Announcement for 2025: Travel Grants, Award Nominations, Scholarships, Small Project Grants, Student Colloquium, and Film and Photography Festival Submissions

Travel Grants – Call for 2025 WDAFS Travel Grants

The Western Division and the Colorado/Wyoming Chapter of The American Fisheries Society will be co-hosting the 2025 Western Division AFS Annual Meeting. The Western Division is pleased to offer travel grants to help with registration and travel assistance to attend the meeting, which will be held in Westminster, Colorado during May 11-15, 2025. Applications will be received until February 14, 2025. Submit your travel grant requests here.

The grant categories are the following: Student, Early Career Professionals (graduated in the last five years), Professionals, Emeritus, International Members, Indigenous/Tribal Members, Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship.

Requirements for WDAFS Travel Grants

Current Society and WDAFS membership required (exception given to the Indigenous/Tribal member and the Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship categories). You will be asked to provide your AFS membership number. Applicants will be ranked on the following criteria:
1. Applicants who plan to actively participate at the 2025 annual meeting. This can include presenting an oral or poster presentation, assisting the planning committee, moderating a session, etc.
2. Applicants who are active (or interested in becoming active) in a sub-unit, Chapter, Western Division, or the Society.
3. Applicants who indicate a strong interest in fisheries, oceans, aquatic science and management.

Award recipients must be willing to volunteer 4 hours at the WDAFS annual meeting and provide proof of doing so. Recipients must also attend the mandatory volunteer coordination meeting on May 11.

International category: Applicants must reside outside the United States. If you reside outside of WDAFS boundaries, Provinces of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory in Canada, Mexico, or U.S. associated entities in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, please contact Jeff Kopaska (jkopaska@fisheries.org) and request to become a Western Division member.

Indigenous/Tribal member category: Those who self-identify as being American Indian, Alaska Native, First Nation, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. Preference will be given to Society and WDAFS members, but membership is not required and the award will cover non-member registration.

For more information and to apply for the Student, Early Career Professional, Professional, Emeritus, International Member, and Indigenous/Tribal Member travel grants, please visit our website.
Additionally, the WDAFS Diversity and Inclusion Committee offers a Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship travel grant. The nomination process for this travel grant can be found in this issue as well as on the Diversity and Inclusion Award and Travel Grant page of our website.

Contact Amber Steed (vicepresident@wdafs.org) if you have any questions about the award opportunity or the application. Please use the subject line WDAFS Travel Grant. You can submit your travel grant request here (same link as above).

Award Nominations

Each year, the Western Division bestows awards on individuals and entities who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to fisheries education, science, management, and conservation. We also present awards to the best Chapter and Subunits within the Division. All of us know people who are deserving of recognition. Please consider nominating a worthy person or group for one of the WDAFS awards listed below. Nominations are due February 21, 2025 and WDAFS will select award winners and notify nominees of the outcome no later than March 31, 2025. Submit your nominations for all awards here.

The Western Division encourages recognition of individuals and groups representing all aspects of the fisheries profession. Nominators are encouraged to consider submitting nominations for individuals at all points in their career, from Early Career Professionals to Emeritus, as well as individuals from underrepresented and/or historically marginalized groups and be prepared to demonstrate the nominees support or commitment to the diversity represented within our profession throughout the Western U.S. and Pacific Islands.

Individual awards: Award of Excellence, Award of Merit, Award of Special Recognition, Robert Borovicka Conservation Achievement Award, Diversity & Inclusion Service Award Organization Awards: Award of Special Recognition, Conservation Achievement Award, Excellence in Riparian Management Award.
Chapter and Subunit Awards: Outstanding Large Chapter (AK, CA/NV, ID, OR, WA/BC), Outstanding Small Chapter (AZ/NM, CO/WY, MT, PI, UT), Outstanding Student Subunit (any within the geographical boundaries of WDAFS).

