PERS 2011
“Estuaries in History”
Pacific coastal and estuarine ecosystems have experienced many natural and human changes since their formation, including human impacts from habitat loss due to development to anthropogenic climate change. Improved scientific knowledge and the provision of this knowledge to policy makers are vital for the continued functioning and sustainability of these ecosystems.  Estuarine management  relies on understanding their current status as well  as  on the history and processes that formed them.
The 2011 PERS central theme, “Estuaries in History”, recognizes the long saga of human interactions in the Columbia River estuary.  Astoria has one of the richest histories on the west coast, ranging from thousands of years of occupation by Native Americans, through the remarkable scientific contributions by the Corps of Discovery, followed by boom and bust, fire and rebirth, and now a recent renaissance. It is Oregon's oldest city, being founded in March 1811 by the New York financier John Jacob Aster and the Pacific Fur Company, and we celebrate its bicentennial in 2011. Not only that, but Astoria hosted the first PERS conference way back in 1983! Our venue, the Liberty Theater, was fully restored in 2002 and is a unique example of a 1920s vintage motion picture palace, with much of its original architectural fabric intact. 
With a city that has such a rich history, we encourage colleagues to consider presentations from historical data sets, time series research, or on approaches that bridge past and future and lend insight to means of maintaining of our important ecosystems and resources. Please examine our sessions page for topics that encompass this theme.  We anticipate a great meeting with a robust scientific program, and, as always, PERS strongly encourages participation of students, young scientists, and non-scientists interested in scientific research and its application into management policies.

NEEDED - Items for the Silent Auction - Benefits the Student travel fund so bring your good stuff or bring your cash!

Sessions
For the PERS 2011 “Estuaries in History” theme, we suggest the following topics (II-VII):

1. Plenary Session: An historical perspective of PNW estuaries

2. Climate change impacts on marine and aquatic ecosystems

3. Restoration trajectories of estuarine systems

4. Trends in fisheries and biotic invasions

5. Marine reserves

6. Trends in harmful algae and eutrophication

7. Hypoxia and ocean acidification

8. Evolution of estuarine management

However, don’t feel constrained! We encourage submission of any relevant topic. The program will include oral and poster presentations. However, the number of speaking slots is limited. We therefore strongly encourage oral presentations be restricted to results-based studies, while proposals and preliminary work should be presented as posters.

Hotels
The table below provides a list of lodging in Astoria. We have blocked rooms in the Hotel Elliot and in the Commodore. Both are in close proximity to the Liberty Theater. The rooms are reserved until the end of January, so call to make reservations soon!