Developed Country Sessions

Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Issues and Techniques for the Developed and Developing World

Below is the itinerary for the 2010 program.

Session One: Terrestrial Wildlife and Ecosystem Health

Yulee, Florida, USA

& St. Catherines Island Midway, Georgia, USA

June 16 - July 3, 2010

Wednesday June 16   ARRIVAL DAY

Students arrive at White Oak throughout day.

5:30 – 6:45 pm:  Introduction to Envirovet Summer Institute Session I
Presenter:  Kirsten Gilardi, Co-Director, Envirovet Summer Institute, Terrestrial Session, 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. Students will introduce themselves to fellow students and faculty, and share their motivations and hopes for participation in Envirovet 2010.

7:00 pm: Ice-breaker, Dinner 

Thursday June 17   INTRODUCTORY PRINCIPLES

7:30 am:  Breakfast

8:30 – 10:30 am: Ecosystem Health as a Discipline, a Practice, and a Condition
Presenter: Val Beasley, Executive Director, Envirovet Program in Wildlife and Ecosystem Health, University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine.
            Beasley will introduce concepts of ecosystem health and conservation medicine, and will challenge participants to consider how vibrant natural ecosystems yield sustainability and benefits to society, as well as 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 the current crisis to an era of ecological recovery.

10:45 am – 12:00 pm: Linkages between Human Health and the Environment
Presenter: K. Gilardi
            The majority of emerging infections diseases in humans are zoonotic. Why?  What causes a pathogen to jump from animals to people? How are humans contributing to this phenomenon, and when and why is it not natural? Gilardi 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.

12:00 pm:  Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 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.

2:45 – 4:00 pm: Transfrontier Conservation
Presenter:  Steve Osofsky, WildlifeConservation Society
            The development of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) to further the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development through the harmonization of transboundary natural resource management is a priority for SADC (the Southern African Development Community). A key economic driver behind TFCAs is nature-based tourism that seeks to maximize returns from marginal lands in a sector where southern Africa enjoys a global comparative advantage. However, the management of wildlife and livestock diseases (including zoonoses – diseases transmissible between animals and people) within the envisaged larger transboundary landscapes remains unresolved and an emerging policy issue of major concern to livestock production, associated access to export markets, and other sectors, including public health, in the region. Dr. Osofsky will focus on TFCAs in southern Africa and potential ways forward.

4:15 – 5:00 pm:Grassroots Soccer
Presenter:  Jon and Pat Erickson
            Students will get outdoors and play Grassroots Soccer, a program to raise awareness about health and well-being issues among youth in developing countries.

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening:OPTIONAL viewing of the PBS film "State of the Planet's Wildlife."

Friday June 18   DRIVERS OF CHANGE; SOLUTIONS  

8:00 am: Breakfast

9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Ecological Economics
Presenter:  Jon Erickson, 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 toward solutions that balance ecosystem health and conservation with the economic well-being of individuals, communities, and the business sector?

12:00 pm: Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 pm:  Current Events:  Oil Spills and Wildlife
Presenter:  K. Gilardi
            The Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an environmental disaster with similarities to others that have happened before.  Gilardi will present an overview of the impacts of oil on wildlife and oiled wildlife care. She will provide a firsthand account of working on oil spill response, and describe the Wildlife Health Center’s current involvement with the Deepwater Horizon spill.

 
2:45 – 4:15 pm: One World, One Health
Presenter:  Steve Osofsky
         Human-animal interactions have important consequences for both human and animal health, as well as for the health of the environment we all share. These connections are increasingly relevant as climate change potentially facilitates expansion of disease vectors and as population growth means humans and animals increasingly share the same habitat. The “One Health” approach, focused on catalyzing problem-solving in places where tensions and challenges at the interface between animal (wild and domestic) and human health are often greatest,  can be relevant at a range of scales. Osofsky will discuss various 'One Health' entry points for mitigating conflicts between conservation and development by identifying and facilitating 'win-win' opportunities. Discussion will be encouraged.
           
