A s the days draw near to this year’s conference in Maine, and my presidency moves toward a conclusion,

a little nostalgia starts to set in. I recently journeyed back through the pre-conference newsletters for several prior years, reading what each departing president had to say in their final newsletter address. The one reoccurring theme was that these men and women counted it an honor to have had the opportunity to serve this organization in that capacity. I might add to that a sense of pride to be counted among the dedicated souls that preceded me, and those who will follow. A fraternity bound by time. Soon the torch will be passed to Jim Husband, and he will carry us forth from Maine to Arizona. He has performed admirably in leading the Conference Planning Team’s preparations for Acadia, and I am confident he will lead our organization equally well in 2014. Should I feel the inclination to head off to the Rest Home for Past Presidents, I need look no further than Don Katnik to see that it is indeed possible to actually be even more active once you step down than you were as President. Don has served on several committees this year, and has been our “on the ground” con-tact for this year’s conference, as well as heading up the Bylaws revisions. I do want to thank Julie Fleming, Jeanette Jones, and Jon Purvis for not only their service on the Excom, but other committees as well, including the Confer-ence Planning Committee. Jeanette has volunteered to serve an additional two years as Secretary. I also want to thank our committee chairs for their service in keeping OFWIM active throughout the year. I mentioned Don’s work with the Bylaws. Beginning with this newsletter, we will open up voting on the Bylaws. This requires a 2/3 approval by membership, so please weigh in your vote on this. In addition, you will see our 2014 officer can-didates. We need your vote to help decide who our upcoming officers are. Finally, I want to add that this year’s conference in Maine is shaping up to be a truly unique experience, and I can’t think of a better place to close out what has been an incredible year for our organization. I hope to see you there. Sincerely,

Danny Lewis Danny Lewis, 2013 OFWIM President

President’s Message: Danny Lewis

O R G A N I Z A T I O N O F F I S H A N D W I L D L I F E I N F O R M A T I O N M A N A G E R S August 2013

OFWIM news

Inside this issue:

President’s Message 1

2013 Conference Draft

Agenda

2

Other 2013

Conference News

3

Preview: OFWIM 2013

Conference Workshop

4

OFWIM Elections

2013

5-6

OFWIM Member

Profile: Dyanne Cortez

7-8

Two Opportunities 9

OFWIM Membership:

Renew for 2013!

10

Conference 2013:

Optional Half-Day Sea-

Kayak Trip

11

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August 2013

Organization of Fish & Wildlife Information Managers

Leveraging Technology and Information to Better Manage

Fish and Wildlife Resources

2013 CONFERENCE DRAFT AGENDA

Updated 8/26/2013 (Subject to Change)

Sunday, September 29 Travel Day—two vans will transport afternoon and evening arrivals from Bangor Airport to the SERC Con-ference Center (specific times depending on flight schedules)

Monday, September 30 Third van will transport morning arrivals from Bangor Airport to the SERC Conference Center (specific time depending on flight schedules) 6:30 am—8:00 am Breakfast, OFWIM ExComm Meeting 8:00 am—12:00 pm Synoptic Modeling Workshop 12:00 pm—1:00 pm Lunch 1:30 pm—4:30 pm Presentation Session I 6:00 pm—8:00 pm Poster and Technical Demonstrations

Tuesday, October 1 6:30 am—8:00 am Breakfast 8:00 am—5:00 pm Guided Ecological Tour of Acadia National Park 6:00 pm—8:00 pm Business Meeting/Dinner

Wednesday, October 2 6:30 am—8:00 am Breakfast 8:30 am—9:00 am Keynote Speaker on Climate Change (Dr. George Jacobson) 9:00 am—12:00 pm Presentation Session II 12:00 pm—1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm—4:30 pm Presentation Session III 7:00 pm—9:00 pm Banquet

Thursday, October 3 6:30 am—8:00 am Breakfast 8:00 am—12:00 pm Presentation Session IV 12:00 pm—1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm—4:00 pm Field Session: Kayak tour of Winter Harbor

Friday, October 4 Travel Day—a van will transport those who overnight in Bangor to the airport/bus terminal

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Registration is Now Open To register for the conference, please visit: http://www.uevent.com/registration?code=SWL3AMJLOM. If you are interested in the half-day kayak trip on Thursday, please email Donald.Katnik (AT) maine.gov. Also, please note that a Conference Participant Information spreadsheet has been posted on Groupsite with the information we have received so far about arrival/departure times for participants who need a ride to and/or from the airport, as well as kayak trip sign-ups. Please check this spreadsheet to ensure that your information is correct. It is especially important to know who will be arriving late Sunday so that we can arrange to have room keys available at SERC.

Conference Costs and Logistics

For a helpful guide to conference expenses, as well as information about travel, lodging, and the field trip, please visit: http://www.ofwim.org/meetings/2013/2013DetailsandCosts.pdf.

