Welcome
The Local Host Committee welcomes our colleagues to Norfolk, Virginia, for the 2023 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH). Norfolk is situated at the southern end of Chesapeake Bay, in the Tidewater Region of the mid-Atlantic coast of the US. The region is home to wonderful florae, faunae, and habitats, as well as a long and rich cultural history. The meeting will take place at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott, with rooms also available at the nearby Sheraton Norfolk Waterside, both on the north shore of the Elizabeth River and within 10 miles of Norfolk International Airport (ORF). The hotel is in a thriving, historical part of the city, with many restaurants and cultural spots to complement the scientific activities of the meetings, including a number of craft breweries in the immediate area of the conference.
We acknowledge that our meeting is being held on the Tsenacommacah land, originally home to the tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy, and that this land was stolen from Indigenous Americans as part of the many injustices born in the Colonial era with Norfolk at its heart. We further acknowledge that those injustices persist into the present as a product of systematized white supremacy. We ask that JMIH participants join us in providing mutual aid to two of the tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy who persist by expanding their land and educating their communities through fundraising: the Mattaponi tribe (donate) and the Pamunkey tribe (donate). We also recognize that Norfolk was at the heart of slavery in the United States, marked by the 1619 Landing in Hampton, VA, where the first enslaved Africans were brought to North America: fewer than 20 miles from the location of these Joint Meetings. The legacy of injustice persists today; however, many organizations are aimed at improving the quality of Black communities in Norfolk, such as the STEM scholarship program of the United Way of South Hampton Roads and the Tidewater Solidarity Bail Fund. We implore attendees of JMIH to donate to these organizations. We finally request that all JMIH participants commit to improving our mindfulness of these issues and to identify ways to work with Black, Indigenous, and all communities of color where we live. It is through these actions we strive to make our whole human ecosystem more just and, through mutual aid, facilitate the liberation of marginalized communities.
We are excited to host outstanding plenary presentations, many contributed papers and posters, the SSAR President’s Travelogue, live auction and other annual events that attendees have come to cherish. The ASIH, SSAR, and HL will be co-sponsoring a symposium titled The ZooMu Initiative: Enhancing the Value of Zoo Collections to Advancing Biological Sciences by Bridging the Gap Between Zoos and Museum, the ASIH and AES will be sponsoring a two day symposium titled A Tribute to the Life and Works of Jack Musick: Biology and Conservation of Long-Lived Marine Vertebrates, the AES is sponsoring a symposium Elasmobranch Fisheries Management: New Tools, Technologies, and Methods, and the SSAR is sponsoring a symposium titled Amphibian Vision: the Roles of Ecology and Ontogeny in the Evolution of a Key Sensory System.
A couple of reminders for “greening the meetings” initiatives that will be in place at JMIH 2023. First, in an effort to reduce costs and consumption of resources, we will not be providing meeting bags. We encourage attendees to reuse bags from previous conferences. Second, there will be the opportunity for attendees to purchase carbon offsets during registration. All proceeds from this will be donated to a local environmental non-profit organization, so please keep an eye out for this when you are registering for the conference.
If your travel plans allow, you will find Norfolk, the Tidewater area of Virginia generally, and the broader region a pleasure to visit. The conference will be held in the heart of Norfolk’s Waterside district, and within walking distance to several other parts of the city. Attractions in the immediate area include The Virginia Zoo and the Norfolk Botanical Garden, and several world class museums, including the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Hermitage Museum & Gardens. Several of these relate directly to the maritime culture that in many ways defines Norfolk, including Nauticus & The Battleship Wisconsin, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, and others.
Norfolk is a great jumping off point for many exciting and beautiful places to visit. A short drive east, and you will be in the resort city of Virginia Beach, where one can relax on the beach, surf the waves, charter a deep-sea fishing boat, or visit the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. To the north of the city of Virginia Beach is First Landing State Park, with almost 20 miles of hiking and biking trails that traverse a wide variety of habitats, including cypress swamps, salt marshes, maritime forests, freshwater wetlands, dunes, and the bay shoreline. About a 45-minute drive to the southwest is the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which straddles the Virginia-North Carolina border and protects over 112,000 acres of ecologically and biologically unique habitats of the mid-Atlantic region. About 1-hour north is the Historic Triangle area of Virginia, comprising Yorktown, Williamsburg, and Jamestown, each of which holds a special place in the history of the United States. Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is about a 2-hour drive from Norfolk, and is home to many museums, galleries, and historic sites, from the Civil War era and beyond. Further afield but still less than a 4-hour drive, one can find themselves in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park.
Virginia is home to wonderfully diverse natural heritage, from the mountains to the sea. We hope that participants in the 2023 JMIH will take some additional time to enjoy the natural and cultural beauty of the Tidewater. We look forward to seeing you all in July!
Eric J. Hilton, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary
HOSTED BY:
Committee Chair
Eric J. Hilton, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary
Local committee members
Kate Bemis, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Rafael de Sá, University of Richmond
Jan McDowell, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary
Tom Munroe, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Rocky Parker, James Madison University