Mississippi Museum of Natural Science 2148 Riverside Drive, Jackson, Mississippi June 19-21, 2017 Page 1 Artwork for the symposium logo was kindly provided by the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science’s in-house artist, Sam Beibers. You are welcome to use this illustration as long as it is not used for resale in any capacity. Please credit its use with the following: "Illustration: Sam Beibers". IF you need illustrations for any of your own projects, you may contact Sam at 601-826-9256 or [email protected]. In this illustration, Sam Beibers wanted to take a "color challenged" animal in situ and push those colors brighter than they normally would be. "I wanted the hellbender to have something of a regal look. Afterall, they are 'superstars' to many of us in the scientific community." The final illustration was painted in watercolor on thin, clay-coated bristol board. As the paint dries on a smooth surface that is not very porous, the paint tends to "sit" on the surface instead of soaking in. Therefore it often dries in visible puddles. Pencil was used to add some detail and emphasize some areas of shade. Beibers grew up in rural northwest Mississippi. Like most boys, he enjoyed catching tadpoles, building huts, and swinging on grapevines. After one miserable year of wildlife biology studies at junior college, he changed his major to art and has since gone on to paint and draw hundreds of flora and fauna illustrations, as well as landscapes, cityscapes, and portraits. He received his MA at Mississippi College. Page 2 The following sponsors (and/or representatives from these institutions) helped make this symposium a success. We are truly grateful for their support and for their contribution to hellbender conservation. Mr. Timothy Fedele THE MISSISSIPPI CHAPTER Page 3 All scheduled events are at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, except for the opening event which will be held at Sal and Mookie’s. 2148 Riverside Drive 2375 N. State Street Jackson, MS 39202 Jackson, MS 39202 601-576-6000 565 Taylor Street Parking and admission at MMNS is 601-948-8650 Jackson, MS 39216 FREE for Symposium attendees. 601-576-6000 Please be sure to let the gatehouse know you are here for the symposium. Please be cautious of pot holes and uneven pavement while driving in the Jackson metro area, ESPECIALLY along Riverside Drive which connects the Museum to lodging. Page 4 Mississippi Museum of Natural Science 2148 Riverside Drive, Jackson, Mississippi June 19-21, 2017 ○ Optional field trip: June 22 Monday—June 19 3:00–5:00pm “Early” sign in @ Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS) SAL AND MOOKIE’S, 565 TAYLOR STREET, JACKSON MS 39216 : 6:00pm Doors open 6:15pm Opening Remarks—Sheena Feist, MS Museum of Natural Science followed by dinner, beer, dessert (provided) 7:30pm Welcome Address—Thomas Floyd, GA Dept. Natural Resources 8:00–9:00pm Social with opportunity for open mic—funny field stories, hellbender videos, etc. Tuesday—June 20 8:00am Museum grounds open, “late” sign in 8:30am Keynote Address—Paul Hime, University of Kentucky 9:30am Round table/open mic discussion 10:30am Break—snacks provided 10:45am State Updates 11:45am Talks 12:30–2:30pm Lunch break (on your own)—see food suggestions on next page 2:30pm Talks 4:45–6:00pm Free time (opportunity for break out sessions) 5:30pm Poster set-up 6:00pm Dinner provided @ MMNS, Mama Hamil’s southern cuisine (BYOB) 6:45–7:30pm Poster Session 7:30–8:30pm Business meeting, including 2019 Symposium planning Wednesday—June 21 8:00am Museum grounds open 8:30am Talks 10:30am Break—snacks provided 10:45am Talks 11:30am Best presentation winners announced, including photos 12:00pm Closing, final remarks 12:30pm Adjourn 1:00pm Field trip instructions—Jim Godwin, Auburn Natural Heritage Program Thursday—June 22 Optional: Alabama field survey Page 5 George’s Museum Cafe—1150 Lakeland Dr Southern plate lunches, cafeteria style NAME—ADDRESS (TYPE) ALL OPTIONS ARE WITHIN 3 MILES OF THE MUSEUM Aladdin’s—1150 Lakeland Dr (Mediterranean) Surin—3000 Old Canton Rd (Thai) High Noon Café—2807 Old Canton Rd (Vegetarian) Brent’s Soda Fountain—655 Duling Ave (Diner, made famous by “The Help”) Babalu—622 Duling Ave (Tapas & Tacos) Saltine Oyster Bar—622 Duling Ave (Seafood) Pig & Pint—3139 N State St (BBQ) Rooster’s—2906 N State St (Burger joint) Quiznos—2945 Old Canton Rd (Sandwich chain) Museum grounds 2148 Riverside Dr A BIT FURTHER NORTH (AND NOT SHOWN ON THIS MAP): NAME—ADDRESS (TYPE) APPROX DISTANCE FROM MUSEUM IF YOU PREFER TO STAY ON SITE, Spice Avenue—4711 I-55 N (Indian buffet) 3.5 miles JIMMY JOHN’S DELIVERS: Broad Street—4465 I-55 N #101 (bakery and cafe) 3.5 miles 601-352-1010 Page 6 Newks—4450 I-55 N (Sandwiches, salads, soups) 4.5 miles ALL EVENTS ARE AT THE MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE (MMNS) @ 2148 RIVERSIDE DR., EXCEPT FOR THE OPENING EVENT WHICH WILL BE HELD AT SAL AND MOOKIE’S @ 565 TAYLOR ST. Monday—June 19 3:00–5:00pm “Early” sign in @ MMNS SAL AND MOOKIE’S 565 TAYLOR STREET, JACKSON MS 39216: 