Conference Description

Objective: To provide an opportunity for informational exchange on the coqui frog and other invasive amphibians via oral and poster presentations, invited speakers, and panel discussion for researchers, wildlife, landscape, natural resource, and property management professionals and homeowners concerned with managing the coqui frog in Hawai‘i.

Topics relating to amphibian:

• ecology
• physiology
• genetics
• population dynamics
• habitat
• and other information gaps applicable to understanding coqui frogs in order to minimize their spread in Hawai‘i.

Biographies of Invited Speakers

Ross Alford

Dr. Ross Alford is a Professor of Marine and Tropical Biology at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, where he teaches courses in rainforest ecology and herpetology.  His areas of expertise include behavioral and population ecology, frog ecology and host-pathogen biology, and feral animal control.  Dr. Alford’s recent research on invasive cane toads has included examining differences between toads in established populations and those at the invasion front, studying the use of olfactory and acoustic attractants to enhance trap effectiveness, and evaluating possible mechanisms for biological control.  He also serves as the Australian coordinator for the Amphibian Specialist Group of IUCN/SSC and was one of the authors of their Conservation Action Plan.  Dr Alford holds a PhD from Duke University and an MS from the University of Florida.  He has been an invited speaker at many professional conferences and is a member of numerous scientific societies.

Steve A. Johnson

Dr. Steve A. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Urban Wildlife Ecology at the University of Florida (60% teaching, 40% extension). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida and BS and MS degrees from the University of Central Florida.  His tenure home is the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, but he works at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center near Tampa, where he teaches wildlife ecology courses as part of a Natural Resource Conservation undergraduate program. Before joining the University of Florida in 2004, Dr. Johnson worked as a research wildlife biologist with the US Geological Survey in Gainesville, FL. Dr. Johnson’s area of expertise is natural history and conservation of amphibians and reptiles, and he has worked extensively with imperiled species. His current extension and research programs at the University of Florida emphasize invasive wildlife biology, ecology of pond-breeding amphibians, venomous snake identification/safety, urban wildlife education, and the ecology and management of Cuban Tree Frogs in Florida.

Lawrence L. Woolbright

Dr. Larry Woolbright is a Professor in the Biology Department at Siena College near Albany, New York. A lifelong interest in reptiles and amphibians led him to pursue an undergraduate degree in biology at Presbyterian College in South Carolina.  He took a tropical field biology class, which included a field trip to Puerto Rico - that was the beginning of his professional work with coqui frogs.  Dr. Woolbright earned his PhD from the State University of New York at Albany.  In 2002 and 2003, Dr. Woolbright was invited to Hawaii to assist UH scientists collect data on coqui populations in Hawaii.  He has published a book chapter and 10 papers in scientific journals specifically on coqui frogs.

Fernando J. Bird-Picó, originally scheduled as a speaker, recently sent his regrets and is not able to attend this conference.

Deadlines  

Registration

Guidelines for Abstracts

Guidelines for Posters

Guidelines for Oral Presentations

Conference Facilities and Accommodations

Transportation

Conference Schedule

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