WBS-La-Paz-Baja-2014-meeting-proposal_July2012

							                                    Waterbird Society 2014

                                      Conference Proposal

                                         Submitted by:

                                  Ricardo Rodriguez Estrella
                       Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroeste
                                              and
                                    Felipe Chavez-Ramirez
                                  Gulf Coast Bird Observatory

                                            July 2012


Suggested Dates

5-8 Noviembre, 2014.


Meeting Location

La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

La Paz, Baja California Sur is located in the southern end of the Baja Peninsula along the edge of
La Paz Bay, in the state of Baja California Sur (BCS). La Paz Bay is connected to the Sea of
Cortez. While La Paz is a coastal community the surrounding landscape is Sonoran Desert
scrubland. La Paz Bay has several interesting beaches and a big wetland called Chametla a
tidally influenced floodplain. The Baja Peninsula has several wetlands of this kind. In BCS the
most important wetlands are located in San Ignacio, Bahía Magdalena, Bahía de La Paz
(Chametla) and Bahía Concepción. Also, beautiful sandy and rocky beaches are used by aquatic
birds year-round but specially during the winter season with the arrival of migrant birds. Red
(Rizophora mangle), black (Avicenia germinans) and white (Laguncularia racemosa) mangroves
are common in wetlands.

The land surrounding La Paz is an exceptionally rich desert. Choyas, pitahayas, mesquite, palo
verde, saltbrush, Adam´s trees and Cardon cacti are the most common plant species in Baja
California Peninsula desert ecosystem. Mean annual temperature is about 23 ºC and mean annual
precipitation does not exceed the 200 mm. Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Caracara, Peregrine Falcon,
Red-tailed hawk, Great-horned Owl, Western-screech owl and Roadrunner, 3 species of
Woodpeckers, orioles and cardinals are common species in the region. During November no
rains occur.

Waterbirds can be easily found along beaches, wetlands and areas with mangroves. It has been
estimated that more than one hundred aquatic species, including shorebirds, egrets, pelicans and

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endemic Yellow-Footed Gull. More than 50 winter migratory birds have been recorded in La Paz
bay, including ducks, grebes, boobys, Egrets, Plovers, gulls, terns among others. Common
waterbird species in La Paz bay are Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Pelican, White Pelican,
Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Snowy Egret,
Yellow-crowned Night Heron, White-face Ibis, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater
Yellowlegs, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, California Gull, Western Gull, Royal Tern,
Caspian Tern and Least Tern.


Meeting Structure


Travel

La Paz (airport code LAP) has direct flights from Mexico City, Tijuana, Guadalajara, Sonora
(Guaymas), Sinaloa, and Los Angeles. San José del Cabo (commonly known as Los Cabos)
airport (code SJD) is a 2 hour drive from La Paz, and receives many direct flights from many
major airports and hubs in the USA and Canada, e.g. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San José, San
Diego, Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Denver, Houston, New
Orleans, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto . Transportation from San José del Cabo is available via
buses and shuttles. All car rental facilities are available at the airport as well. The drive from
Los Cabos to La Paz is via two potential routes on east or west side of the Peninsula. Both are
very scenic drives where the road winds along the topography generally with in view of the
ocean.

Meeting Venue

We propose to hold the meeting at the Hotel Perla on the Malecon (beachside sidewalk). The
Perla Hotel has 109 rooms and is a conference center with 3 large meeting rooms. The Hotel 7
Crown, 2 blocks away, has 55 rooms. The other Hotel 7 Crown has 55 rooms and is about 6
blocks away. Salón Madre Perla (200 personas) (PARA LAS PLENARIAS), Sala Madre Perla
(40 personas), El Mechudo (40 Personas), Ejecutivo (20 Personas),


Lodging

The Perla Hotel has offered us a room rate of 58 US dollars for single or double occupancy.
Extra persons would pay 6.5 US dollars in addition to the room rate in a triple or quadruple
occupancy. In addition, several other hotels are available within walking distance of the Perla
Hotel, including several regular and some boutique hotels such as Posada de la Mision and Hotel
Plaza Real. Other hotels with special rates for the Conference are Grand Plaza, Hotel Marina,
Araiza Inn Palmira, Hotel La Concha, Hotel Miramar and Hacienda Bugambilia.




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Registration Costs

Our preliminary estimate suggests the following registration costs:
       Early regular 260.00
       Early student 130.00
       Late regular 320.00
       Late student 180.00

Registration will include 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, food at reception, all socials and banquete, in
addition to the coffee breaks.


Possible Sponsorship

We will explore the possibility of external funding support, if the meeting proposal is approved
by the WBS council. We have compiled a list of potential sponsor based on previous meeting
support.


Special Rates and Housing for Students

The possibility of multiple occupancy per room (up to 4) at the Perla Hotel, should provide
reasonable lodging rates for students willing to share a room. We will explore similar multiple
occupancy possibilities with nearby hotels.


Social Events

The ice breaker will take place on Pichilingue beach and participants will be transported via
coach to and from the hotel about 25 minutes away and will offer local drinks and heavy
Mexican and coastal hors d’oevres. Last day banquet will be in the Terrace of the Perla Hotel.
Participation and food at all socials will be included as part of the registration. Some events may
require paying for drinks, although we are exploring help to subsidize student’s costs in this
regard. If proposal is successful we will investigate additional social activities, which will
depend on additional sponsorship. Two possibilities are Tequila tasting and a Baja California
wine tasting events which may be associated with poster sessions and/or additional activities.


Field Trips

One Pre-meeting and post-meeting field trips will be planned. One to Bahia Magdalena for
shorebirds and Urban nesting osprey nesting. Other potential trips include an isolated breeding
population of bald eagles. Isla Espiritu Santo where wading birds, endemic nesting Yellow-
footed Gulls and other species such as Blue-footed and Rose-footed Boobies can be seen. On
Isla Espiritu Santo other attractions include sea lion colony and dolphins, whale sharks are



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potential on the way there and back. Morning trips will be organized to Chametla wetlands via
boat for large concentration of wading and shorebirds.

Planning Committee

At present, our planning committee is composed of Ricardo Rodriguez Estrella, Felipe Chavez-
Ramirez, Edgar Lopez Saut, Jose Romeo Tinajero, Laura Rivera. If approved we will include
the following in local committee: Jorge Arturo Ramirez, Eduardo Palacios, Juan Guzman and
Georgina Bravata. The CIBNOR will organize and take care of administration and logistics for
the meeting. We expect to subdivide in committees and areas of responsibility as necessary. We
will likely recruit others to be part of different committees.



Hotel La Perla in La Paz, Baja California Sur.




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View of La Paz Bay from Hotel La Perla terrace.




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