science in natural resource management.  He will discuss his latest research examining how human values towards wildlife are changing and why we must consider the “human dimension”.

 9:45 - 10:45 am: Practicing Ecosystem Health
Presenter: Gwen Griffith, Cumberland River Compact
            Griffith's career as a veterinarian has spanned the gamut between work as an equine practitioner to her present position as the director of a watershed protection program, funded by the EPA and run by a regional nonprofit, the Cumberland River Compact. Griffith's career exemplifies the many paths one can forge as a veterinarian with a commitment to wildlife and ecosystem health 

11:00 – 12:15 pm: Grant Writing
Presenter:  Robert Perry, U. North Carolina's Albemarle Ecological Field Site
            Perry was the Environment Program Director at the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation for many years, where he reviewed and awarded hundreds of grant proposals.  He will share his first-hand experiences in what constitutes an excellent grant proposal.

12:15 – 12:30 pm: Orientation to Grant Review Exercise
Presenter: Deana Clifford, UC Davis Wildlife Health Center
            Students will read and review a grant. Students will break into groups with a facilitator, hold a mock grant review panel, and decide whether or not to fund the grant proposal. We will discuss why or why not groups decided to fund the proposal and let you know what the actual panel decision was.

12:30 pm:  Lunch

1:30 - 4:00 pm: Grant Review Exercise
Facilitators: Perry and Clifford
            Time to work on assignment and engage in group discussion on reviews.

4:00 – 6:00 pm:  Group Project Working Time

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening:  How to Effectively Work With Difficult People and Resolve Conflicts
Presenter: Kelly Williamson, White Oak Conservation Center and White Oak Plantation
            The ability to communicate effectively affects every aspect of a person’s life. As well, interpersonal and intragroup conflict presents problems for many people, and the resulting stress often spills over into their lives outside of work. This session is geared towards students to help them recognize their effectiveness in communicating with others, and understand sources of, and common reactions to, conflict in the workplace.

Sunday June 28    NON-CLINICAL COMPETENCIES (cont.)

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 am – 11:00 am:  Media Training
Presenter:  Rob Hilsenroth, American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
            Hilsenroth will advise students on how and when to work with the print and broadcast media to convey conservation messages and communicate about environmental crises.  Students will have a chance to practice interview techniques. Students will practice media skills in group activities and on camera.

11:15 am – 12:30 pm: The Global Bushmeat Crisis
Presenter: Heather Eves, Bushmeat Crisis Task Force and Adjunct Professor, Virginia Polytechnic and State University
            Eves is a wildlife biologist whose conservation work began in Africa in 1985 with a focus on the bushmeat trade beginning in 1994.  Eves will present an overview of the unsustainable bushmeat trade including trade drivers and dynamics as well as conservation and health impacts. Wordwide demand for bushmeat, including the United States, will be discussed.  Successful and unsuccessful strategies to mitigate bushmeat trade will be highlighted, and existing and proposed programs, policy and legislation will be outlined.

12:30:  Lunch

Afternoon: FREE

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening: Group Project Working Time

Monday June 29   MANAGING ENDANGERED POPULATIONS

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 – 9:15 am: Wildlife Translocation: Applying Principles of Risk Management
Presenter:  Scott Citino, White Oak Conservation Center
            Citino will discuss the implications of wildlife translocation and reintroduction programs for the health and sustainability of free-ranging populations, and stress the importance of considering these potential impacts when planning and implementing a translocation program.

9:30 – 12:30 pm:  Ex-situ Conservation: Endangered Species Reproduction
Presenters:  Linda Penfold (White Oak Conservation Center) and Bill Swanson (Cincinnati Zoo's Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife)
            Penfold and Swanson will present principles, techniques and strategies used to enhance the reproductive health of threatened and endangered species in captivity, as well as ways in which this research is coupled with conservation of these species in the wild, including the challenges inherent in linking captive breeding to in situ conservation.

