Monday, 11 July
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Student: $42; Professional: $57.50

On Monday, 11 July, 2005, from 6 – 10 p.m., the Joint Meeting Awards Banquet will be held in the Marriott Ballroom. The menu for the evening consists of Chicken Wellington – a chicken breast filled with wild mushrooms in a flaky puff pastry dough and Madeira Wine sauce, rice pilaf, Fort Brook Salad – fresh garden greens with hearts of palm, Mandarin oranges, candied walnuts and red wine vinaigrette, and Chocolate Dome with Crème Center – a creamy chocolate dome with a rich caramel crème center coated with chocolate, served with a dark rum sauce. Wine will be served with dinner, plus cash bars will be available. Cost of the tickets is $57.50 for professional participants and guests, and $42.00 for graduate students. Sign up for the banquet when you register for the conference.

This year the Joint Meeting will hold an informal Meet and Greet for all those accompanying persons attending the meeting. This is an opportunity for the accompanying persons to get to know each other and learn more about Tampa.

On Thursday, 7 July, at 9 a.m., in Meeting Room 8, all accompanying persons can meet with a representative from the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. This representative will provide a brief overview of local attractions, distribute brochures and pamphlets, and provide advice on getting around Tampa. Light refreshments will be served to those in attendance. Please indicate your interest in this session when you register for the meeting.

The SSAR/HL live auction is an opportunity to support the programs of SSAR and HL and to clean out your office or house of those interesting and valuable herp (or fish) related items. Any herp (or fish) related item, especially books, art, sculptures, famous autographs, field equipment, or clothing, is appreciated. Please note that items made from amphibians, reptiles, fish, or parts thereof, should NOT be donated.

Donations are tax deductible. Receipts will be issued on request.

Items can be brought to the meeting or sent to Tampa at least one week prior to the meeting. Send items to: Henry R. Mushinsky, Department of Biology, SCA 110, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620.

For additional information contact David Green at: david.m.green@mcgill.ca or (514) 398-4086 ext 4088.

Thursday, 7 July
11:30 a.m., following plenary sessions

Traditional group photos will be taken on 7 July, following the opening sessions. The Joint Meeting group photo will be taken first, followed by the AES Group Photograph. Photographs should be pre-ordered when registering for the conference. Delivery will be on site during the conference. A limited number of photographs may be available for purchase on site. Cost is $12.00 per photograph.

These trips are open to all conference participants and accompanying persons who might want a break from the workshops. Sign-up for these optional trips when you register for the workshop.