Scholarships

Eugene Maughan Graduate Student Scholarship

The Eugene Maughan Graduate Student Scholarship Fund was established in 2000 to provide a financial incentive for deserving graduate students in the fishery sciences attending schools within the geographical boundaries of the Western Division of the American Fisheries Society (WDAFS). Owen Eugene (Gene) Maughan was a recognized expert in fish ecology who worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Program in Virginia, Oklahoma, and Arizona. In 1987, he became the Leader of the Arizona Unit at the University of Arizona where he developed the Minority Training Program. His foresight to infuse the fish and wildlife profession with the needed diversity to carry out conservation and management of natural resources led to a strong emphasis on a culturally diverse group of students in the Arizona Unit. Gene was intent on developing our future leaders and touched many lives including minority and international students that continue to work in the natural resource professions across federal, state, tribal, and private organizations in the USA and countries across the globe. Recipients of the scholarship carry the responsibility to strive for
cultural diversity, fairness, and honor as future leaders in the conservation and management of our natural resources. Through this scholarship, Gene’s legacy lives on.

The Eugene Maughan Graduate Student Scholarship Fund currently provides up to $5,000 annually to be dispersed to masters and doctoral students in the general area of fisheries. Separate scholarships are awarded at the Masters and Doctoral levels, with one to three recipients annually. The number of applicants has ranged from 4 to 24 annually since 2001. A quick glance at the list of award recipients reveals a substantial number of students that are now leaders in the American Fisheries Society, and more generally in the fisheries discipline.

Students interested in applying to the Eugene Maughan Scholarship Fund can learn more about the program and find application information on the Western Division AFS website:
https://wdafs.org/students/scholarship-travel-award-information/. Applications are due April 1, 2025 to Bob Gresswell, Western Division Scholarship Award Committee Chair (bgresswell@gmail.com).

Future of Fisheries Scholarship (new!!)

The Future of Fisheries Scholarship fund provides up to $2,500 annually to an undergraduate student working towards a degree in fisheries, aquatic sciences, or a closely related field. The new scholarship is intended to promote the future of the fisheries profession by increasing the undergraduate’s participation in the American Fisheries Society and providing funding that can help supplement the needs of the student’s coursework (e.g., tuition, books, etc.) as they progress towards a job in the field. Students interested in applying for the Future of Fisheries Scholarship can learn more about the application process and submission requirements on the Western Division AFS website: https://wdafs.org/students/scholarship-travel-award-information/.

Applications are due April 1, 2025 to Bob Gresswell, Western Division Scholarship Award Committee Chair (bgresswell@gmail.com).

Small Project Grants

WDAFS is currently accepting applications for funding of small fisheries-related projects being conducted in the western United States, US territories, Pacific Islands, and Canadian provinces represented by the WDAFS. These grants are offered as a benefit to dues paying members of the WDAFS. Projects that further the mission and strategic objectives of the American Fisheries Society (Society) and WDAFS will be prioritized for funding. Small project grant applications are due by March 21, 2025. Please visit our website at https://wdafs.org/awards/small-project-grants/ for more details. Applications must be submitted using the Google form here.

Student Colloquium

Announcing the 2025 Western Division AFS Student Colloquium!

When: May 9 – 11, 2025
Where: YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park, CO
Who: Undergraduate and Graduate students in the Western Division
What: The student colloquium is an opportunity for academic and professional development, student socialization, and networking with students across all the Western Division chapters. We will have get-to-know-you events, professional development activities, informal research discussions, opportunities for practice talks, and outdoor activities. Accommodations and food will be provided (early evening May 9 to late morning May 11).

The event will take place just prior to the annual Western Division meeting and will be a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow students before the meeting. If you are interested in attending (or cannot attend and would still like to provide feedback) please fill out this form by the end of January. More event details and the opportunity to provide suggestions for events at the colloquium are in the form.This is not a registration form, just an interest form. A secondary registration form will be sent out later.

