CANCELED – 2020 Western Division AFS Meeting in Vancouver, BC
The Planning Committee of the 2020 Western Division annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C. met this morning and has decided to cancel the meeting due to health concerns associated coronavirus (COVID-19). Everyone is in agreement that proactive measures such as social distancing and limiting large gatherings are necessary to slowing the spread of the virus and reducing the strain on our healthcare system. The British Columbia government has also limited gatherings to less than 250 persons.
As such, the Western Division and Washington-British Columbia Chapter of AFS have decided to cancel this year’s meeting in Vancouver, B.C. (April 13 – 17)
Future Meeting Opportunities
The Planning Committee is currently putting together a survey regarding interest in holding a virtual meeting (likely the same dates: April 13-17, 2020) or submitting symposia and abstracts to the 2020 AFS meeting in Columbus, OH (Aug 30 – Sept 3) or the 2021 Washington-British Columbia Chapter meeting (dates and locations TBD). The survey will likely be distributed this weekend, and will close Thursday, March 19th. Any decisions regarding next steps will be made Friday, March 20th.
Refunds
Registration: For individuals and vendors that have already registered for the meeting, as well as those registering for continuing education courses, we will be giving a 100% refund within 30-days. Please contact Tamara Knudson (tamarak@spokanetribe.com) if you have not received a refund by April 13th.
Sponsors: We will be in contact meeting sponsors regarding refunds on an individual basis also by April 13th.
Hotel: The Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel has already canceled room reservations under the room block for the meeting. You should have received an email regarding that cancellation; if not, please contact the hotel directly: 1-604-689-9211 (https://www.pinnacleharbourfronthotel.com/)
Additional Questions
Again, we apologize for the inconvenience this decision may have caused. If you have any further questions, please contact the meeting co-chairs Brittany Jenewein (btjenewein@gmail.com) and Dan Dauwalter (ddauwalter@tu.org). Additional information may be found on the meeting website: https://wa-bc.fisheries.org/2020-meeting/
