Subject: Exotics Invasives in Asia My name is Jacoby Carter. I am an ecologist at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Biologicial Resources Division (BRD), National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA. I was recently elected secretary of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) Asian Ecology Section (AES). One of my duties is to put together symposium proposals for the next ESA in Spokane Washington. I would like our syposium topic to be "Exotic Invasives in Asia" and am looking for people willing to talk about the problems that Exotic Invasives pose in India. We hear alot about how Asian pest species are a problem in the Americas, but rarely about how species from the Americas are a problem in Asia. If anybody who is a subscriber to this group would be interested in giving a symposium talk, maybe focussing on the effects of invasive aquatics in Indian wetlands, or some insect species that is a problem in the forest, or better yet a survey of the problems, please let me know by September 10 so I can include your name on the proposed speakers list. At this time we can not offer any assistance on travel to Spokane Washington, but we may be able to come up with something. I just don't know at this point. Also if you are a member of the ESA but are not a member of the AES, please consider joining. Asia is the biggest landmass in the world and its problems and successes should have a higher profile in the ESA that it currently does. If you are already a member of the AES, please find some time to come to our mixer/bussiness meeting next year. Finally, if you want to know more, check out our web page at: http://ae.tamu.edu/index.html860/jacky/ I have for a long time been interested in the Indian subcontenent. I hope to learn much more through this list. Looking forward to hearing from you. Jacoby Carter, USGS-National Wetlands Research Center Lafayette, LA, 70506 phone: 318-266-8620 fax: 318-266-8586 e-mail: jacoby_carter@usgs.gov FYI Research areas of interest include: simulation modelling, population dynamics, conservation biology, urban ecology, landscape ecology, tropical ecology, SCUBAology (i.e. any excuse to dive as part of my work), and natural history. Species I have worked with include: nutria, red fox, striped skunks, mountain goats, sturgeon, salmon, variety of marsh plants, submerged aquatic vegetation, estuarine macroalgea. Systems I have done some work in include: Alpine, Tropical Rainforests, Prairie, Esturine, Fresh Marsh, Brackish Marsh, Esturine, Riverine, Marine, Deciduous Forest. _______________________________________________________________________________