4:30 – 5:30 pm: Gilman International Conservation Projects Worldwide
Presenters: Steve Shurter, Gilman International Conservation, White Oak Conservation Center
            Lukas or Shurter will provide an overview of White Oak Conservation Center, and Gilman International Conservation, and introduce flagship species conservation as an ecosystem health tool to protect remarkable sites of biodiversity.

5:30 – 6:00 pm: Group Assignment Introduction.
Presenter: K. Gilardi
            Gilardi will describe the group project assignment for Session I and establish working groups.

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Group Project Part I work time recommended before or after dinner.

Saturday June 19   WOCC TOUR; DRIVERS AND SOLUTIONS (cont)

6:30 am:  Breakfast

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 – 3:00 pm: The Global Bushmeat Crisis 
Presenter: Heather Eves,Bushmeat Crisis Task Force
            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. Worldwide 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.

3:15– 6:00 pm:  Conserving Iconic Species: Elephant Conservation and Management Presenter:  Susan Mikota, Elephant Care International
            The world’s African and Asian elephant populations encapsulate the challenges facing wildlife conservation in the 21st century:  habitat, hunting, disease, and politics (and by now, you know these are interrelated!).  Mikota has devoted her veterinary career to elephant conservation, and in one way or another has been immersed in all of the issues facing wild and working elephants.  She will discuss how elephants are affected by – and impact – ecosystem health (including human communities), the available strategies for mitigating stressors and conflict, and will highlight elephant disease issues that must be factored into all elephant conservation and management programs.

6:30 pm:  Dinner

Evening: Challenges and Rewards of International Collaborations
Group Discussion – All
            The composition of the Envirovet Class of 2010 truly exemplifies the opportunities and challenges of working to improve ecosystem health and conserve biodiversity: these are global challenges, with local implications, requiring people from multiple nations and differing educations, cultural backgrounds, and belief systems to work together. In the course of your career, you will likely work in places that are not your home, and will encounter unexpected “problems” as result of your objectives, training, preconceptions, and habits.  Our faculty will kickstart a discussion, sharing their own experiences and encouraging us all to openly discuss how international collaborations work and can succeed.
           
 

Sunday June 20  WILDLIFE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND DISEASE MODELING

7:30 am:  Breakfast

8:30 – 10:00 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.

10:15 am – 12:00 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. 

12:00 pm: Lunch

1:00– 4:00 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.

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening: Introduction to Envirovet 2010 in Tanzania
Presenter: Jonna Mazet, UC Davis Wildlife Health Center
            Mazet will provide a glimpse of your time in Tanzania: the schedule, logistics, the people you will meet, and the sites and projects the coursewill visit.

Monday June 21   JACKONVILLE ZOO FIELDTRIP

6:00 am:  Breakfast; turn in Group Project Part I

7:00 am – 2:00 pm:  Jacksonville Zoo  
Leader: Nick Kapustin, Senior Veterinarian, Jacksonville Zoo
            Kapustinand his colleagues will present an overview of Jacksonville Zoo’s local and international conservationpartnerships, 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.

4:30 – 6:00 pm: Corporate Environmental Responsibility
Presenter: Jackie Ogden, Vice President of Disney’s Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives, 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.

7:00 pm: Dinner

Group Project Part II worktime recommended.

Tuesday June 22   WILDLIFE HEALTH

7:30 am: Breakfast

8:30 – 12:00 pm:  Anthropogenic Drivers of Disease Problems 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.

12:00 pm: Lunch

1:00 – 6:00 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.

6:30 pm: Dinner

Evening:  Wildlife Translocation: Applying Principles of Risk Management
Presenter:  Scott Citino, White Oak Conservation Center
            As a prelude to the Wildlife Immobilization unit, Citino will discuss the implications of wildlife translocation and reintroduction programs for the health and sustainability of free-ranging populations, stressing ways to avoid pitfalls in planning and implementing a translocation program.