12:30 - 1:30 pm:  Lunch

1:45  - 5:00 pm:  Laboratories
Leads:  Linda Penfold, Bill Swanson, and Cyd Teare (White Oak Conservation Center)
            Students will divide into two groups and each group will rotate through concurrent laboratories on: 1) assisted reproduction techniques; and 2) biological sample handling

5:15 – 6:15 pm: Case Studies: Bongo Translocation to Kenya; Kenyan Gerenuk Semen Importation to the US
Presenters:  Linda Penfold and Fran Lyon (White Oak Conservation Center)
            Penfold and Lyon will illustrate real-life problem solving in the areas of assisted reproduction, animal translocation, and biological sample handling.

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening: Role of the Wildlife Veterinarian in Species Conservation Efforts
Presenter: Dave Hunter, Turner Enterprises, Inc. and Turner Endangered Species Fund
            Hunter spent the first part of his career as a wildlife veterinarian working for state wildlife agencies in California and Idaho, and now serves as head veterinarian for the domestic and wild animal populations living on Ted Turner's ranches in North and South. His experiences as a wildlife veterinarian range from darting bighorn sheep to negotiating park boundaries in foreign countries.

Tuesday June 30 – DISEASE SURVEILLANCE & DIAGNOSIS IN WILDLIFE

7:00 am: Breakfast

8:00 – 9:00 am:  Group Project Time

9:00 am – 12:30 pm:  Anthropogenic Drivers of Disease in Wildlife
Presenter: John Fischer, Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS)
            Fischer will present an overview of important diseases of wildlife, with an emphasis on diseases that occur as a result of human perturbation of natural ecosystems.  Also, he will introduce the purpose, principles and practice of wildlife disease surveillance, and talk about the role of the wildlife disease diagnostician in monitoring ecosystem health. Students will be oriented to the afternoon laboratory session.

12:30 pm: Lunch

1:30 – 5:00 pm:  Laboratory - Wildlife Necropsy Techniques
Lead: Kevin Keel, SCWDS
            As part of routine white-tailed deer herd health surveillance at White Oak Plantation, students will break into groups of 4-5 each to conduct a white-tailed deer necropsy, collecting and recording extensive pertinent data.

7:00 pm: Dinner

Evening: The Role of the Private Sector in Conservation and Ecosystem Health
Presenter: Beau Turner, The Turner Foundation, Inc. and Turner Endangered Species Foundation
            Turner will provide a personal account of his family’s dedication to wildlife and wildlands conservation and ecosystem health through the The Turner Foundation, Inc., which was founded in 1990 as a private independent family foundation committed to preventing damage to the natural systems – water, air, and land – on which all life depends.

Wednesday July 1   GOVERNMENT, THE LAW, AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 - 9:30 am: The Role of Government and Policy in Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Presenter:  Dean Goeldner, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services
            Based on many years working as a veterinarian in both the legislative and executive branches of the United States government, and in the Governmental Affairs Office of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Goeldner will talk about how lawmaking works, and how and when veterinarians play a critical role.  He will illustrate his points by describing first-hand his responsibilities within the USDA to establish a federal program for chronic wasting disease control. 

9:45 - 10:45 pm:  The Role of Veterinarians in International Animal Health Programs
Presenter:  Karen Sliter, Deputy Director, USDA APHIS International Services
            Veterinarians play critical roles in treating and preventing disease in domestic and wild animals worldwide.  Most projects and programs are collaborative, involving close work with in-country nationals, entail immersion in foreign cultures, and present unique challenges not faced by veterinarians working in their home countries. Sliter will describe the role of governmental veterinarians in international health surveillance and security.

11:00 - 12:30 pm: Citizenship – Exercising Environmental Rights under the Law
Presenter:  Thomas Dawson, Wisconsin Department of Justice.
            Dawson will shed light on some of the country’s most powerful environmental laws, discuss their limitations, and be frank about the motivations of the legal profession, corporate America, and conservationists in using courts of law to wage environmental battles.  He’ll inspire us all to exercise our rights as citizens to participate in the democratic process and use the law to achieve our goals.

12:30 pm:  Lunch

Afternoon: CASE STUDIES IN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH

1:30 – 4:30 pm: Group Project Working Time

4:45 – 6:00 pm: The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project
Presenter:  Mike Cranfield, Maryland Zoo
            As the Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, Cranfield is closely involved with addressing the complex human health and welfare issues surrounding the conservation of mountain gorillas, including the vital role that ecotourism plays in protecting the species from extinction, as well as the critical role that veterinary medicine plays in ensuring the sustainability of the species. 

