2022 Annual Meeting
Virginia Chapter of
The Wildlife Society
NOTE THE CHANGE: March 14-16. 2022
Waynesboro, Virginia
UPDATED Statement on COVID-19 (March 1, 2022)
The 2022 VATWS meeting will be held March 14 -16 with both virtual and in-person options. We adopted this approach in order to accommodate the greatest number of member’s needs to the best of our ability.
The in-person meeting will largely follow our previously established schedule. Regardless of other policies we will require the following for all in-person attendees:
Attendees agree to be masked at all times.
Conference participants (attendees, presenters, guests, etc.) must sign, and date a COVID-19 Liability Waiver and Affirmation of Conduct Restrictions document prior to the meeting.
Participants must be vaccinated and provide proof of their vaccination record. Copies of your vaccination record can be downloaded from the Virginia Dept. of Health.
We continue to monitor the situation and adjust our plans accordingly. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Program Committee Chair Scott Klopfer directly.
Lodging Information
Lodging is available at the Best Western PLUS meeting location. Rates are $96.99 + tax. If you previously reserved lodging under the VATWS block, your room dates have already been updated to March. Additional information can be found here.
Thank you to our Meeting Sponsors!
Jeff Waldon
Schedule
Follow this link to the Schedule page for details on sessions and presentation times.
Photo credit Wildlife Center of Virginia
Special Session: Wildlife Disease in Virginia
What sorts of wildlife diseases are emerging in Virginia? What are the implications of human-wildlife interactions with respect to disease? How will wildlife disease issues shape wildlife management into the future?
With this session, we would like to begin exploring the answers to these questions and equip our membership with the tools to be better-prepared to address wildlife disease. Our special session will feature wildlife health professionals from the Virginia Dept. of Wildlife Resources, Virginia Dept. of Health, and the Wildlife Center of Virginia. This panel will help with a dialog that will answer questions and generate new thoughts about the importance of wildlife disease in our field today.
In addition, we are requesting student and professional presentations that address wildlife disease-related issues, investigations, and applications. Those interested in submitting presentations should use the format outlined in the Call for Abstracts and check the box to be considered for the special session.
Panelists
Megan Kirchgessner
Virginia Dept. of Wildlife Resources
Dr. Kirchgessner is the Wildlife Veterinarian for the Virginia Department Wildlife Resources. She obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 and has practiced as a wildlife rehabilitation, small animal emergency, and exotic animal veterinarian. Dr. Kirchgessner obtained her PhD at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2012, where her research focused on pathogen transmission between white-tailed deer and domestic livestock. As the Wildlife Veterinarian for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, she oversees the chronic wasting disease management program as well as other wildlife health surveillance efforts, the development of chemical immobilization and animal handling policies and protocols, and communication and outreach efforts as they pertain to wildlife health.
Brandy Darby
Dr. Brandy Darby graduated as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Louisiana State University in 2007. She spent three years in a busy, mixed animal practice, including a significant wildlife caseload, in the Cayman Islands. In 2010, she transitioned to academia, taking on a dual-appointment at St. Matthew’s University, School of Veterinary Medicine, as both the Director of the Clinical Teaching Facility and a faculty member in the Clinical Sciences Department. She obtained a Master’s in Public Health from Michigan State University in 2016, with a focus on communicable diseases. In 2019, Dr. Darby joined the Virginia Department of Health as a veterinary epidemiologist, working on a variety of zoonotic diseases that may impact the health of the people of Virginia.
Ed Clark
Ed Clark is the co-founder and President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Under his direction since it was founded in 1982, the Wildlife Center has become the world’s leading teaching and research hospitals for wildlife medicine. During its 40 year history, the Center has treated narly 90,000 injured and orphaned wild animals. The Center’s education team has presented environmental education programs to over 2 million people, mostly elementary and middle school students. The Center also trains veterinary and wildlife management students and professionals from around the world. The Center is a leader in wildlife disease surveillance and research, and is leading the effort to monitor the wildlife health as an indicator of biosecurity threats and environmental bioterrorism.
Registration is once again open! You can click the link above, or use this link to register. Registration for the in-person program is $120 for professionals and $70 for students and includes breaks, and lunch and dinner on March 15.
Registration for virtual attendance is $60 for professionals and $35 for students. Those attending virtually will have access to all presentations and the VATWS business meeting, as well as posters and the awards presentation (March 15th evening).
The VATWS is pleased to offer several workshops to any member or conference attendees. These options include both in-person and hybrid (i.e. online) options. We are presently rescheduling workshops and will provide additional information soon:
Monday March 14th
Spatially Explicit Capture Recapture (SECR) Techniques (half day; online) - $35
Basics of Field Necropsy and Sampling (in-person) - $35 -
Tuesday February 1st
Dare to Lead (half day; online) - $80
Click the link above for more details.
We elect officers and conduct other chapter business as part of the Annual Meeting. If you have any agenda items for consideration, or other topics of discussion, please contact President Ray Dueser no later than March 9th, 2022.
The slate of candidates for office can be reviewed here.
Poster Abstracts
Follow this link to view the abstracts for our student and professional poster presentations. Posters are now available for viewing!
Meet your officers!
Committee Chairs - please arrange a zoom meeting with your committees prior to the VATWS annual meeting on February 1, and provide a committee update at the Business Meeting on Thursday February 3.
Check here for a list of our chapter committees. Email the chair of the committee if you would like to participate or you would like to switch your committee assignment. Check back here for information on committee meetings
Submit All Abstracts Here
The deadline for submitting abstracts has passed.
The VATWS is offering students a chance to attend our annual meeting. Student Travel scholarships will cover registration costs (meeting and one workshop) for our virtual conference. Interested students will find additional information on applying by following this link.
Two scholarships available:
General student travel grant, sponsored by the Program Committee
Travel grant for students from underrepresented communities, sponsored by the IDEA Committee