Wednesday June 23 WILDLIFE IMMOBILIZATION

7:00 am:  Breakfast

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

12:30 - 1:30 pm:  Lunch

1:45 – 6:00 pm: Immobilization of Wildlife - Lab
Leads: Citino, Fleming, Klein and Zuba
            A hands-on laboratory introducing students to equipment of value in zoos and the field for darting, immobilization, anesthesia, and monitoring of vital signs.

7:00:  Dinner

Thursday June 24  WILDLIFE IMMOBILIZATION (cont)

5:45 am:  Breakfast

6:30 am – 12:30 pm:  Immobilization of Wildlife – Field Demonstrations.  Leads: Citino, Fleming, Klein and Zuba, 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 andbehavioral restraint techniques used at White Oak Conservation Center.

Afternoon:  Group project Part II work time

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Friday June  25  SMALL POPULATION MANAGEMENT

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 – 10:30 am: Ex-situ Conservation: Endangered Species Reproduction
Presenters:  Linda Penfold (White Oak Conservation Center) and Bill Swanson (Cincinnati Zoo's Centerfor 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. Penfold will also illustrate real-life problem-solving in the areas of assisted reproduction, animal translocation, and biological sample handling.

10:45 am – 12:30 pm: Conservation Genetics
Presenter: Steve O’Brien, National Institutes of Health
            O’Brien will introducestudents to the principles of conservation genetics, and to the issues surrounding genetic management of small populations in a conservation setting.  Students will be introduced to the research and investigative tools used to study the genetics of small populations.

12:30 pm:  Lunch

1:30 – 6:00 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.

6:00 pm:  Dinner

Evening: Special Presentation: Biodiversity and Climate Change.

Presenter: 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. Lovejoy will present on the importance and value of biodiversity, and on the current and future impacts of global climate change on fundamental biological processes and ecosystems.

Saturday June 26   NON-CLINICAL COMPETENCIES

7:00:  Breakfast

8:00 – 10:15 am: Grant Writing
Presenter:  K. Gilardi
                Gilardi has spent considerable time on both sides of the grant proposal process: writing and reviewing.  She will utilize a “recipe” for grant-writing prepared by Robert Perry to walk students through the essentials of preparing an excellent proposal. Students will then read and review a grant, holding a mock grant review panel, and will 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 was the actual panel’s decision.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm: 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.

12:00 pm:  Lunch

1:00 – 4:00 pm:  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.

4:15 – 5:45 pm: Finding and Forging a Path
Presenter:  Ted Mashima, American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges
            Successful careers for wildlife and ecosystem health practitioners depend on non-clinical competencies in communication (interpersonal, oral, written), networking, management, leadership, adaptability, negotiation, and facilitating mentor relationships.  Mashima, a ACZM-board certified veterinarian with a breadth of experience in mentoring students, will offer insight and guidance on how to gain these skills throughout your career.

7:00 pm:  Dinner

Sunday June 27 – FREE DAY!!

Monday June 28  - WILDLIFE AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH POLICY

7:00 am:  Breakfast; turn in Group Project Part II by 8 am

8:00 – 10:15 am: The Role of Government and Policy in Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Presenter:  Dean Goeldner, Congressional Agriculture Committee Staffer
            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.

10:30 – 12:00 pm: Scientific Citizenship - Translating Research into Action 
Presenter:  Patricia Conrad, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
            Conrad, a veterinary parasitologist, is committed as a scientist to make sure her research is relevant to human, animal and ecosystem health, providing much-needed information for decision-makers.  She has taken this commitment one step further by seeking special training in communicating science.  She'll share her thoughts and experiences.

12:00 pm: Lunch

1:00 – 2:45 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.

3:00 – 4:30 pm: 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.

4:30 – 6:30: Group Project Part III work 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.

Tuesday June 29 -  CASE STUDIES IN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH

7:30 am:  Breakfast

8:30 – 9:45 am: 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.

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: African Elephants: Countering Overpopulation in the World's Largest Land Animals
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.