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening: Linking Community Health and Conservation Through Family Planning
Presenter:  Lynne Gaffikin, Evaluation and Research Technologies for Health, Inc.
            Gaffikin works on family planning and women’s reproductive health in places where the health and sustainability of surrounding wildlife populations and habitats are inextricably linked to the prosperity and well-being of communities.

Thursday July 2 CASE STUDIES IN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH (cont)

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 –11:00: Group Project Presentations

11:15 - 12:30 pm: Carnivore Conservation and Medicine: Lessons Learned From Captivity and the Wild
Presenter:  Linda Munson, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine  
            Munson will discuss her research on the health of captive and wild cheetah and Channel Island fox populations, her collaborations with the non-profit organizations like the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, which strives to reduce conflict between these species and communities, and will put in a plug for the vital role that pathology plays in understanding and contributing to conservation

12:30 pm: Lunch

1:30 – 2:45 pm: From Honeybees to Rhinoceros: Conservation Engages All Forms of Life
Presenter:  Robin Radcliffe, Cornell University and the International Rhino Foundation
            Radcliffe's work focuses on the health and conservation of rhinoceros species around the globe, yet his interest in finding sustainable conservation solutions is broad-based.  He will compare and contrast significant conservation challenges facing two seemingly disparate taxonomic organisms:  the tiny honeybee on one end of the size scale and the megavertebrate rhinoceroses on the other. 

3:00 – 4:15  pm: One World, One Health
Presenter:  Steve Osofsky, Wildlife Conservation Society Field Veterinary Program
            Impacts from interactions between domestic animals and wildlife and habitat are often profound. The issues at this interface are of critical importance to the long-term ecological and sociopolitical security of national parks, game reserves and grazing lands worldwide. The Animal Health for the Environment And Development (AHEAD) program helps catalyze problem-solving in the places where tensions and challenges at the livestock health/wildlife health/human health interface are often greatest.

4:15 – 5:15 pm:  Roundtable Discussion

**** Turn in Course Evaluations!!! *****

6:30 pm:  Party at the Pavilion

*****************
July 3 am:  Depart White Oak

 

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Session Two: Aquatic Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
July 5 - 18, 2010

Arrival and Check-in, Introduction to the Facilities, Holiday Weekend
Unless Otherwise Noted Below:  Breakfasts at Harbor Branch will be from 7:00 to 7:45 AM in the Cafeteria Each Day.

July 4 will offer students some time to relax immediately before the intensive aquatic unit to come.  There will be opportunities for the group to have an informal learning excursion on July 4 and July 12.  Students who wish to do some shopping should do it during those days. 

Friday, July 3

7:00 AM: Breakfast in the Café at White Oak.

8:00 AM: Leave White Oak to drive to St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European- and African-established city, and the oldest port, in the continental United States.  Time on your own to explore.   

Noon – 1:30: Lunch.

1:30 PM: Depart from St. Augustine.

4:30 - 5:00 PM: Students and Envirovet director arrive at FAU, HBOI.  Greeting of the Envirovet Group. 
Presenter: Mrs. Brandy Nelson, Laboratory Leader of the Marine Education Unit, HBOI, FAU, Fort Pierce, Florida.

5:00 – 6:00 PM:   Settle into housing. 

6:00 – 6:30 PM:   Brief Introduction to Harbor Branch. 
Presenter: Mrs. Nelson.

6:30 – 7:30 PM:   Dinner.

Evening:               Free. 

Saturday, July 4

Fourth of July Holiday Break.  Park exploration, beach, and/or shopping in the daytime.  Breakfast and lunch out.  Early evening, pizza and salad carry out to housing quarters.  Evening gathering on the beach to see a classical Independence Day fireworks display. 

Sunday, July 5

9:00 – 10:00 AM:   Meet in the Education Center in the lobby where you see all the glass for the opening breakfast

10:00 – 10:30 AM: Formal Welcome to HBOI, History of the Institution, Key Personnel, Some of What to Expect. 
Presenters: Dr. Dennis Hanisak, Director, Marine Education Unit, HBOI, Mrs. Nelson, and Dr. Val Beasley, Envirovet Program in Wildlife and Ecosystem Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. 
 