Further information about travel options is available at: http://www.ofwim.org/meetings/2013/travel.html.

Raffle Donations

The OFWIM raffle is an annual tradition benefitting the OFWIM Student Scholarship. Each year, we ask members to donate items to the raffle. Tickets are sold at the conference, and items are raffled off at vari-ous times throughout the conference. If you are able to provide raffle donations this year, please let us know using this form (this link is also available on our Groupsite home page):

http://www.ofwim.groupsite.com/link/go/120963168 Raffle donations may be mailed in advance to Don Katnik at 650 State St., Bangor, ME, 04401, and he will bring them to the conference.

Other 2013 Conference News

OFWIM 2013 Annual Conference

Sep 30—Oct 3, 2013 Schoodic Education and Research Center

(SERC)

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Preview: OFWIM 2013 Conference Workshop

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The following workshop will be offered during the 2013 Conference. To register, please visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Kw2HPbZZxxbUvIe7pCh_PjXCXjNYgjMGLP6zfRb-3wU/viewform Synoptic Modeling of Animal Location Data Combining Animal Movements, Home Range and Resource Selection to Ask Important Questions About Space Use by Wildlife and Fish Author: E. Oz Garton, Jon Horne, Adam Wells and Harry Jageman, Departments of Fish and Wildlife Science and Statistics, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA. Abstract: We present a new approach to analysis of animal location and GIS data that combines animal movements, home range and resource selection analyses into a synoptic model of space use in order to ask important questions about space use of animals. To de-velop a synoptic model requires the following steps: 1) State re-search question clearly with details of why location data are required to answer it. 2) Define animal population of interest and sampling approach providing inference to it. 3) Identify potentially important strata (e.g. age-sex-behavior classes of the animal and temporal seasons). 4) Select either to delineate a sharp boundary (polygon) or a density estimator (kernel) or continue to model movement or space use (synoptic model of movement or home range and resource se-lection). 5) List potential ecological factors/processes/drivers to evaluate for models (e.g., food resources, inter-specific and intra-specific competitors, predators, security or thermal cover, water or salt sources, energetic demands, hazards). 6) Formulate set of com-peting synoptic models. 7) Assemble potentially predictive covariate maps (GIS coverages of remotely sensed data such as DEMs, clas-sified multi-spectral images, density estimates, etc). 8) Fit multiple competing synoptic models for each stratum. 9) Re-evaluate original strata by evaluating/testing differences and collapsing strata where feasible. 10) Refit models. 11) Write it up, present it, use it for adap-tive management and start validating and improving it. We will pre-sent numerous examples of synoptic models that illustrate the power of even small data sets combined with resource coverages to unlock secrets of space use of white rhino males in Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe, mountain goats in Cascade Mountains, Washington, Golden Eagles migrating from Idaho to British Columbia, Canada and Alaska, Wood Thrush in Costa Rica, Northern Pygmy Owls in Idaho and ocelots in Texas.

OFWIM Elections 2013

P er OFWIM Bylaws, members in good standing (who have paid 2013 dues) are eligible to vote in OFWIM elections. Voting is conducted online prior to the Business Meeting. All members are en-

couraged to vote online; however, paper ballots will be available during the Business Meeting for those members who are unable to cast an online ballot prior to the meeting. This year, we are asking you to vote for candidates for two positions: President-Elect and Member-At-Large. We also ask that you carefully consider and vote on a set of proposed changes to the OFWIM Bylaws. The deadline for casting an online ballot is 5:00pm ET on Friday, September 27. The online ballots will be available at http://vote.ofwim.org/vote2013.cfm until the deadline.

President-Elect (single candidate)

Kristin Rogers Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

My involvement with OFWIM began at the 2005 meeting in Tallahassee, FL. Since then I have had the opportunity to attend 5 annual meetings, serve as Treasurer of OFWIM, and participate in the Data Standards and Technical Trends Committees as well as serve as Vice-Chair / Chair of the Membership and Outreach Committee. I currently work as a data manager in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s Center for Biostatistics and Modeling where I have the pleasure of working with research and management staff to design and build robust databases and applications that focus on data analysis needs and study design from the onset of a project resulting in datasets that can be easily analyzed to address research and manage-ment needs alike. I have a M.S. in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Florida with a minor in Sta-

tistics, and a B.S. in Marine Science/Biology from Long Island University / Southampton College. A few key points of interest for me at this moment in my career are citizen science, mobile applications as they relate to citizen science, methods for data sharing, and the concept of incorporating scientific data citations in peer review publications. I am greatly encouraged by the discussion that has begun within the scientific community to recognize data management efforts in scientific publications. I feel this topic is relevant to all members of OFWIM and I’m excited to keep tabs on the topic as it evolves and to consider potential roles OFWIM could play in relation to the topic. My personal passions include traveling, trail running, yoga, backpacking, gardening & canning…. and anything else I can think of to support my inner hippie…. I’m currently dreaming of our own flock of chickens with a mobile coop.