12:00 pm: Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 pm: The Mountain Gorilla One Health Program
Presenter:  Mike Cranfield, UC Davis and Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, Inc.
            As the Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project and Co-Director of the Mountain Gorilla One Health Program, 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.

2:45 – 4:00 pm: 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.

4:00 – 6:30 pm:  Group Project Part III work time

7:00 pm:  Dinner at the Pavilion

Wednesday June 30   PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Group Project Presentations

12:00 pm:  Lunch

1:00 – 3:00 pm:  Pack up

3:00 pm: Depart White Oak L; drive to St. Catherines Island

5:00 to 7:30 pm:  Depart dock, boat to island; set up camp upon arrival.

7:30 to 9 pm:  Dinner; brief introduction to St. Catherines Island unit.

Thursday July 1  ST. CATHERINES ISLAND

6:30 to 7:30 Breakfast 

8:00-10 am:  Field Exercise: Avian disease surveillance
Instructors:  Jen Hilburn, Brad Winn, Felicia Sanders, Terry Norton, Al Segars, Kirsten Gilardi, Veronica Greco, and Val Beasley
            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 Break and transport to beach.

10:30-11:45 am: Field Demonstration: Shorebird Conservation and Capture
Instructors: Winn, Sanders, Norton, Hilburn, and Greco      
            Students will help set up a cannon net and learn about how these nets are used to capture shorebirds, and shorebird conservation efforts along the GA coast.

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, Gilardi, 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: OPTIONAL: Reptile trapping
Instructors:  Kimberly Andrews and Jess Gonyer
            Interested students help biologist set traps for reptiles and amphibians.

6:00 pm:  Dinner

7:30 - 8:30 pm:  Cultural History of St. Catherines Island
Instructor:  Royce Hayes (St. Catherines Island)
            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 and Andrews
            Students will learn to identify amphibian calls, locate amphibians and alligators at night, and then we'll check out bioluminescence at the beach.

Fri July 2   ST. CATHERINES ISLAND

7:00 am:  Breakfast

8:00 - 9:30 am:  Field Demonstration:  Reptile and Amphibian Capture Techniques
Instructors: Hagen, Andrews, Norton, Segars, Gonyer, Jensen
            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: Telemetry
Instructors: Keith-Lukas, Gilardi, Inman, and Beasley
            Students will use radiotelemetry receivers and antennae to locate troops of lemurs that are free-ranging on St. Catherine's Island.

12:00 pm: Lunch

1:00-1:45 pm:  Gopher Tortoise Conservation on St. Catherines Island
Instructor: Norton
            An overview of St. Catherines Island’s translocated gopher tortoise population.

2:00-5:00 pm:  Field Exercise: Gopher Tortoise Health Assessment and Conservation
Instructors:  Norton, Segars, Hagen, Andrews, Gonyer, Jensen, Greco
            Students will conduct annual health assessments on the St. Catherines Island gopher tortoise population, which was established with a translocation effort from the mainland more than 10 years ago.  Students will learn about diseases of free-ranging tortoises, gopher tortoise ecology and breeding biology, and free-ranging gopher tortoise management in the southeast. Some instructors may need to leave but we will give students the time they need to process their tortoises.

4:30 - 6:30 pm:  Free time on island

6:30 pm:  Dinner; evening free

Saturday July 3, 2010   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:  Pack up, pack a box lunch

11:00  am: Depart St. Catherines Island

Afternoon:  Tour of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, lunch on the go.

3:00 pm:  Drive to Fort Pierce

=======================================================================

Session Two: Aquatic Wildlife and Ecosystem Health

Ft. Pierce, Forida, USA

July 3 - July 19, 2010

On July 3, Envirovet students and Dr. Beasley will drive from St. Catherines Island to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island Georgia, and after visiting there, to Fort Pierce and  Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (FAU/HBOI). 

Saturday, July 3      Arrive at Sandhurst Hotel & Suites in the early evening and settle into housing.  Note:  While at FAU/HBOI, students will have access to the computer lab in the education building. 