Assessing and Restoring Freshwater, Estuarine, and Marine Ecosystem Health

10:30 AM – Noon:  Tour of the HBOI Campus and Submarine Facility
Presenter: Mrs. Nelson, Mr. James Nelson, FAU, HBOI Marine Operations, and Ms. Tracy Griffin, FAU, HBOI Marine Education Unit.  

Noon – 12:30 PM:   What Veterinarians Bring to the Table of Aquatic Animal and Ecosystem Health. 
Presenter: Dr. David Jessup, Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, California Division of Fish and Game, Santa Cruz, California.

12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch.

1:30 – 3:30 PM: Freshwater and Marine Ecology:  Watersheds, basic energetics, nutrient flows, currents, tides, mixing, salinity, temperature, in estuarine, coastal, and deeper water marine ecosystems. 
Presenter: Dr. Ed Proffitt, FAU, HBOI.

3:30 – 4:30 PM: Ecosystem Health:  How Do You Diagnose and Treat a Sick Ecosystem?  
Presenter: Dr. Jessup.

4:30 – 6:30 PM:  Principles of Ecosystem Management; and Everglades Ecological Restoration as a Case Study. 
Presenters: Drs. Lorraine Heisler and Matthew C. Harwell, both of US Fish & Wildlife Service, Vero Beach, Florida.   

6:30 – 7:30 PM: Dinner.

Evening:  Free.                                      

Monday, July 6

8:00 – 9:00 AM:  Coral Hatchery. 
Presenters: Mr. Dustin Dorton, President, Oceans, Reefs, and Aquariums, FAU, HBOI and Dr. Josh Voss, Marine Science Department, FAU, HBOI. 
                                               
9:00 – 11:00 AM: Coral Structure, Nutrition, and Ecology. 
Presenter: Dr. Thomas Eurell, Marine Medicine Pathobiology Academic Program, School of Veterinary Medicine St. George's University Grenada, West Indies.

11:00 AM – Noon: Broad Overview of Coral Diseases:  Nutrients, Algae, Cyanobacteria, Other Bacteria, Viruses, Toxins, Acids, Elements, Manmade Chemicals, Elevated Temperatures:  Their Sources and Their Individual and Interactive Effects on Coral Species and on Reef Health and Sustainability. 
Presenter: Dr. Eurell. 

Noon – 1:00 PM:  Lunch.

1:00 – 2:00PM:  Molecular Methods Used in Diagnosis and Mechanistic Studies of Coral Disease. 
Presenter: Dr. Voss

2:00 – 4:00 PM:  Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit in Ft. Pierce:  Tour including multiple species of coral in mixed species exhibits, featuring the Oculina deep water coral, aspects of ecology and biology, as well as saltwater aquarium management for displays and research. 
Presenters: Smithsonian scientists, Dr. Eurell , Dr. Edwin Hernández-Delgado, Coral Reef Research Group, Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Mrs. Nelson.   

4:30 – 5:30 PM: Coral Reef Destruction from Natural and Manmade Stressors around the World.  Dr. Hernández-Delgado.
 
5:30 – 6:30 PM:  Dinner.

6:30 – 7:30 PM:  Coral Reef and Estuarine Rehabilitation.  Dr. Hernández-Delgado.

7:30 – 8:00 PM:  Plans for July 7 and July 8 Morning Field Exercises.  What We Will be Looking for, Seeing, and Measuring:  How and why we will make these observations and assessments. 
Presenters: Dr. David Cox, David Cox Consulting, Vero Beach, Florida, and Mrs. Nelson.

Tuesday, July 7

8:00 AM – Noon: Environmental and Ecological Assessments and Sampling
Presenters: Drs. Cox and Beasley, Mrs. Nelson, Ms. Griffin, and HBOI Marine Botany staff. 
      Comparisons of water quality parameters, plankton, nekton, macrophytes, and macro-invertebrates in the water column and benthic zones of clean and contaminated areas.  Sampling water and sediments for toxicologic analyses.  Students will be split into groups and rotate through all components.

