Call for Papers

Submit your Abstract Online:   

  • Abstract Deadline:  Friday, October 18, 2024, 11:59 pm PDT. 
  • Submit your Abstract Here:  Call for Papers is now closed
  • Abstracts must be submitted by the deadline to be considered

We are soliciting abstracts for in-person posters and 18-minute oral presentations for the scientific technical sessions at the 2025 Annual Meeting.

All poster and oral presentations will be given live and in-person at the meeting venue. TWS-WS will video record all the Oral Concurrent Technical Sessions as well as all the General Sessions (Plenary, Keynote and Capstone.) The recordings will be posted online after the meeting, and will be available for online viewing for six months. Please allow 1-2 weeks after the meeting ends for the links to the recordings. There will be no livestream option at the 2025 Annual Meeting.

Oral Scientific Technical Presentations: All in-person papers associated with the oral concurrent sessions will be presented from Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning, February 5 to February 7, 2025. Abstract content should be related to the technical session topics listed below, but additional topics will be entertained if sufficient presentations are submitted. The conference program committee will evaluate the submitted abstracts to determine the final concurrent session topics and technical session program. Oral Session guidelines

Poster Session: Poster presenters will set up their posters in the conference great room on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 between 8-10am. Display boards will be provided. Posters will be available for viewing Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning during the Annual Meeting. A poster session and reception will be held Thursday, February 6, 2025 from 6-8pm.  Poster presenters must be available at this time to discuss their work with interested viewers. Poster presenter guidelines

Please know that submitting an abstract does not imply acceptance or guarantee a place in the program. Some submitted papers or posters will likely not be accepted because they may not be suited to the conference, encounter scheduling problems, or have other issues. Decisions to accept or not accept papers or posters are solely the responsibility of the Program Committee. The committee expects that your co-authors are aware of and have approved this abstract. All presenters are expected to pay the appropriate meeting registration fees and to cover their own travel expenses.

We will announce our 2025 Annual Meeting scientific technical session schedule no later than December 1, 2024 and all who have submitted an abstract to the Call for Papers will be notified of their status at this time. Thank you, in advance, for your time and effort in the submission process. Sometimes our abstract acceptance emails end up in spam folders so please check these folders if you do not see our notification email by this date. 

2025 Concurrent Technical Session Topics:

  • Ag & Wildlife NEW!
  • Challenges and Successes in Ecological Consulting
  • Challenges and Successes in Restoring/Monitoring Wildlife Habitats
  • Community Science Studies
  • Collaboration Among Wildlife Career Pathways
  • Conservation on Military Lands
  • Conservation on Pacific Islands
  • Genetics in Wildlife Investigations, Conservation, and Management
  • High Speed Rail Mitigations New!
  • Innovation in Wildlife Investigations, Conservation, and Management
  • Natural History of Bats
  • Natural History of Birds
  • Natural History of Amphibians
  • Natural History of Carnivores New!
  • Natural History of Invertebrates
  • Natural History of Large Mammals
  • Natural History of Reptiles
  • Natural History of Small Mammals
  • Public Policy and Wildlife Management
  • Raptor Population Status and Ecology New!
  • Specialized Wildlife Techniques
    Studies in Exotic Species Management
    Other, Any Topic is Welcome

Note: Session titles may be added or changed at a later date based on papers received. If a group has the desire and sufficient participants to create a unique session please contact the program chair:  Jeff Alvarez at presidentelect@tws-west.org.

Abstract Submission Instructions:

Abstracts should not exceed 200 words and must adhere to format and layout elements provided in the example below. Indicate whether the paper will be an oral presentation or a poster, and if an oral presentation, indicate your preferred session. 

Abstract Example:

Preferred Session: Ecology and Management of Shorebirds 

Type of paper: Oral presentation

If a student, indicate if you intend to participate in the Student Judging program. (See below for more information on this program.)

Paper Title: Status and Habitat Use of Long-Billed Curlews in the Central Valley in Fall

  1. David Shuford, PRBO Conservation Science, 3820 Cypress Drive #11, Petaluma, CA 94954, dshuford@prbo.org, (415) 868-0371×310; Co–authors: Gary W. Page; Gary M. Langham; and Catherine Hickey

Abstract: The long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) – a large shorebird of conservation concern at the continental level – is a migrant and winter resident in California’s Central Valley, where it concentrates primarily in agricultural lands. Despite recent estimates of the size of the curlew’s North American breeding population, little is known about its abundance and habitat needs at migratory stopovers and wintering areas. To help fill these gaps, we coordinated three broad-scale surveys of curlews in the central and southern portions of the Central Valley in fall and winter in 2007-2008 and a more comprehensive survey of the entire Central Valley in August 2009. In the latter survey, we recorded 20,775 curlews in 197 flocks. In all years in autumn, the vast majority of curlews were found in irrigated croplands, primarily alfalfa and irrigated pastures, during this otherwise arid season. More frequent surveys at the local level in Solano County and more recent radio-telemetry studies indicate that some curlews shift their distribution from fall to winter. More work on fine-scale habitat preferences and movements in the Central Valley is needed to aid in the conservation of this at-risk shorebird.

Competition for Student Awards at the TWS Western Section Annual Meeting:  

The Western Section of The Wildlife Society is pleased to offer six cash awards for students who speak in an oral session or present a poster at our annual meeting. “Student” is defined as any individual, any age, who is currently enrolled or has received a degree within six months of the meeting date from any high school, accredited college, or university (not limited to those within the Western Section). From high school to post-doc, we welcome your participation! 

The value of the cash awards varies slightly, based upon the number of students in the competition. In general, the more students who compete, the more cash we award! Please be sure to indicate when you submit your abstract whether you intend to compete in the student judging competition. It is your responsibility to express your intent to participate. By participating in the competition, you will receive positive remarks and constructive criticism from the judges (typically at least three), telling you what they liked and how you can improve your next presentation. Link to more information

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