7:00 PM:      Dinner.  Envirovet will provide food at hotel. 

Evening:      Free.   

Sunday, July 4         

9:00 AM:     Envirovet will provide transportation to groups of people to one or more venues.  Breakfast at hotel. 

10:30 AM - 1:00 PM:    Options:  Park exploration, beach, or shopping.  Envirovet will provide transportation to groups of people.

1:00 – 2:15 PM:   Envirovet will provide transportation to groups of people to suitable venues for lunch. 

2:15 – 4:30 PM:    Options:  Rest at housing, shopping, park exploration, or snorkeling at your own risk (disinfected equipment provided by FAU/HBOI will be available at the hotel for this day), or shopping.  Envirovet will provide transportation to groups of people.   

5:00 – 6:00 PM:   Relax, shower.

6:00 – 7:00 PM:   Dinner on the beach.      

7:00 PM:  Evening gathering on the Indian River Lagoon to see a classical Independence Day fireworks display. 

Monday, July 5

7:00 – 8:00 AM:  Meet in the lobby of the Education Center of FAU/HBOI for the opening breakfast. 

8:00 – 8:30 AM: Formal Welcome to FAU/HBOI, History of the Institution, Key Personnel, Some of What to Expect.  Dr. Dennis Hanisak, Director, and Mrs. Brandy Nelson, educators, of the FAU/HBOI Marine Education Unit, 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

8:30 – 10:30 AM:  Tour of the FAU/HBOI Campus and Submarine Facility.  Mr. James Nelson, FAU/HBOI Marine Operations, and Mrs. Nelson, Ms. Tracy Griffin, and Ms. Kristy McKee, all of the FAU/HBOI Marine Education Unit.  

10:45 AM – Noon:   Freshwater and Marine Ecology:  Watersheds, hydrology, tides, basicenergetics, nutrient flows, human uses of water and salt water intrusion. Dr. Scott Haskell, Veterinary Technology Program, Yuba Community College, Marysville, California.

Noon – 100 PM:         Lunch.

1:00 – 3:00 PM:  Freshwater and Marine Ecology:   Mixing of freshwater and saltwater, where it occurs globally and how salinity and temperatures are affected.  Major factors that structure the biodiversity of estuarine, coastal, and deeper water marine ecosystems from the equator to the poles. Dr. Haskell. 

3:00 – 4:00 PM: Water Quality and Microbial Ecology.  Dr. Andy Stamper, Disney Living Seas, Orlando, Florida. 

4:00 – 6:00 PM:   Principles of Ecosystem Management; and Everglades Ecological Restoration as a Case Study.  Dr. Rebekah Gibble, of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Arthur R Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Boynton Beach, Florida.

6:00 – 7:00 PM:  Dinner.

7:00 – 8:00 AM:  Free.  

Tuesday, July 6

8:00 – 9:00 AM:   Coral Structure, Nutrition, and Ecology.  Dr. Josh Voss, Marine Science Department, FAU/HBOI. 
                               
9:00 – 10:00 AM:   Coral Hatchery.  Mr. Dustin Dorton, President, Oceans, Reefs, and Aquariums, FAU/HBOI, Drs. Voss and Stamper, and Dr. Edwin Hernández-Delgado, Coral Reef Research Group, Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.   

          
10:00 – 11:00 AM:    Broad Overview of Coral Diseases.  Nutrients, Algae, Cyanobacteria, Other Bacteria, Viruses, Toxins, Elements, Manmade Chemicals, Elevated Temperatures:  Their Sources and Their Individual and Interactive Effects on Coral Species and on Reef Health/Sustainability.  Dr. Voss.   

11:00 AM – Noon:   Molecular Methods Used in Diagnostic and Mechanistic Studies of Coral Disease. Dr. Voss

Noon – 1:00 PM:   Lunch.

1:00 – 2:00PM:  Acidification of Marine Environments:  Extent, Trends, and Projected Impacts.  Dr. Stamper.    