Film Festival Submissions

The Western Division American Fisheries Society (WDAFS) and the Colorado/Wyoming Chapter of AFS invite you to submit aquatic-themed films and photographs to be showcased as part of the WDAFS 2025 Aquatic Film and Photography Festival. This film and photography festival will occur during the WDAFS Meeting in Westminster, Colorado during May 11-15, 2025.
Film submission forms are due March 1, 2025 to secure a tentative spot in the festival. Final film and photography submissions are needed by April 1, 2025*. The submission links are below.

*Film and photography submissions may be used in promotion of the conference (e.g., publication and film festival trailer).

Film submissions must:

● Focus on aquatic themes (freshwater, estuarine, and marine) that advance our understanding, appreciation, and management of aquatic ecosystems. This could include films that showcase beauty, science, restoration, and/or management. Films that address the meeting theme of “Building Resilience: Investments in Fish Passage, Habitat Restoration, and Hatchery Modernization” are especially desirable.
● Be less than 30 minutes in length. Preference will be given to shorter films (ideally 10 minutes or less) to allow for more films to be included in the festival.
● Be downloadable to conference organizers online or via vimeo.com.
● Participants are limited to three film submissions but priority will be given to films that provide an opportunity for more individuals to present their work.

Deadlines and Submission Links:

Films:
○ The completed submission form is due on March 1, 2025 (link is here). As long as organizers can access (e.g., stream) the films online to facilitate the jury selection process, videos do not need to be uploaded to Vimeo and be available for download until April 1.
○ Final cut film submissions with downloadable web links are due no later than April 1, 2025.
Photography
○ Final submissions are due no later than April 1, 2025. Submit your photographs here.

If you have any questions please contact Amber Steed at vicepresident@wdafs.org.

Jury-selected best films will be showcased at the WDAFS 2025 Aquatic Film and Photography Festival during the conference. Jury- and audience-selected best films will be recognized after completion of the conference.

Uploading your film to Vimeo – If your film is selected, you will be asked to upload your film to vimeo.com so that it can be accessed and downloaded by the festival organizers prior to the event. If you don’t already have a Vimeo account, begin by signing up (it’s free!). Using this platform’s uploading service, upload your finished film and share the link in your submission form (above). The link should look something like this: www.vimeo.com/82813271.

Here are some important steps to follow for uploading your film:
● You must change the privacy settings so that we are able to download your submission.
○ To do this, scroll below your downloaded video and description and click the “Settings” button. Select the “Privacy” tab and scroll to where it says “What Can People Do With This Video” and select “Download The Video.”
○ By following these steps, Vimeo will compress your video and allow us to easily watch and download your film for the festival.
○ We will contact you once your film has been downloaded so you may adjust your privacy settings or delete it from Vimeo as you prefer.
● Please send an email to Amber Steed at vicepresident@wdafs.org with your Vimeo link details.

Photo submission guidelines:

Photographers may submit up to five high-resolution photographs with aquatic themes through April 1, 2025. Please complete one form per photograph. Aquatic themes can include riverscapes, oceans, estuaries, underwater biota and scenes, fish activities, science activities, management activities, etc. Photographs will be judged considering the following elements: theme, focus, lighting, subject, composition, impact and creativity. Submit your photographs here.

Photographs will be viewable by WDAFS meeting attendees in a slide show as part of the film festival, with select photographs shown opportunistically throughout the meeting. Winning photographs will receive awards and be recognized during the conference. In addition, top photos will be printed on wrapped canvas, displayed during the film festival, and offered in the silent auction to raise funds for WDAFS and local chapter programs. Photos will not be individually posted on the meeting website or available for download or use beyond the meeting.

Filenames of the photographs should include the last name of the photographer and a short title of the image (e.g., Lastname_PhotoTitle). Files should be .jpg format.

If you have any questions about photo submissions, please contact Amber Steed vicepresident@wdafs.org.