Request for Location and Venue Proposals
2025 NASPS Meeting
The North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society (NASPS) will hold a standalone meeting in 2025 and is requesting proposals for locations, venue, and hosts for the meeting. We do attempt to balance meeting locations geographically across Canada and the US.
The location history for NASPS meetings is as follows:
- 2015: NASPS Standalone Meeting – Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Midwest)
- 2016: NASPS Standalone Meeting – Hood River, Oregon (Northwest)
- 2017: NASPS symposium held in conjunction with AFS in Tampa, Florida (South)
- 2017: World Sturgeon Conservation Society’s ISS8 in Vienna Austria (Global
- 2018: NASPS Standalone Meeting – Columbia, Missouri (Midwest)
- 2019: NASPS Standalone Meeting – Winnipeg, Manitoba (Central Canada)
- 2020: NASPS Virtual Meeting
- 2021: NASPS Virtual Meeting
- 2022: NASPS Standalone Meeting – Folsom, California (West)
- 2023: NASPS symposium held in conjunction with AFS in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Midwest)
- 2024: NASPS Standalone Meeting – Mobile, Alabama (South)
Proposals will be evaluated by the NASPS governing board based on the information requested in the form below. A decision will be made by the NASPS governing board and announced to members at the annual meeting. Following this decision, a meeting organizing committee will be formed, and all members will be polled to provide input on the themes and workshops for the annual meeting.
Proposal Due Date: September 30, 2025
Proposal Submission: All proposals must be submitted to nasps@nasps-sturgeon.org
Proposal Format: Submit your proposal in a single document (MS word or PDF format).
Proposals should include all of the following information to have full consideration:
- Host names and contact information:
- Hosts will be responsible for coordinating the venues and accommodations. NASPS governing board will work with the hosts to arrange an organizing committee to develop the program and workshops.
- Location:
- Rationale for location:
- Information may include: rationale for the general appeal of the meeting location as it relates to NASPS, proximity to Sturgeon or Paddlefish populations/habitat, relevance to members, opportunities for field/site visits, or other recreational opportunities unique to the area.
- The location should also be considered in the context of the locations of recent NASPS meetings. NASPS strives to ensure meetings are geographically balanced to ensure access to meetings for all members at least every 3 years.
- Approximate timing:
- NASPS expects the meeting to occur sometime in the fall or early winter of 2018 but is flexible on the exact dates. Due to the importance of the AFS annual meeting to our members, NASPS recommends that the meeting occur several weeks after the AFS meeting to minimize scheduling conflicts.
- Venue:
- Describe the venue and include details on the capacity, where concurrent sessions will occur (2 rooms required, up to 75 people per room), where socials will be held, and other logistics related to hosting.
- Inquire and encourage eco-friendly features and supplies to reduce environmental impact of the event. These can include recycling, lack of single-use plastics including utensils and Styrofoam cups, and serving of local food.
- Workshop venues:
- Describe details around venue space for workshops. Wet lab space may be required for workshops related to sexing, tagging, and other methods.
- Suggested meeting theme(s):
- Please suggest topic areas relevant to emerging Sturgeon and Paddlefish research and recovery. NASPS will also poll members on this topic once the meeting location is set.
- Fundraising opportunities:
- Include possible ideas for raffles, auctions, potential vendors, and potential local sponsors. Any ideas that can offset the costs of the meeting (e.g. a sponsor for a social) for members are greatly appreciated.
- Approximate meeting costs:
- Please include rough costs on venue, accommodation rates, and meals. Preference is to provide an all-inclusive registration rate that includes the majority of meals and a closing banquet. Estimated costs should be broken out with as much detail as possible. Below is an example of important categories with costs from the 2015 and 2016 meetings provided as an example.
| Item | 2025 Estimate | 2016 Hood River costs | 2015 Oshkosh costs |
| Registration | |||
| Members | $395 (n=74) | $250 (n=67) | |
| Non-members | $495 (n=28) | $350 (n=58) | |
| Students | $295(n=7) | $190 (n=22) | |
| Workshops | |||
| Sexing | $80 (n=20) | ||
| Ageing/Genetics | $50 (n=50) | ||
| Telemetry | $65 (n=25) | ||
| Developmental Staging of Embryos/Larvae | $50 (n=25) | ||
| Side Scan Sonar | $95 (n=25) | ||
| Venue Costs | $32,788 total | $500/day | |
| Accommodations | $119-144/night | ~$99 (Double Occupancy) | |
| Food | |||
| Breakfast | $17.50/plate | $8/plate | |
| Lunch | $18/plate | $10/plate | |
| Dinner | $34/plate | $18/plate | |
| Breaks | $8/person | $4.23/person | |
| Drinks at socials | $450 (per half barrel of beer) | $240 (per half barrel of beer) |
- Travel Logistics:
- Please include nearest airport(s), driving requirements, and other applicable logistics related to the proposed location.