Noon – 1:00 PM: Lunch.

1:00 – 3:00 PM: Laboratory Husbandry and Examination Methods for Marine Specimens Collected from the Field. 
Presenters: Dr. Cox, Mr. Thomas Landry, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, New Brunswick, Canada, and Mrs. Nelson.

3:00 – 4:00 PM: Open and Semi-open Aquaculture Systems Used to Produce Invertebrates for Human Food.  Differences among Species.  Infectious and Toxicologic Diseases in Production Systems.
Presenter: Mr. Landry.

4:00 – 5:00 PM: Form, Function, and Health Problems of Shrimp/Prawns.  Management of Ecosystems for their Health and Long-term Sustainability. 
Presenter: Mr. Landry.

5:00 – 6:00 PM: Dinner.

6:00 – 7:30 PM: Form, Function, and Some Major Health Problems of Bivalves.  Management of Ecosystems for their Health and Long-term Sustainability. 
Presenter: Mr. Landry.

Wednesday, July 8

8:00 – Noon:  From the Water to the Mangroves to the Top of the Watershed:  An Illustration of Ecological Communities, Stressors, Problems, and High- and Low-Tech Solutions.  
Presenters: Dr. Cox and Mrs. Nelson.  
      Visit to a landfill, the inside of a sewage-treatment plant, and a “polishing marsh.”

Noon – 1:30 PM:  Shower and then lunch.

1:30 – 3:00 PM:  Form, Function, and Health Problems of Lobster, Crayfish, and other Arthropods.  Management and Ecosystem Rehabilitation for Sustainable Health of these Organisms in the Wild.  Humane Treatment and Methods for Euthanasia of these Species. 
Presenter: Dr. Matt Allender, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee.  

3:00 – 4:00 PM:  Form, Function, and Health Problems of Horseshoe Crabs.  Management and Ecosystem Rehabilitation for their Health and Long-term Sustainability in the Wild. 
Presenter: Dr. Allender.

4:00 – 5:00 PM: Invasive Species and Impacts on Aquaculture Systems.  Mr. Landry.

5:00 – 6:00 PM:   Dinner.

6:00 – 8:30 PM:  Laboratory:  Comparative Anatomy, Bleeding of Aquatic Invertebrates, Hematology, Euthanasia, Necropsy Methods, Morphology and Health Assessments. 
Presenters: Dr. Allender, Mr. Landry, and Dr. Kat Hadfield, National Aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland.  


Morphology, Physiology, and Management of Fishes, Amphibians, and Aquatic Reptiles in Enclosed Systems and the Wild.  Microbial, Parasitic, and Toxic Stressors.   Island-Based Fish Anesthesia, Health Monitoring, and Diagnostic Sampling.

Thursday, July 9

8:00 – 9:00 AM: Comparative Morphology of Fishes.  Links to Fish Behavior, Ecology, and Reproduction, and Susceptibility to Environmental Change.  
Presenter: Dr. Roy Yanong, Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Ruskin, Florida.    

9:00 – 11:00 AM:    Comparative Physiology, Metabolism, and Pharmacokinetics/Toxicokinetics in Fishes. 
Presenter: Dr. Kevin Kleinow, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.    
       Cardiorespiratory and renal physiology.  The gill as a respiratory, metabolic, and excretory organ.  Phase I and Phase II metabolism by fishes.  Influence of body size, temperature, and other environmental variables on xenobiotic fate in fishes. 

11:00 AM – Noon:   Generalized Stress Responses in Confined Fishes.  
Presenter: Dr. Hadfield.
     Impacts of temperature, crowding, biological oxygen demand, and ammonia cycle.  Case histories.

Noon – 1:00 PM: Lunch.

1:00 – 2:00 PM:  Important Viral and Bacterial Diseases of Fishes Related to Environmental Management (Restocking, Introductions of Exotic Species, Nutrient Loading, Water Quality Problems, Pathogen Pollution) . 
Presenters: Drs. Hadfield and Yanong.
     Case histories.

2:00 – 3:30 PM: Fish Parasitology and Ecosystem Health, Part I.
Presenter: Dr. Hadfield.
      Metazoan parasites of fishes.  How environmental change can influence parasitic diseases. 