6:00pm Opening Remarks—Sheena Feist, MS Museum of Natural Science followed by dinner, beer, dessert @ Sal and Mookie’s 7:30pm Welcome Address—Thomas Floyd, GA Dept. Natural Resources 8:00–9:00pm Social /ice breaker with opportunity to share funny field stories, hellbender videos, etc. Tuesday—June 20 8:00am Museum grounds open, “late” sign in 8:30am Keynote Address—Genomic Perspectives on the Biology and Evolutionary History of Cryptobranchid Salamanders PAUL HIME, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY 9:30am Round table/open mic discussion 10:30am Break—snacks provided 10:45am State Updates Moderator: JEFF HUMPHRIES 11:45am Filling Knowledge Gaps in Hellbender Distribution through Broad-scale Environmental DNA (eDNA) Surveys KIMBERLY A. TERRELL 12:00pm The Use of Species Distribution Models (SDMs) and Environmental DNA to Evaluate the Distribution of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) in Tennessee JERONIMO GOMES DA SILVA NETO 12:15am Investigating the Status of a Declining Amphibian within a Large Protected Area: Hellbenders in Great Smoky Mountains National Park MICHAEL FREAKE 12:30–2:30pm Lunch break (on your own) Page 7 Please see previous page for suggestions on local food spots Moderator: STEPHEN SPEAR 2:30pm Proactive private lands conservation for eastern hellbenders CHRISTIAN HUNT 2:45pm Associations between immunogenetics and cutaneous microbial community composition in two subspecies of giant salamanders OBED HERNÁNDEZ-GÓMEZ 3:00pm Analysis of hellbender skin secretions in Tennessee and Arkansas populations REBECCA H. HARDMAN 3:15pm Efficacy of artificial shelter arrays as a monitoring tool for hellbenders CATHERINE M. BODINOF JACHOWSKI Moderator: JEN LAMB 3:30pm “What’s the draw: Illustrating the impacts of cartoons versus photographs on attitudes and behavioral intentions for wildlife conservation” BRIANNA L. OSINSKI 3:45pm When Should we Survey the Japanese Giant Salamanders (Andrias japonicus)? YUKI TAGUCHI 4:00pm Sex Determination in the Japanese Giant Salamander (Andrias japonicus) by Ultrasonography YUKI TAGUCHI 4:15pm Movement and Habitat Use in Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) Following Population Augmentation EMILY B. MCCALLEN 4:30pm Current Advances in Eastern Hellbender Captive Rearing: The Value of Environmental Conditioning on Swim Performance ERIN K. KENISON 4:45–6:00pm Free time (opportunity for break out sessions) Page 8 5:30pm Poster set-up 6:00pm Dinner provided @ MMNS (BYOB) 6:45–7:30pm Poster Session 7:30–8:30pm Business meeting, including 2019 Symposium planning Wednesday—June 21 8:00am Museum grounds open Moderator: KIMBERLY TERRELL 8:30am Preliminary Results of the North Carolina Hellbender Survey JOHN D. GROVES 8:45am Occupancy Modeling of Larval Eastern Hellbenders in North Carolina SHEM UNGER 9:00am Population Structure and Stability, and Individual and Population Health for Two Eastern Hellbender Meta-populations in a Tributary of the Susquehanna River PETER J. PETOKAS 9:15am Quantitative Protocols for Assessing Hellbender Abundance and In- stream Habitat: The Need for Standardized Techniques M. WORTH PUGH Moderator: MICHAEL OGLE 9:30am Invasion from Hell(benders!) BRYAN PLIS 9:45am Hellbender Aggression MAX A. NICKERSON 10:00am The Continued Development of Environmental DNA (eDNA) as a Monitoring Tool for Giant Salamanders in the Eastern United States STEPHEN SPEAR 10:15am Eastern Hellbender, Mudpuppy, and Black Warrior Waterdog in Alabama JAMES GODWIN Page 9 10:30am Break—snacks provided Moderator: SHEENA FEIST 10:45am Population Structure of the Gulf Coast Waterdog (Necturus beyeri) JENNIFER LAMB 11:00am Co-occurrence and Hybridization Between Necturus maculosus and a Potentially Undescribed Species in the Southern Appalachians STEPHEN K. NELSON 11:15am Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) Not Common in Southern Appalachian Streams KIRSTEN A. HECHT 11:30am Best presentation winners announced, including photos 12:00pm Closing, final remarks 12:30pm Adjourn 1:00pm Field trip instructions—Jim Godwin, Auburn Natural Heritage Program Thursday—June 22 Alabama field survey Page 10 Genomic Perspectives on the Biology and Evolutionary History of Cryptobranchid Salamanders Paul Hime University of Kentucky The past decade has witnessed remarkable progress in understanding and conserving hellbenders across their range. Yet, several aspects of hellbender biology and evolutionary history have remained murky. The recent advent of genome sequencing approaches in non-model organisms has opened up new prospects for addressing important basic and applied questions. Here I describe results from two collaborative projects aimed at understanding the mechanisms of sex determination in cryptobranchid salamanders, and at reconstructing the population genetic, demographic, and phylogenetic history of Cryptobranchus across its broad (and shrinking) geographic distribution. Comparative genomic work has led to the development of a broadly effective PCR-based genetic sex assay for Cryptobranchus and Andrias.