International green movement leaders representing more than 50 countries
chose Chattanooga for the summer 2008 Society for Conservation Biology annual meeting.

More than 1,500 biologists, scientists, economists, policy-makers, and conservationists will examine the earth "From the mountains to the sea," the theme created by Dr. David Aborn,
associate professor in The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences.

"The 2008 Global Meeting of the SCB will be the opportunity to show
international conservation professionals the natural beauty of the region through many field trips opportunities. From the summit of
Lookout Mountain to the depths of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga and the surrounding area offers thick forests, limestone caverns, underground waterfalls, beautiful mountains and scenic waterways. This makes Chattanooga and the South Eastern region of the USA one of the most bio-diverse region in the world for freshwater species," Dr. Aborn said.

From July 13-17, attendees will examine major ecosystems separately and as a connected entity. The public is invited to hear keynote speakers
for a nominal fee of $5.

All sessions will be held from 8-9:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday; bagels
and coffee will be served.

The speakers include:
Jeffrey A. McNeely
Monday, July 14
IUCN Chief Scientist and President
of the Asia Section of SCB. He has published 40 books and some 500
technical and popular articles on a wide range of conservation issues,
seeking to link conservation of natural resources to the maintenance of cultural diversity and to economically-sustainable ways of life.

Diane Russell
Tuesday, July 15
A Biodiversity and Social Science
Specialist for USAID, has 20 years experience in international research, development and conservation and has lived and worked in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. She has served as a social scientist with the Biodiversity Conservation Network in Asia-Pacific and most recently as co-leader of the Trees & Markets theme at the World
Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi. Ms. Russell has a Masters in Environmental
Management from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and a
PhD in Anthropology from Boston University.

Chuck Cook
Wednesday, July 16
Ddirector of The Nature Conservancy's
coastal and marine program in California, has worked extensively with the fisheries industry to improve fisheries management and marine
conservation. It is clear who owns land. But who owns the water, or the
fish, or the right to fish? Mr. Cook and his colleagues work to resolve
those questions by lobbying federal fishery managers and regulators to
adjust permitting systems to allow for conservation easements.

Winona Laduke
Thursday, July 17
An Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwe) enrolled
member of the Mississippi Band of Anishinaabeg, she is a graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities who has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues. Ms. LaDuke has received the Reebok Human Rights Award, the 1997 Ms. Woman of the Year Award, the Global Green Award, was nominated by Time magazine as one of the country's 50 most promising leaders under 40 years of age, and numerous other honors.

The public is also invited to hear Bill McKibben, who will speak at the
SCB banquet. Cost is $45 and includes the meal, presentation and live
music.

Reservations can be made by calling 423 425-4344, the Continuing
Education Office. Payment will be accepted at the door.

Bill McKibben, a writer and avid environmentalist, is currently a
scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College in Vermont who has written
several books, and contributes regularly to publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Orion, and Mother Jones. Mr. McKibben's books vary in nature; however, it was his first book, The End of Nature, that is considered the first public-oriented alarm about climate change.

Since then, Mr. McKibben has written on several subjects, ranging from
alternative energy, to outdoor adventures, to the risks associated with human genetic engineering. His most recent book, Deep Economy, states
the need "to move beyond growth...begin pursuing prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of
their own food, generating more of their own energy..." Mr. McKibben has
been awarded Guggenheim and Lyndhurst Fellowships, and won the Lannan
Prize for nonfiction writing in 2000.

The SCB meeting will also feature a two-day focus on freshwater river
mussels. Symposia session organizer Ryan Evans said freshwater mollusks
are indictor species that depend on clean water. Indications are
freshwater river mussels are among the world's most environmentally
threatened organisms in the world. Pollution, alteration of waterways,
and the button and jewelry industry each have played a role in the lives
of these filter feeders.

"The SCB meeting provides a perfect opportunity for the Freshwater
Mollusk Conservation Society to introduce these diverse and unique
animals to the broader conservation community. Our take home message to
SCB is that no other faunal group in North America has experienced such
a drastic level of decline or extinction," Mr. Evans said.