USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Seminar Announcement

The Wildfowl Trust of North America located at Horsehead Wetlands Center in Grasonville, Maryland is sponsoring a Symposium on Black Ducks and Chesapeake Bay Habitats on October 4, 2000. Other sponsors include Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Chesapeake College and U.S. Geological Survey (Reston, VA).

The black duck, as a breeding and wintering Bay duck, has traditionally epitomized the importance of the valuable habitats of Chesapeake Bay as well as the problems facing these habitats. The goal of the Symposium is to bring together some of the best experts on the subject and to share this information with a broad spectrum of individuals interested in black ducks and their Bay habitats. This Symposium will result in a better understanding of black duck biology and Chesapeake Bay habitats that will allow managers and conservationists to plan for the future of the American black duck.

Invited papers will be presented during the day at Chesapeake College and posters will be displayed at an evening reception at the Horsehead Wetlands Center. There will be a fee to cover publication of the proceedings, which will be given to all attendees. Breakfast, lunch, and the evening reception will be provided by the Trust. Please contact Matthew Perry (Matt_Perry@USGS.GOV ) if you would like to present a poster dealing with the broader subject of waterfowl or Bay habitat or to learn more about the technical aspects of the Symposium.

If you want to get on the mailing list to learn more about registration for the Symposium please contact the Trust at :

horsehead@wildfowltrust.org

Feel free to forward this announcement to your colleagues and friends.

SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM

October 4, 2000

Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, Maryland

Program Moderator: Gerald W. Winegrad - Vice President for Policy, American Bird Conservancy, Former Maryland Senator

8:00 - 8:30	Coffee and Continental Breakfast
8:30 - 8:45	Welcome - Edward L. Delaney, Executive Director, Wildfowl Trust of North America
8:45 - 9:15	Historic Movie of Chesapeake Bay Black Ducks Introduction by Vernon D. Stotts
9:15 - 10:00	Black Duck - A Species of International Concern Jerome R. Serie - Atlantic Flyway Representative - USFWS
10:00 - 10:15	Coffee Break
10:15 - 11:00	American Black Duck Summer Range Versus Winter Range: A Dichotomy of Riches Jerry R. Longcore, Maine Field Station, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
11:00 - 11:30	Black Duck Nesting in the Virginia Portion of Chesapeake Bay Gary R. Costanzo - Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries
11:30 - 12:00	Effects of Human Disturbance on Black Ducks Wintering in Chesapeake Bay John M. Morton - USFWS, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
12:00 - 1:00	Lunch
1:00 - 1:45	Mallards replacing black ducks: two views Eugene S. Morton - Smithsonian Institute
1:45 - 2:15	Nest Site Selection and Breeding Productivity of Smith Island Black Ducks G. Michael Haramis - USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
2:15 - 2:45	The Mid-winter Survey of Black Ducks, Locally, and Regionally Dennis G. Jorde - USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
2:45 - 3:00	Refreshment Break
3:00 - 3:15	The North American Black Duck (Anas rubripes): a Demonstrated Failure in the Application of the Presumed Principles of Waterfowl Management John W. Grandy, IV - Humane Society of the United States
3:15 - 4:00	The Future of Black Duck Populations and Habitat in the Bay Based on Current Trends — Summary and Discussion Guy A. Baldassarre, SUNY Syracuse
4:00 - 5:30	Poster Session and Tours Horsehead Wetlands Center
5:30 - 6:30	Reception