Like previous symposia, this symposium contained a mix of abstracts, philosophical ('give 'em hell Harry!') presentations, technical papers, reviews, and short communications and reports about the European woodcock. The symposium also served as a platform for the implementation of the American Woodcock Management Plan through workshops and the formal signing of a cooperative agreement.
Woodcock are one of the oddest birds in North America. They are a shorebird that got lost and ended up in the scrubby parts of the forest, and look like they were put together with the leftover parts of other birds. Oddities aside, each spring they rise to great beauty with their sky dance at dusk. Greg Hoch combines natural history, land management, scientific knowledge, and personal observation to examine this little game bird. Woodcock have a complex life history and the management of their habitat is also complex. The health of this bird can be considered a key indicator of what good forests look like.
The conference focused on recent work in freshwater wetlands [both natural and constructed] with a view toward understanding wetland processes in a watershed context. Since humans have played important roles in watershed dynamics for years, attention was given to the human dimensions of wetland and watershed uses. Contributed sessions were organized on: biogeochemical cycling in wetlands; human health issues related to water; wetland restoration and reforestation; the role of wetlands in agricultural systems; wetlands and USA environmental law; chemical ecology and natural products from wetlands; water and wetlands in science education; and regional water strategies.
The 11th International Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP11), held on August 4-10, 2001, in Helsingør, Denmark, followed the tradition of previous SIP meetings and covered topics of different levels from chemistry, physiology, and ethology to ecology, genetics, and evolution of insect-plant relationships. The present volume includes a representative selection of fully refereed papers as well as a complete list of all the contributions which were presented at the meeting. Reviews of selected topics as well as original experimental data are included. The book provides valuable information for students and research workers interested in chemical and biological aspects of interactions between individuals and populations of different organisms.