3:30 – 5:00 PM: Fish Parasitology and Ecosystem Health, Part II. 
Presenters: Dr. Yanong and Dr. Jan Lovy, Atlantic Veterinary College.  Prince Edward Island.
      Protozoans, Microsporidia, and Myxosporea of Fishes.  Pathogenesis and Major Diseases Caused by These Organisms.  How Environmental Changes Can Influence Parasitic Diseases.

5:00 – 6:00 PM:  Dinner.

6:00 – 8:00 PM:   Open Forum on Water Use, and Health/Sustainability Issues & Managing Microbial Ecology for Health Promotion.   
Presenters: Dr. Kleinow, other Envirovet faculty members, and Envirovet students.

Friday, July 10

8:00 – 9:00 AM:  Physical Examination Methods for Fishes.
Presenter: Dr. Hadfield.

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM:  Fish Collection Using Bag Seines and Boats off the Spoil Islands in the Indian River Lagoon. 
Presenters: Drs. Hadfield, Yanong, and Allender, Mrs. Nelson, and Mr. Jerry Corsaut of the FAU, HBOI Aquatic Field Research Group.
      Blood collection, anesthesia, euthanasia, ante-mortem sampling for toxicology and parasitology, necropsy, and tissue collections for histopathology, parasitology, microbiology, virology, and toxicology.  

1:00 – 2:30 PM:   Lunch, shower, and change clothes and shoes (bathing & changing are not optional due to biosecurity issues). 

2:30 – 4:30 PM:   Tour of FAU, HBOI Closed Aquaculture Facilities for Culture of Expensive Food Fish. 
Presenters: Drs. Paul Wills and John Scarpa, and Ms. Amber Garr of the Aquaculture Research and Education Program of FAU, HBOI, and Drs. Yanong and Hadfield.    

4:30 – 5:30 PM:  Risks and Impacts of Intensive Semi-Open Aquaculture Culture Systems on Wild Fishes and Other Components of the Environment. 
Presenter: Dr. Lovy.

5:30 – 6:30 PM:  Dinner.

6:30 – 7:30 PM:  Debate, Discussion, and Visioning for the Future of Wild Fisheries and Aquaculture Addressing Two Questions:  What Should Be Done and How Can We Get There? 
Presenters: Envirovet 2009 students, and Drs. Wills, Lovy, Yanong, Hadfield, and Kleinow, as well as Dr. Matt Allender, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Saturday, July 11

8:00 – 9:00 AM:    Comparative Morphology of Amphibians. 
Presenter: Dr. Allender. 
      Integumentary, digestive, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive adaptations; and how these set the stage for infectious and toxicologic diseases. 

9:00 – 10:30 AM:   Amphibian Infectious Diseases and Anesthesia for Amphibians
Presenter: Dr. Hadfield.   

10:30 AM – Noon:  Amphibians, Amphibian Declines, and Amphibian Eco-toxicology.   
Presenter: Dr. Beasley.

Noon – 1 PM:  Lunch.   

1:00 – 2:00 PM:  Comparative Morphology of Aquatic Reptiles. 
Presenter: Dr. Allender. 
      Integumentary, digestive, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive adaptations; and how these set the stage for infectious and toxicologic diseases. 

2:00 – 3:00 PM:  Diseases of Aquatic Reptiles - Turtles, Snakes, and Crocodilians.  
Presenter: Dr. Allender.

3:00 – 6:00 PM:  Dissection Lab:  Frogs, Salamanders, and Aquatic Chelonians, Aquatic Snakes, and an Alligator. 
Presenter: Dr. Allender.

6:00 – 7:00 PM:  Dinner

Evening:    Free.

Sunday, July 12 

Day Off:  Rest Up.   Ecotourism & Cultural Exploration at Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation for the Billie Swamp Safari (air boat ride, swamp buggy ride, critter show) and Visit Ah-Tha-Thi-Ki Museum.

