The Third Annual International Workshop on Malaria and Related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife - Part 1 - Facilities

This year I've have two different but equally amazing training opportunities. The first, for the bird banding portion of my master's research, you can read about in Braddock Bay Bird Observatory Spring 2014 Bander Training.

The second, for the blood parasite portion, was a workshop organized and funded by the Malaria RCN, a collaborative network of researchers around the world all working on haemosporidian blood parasites of wildlife. This July was their annual International Workshop on Malaria and Related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife.

Participants in this workshop hailed from all different parts of the world. Represented countries included Lithuania, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Australia, India, Bulgaria, Poland, Spain, Colombia, and all corners of the United States.

I broke this update into a couple different entries because it was such a fantastic experience and the content so rich that it deserves an extended post. Between all the people I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and the beautiful campus it was hosted at, it has been a major highlight of my graduate experience so far.

The first installment will cover the gorgeous grounds and facilities. Picture heavy!

The workshop was hosted at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherstown, West Virginia. The NCTC is a network of facilities located on a 533 acre property along the Potomac River.

The grounds of the campus were beautiful. Full of wildlife and so green. Coming from California, a state in a severe drought, the green was especially noticeable.  

Some wildlife more intimidating than others. Note the pencil for scale.

The facilities themselves were also beautiful. I stayed in the Rachel Carson Lodge, where every room had a copy of Silent Spring, a seminal book in the environmental conservation movement. 

The Rachel Carson Lodge.

The view surrounding the Rachel Carson Lodge - the green!

Another building we spent a lot of time in was the Commons, where all our meals were held and the location of a beer and wine bar where we would hang out after "class."

The food was another highlight of the accommodations. Each day for both lunch and dinner the entree selection would change; at the deli you could build any desired sandwich; at the grill you could order anything from a grilled cheese to a bison burger; the salad bar was stocked with fresh veggies; and the dessert station served frozen yogurt and a rotating selection of cakes and pies. I have to say as a graduate student living in the pricey Bay Area (ie having very little money) this was a really nice break from ramen noodles and peanut butter.

Stay tuned for Part 2 - Blood Parasite Identification.