Thank you for your interest in touring The Marine Mammal Center during your attendance at The Society for Marine Mammalogy conference in San Francisco, California.

The Center will host a very limited number of free tours for conference attendees on Saturday, December 19.  The tour times are at 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m.  Space is limited to 25 people per tour; please make your reservation early.

You may register here (follow the steps listed below to complete your registration):
https://tmmc.doubleknot.com/facility/society-of-marine-mammalogy-tour/1824394

1.      Scroll to the bottom of the page where you will see a calendar (center) and a program listing (left).
2.      Click on the program titled “Society for Marine Mammalogy Tour”.
3.      Advance the calendar to the month of December (using the right arrow, if needed) and click on the calendar cell for Saturday, December 19.
4.      Click on the rust-colored button that says “RESERVE”.
5.      Click on the second rust-colored button that says “CHECK OUT”.
6.      On the next page, complete the registration information, including selecting the tour time you want to join (12:00 or 2:00 p.m.) and the number of people in your group (from the pull down menu options).
7.      Click “Continue”
8.      On the next page (Shopping Cart), click “Checkout”
9.      On the final page, you will be asked to provide your contact information, then click “SAVE”.
10.  You will be directed to a page with a receipt and you will be sent a confirmation to the email address you provided.

If these tour times are sold-out or you would like to visit the Center on a different day or time, you may join a tour offered to the general public.  You can find information about booking one of these tours here:
https://tmmc.doubleknot.com/event/calendar/3026.  Please note that a small registration fee applies for these tours.

Getting to the Center
The Center is located in the Marin Headlands, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The Center is accessible by car, bicycle, and public transport busses (on a very limited basis on Saturdays and Sundays only).  While bicycling into the Headlands is possible, we recommend that bicyclists review the routes into and out of the park before making plans to cycle.  Taxis can be booked into and out of the Headlands, but arrangements will need to be made ahead of time.  There is not regular taxi traffic in the Headlands (no cab stands, etc…)

You can find more information about driving directions and public transportation options here: https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/visiting-us/directions.html#public_trans

If you have questions, please contact the Center’s education department at edu@tmmc.org or (415) 289-7330.

We are just about one month away from the 21st Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Francisco.  By all accounts this is shaping up to be an epic conference.  The plenaries look impressive.  The science is going to be better than ever. So to keep in line with this high standard, we are making sure that the student travel fundraiser is the best party yet. This is an opportunity to dance, to mingle, to turn off your brain for a bit, and help support our student scientists.

We have been receiving some emails asking for more information so here is almost everything you need to know for the party that you can’t miss.

The Venue:  Mezzanine  (444 Jessie St.) https://mezzaninesf.com/private-events/

This is a great space with lounge areas upstairs and plenty of room on the dance floor.  A world-class sound system will ensure the best dance experience all night.  Best of all, the venue is a 9-minute walk from the conference hotel!

The Music:  We know you love to dance.  We are bringing on a professional DJ who has been briefed on the musical wants and needs of our marine mammal colleagues.  You will be moved to dance!

The Date:  The party is Wednesday Dec 16.  Doors will open at 8 PM and things are shutting down at 2AM.  That gives you 6.5 hours of sleep before the Thursday morning poster session.  We are here for sciences so don’t miss the poster session!

Ticket Prices:  Tickets gain you entry into the party and provide a long-lasting warm fuzzy feeling that you are helping our next generation of marine mammal scientists make it to the Halifax conference in 2017.

Student               $15 (comes with 1 free raffle ticket)
Non-Student       $25 (comes with 1 free raffle ticket)
Raffle Ticket       $2 (or 12 for $20)

The Raffle:  As always we are selling raffle tickets to help raise funds and give you the opportunity to take home some excellent prizes.  We are changing things a little this year and having two drawings.  The first drawing for most of the prizes will be at the party and YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN.  The second drawing will happen at the closing of the conference
and you don’t need to be there to win.  We will make sure you get your prize.  So what are the prizes? Well just to name a few: iPads, GoPros, gift certificates, shwag from The Marine Mammal Center, tacky marine mammal items and more!  The more tickets you buy, the better your chances, and the more students get to travel in 2017!

Where to Purchase:  At this point you are probably asking yourself where you can get these tickets.  Tickets to the party can be purchased while registering for the conference. If you have already registered, go back into your registration profile, edit your registration profile and add on a ticket to the party and some raffle tickets. We will make sure that they are part of your registration packet when you check in.  Otherwise, we will have a small station set up near registration where you can purchase all the tickets you desire.  Cash only!!

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION:
1.     Must be 21 years old or older.
2.     Must have valid ID.  For our foreign guests, that means bring a passport!
3.     Dress code.  Don?t wear your field clothes.  Hawaiians, no slippahs (flip flops).
4.     Drink Prices: Standard prices for San Francisco. Cocktails between $9-11.  So we recommend a few beverages beforehand and enjoying at least a couple at the venue (we do have a minimum bar tab we need to reach people!).
Stash away a little extra cash in the next month to make sure you help put a dent in the bar bill!

