Thanks for a Great Conference!

Well, we're finally unpacked and have wrapped up most of the loose ends from our 2011 conference - the 9th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles. We are particularly pleased to say that it was an overwhelming success and truly a "feel good" kind of meeting! Our 225 attendees, representing 13 countries, were treated to a diverse program that was one of our best ever- thank you Andrew Walde and Beth Walton for another extraordinary effort. The program featured a special symposium on South American chelonians, presented by delegations from Brazil and Colombia, and highlights the TSA upcoming expansion into that vast region. The full program and abstracts can be accessed online here. A limited number of hard copies of the program are also available in our online store.

We'd like to thank all of our vendors, sponsors and volunteers who made the meeting possible, including our title sponsor Zoo Med Laboratories, Inc. Additionally, we'd like to acknowledge the Central Florida Zoo, a most gracious and generous host for our BBQ and Auction event on Tuesday night. Mike English and his fine crew again donated their services for an exceptional BBQ dinner and delegates were in a spirited mood by the time the auction rolled around. Thanks to the donations of some truly unique items and rare books by our members and attendees, the silent and live auctions combined raised more than $16,000 for turtle conservation! And once again, Frank and Kate Slavens ensured that the auction ended on a high note, by bidding up Ben Anders painting of an Amazon big-headed turtle (Peltocephalus) to a whopping $5,000.

One of the highlights of the awards banquet is the student speaker and poster awards, presented annually by the Chelonian Research Foundation. This year's recipients can be seen here. As is tradition, the John L Behler Chelonian Conservation Award was presented at the end of the banquet and this year's winner was Dr. John Iverson. John accepted the award with grace and class, and his acceptance speech was humbling as he shared the credit with his many colleagues. John punctuated his acceptance by not only returning the honorarium that was granted to him, but also matching it with his own donation to the TSA, all earmarked for our new Colombia program. His gift reflected a theme of generosity that seemed to permeate this year's meeting.

We are constantly amazed and impressed by the spirit of giving by many of our supporters, and the sense of community that this conference generates each year. The turtle conservation community needs energizing periodically, because the obstacles we face don't get any easier. Thank all of you that were a part of this one and we look forward to seeing you next year in Tucson.

John Iverson (center) accepts the John L. Behler Chelonian Conservation Award.

Bern Tryon Leaves a Lasting Legacy to Benefit Bog Turtle Conservation

Recently, well known zoo herpetologist Bern Tryon passed away. Before his death, Bern thought it would be nice if his herpetological library could be sold with ALL the proceeds going to a fund that would provide money each year for field work on the southern populations of the endangered Bog Turtle. Bern had a wonderful library collection of over 500 titles that he has donated to the TSA for Bog Turtle conservation efforts. 

The TSA has agreed to maintain and administer the funds, and Frank Slavens (TSA Board) has generously volunteered to list and sell the library. All money collected from the sale of the library will go directly to the TSA BERN TRYON SOUTHERN BOG TURTLE FUND. It is hoped that we can raise a substantial amount to help fund southern Bog Turtle field work well into the future. Any additional donations to this Bog Turtle fund are also welcome. Please click here for more information or to peruse the catalog.