Call for Papers and Posters

The Call for Papers has closed.  

TWS-WS will record all Concurrent Technical Sessions and General Sessions (Plenary, Keynote and Capstone.)  The recordings will be posted online 1-2 weeks after the meeting, and will be available for online viewing by meeting attendees for three months.  There will not be a livestream option at the 2024 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 7 to February 9, 2024.  Abstract content should be related to the technical session topics listed below, but additional topics may 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 presentation guidelines.
  • Poster Session:  Poster presenters will set up their posters in the conference center foyer on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 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 8, 2024 from 6-8pm. Poster presenters must be available at their poster at this time to discuss their work with interested viewers. Posters should be no larger than 48” Wide by 36” Tall. Poster presentation 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.

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 your spam folders if you do not see our notification email by this date.

Abstract Deadline:  Friday, October 27, 2023, 11:59 pm PDT.  

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.

Abstracts must be submitted by the deadline to be considered

2024 Concurrent Technical Session Topics:

  • Conference Theme Session – Surviving and Thriving: Embracing our Adaptability Amidst a Changing Climate
  • Conference Theme Session – Wildlife and Climate Change 
  • Conference Theme Session – Lessons Learned
  • Conference Theme Session – Adaptive Management
  • Agriculture as Wildlife Habitat 
  • Challenges and Benefits of Restoring/Monitoring the San Joaquin Desert Biome-Wide
  • Conservation Affairs Challenges and Opportunities
  • Conservation Planning and Environmental Challenges
  • Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles
  • Ecology and Conservation of Birds
  • Ecology and Conservation of Invertebrates
  • Ecology and Conservation of Mammals
  • Endangered Species: Planning for Recovery
  • Justice, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Human Dimensions in Wildlife Conservation and Management
  • Impacts to Lands and Wildlife from Recreation
  • Innovation in Wildlife Science, Conservation, and Management
  • Inputs and Methods for Conservation Planning & Ways to Measure Success
  • Landscape-level Wildlife Management
  • Pacific Islands Conservation
  • Professionalism and Ethics 
  • Public-Facing Projects
  • Public Policy and Wildlife Management
  • Topics at Intersection of Law Enforcement and Natural Resource Conservation
  • Waterfowl
  • Wildlife and Forest Management Policy
  • Wildlife and Renewable Energy
  • Wildlife Conservation and Habitat Management in Nevada
  • Wildlife Diseases and Pathology
  • Wildlife, Pollution, and Ecotoxicology
  • Wildlife Professionals: Agency Coordination and Collaboration
  • Wildlife Professionals: Consultant Case Studies
  • Wildlife Responses to Fire and Post-Fire Restoration/Recovery
  • Wildlife Techniques and Technologies
  • Other

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 (Brooke Langle, presidentelect@tws-west.org). 

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 presentatio