Have any questions? Hit us up on the Seal Clubbing II: Beachmaster’s Ball FB Page!
https://www.facebook.com/Seal-Clubbing-II-Beachmasters-Ball-1439791866338284/

Cheers,
Charles and Ari

Attending the Society for Marine Mammology Conference in San Francisco? Add a whale watch to your agenda! Monterey Bay Whale Watch will be offering special 6 hour trips for conference attendees on December 11th, 12th, 19th & 20th. Join them to search for Humpback Whales, Blue Whales, Gray Whales, Killer Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises, Pinnipeds, Sea Otters, Marine Birds and much more in Monterey Bay. Recently featured in the BBC and PBS production – Big Blue Live and in National Geographic, Monterey Bay is a global marine mammal hotspot. Their newly acquired catamaran, The Blackfin, will be taking trips at 10am with a capacity of 120 passengers. Tickets are $65 for adults and $45 for children ages 4-12 years old. Reservations can by made by phone at 831-375-4658 or online at gowhales.com. They are located on the Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, about 2 hours south of San Francisco.

Can’t make those dates? They will be offering our regular whale watch schedule everyday during the conference as well. Find out more here: https://gowhales.com/

Dear Biennial delegates,

What’s this I hear about leaving early? Friday night is going to be amazing, the frosting on the cake, the birthday celebration of our Society!

And..its going to be in the most amazing building in San Francisco, City Hall! We’ve rented it for you!

We’ll have incredible food available all night, free wine and beer, a champagne toast to our award winners….and dance to Linda Tillery’s Soul Explosion with James and Eric, our DJ’s filling in.

And..we’ve priced this event to be accessible to all of you! Please stay and celebrate with us! Sign up soon, attendance is limited.

Best, Ellen & Frances (It’s going to be great in San Francisco)

The organizing committee of the 2015 Biennial Conference is proud to announce our plenaries. We will change things up a bit and offer two shorter plenaries each afternoon. We start on Monday morning with an opening plenary by Peter Tyack, and continue that afternoon with a panel of scientists and journalists, entitled: How to Make Your Science Matter, moderated by Nancy Baron, COMPASS Director of Science.  This is very exciting, as our panel consists of Marcia Mc Nutt, Editor in Chief of Science, Jane Lubchenko, U.S. Science Envoy for the Oceans, Nick Gales, SMM President, Charles Littnan, NOAA Fisheries, Ken Weiss, from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and David Malikoff, from Science Magazine.  Our subsequent plenaries will reflect themes from the Biennial: On Tuesday, Jennifer Francis (Rutgers University) and Sue Moore (NOAA/NMFS) will discuss climate change. Wednesday’s speakers, Beth Shapiro (UC Santa Cruz) and Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse (AU of Queretaro) will present emerging technologies. Human Dimensions is the theme for Thursday, with plenary talks by Claudio Campagna (Wildlife Conservation Society) and Mike Orbach (Duke University).

Our program is really taking shape! Find out more about our plenaries and developing conference program here. Stay tuned for more announcements and a detailed scientific program coming mid-November. We look forward to seeing you in San Francisco, its going to be great!

We are pleased to offer childcare within the conference hotel at the upcoming SMM 2015 conference in San Francisco. This is a first for the Society, and we have arranged it so conference attendees can relax and enjoy the scientific sessions while their children are cared for. Childcare is provided by KiddieCorp which has enjoyed a long-time partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, which have helped to establish KiddieCorp as a premier provider of event children’s program services. Ratios of caregivers to children are high (1:2 for children ages 6 weeks through 11 months old; 1:3 for children ages 1 through 2 years old; 1:5 for children ages 3 through 5 years old; 1:7 for children ages 6 through 12 years old).

Prices are $15/hour for children 2-12, and $ 20 for children under 2. (Note we have decreased the price by $ 5 an hour)

Please register at (https://www.kiddiecorp.com/smmkids.htm)

Thank you
Best wishes
Frances Gulland and Ellen Hines

We are planning an informal “LGBT Night” during the SMM Biennial Conference on Thursday December 17. The intent is to provide a space of community for our LGBT colleagues and to promote diversity and inclusivity within our profession. Our current plan for the evening is as follows:

7:30 – 8:30 pm: Mixer with drinks on the 45th floor of the Hilton, the best view of San Francisco!

9:00 – 10:00 pm: Dinner at Chow, 215 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94114.
Chow on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chow-san-francisco-3
We plan to use public transportation from the Hilton/Marker area taking the Muni train on Market St. and getting off at the Church St. Station (the one before Castro). Chow is just across the street.

10:00 pm: Bar hopping in The Castro (walking distance from Chow)

Folks are welcome to join any or all activities. So that we can provide the mixer and dinner venues an approximate guest count, we would appreciate an RSVP. Please also feel free to direct any questions to us.

We look forward to seeing you in San Francisco. It’s going to be great!

Daniel Palacios <daniel.palacios@oregonstate.edu>
Annalisa Berta <aberta@mail.sdsu.edu>
Frank Cipriano <cipriano@sfsu.edu>
Ellen Hines <ehines@sfsu.edu>
Jaime Jahncke <jjahncke@pointblue.org>

As the conference hotel is now full, we have procured discounted rates at a neighboring hotel, Parc 55, located a block away from the conference hotel.

Secure a discounted reservation at the Parc55 hotel through the Society HERE

Want to share a room?

Go here to find someone to share a room with.

Need a less expensive housing option?

There are beds in shared dorms available (about 50 spaces left at this point). It is San Francisco City Center Hostel at 685 Ellis Street. Earliest check-in date is December 12 and latest check-out date is December 19 (nights of 12/12-18). Dorm beds are $40 per night.

Interested in booking a dorm bed at the hostel for this rate? Download this hostel form, fill it out and send it to  Tenaya Norris at norrist@tmmc.org