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OFWIM Elections, continued...

Member-At-Large (single candidate)

Jennifer DiMiceli Arizona Game and Fish Department

Jenny DiMiceli is the Heritage Data Management System (HDMS) Systems Manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. She has a BS in Zool-ogy from Northern Arizona University, a MS in Wildlife from Louisiana State University, and a GIS Graduate Certificate from Portland State University. In addition to her current position, she has previously worked as a GIS Analyst, as well as spent many years as a biologist with various conservation and re-search projects, mainly focused on birds.

Proposed Bylaws Changes On the OFWIM voting page, there are links to two versions of the Bylaws changes. A version with pro-posed changes marked in Track Changes is available at:

http://vote.ofwim.org/2013/2013%20ByLaws%20by%20Section.pdf A clean version with the text as it would read if all proposed changes are voted in by the membership is available at:

http://vote.ofwim.org/2013/2013%20ByLaws%20as%20Modified%20Complete.pdf

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August 2013

OFWIM Member Profile: Dyanne Cortez

Web & Publications Coordinator for the Inland Fisheries Division Texas Parks and Wildlife Department This is the second installment of a new feature introducing OFWIM members: their backgrounds, inter-ests, and insights into OFWIM. Our first profile was of a founding member who has been integrally in-volved in OFWIM since its inception. Our second profile focuses on a new member who joined OFWIM and hit the ground running by immediately taking on important responsibilities. Dyanne Cortez has been the OFWIM Web Manager for the past year, serving on the Communications and Outreach Committee. Describe your professional background. What are some highlights?

If I had to find a “theme” for my career, I’d say I translate science into plain language for the general public. I have a BS in Horticulture from Texas A&M University. Once out of school and on the job mar-ket, horticulture didn’t work out for me, so I drifted into communica-tions, and that’s the background I brought to my current job. I’ve been a newspaper reporter, run public information campaigns for non-profit organizations, edited publications for a research program at the University of Texas, and done freelance writing for popular and trade magazines. I’ve been with TPWD for 12 years. My chief responsibility is the freshwater fishing section of our agency’s public website. I’m charged with taking the information that our fisheries management, conservation and research biologists come up with and presenting it in a way that’s meaningful to the average angler or

outdoor enthusiast. I’m also a contributing writer for Texas Parks & Wildlife, our agency’s award-winning magazine. How did you end up taking the career path that you did? In my case, it was quite a meandering path. I guess one problem with horticulture was I found out I liked wild things better than cultivated crops. And I always meant to be a writer. I’d just figured on doing it as a sideline while I made money doing something else. I have a do-gooder streak, still want to save the whales or salamanders or whatever, which may be why I’ve been drawn to nonprofits and government instead of corporate communications. Up until the mid-1990s, my experience was mostly in print media, with occasional forays into radio and TV scripts. When the World Wide Web started to be a big thing, I saw it was a new medium (like TV in the 1950s) where I could be a pioneer and help set the standards. I took some classes in HTML and design and started looking for jobs in that area. In the past decade, I’ve become a bit of a programmer as well, though I’m sure most OFWIM members are light-years ahead of me there. What projects are you working on now? I’m working with the new mapping technologies to produce web maps that interface with a MySQL data-base to provide searchable information on stocking, surveys, fish records and fishing locations. And here’s my latest magazine article: http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2013/aug/ed_3_wildharvest/ (You’ll see I still have a thing for plants.)

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OFWIM Member Profile, continued...

What was your most memorable trip? Norwegian coastal cruise with my family in 2009. We spent 11 days on a small ship going up the coast from Bergen to Kirkenes and back. The scenery was spectacular. We threaded our way in and out of fjords and visited 34 ports along the way. Highlights included the Ringve Museum of musical instru-ments in Trondheim (I could spend a week in that place, but we only had 3 hours) and the, um, initiation ceremony when we crossed the Arctic Circle. How did you find out about OFWIM and what led you to join? Danny Lewis invited me to present at the 2012 conference in Austin. Many of my colleagues belong to the American Fisheries Society and similar groups. Since I’m not technically a scientist, and not directly involved in management activities, I haven’t felt the urge to join those groups. When I took a look at OF-WIM, I thought, “Information managers? Yeah, that’s what I do,” and decided it was a good fit for me. How can OFWIM help you in your career? It’s always good to get out of my bubble and find out what colleagues are doing in other agencies and areas of the continent. Where would you like to see OFWIM go? I’m not sure, but I think we’d have more pos-sible directions with a larger membership base. I’m willing to help work on that.