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.  Smithsonian scientists, Mrs. Nelson, Drs. Voss, Stamper, and Dr. Hernández-Delgado. 

4:30 – 5:30 PM:     Coral Reefs In A Crystal Ball Under Climate Change: Long-Term Impacts, Lessons Learned, Management Alternatives. Dr. Hernández-Delgado.

5:30 – 6:30 PM:     Dinner.

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

7:30 – 8:30 PM: Coral Reef and Estuarine Rehabilitation – Community Involvement.  Dr. Stamper. 

Wednesday, July 7     NOTE:  Breakfast from 6:30 – 7:30 AM Today.

7:30 – 8:00 AM:     Plans for Morning Field Exercises.  What We Will be Looking for, Seeing, and Measuring:  How and why we will make these observations and assessments.  Mrs. Nelson, Drs. Hanisak, Beasley, Haskell, and Dr. Jim Masterson of FAU/HBOI.    

8:00 AM – Noon:    Environmental and Ecological Assessments and Sampling.  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.Mrs. Nelson, Ms. Griffin, Dr. Masterson, and FAU/HBOI Marine Botany staff, Drs. Hanisak, Stamper, Haskell, and Beasley, and Dr. Matt Allender, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois.  

Noon – 1:00 PM:       Lunch.

1:00 – 3:00 PM:    Laboratory:   Husbandry and Examination Methods for Marine Specimens Collected from the Field.   Drs. Davidson, Haskell, Stamper, Masterson, and Allender, 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.  Dr. Jeff Davidson, Atlantic Veterinary College, Prince Edward Island, Canada.  

4:00 – 5:00 PM:     Form, Function, and Some Major Health Problems of Bivalves.  Management of Ecosystems for their Health and Long-term Sustainability.  Drs. Davidson and Haskell.   

5:00 – 6:00 PM:       Dinner.

Evening:         Free.

Thursday, July 8      NOTE:  Breakfast from 6:30 – 7:30 AM Today.

 7:30 – 8:00 AM:     Plans for Morning Field Exercises.  What We Will be Seeing and Doing.  Why this matters to ecosystem health.   Mrs.Nelson and Drs. Hanisak and Allender.

8:00 – 11:30 AM:     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.  Visit to a landfill, a sewage-treatment plant, and a “polishing marsh.”  Drs. Hanisak, Haskell, Davidson, Beasley, Allender, and Mrs. Nelson.

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM:   Shower and then lunch.

1:00 – 2:00 PM:    Form, Function, and Health Problems of Shrimp/Prawns.  Management of Ecosystems for their Health and Long-term Sustainability.  Dr. Davidson.

2:00 – 4:00 PM:   Form, Function, and Health Problems of Lobsters, Crayfish, Horseshoe Crabs, and other Arthropods and Sea Urchins.  Management and Ecosystem Rehabilitation for Sustainable Health of these Organisms in the Wild.  Humane Treatment and Methods for Euthanasia of these Species.  Drs. Haskell, and Allender.  

4:00 – 5:00 PM:    Invasive Species, Impacts on Aquaculture Systems, Management and Prevention.  Dr. Davidson. 

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.  Drs. Davidson, Haskell, and Allender, and Dr. Kat Hadfield, National Aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland.  

Friday, July 9

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.

8:00 – 9:00 AM:     Comparative Morphology of Fishes.  Links to Fish Behavior, Ecology, and Reproduction, and Susceptibility to Environmental Change.   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.  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.  Dr. Kevin Kleinow, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.    

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

Noon – 1:00 PM:    Lunch.

1:00 – 2:00 PM:      Physical Examination Methods for Fishes.  Dr. Hadfield. 

2:00 – 3:00 PM:     Important Viral and Bacterial Diseases of Fishes Related to Environmental Management (Restocking, Introductions of Exotic Species, Nutrient Loading, Water Quality Problems, Pathogen Pollution) .  Case histories.  Drs. Hadfield.

