2008 Annual Meeting:
Nov 6 - 9
Vancouver, BC, Canada

The scedule for the annual meeting is now available for download here

Donations for the 2008 Auction for student travel are now being accepting online.


Special notes on travel to Canada

Visitors from the US should read the requirements for traveling to Canada at the State Department Website
In general, traveling to and from Canada by air requires a passport. However, for US citizens traveling by land or sea, it is still possible (until summer 2009) to enter and return using a driver's license and birth certificate. If you don't have a passport, grab your birth certificate, your driver's license and fly to Seattle, then cross the border in a car.

The student committee has links to a facebook group for coordinating rides.

Another option is a shuttle from SEATAC to Vancouver. One such shuttle operator is Quick Shuttle

Note that your cell phone may or may not work in Canada. In some cases you may have to contact your carrier to have them turn on international roaming. You should probably check how much they will charge for calls, too. It is also possible to buy pre-paid cell phone cards that will give you a Canadian number during your trip. These may be available on the internet at a great discount.

General Information

This year’s annual meeting of the Western Society of Naturalists will be held November 6-9 at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The meeting will begin on the evening of Thursday (November 6) with a Student Workshop and Mixer, which continue to be very popular events. On Nov. 7 and 8, a symposium will be held each morning, followed by contributed paper sessions in the afternoon. A plenary speaker is planned for Sunday morning (Nov. 9), followed by contributed paper sessions in both the morning and afternoon. Once again, a Contributed Poster Session will be scheduled. As we approach the conference, we will provide more details on the schedule, including the ever-popular Attitude Adjustment Hour, the Presidential Banquet, and the WSN Auction.

Schedules and Abstracts
You can now find the 2008 schedule online as well as all of the abstracts.

Workshops and Symposia
This year's meeting will feature four invited sessions in addition to our regular contributed oral and poster sessions. For more details, see here.

Social Events and Auction

As usual, the meeting will also feature the renowned Attitude Adjustment Hour, Presidential Banquet, and the WSN Auction. Again, the WSN Student Committee is seeking items to include in this year’s auction. Money raised from the auction is used to fund student travel. The auction will be held immediately following the Presidential Banquet. Previously donated items have included books or monographs, art work, embarrassing collectibles obtained from prominent WSN members, wine, and other spirits. WSN is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.

If you have items that you would like to donate or have questions of the WSN student committee in general, please donate online or e-mail Laura Carney of the WSN student committee. If will not be at the meeting or you'd prefer not to fit auction items in your suitcase, you can mail items without value in advance (items that have value, such as wine, will incur customs duty, which the local host would rather not pay). Send auction donations to:
Christopher Harley
University of British Columbia
Department of Zoology
6270 University Blvd.
Vancouver, BC V6T1Z4
tel: 604-827-3431

Student Mixer

The student mixer will be at The Lions Pub, a british-style pub two blocks from the hotel after the student workshop starting at 8pm on Thursday. The address is 1128 W. Hasting Street.
map


Abstract Submission and Registration

Abstract submission is now closed. Registration is still available.


Lodging Information
All workshops, symposia, and contributed paper and poster sessions will be held in the meeting rooms of the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel. For driving directions and general information about the hotel, visit Marriott Pinnacle . As we prepare for this year’s meeting, we will post additional information on the WSN website. REMEMBER THAT A PASSPORT NOW IS REQUIRED TO TRAVEL TO CANADA.

Local chair Chris Harley has arranged a room rate of $155/night for single and/or double occupancy, and $175/night for triple or quadruple occupancy. These rates will apply until Monday, October 6, 2008. As usual, we strongly advise you to make your hotel reservations as early as possible and well before the meeting, or you may be unable to find accommodations at the Marriott Pinnacle. Regular room rates are much higher so book your room before October 6.

Vancouver hotels are expensive, but we have negotiated the most reasonable rate possible for a hotel with enough space for our meeting. The Marriott Pinnacle offers a great combination of location, accommodations, and price. We urge all members to stay in the Marriott Pinnacle so that the society can fulfill its room commitment to the hotel, which will allow us to remain financially solvent. A trip to beautiful Vancouver may be a little more expensive than to central California for many of us, but our 2008 meeting presents a wonderful opportunity to interact with colleagues from the northwest and Canada as well as all the “regulars”.

To make your reservation, simply click on one of the following links:

For single or double occupancy: Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel Double

For triple or quadruple occupancy: Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel triple or quad

These links will take you to the reservations page for the hotel, with the group code and reduced room rates already entered in. Simply select your dates of stay and you’re all set! If you decide to link to their reservations page yourself, please use the group code “wsnwsna” (single or double occupancy) or “wsnwsnz” (for triple or quadruple occupancy). If you call the Marriott Pinnacle, make sure to identify yourself as a WSN member.


Refund Policy
If you need to cancel your meeting registration, we will refund 90% of your registration (= registration only) cost if you cancel before the late registration deadline (we need to cover our paypal overhead) and 50% if you cancel after the deadline. Dues are not refundable. Purchases such as banquet tickets and merchandise are not refundable if you request a refund after the meeting has started, as your meal or t-shirt has already been paid for by us. You may arrange to have merchandise sent to you by contacting the student committee. If you have further questions, please contact the secretariat.



This information current as of October 29, 2008. Please check back for updated information