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August 2013

Arctic Circle Marker (off the coast of Norway) Photo: Javier Cortez

Two Opportunities

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August 2013

OFWIM is pleased to announce the following opportunities for members!

We’re Gonna Put You in the Movies… The Communications, Membership & Outreach Committee is looking for video clips of OFWIM members at work: in the field, in the office, in the laboratory; alone or in teams. We’re working on a video project to be used as a recruiting tool in next year’s membership drive, and we need a range of action shots that show who our members are and what they do. If you want to be in this movie (and who wouldn’t?) here’s what to do:

• Submit clips as soon as possible, but definitely before April 2014.

• Desired length: 10 to 60 seconds.

• Acceptable file formats: .avi, .mp4, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, .mov, .swf.

• For sending instructions, contact Danny Lewis: danny.lewis (AT) tpwd.texas.gov.

• Be creative!

Web Designers: Apply Your Skills to an OFWIM Website Redesign! Do you (or does someone else in your agency) have web design skills? It is time for OFWIM to update its public website, and you can be a part! If you are interested in helping to create a new look and feel for the site, please contact our Web Manager, Dyanne Cortez, at Dyanne.Cortez (AT) tpwd.texas.gov by September 30, 2013.

OFWIM Membership: Renew for 2013!

Thank you to the following renewals / new members since the May newsletter: Lowell Ballard (Timmons Group) Brad Fink (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries) Chris Gerecke (Timmons Group) Chuck Hayes (New Mexico Game and Fish) Jim Husband (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries) A. Blair Jones (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries) Donald Katnik (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife) Matt Krofcheck (Timmons Group) John Lavrakas (Advanced Research Corporation) Lenee Pennington (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries) Justin Ray (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries) Beth Stys (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) Vincent Sunga (Timmons Group) Vish Uma (Timmons Group) Susan Watson (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries) To download membership forms, please visit the OFWIM website:

http://www.ofwim.org/org/membership.html

Membership Year: The membership year for all membership types now coincides with the calendar year, January 1st to December 31st. Previously, membership was from annual conference to the following annual conference. An e-mail reminder will be sent to all members and former members whose membership expires at this time.

Individual Memberships Individuals may join OFWIM for the membership rate of $30. The Individual Membership is valid for one calendar year (January-December). Members are entitled to vote in OFWIM elections, to participate in OFWIM committeees, and to hold office.

Student Memberships Students currently enrolled in accredited graduate or undergraduate degree programs are invited to join OFWIM as Student Members for the special rate of $10. The Student Membership is valid for one calendar year (January-December), and may be renewed if the person continues to be officially enrolled in the degree program during the following calendar year. Student Members are entitled to vote in OFWIM elections, to participate in OFWIM commit-tees, and to hold office. Students wishing to join OFWIM under the Student Membership must obtain the signature of their official faculty advisor on their membership application.

Organizational Memberships State and federal government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other groups whose mission involves management of fish and wildlife populations or habitat, are encouraged to become OFWIM Organizational Members. Each Organizational Membership costs $150 and entitles the organization to 6 OFWIM General Memberships, with the same member privileges as Individual Members. You get 6 OFWIM memberships for the price of 5! Organiza-tional Memberships are valid for one calendar year (January-December). The organization must list the names of the 6 individual members at the time of payment. Organizations may have more than one Organizational Membership.

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Newsletter editor Robin Carlson Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission 830 S Street Sacramento, CA 95811

Robin.Carlson (AT) wildlife.ca.gov

O R G A N I Z A T I O N O F

F I S H A N D W I L D L I F E

I N F O R M A T I O N

M A N A G E R S

Until next time...

August 2013

When: Thursday, October 3 from 1-4 pm. Where: Winter Harbor. How: Sea kayaks and all gear will be provided. A van will transport partici-pants from SERC to Winter Harbor for the trip, then to Bangor afterwards. Participants should plan to be in Bangor around 7 pm Thursday evening. Most should plan to overnight in Bangor (Ramada Inn or Holiday Inn on Odlin Road). Skill level: Any. Every participant will be with a professional guide. Cost: $50 per person. More information: www.seascapekayaking.com WE NEED A FINAL HEAD COUNT OF CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS BY SEPTEMBER 20! Please indicate your interest by sending an email to: Don-ald.Katnik (AT) maine.gov. Bring warm-weather gear including fleece jacket, windbreaker, shoes that can get wet, lightweight pants (no jeans!), hat, etc. Be prepared to dress in layers. Note: Weather can be variable in October. It may be too cold, windy, and/or rainy to be on the water. SeaScape Kayaking will make this determination. The backup plan is a hike to the top of Schoodic Mountain.

Conference 2013: Optional Half-Day Sea-Kayak Trip