3:00 – 4:30 PM:    Fish Parasitology and Ecosystem Health, Part I  –  Metazoan Parasites of Fishes.  How Environmental Change Can Influence Parasitic Diseases.  Dr. Yanong.    

4:30 – 6:00 PM:     Fish Parasitology and Ecosystem Health, Part II – Protozoans, Microsporidia, and Myxosporea of Fishes.  Pathogenesis and Major Diseases Caused by These Organisms.  How Environmental Changes Can Influence Parasitic Diseases.  Dr. Yanong and Dr. Jan Lovy, Atlantic Veterinary College.  Prince Edward Island.  

6:00 – 7:00 PM:      Dinner.

Evening:        Start working on Group Discussion for afternoon of July 14.

Saturday, July 10

8:00 AM -- Noon:    Fish Collection Using Bag Seines and Boats off the Spoil Islands in the Indian River Lagoon.  Blood Collection, Anesthesia, Euthanasia, Ante-mortem Sampling for Toxicology and Parasitology, Necropsy, and Tissue Collections for Histopathology, Parasitology, Microbiology, Virology, and Toxicology.  Drs. Yanong, Allender, Kleinow, Lovy, and Beasley, Mrs. Nelson, and Mr. Jerry Corsaut of the FAU/HBOI Aquatic Field Research Group. 

Noon – 2:30 PM    Box Lunch, plus shower and change of 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.  Dr. Paul Wills and Ms. Amber Garr of the Aquaculture Research and Education Program of FAU/HBOI, and Drs. Yanong, Lovy, Kleinow, and Allender.    

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

5:30 – 6:30 PM:    Dinner.

6:30 – 7:30 PM:    Global Stressors and Outcomes on Aquatic Animals and Ecosystems.  Dr. Kleinow.

7:30 – 8:30 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?  Envirovet students, and Drs. Lovy, Yanong, Kleinow, and Allender.

Sunday, July 11

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

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

10:30 AM – Noon:  Amphibian Declines and Ecotoxicology.   Dr. Beasley.

Noon  -- 1 PM:      Lunch.   

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

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

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

6:00 – 7:00 PM:    Dinner

Evening:    Free.

Monday, July 12

Day Off:  Rest Up.   Optional Ecological and Cultural Tour:  Billie Swamp Safari and Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation at thenorth edge of the Everglades.

Tuesday, July 13

Introduction to Ecological Pharmacology and Toxicology

8:00 – 10:00 AM:    Introduction to Ecotoxicology.  Dr. Beasley.              

10:00 – 11:00 AM:    Cyanobacterial (Blue-Green Algal) Toxins:  Freshwater and brackish sources, principal effects of and countermeasures for animals exposed to cyclic peptide hepatotoxins (microcystins and nodularin) and the neurotoxins, anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(s), and saxitoxin in birds and mammals.  Dr. Beasley.

11:00 AM – Noon:     Marine Phycotoxins:  Estuarine and marine sources, and principal effects of saxitoxins, domoic acid, and brevetoxins in birds and marine mammals.   Dr. Beasley.

Noon – 1:00 PM:      Lunch. 

1:00 – 2:00 PM:     Background on the Endocrine System and Endocrine Disruptors.  Dr. Heather Hamlin, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.   

2:00 – 3:00 PM:    Case Studies of Endocrine Disruption in Fishes.  Dr. Hamlin.

3:00 – 5:00 PM:     Endocrine Disruption in Alligators and other Vertebrates.  Dr. Louis Guillette, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.  

5:00 – 6:00 PM:     Dinner.

Evening:     Continue working on Group Discussion for afternoon of July 14. 

Wednesday, July 14

8:00 – 10:00 AM:    Mutagenesis, Tissue Damage, and Other Mechanisms & Manifestations of Carcinogenesis in Wildlife.  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.    

10:00 – 11:00 AM:   Flamingo Die-offs in East Africa.  Dr. Beasley.