 

Introduction to Ecological Pharmacology and Toxicology

Monday, July 13

8:00 – 9:00 AM:  Drug Discovery from Marine Organisms. 
Presenter: Dr. Peter McCarthy, FAU, HBOI

9:00 – 11:00 AM:  Introduction to Ecotoxicology. 
Presenter: Dr. Beasley.

11:00 AM – Noon:   Mutagenesis and Carcinogenesis Related to Environmental Contaminants. 
Presenter: Dr. Rhian Cope, Netherlands. 

Noon – 1:30 PM:  Lunch. 

1:30 – 2:30 PM:   Background on the Endocrine System and Endocrine Disruptors. 
Presenter: Dr. Jim Gelsleichter, University of  North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida.  

1:30 – 2:30 PM:  Case Studies of Endocrine Disruption in Fishes.  
Presenter: Dr. Gelsleichter.
     A systems biology approach to endocrine disruption research.

3:30 – 5:30 PM:  Endocrine Disruption in Alligators and other Vertebrates. 
Presenter: Dr. Louis Guillette, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.   

5:30 – 6:30 PM:  Dinner.

Evening:  Free.

Tuesday, July 14               

8:00 – 9:00 AM:   Comparative Morphology, Physiology, and Life Histories of Water Birds (gulls, terns, related birds, waterfowl, aquatic-feeding raptors, penguins, and other sea birds).  
Presenter: Dr. Michael Fry, American Bird Conservancy, Washington, DC.    

9:00 – 11:00 PM:   Contaminants and Wild Birds.   
Presenter: Dr. Fry.  

11:00 AM – Noon:  Freshwater (Cyanobacterial) Phycotoxicology.
Presenter: Dr. Beasley.
     Freshwater and brackish sources and principal effects of cyclic peptide hepatotoxins (microcystins and nodularin) and the neurotoxins, anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(s), and saxitoxins in birds and mammals. 

Noon – 1:00 PM:  Lunch.

1:00 – 2:00 PM:   Marine Phycotoxicology
Presenter: Dr. Beasley.
    Estuarine and marine sources, and principal effects of saxitoxin, domoic acid, and brevetoxins in birds and marine mammals.  

2:00 – 3:30 PM:   The European Union’s Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) Legislation, and How One Economic Community Can Move Others toward an Era of Higher Environmental Standards and Better Product Stewardship. 
Presenter: Dr. Cope. 

3:30 – 4:30 PM:   Group Discussion:  Students Meet to Develop Specific Plans to Get Toxicologic and Ecotoxicologic Insult Behind Us. 
    Group 1 will address regional agricultural concerns in a developed country; Group 2 will address a major metropolitan area of a developed country; Group 3 will address either mining or petroleum in a developing country; and Group 4 will develop a program for the Earth to be proposed to a World Conference of National Political Leaders on the Topic of Ecological Stewardship.  Work up a power point presentation for the group to be presented by at least two members of the group.

4:30 – 5:30 PM:  Ten-Minute Student Presentations, Plus 5 Minutes Each for Discussion. 

5:30 – 6:30 PM:  Dinner.

Evening:   Free. 

Wednesday, July 15  

Major Infectious, Parasitic, and Toxic Diseases of Waterbirds and Raptors.

8:00 – 9:00 AM:     Virology Update and Why RNA Viruses are so Often Involved in Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases. 
Presenter: Dr. Daniel Martineau,  Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center (Quebec region), Département de Pathologie et Microbiologie Vétérinaire, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St. Hyacinth, Quebec, Canada.    

9:00 – 11:00 AM     Avian Pathology and Infectious Diseases:  Major Viral, Bacterial, Fungal, and Parasitic Diseases of Waterfowl and Raptors.  
Presenter: Dr. Scott Terrell, Disney Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Florida. 

11:00 AM – Noon:   Avian Influenza 
Presenter: Dr. Joseph Gaydos, Orcas Island Office, SeaDoc Society, Wildlife Health Center, University of California-Davis, Eastsound, Washington.
    Overview of the Risks of a Serious Pandemic, Countermeasures, and Communications.  Implications for Developed and Developing Countries.

Noon – 1:00 PM:  Lunch.

1:00 – 3:00 PM:  Avian Influenza – Training Workshops.
Presenters: Drs. Gaydos and Terrell.

