ACRS 75th Anniversary

[JOHNSTON DAVIDSON]

Dear All,

This year not only marks the International Year of the Reef, but also
the 75th Anniversary of the Australian Coral Reef Society (ACRS), the
oldest organisation in the world concerned with the study and
protection of coral reefs. To commemorate this anniversary, the
Society is holding its annual conference (Oct. 2 - 6) at Heron Island
(southern GBR) where the ACRS founded AustraliaAEs first coral reef
field research station. For those of you who have fond memories of
field work on the GBR and would wish to express best wishes for the
future work of the Society, the email address is -
                                     ACRS at JCU.EDU.AU.  

For those of you who have had particularly memorable experiences
during the course of working on the GBR (including interactions with
the fauna/flora, boating, weather, other scientists, locals,
bureaucracy, etc) weAEd love to hear from you (especially if it
involves some other unnamed but clearly recognisable character from
your scientific peer group!). Observations on interesting behaviour or
interactions of fauna would also be welcome. Remember, a good
proportion of the eerewardAE you feel for spending so much time
researching on coral reefs is reflected in the anecdotes you bring
back from the field and share with a few like-minded individuals.
These rarely make it into international journals. 

HereAEs your chance to share with us your personal anecdotes. The
intention is for us to present some of your shorter stories at the
ACRS Conference (if you can do that with such short notice) and to
compile a Web Site eebookletAE of all the responses over the next month.
Our web site address is -
             http://www.tesag.jcu.edu.au/acrs/

Remember, email us at ACRS at JCU.EDU.AU. You can include your story as
an attachment (e.g. Word.doc or *.txt).

For those of you who would like to know more about the ACRS but 
have no access to the Internet, youAEll find more information below. 
We do encourage an international membership and if you would like to 
join the ACRS, follow the instructions on our web site or email us at 
the address above.

Thank you.

The Australian Coral Reef Society
Coral Reefs are one of the most complex and poorly understood of
ecosystems. Around the world coral reefs are facing increased
pressures and in many places they are showing signs of significant
degradation. Scientific research on coral reefs is central to the
understanding, management and ultimately the protection of these
unique systems. The ACRS plays a key role by promoting scientific
research on Australian coral reefs. It is a forum for discussion and
information transfer among scientists, management agencies and
reef-based industries that are committed to ecological sustainability.
Because it is not aligned to any vested interests, the Society's views
are sought by government policy makers, conservationists and all those
interested in coral reefs who need impartial and expert advice. The
Society invests in the future by providing financial assistance for
Australian post-graduate students.


The history of the ACRS
The Australian Coral Reef Society is the oldest organisation in the
world concerned with the study and protection of coral reefs, and it
has played a significant role in the nation's history. The society
evolved from the Great Barrier Reef Committee, founded in 1922 to
promote research and  conservation on the Great Barrier Reef. The
committee facilitated the historic 1928-1929 Great Barrier Reef
Expedition and it founded, then managed, the Heron Island Research
Station - Australia's first coral reef field research station. The
ACRS has played a prominent role in bringing major conservation issues
to the attention of governments and the general public, notably the
crown-of-thorn starfish outbreaks and the Royal Commission into oil
drilling on the Great Barrier Reef which was the catalyst for the
establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. While
the Society has historically concentrated on the Great Barrier Reef,
its focus has expanded to include all coral reefs in Australian
waters, particularly in Western Australia. In changing times, and with
the introduction of the concept of ecologically sustainable
development, the Society encourages members of management and
commercial/industrial communities to join academic researchers in
contributing to the scientific knowledge of coral reefs.



***************************************************
Johnston Davidson
Dept. Tropical Environmental Studies and Geography
James Cook University
Townsville, QLD 4811
Telephone: 61 77 814325
Fax:       61 77 814020
E-mail: Johnston.Davidson at jcu.edu.au
    or  Gdjd at cathar.tesag.jcu.edu.au "Johnston Davidson"