11:00 AM – Noon:    Contaminants and Wild Birds, Part 1.  Dr. Beasley for Dr. Michael Fry of the American Bird Conservancy, Washington, DC.  
                                               
Noon – 1:00 PM:     Lunch.

1:00 – 2:00 PM:    Contaminants and Wild Birds, Part 2.  Dr. Beasley for Dr. Fry.  

2:00 – 3:00 PM:  Drug Discovery from Marine Organisms.  Dr. Peter McCarthy, FAU/HBOI

3:00 – 4:30 PM:    Group Discussion:  Students Meet to Refine 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 Effective Methods to Prevent Ecotoxicologic Impacts through Prevention and Clean Up Efforts. 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 – 6:00 PM:     Faculty and students provide feedback.   

6:00 – 7:00 PM:    Dinner.

Evening:     Free. 

Thursday, 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.  Dr. Martineau.    

9:00 – 11:00 AM     Disease Emergence in Wild Birds: A Focus on Waterfowl and Raptors.   Dr. Milton Friend, US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin. 

11:00 AM – Noon:    Avian Influenza - Overview of the Risks of a Serious Pandemic, Countermeasures, and Communications.  Implications for Developed and Developing Countries.  Dr. Justin Brown, Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. 

Noon – 1:00 PM:      Lunch.

1:00 – 3:00 PM:    Wildlife Conservation and Wildlife Health.  Dr. Friend. 

3:00 – 4:00 PM:    Whooping Cranes – Endangered Species Introductions.  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 – 6:00 PM:      Dinner.

6:00 – 7:00 PM:      Mercury in the Everglades.  Dr. Spalding.

Friday, July 16

8:00 – 10:00 AM:    Avian Influenza Workshop.  Dr. Brown. 

10:00 – 10:30 AM:    Comparative Morphology, Physiology, and Life Histories of Water Birds (gulls, terns, related birds, waterfowl, aquatic-feeding raptors, penguins, and other sea birds).   Dr. Allender.    

10:30 AM – 1:00 PM:    Avian Necropsy Laboratory.  Examination of a range of bird species that died in the field due to a wide array of stressors.   Drs. Brown, Martineau, Spalding, Allender, Friend, and Beasley. 
 

1:00 – 2:00 PM:      Lunch.

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

2:00 – 4:00 PM:   Adaptive Anatomy and Physiology of Marine Mammals.  Dr. Juli Goldstein, FAU/HBOI.  

4:00 – 6:00 PM:    Toxicology and Pathology of Beluga Whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary.  Dr. Martineau.

6:00 – 7:00 PM:    Dinner.

Evening:     Free. 

Saturday, July 17

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

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

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM:   Box Lunch, Plus…. Optional Trip to Vero Beach Post Office to Mail Things Home.

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

3:00 – 5:00 PM:     Manatees and Marine Mammal Conservation Medicine.  Dr. Bossart.   

5:00 – 6:00 PM:     Dinner.
                                                     
Evening:       Free.

Sunday, July 18

8:00 – 9:00 AM:    Global Research and Conservation Programs at the Georgia Aquarium.  Dr. Bossart. 

9:00 AM – 11 AM:    Manatees:  Threats and Management.  An inside look at pathologic and forensic investigations, and a discussion on how findings influence management decisions.  Dr. Martine de Wit, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory, St. Petersburg, Florida.

11 AM -- Noon:       Early Lunch.

Noon – 3:00 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).  Drs. Bossart, Martineau, de Wit, and Goldstein, with the HBOI Marine Mammal Group.

3:00 – 6:00 PM:    Return to hotel to shower and … *** Finish Course Evaluations!!!***  

5:45 PM:    Turn in Your Course Evaluations.

6:00 – 7:00 PM:     Barbeque Dinner.

Evening:     Finishing Packing for Developing Country Unit.

Monday, July 19

3:00 AM:    Departure for West Palm Beach Airport en route to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.  (Load vehicles at 2:40 AM)