3:00 – 4:00 PM:  Whooping Cranes – Endangered Species Introduction. 
Presenter: Dr. Marilyn Spalding.  College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

4:00 – 5:00 PM:  Waterbird Diseases – Creating New Niches.  Dr. Spalding.

5:00 – 6:15 PM:  Urban Killer Whales, and Generating and Translating Science on Engandered Orcas and Other Marine Wildlife. 
Presenter: Dr. Gaydos.  

6:15 – 7:15 PM:   Barbeque Dinner.

Evening:   Free.        

Thursday, July 16

8:00 – 10:00 AM:  Oiled Wildlife, Petroleum and Other Hydrocarbon Spills, and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network of the University of California-Davis. 
Presenter: Dr. Gaydos.   
     Management of contaminated animals.  Working with the public.  Efforts to prevent spills. 

10:00 – 11:00 AM: Mercury in the Everglades. 
Presenter: Dr. Spalding.
 
11:00 – 11:30 PM:  Flamingo Die-offs in East Africa. 
Presenter: Dr. Beasley.

11:30 – 12:30 AM:  Lunch.  

12:30 – 3:30 PM:  Avian Necropsy Laboratory. 
Presenters: Drs. Terrell, Spalding, and Beasley.  
      Examination of a range of bird species that died in the field due to a wide array of stressors.  

Marine Mammals:  Morphology, Physiology, Infectious and Toxicologic Diseases.

4:00 – 6:00 PM:  Adaptive Anatomy and Physiology of Marine Mammals. 
Presenter: Dr. Lisa Hoopes, University of Florida and Disney's Animal Kingdom, Bay Lake, Florida.  
                                               
6:00 – 7:00 PM:  Dinner.

Evening:   Free

Friday, July 17

8:00 – 9:00 AM: Bottlenose Dolphin Health Assessment Project. 
Presenter: Dr. Gregory Bossart, Georgia Aquarium.  Atlanta, Georgia and HBOI.     

9:00 – 10:00 AM:  Emerging Diseases of Marine Mammals. 
Presenter: Dr. Bossart.  

10:00 – Noon:   Toxicology and Pathology of Beluga Whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary. 
Presenter: Dr. Martineau.

Noon – 1:00 PM:  Lunch

1:00 – 2:00 PM:   Conservation of Highly Endangered Monk Seals 
Presenter: Dr. Alonso Aguirre, Wildlife Trust.  New York, New York.

2:00 – 5:00 PM:   Necropsy Lab.  Examination of a Range of Species of Marine Mammals that Died in the Field due to a Wide Array of Stressors.  (Marine Mammal Necropsy Facility).  
Presenters: Drs. Bossart, Martineau, and Aguirre, Dr. Martine de Wit, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory, St. Petersburg, Florida, and the HBOI Marine Mammal Group.

6:00 – 7:00 PM:   Dinner.
                                                                                                                                                                               
Evening:   Free.

Saturday, July 18

8:00 – 10:00 AM:   Manatees and Marine Mammal Conservation Medicine. 
Presenter: Dr. Bossart.   

10:00 AM – Noon:  Manatees:  Threats and Management. 
Presenter: Dr. de Wit.  
       An inside look at pathologic and forensic investigations, and a discussion on how these influence management decisions. 

Noon – 1 PM:   Lunch.

1:00 – 3:00 PM:  Monitoring Arctic Marine Mammal Health. 
Presenter: Dr. Todd O’Hara,  Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska.   
     Working with Subsistence Cultures and Federal Agencies.  Heavy Metals and Organohalogen Contaminants in Marine Mammals. 

3:00 – 4:00 PM:  Wildlife Trust and Other Efforts to Refine Conservation Research, Stewardship, and Education. Outreach and Educational Programs in Latin America.  
Presenter: Dr. Aguirre. 

4:00 – 5:30 PM:    Aquatic Unit Wrap up Discussion:  Dr. Beasley

5:30 – 6:00 PM:    **** Turn in Course Evaluations!!! *****

5:00 – 6:00 PM:  Dinner.

Evening:   Free.

Sunday, July 19

2:00 AM:    Departure for Fort Lauderdale Airport en route to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

 

 

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