DFC 2025: Desert Fishes Council Annual Symposium Casa de Cultura Cuatrociénegas, Coahuila, Mexico, November 19-23, 2025

Conference website	https://www.desertfishes.org/2025-desert-fishes-council-annual-symposium/
Submission link	https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=dfc2025
Poster	download
Abstract registration deadline	October 31, 2025
Submission deadline	October 31, 2025

2025 Desert Fishes Council (DFC) - 57^th Annual Meeting, 19-23 November 2025

Cuatrociénegas, Coahuila, México

Third Announcement - September 24, 2025 (changes from previous version highlighted)

To stay on top of future updates about this event, make sure you're signed up to receive emails from the DFC group mail list, and/or put this CFP on your watchlist in your EasyChair account (required for abstract submission).

Notice the link above to the meeting poster (English and Spanish). Please download and post, or otherwise distribute it, to help up publicize the event.

Location and background:

We'll meet in the same place that hosted the 2005 and 2008 meetings, the recently renovated, historic Casa de Cultura, in the municipality of Cuatrociénegas de Carranza, in the state of Coahuila de Zaragoza, México. Situated in the Chihuahuan Desert, about 150 miles SSE of the tip of Big Bend National Park in Texas, Cuatrociénegas has a long and colorful history. Indigenous cultures long inhabited the valley, and the Spanish founded the town in 1800. It is the birthplace of Venustiano Carranza, México’s famous president during the revolution, 1915-1920. Then, Desert Fishes Council’s legacy of involvement in biodiversity research and conservation began in the 1960s and 70s, with the early explorations of the valley’s fauna by DFC founding members Drs. W.L. Minckley, Salvador Contreras, Robert Rush Miller and diverse students and colleagues. DFC eventually became a major player behind the 1994 declaration of the area as a federally protected biodiversity reserve, and held its annual meetings there in 2005 and 2008. Following the first of those meetings, DFC teamed with local collaborators to co-sponsor a Field Research Station in the town through 2014. Lots has happened since then, and our return is long overdue!

The now world-famous valley, recently determined to be the most biodiverse freshwater aquatic habitat on the planet is sprinkled with crystal-clear springs and ciénegas, with dramatic desert mountain vistas in all directions, and the area has recently seen a dramatic transformation of its local economy to one now based primarily on ecotourism. Unfortunately, this transition comes as regional groundwater exploitation in two adjacent valleys known to supply the reserve’s groundwater, threatens not only the sustainability of the valley’s ancient aquatic biodiversity, but also continued tourism growth. But, the economic transition produced hotel-based foundations (Procuatrociénegas and Plan 2040) that recognize their dependence on sustainable water for both tourists and biodiversity with conservation and public education mandates that have partnered with the Reserve (CONANP) and the oldestl local conservation group, Desuvalle, which years ago helped organize the 2005 and 2008 DFC meetings. Addressing the threats to the valley's groundwater that supports most of its incredible endemic biodiversity is, as DFC members well know, exceedingly complex, and the clock is ticklng. Aquifer pumping occurs upstream of the protected area, where agriculturists have water rights, and some major water bodies in the Protected Area have already dried. But, as the Reserve's recent wetlands restoration projects, and the most recent science, both indicate, the valley’s wetland vegetation responds quickly (decadally) to changing climates and water level fluctuations, providing some optimism that recovery and sustainability will be possible if current aquifer overdrafts can be controlled.

Thus, Cuatrociénegas is, in many ways, reminiscent of the Ash Meadows / Devil’s Hole Pupfish battle of the 1960s-70s that led to creation of the DFC, but with a new, and hopefully optimistic, twist (conservation-oriented foundations linked to biodiversity-linked tourism) that just might help assure the valley stays wet. We all need optimism these days, so please come to this meeting, for both old-time’s sake and to help spark new and diverse brainstorming and further collaborations toward sustainable conservation of the valley’s amazing aquatic ecosystems.

Meeting Schedule

We are tentatively scheduling this as a “normal” DFC meeting, with Wednesday a travel day, knowing many will arrive quite late. Paper, poster and business sessions will be Thursday-Saturday, with a possibility for field trips Sunday. Thus, return travel days could be Sunday or Monday. Catered lunches will be included, AND, as we anticipate this might be an abnormally smaller than "normal" meeting, we are tentatively exploring whole-group afternoon field excursions with snorkeling (loaner equipment available), swimming (maybe pack your wet/dry suit?), kayaking, dining and entertainment during what would normally be afternoon paper session times. We will announce final details of those plans shortly after the registration and abstract submission deadline. Follow this page via the watchlist in your EasyChair account (required for abstract submission), and make sure you're receiving emails from the DFC list (https://groups.google.com/g/desertfishes).

We provide a few links to online materials to give you a feel for these potential event venues, not to mention sink it in that this is a very different place than those who came to the 2005 and 2008 meetings recall. Mina de Marmol (Travertine Mine), where we might be one night for the premier of a new movie, has been transformed into a venue for events like this, which drew a big crowd. With luck, our smaller crowd may get to see a new movie there about the valley's biodiversity, past and present. Tourism has diversified impressively and extends well beyond the valley to adjacent mountains and valleys (1800's Santuario project in an adjacent valley is all about restoring native vegetation and fauna, with the first bison recently arrived). We're hoping to squeeze in a banquet mixed with snorkeling, kayaking, etc. at Rio Mesquites. This one, from another non-profit on our local committee (which runs the Genesis museum that y'all should visit while there) has imagery covering much of the habitat diversity and the looming threats to habitat sustainability.  

Accommodations, amenities and other activities:

This is NOT the town DFC members who came to the 2005 and 2008 meetings fondly remember. The now-thriving tourism, initiated in large part by the nation’s Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town) program, has quickly transformed this town from a relatively sleepy little and relatively poor, village, into a busy, diverse, growing, and overall wealthier community.  There are now many new first-class, modern hotels (but still plenty of basic ones too). See this page in the DFC website for information about the three hotels that are offering discounted rates. and there are diverse Airbnb, HomeToGo, Vrbo, etc. options. For dining and drinking, many fine new establishments are available, but many of the old favorites remain, as do the historic wineries, museums, Casa de Cultura (site of the 2004 and 2008 meetings), etc. Many DFCers will enjoy sampling the brand new, endemic sotol, and a visit to the modern, first-class museum and molecular lab – Genesis, should not be missed. Out on the valley floor, not far from town are now many diverse tourism concessions with opportunities for glamping, carefully controlled swimming, kayaking, gypsum dune explorations, and even an amazing travertine mine converted into an impressive, hi-tech theater / wedding / art and concert venue. Most hotels have swimming pools, some have yoga classes, etc. Many local restaurants and bars serve exquisite cuisine and beverages. Many oldtimers from the 2005/2008 meetings will recall (perhaps) hanging out in Cantina 40 - check it out now!

We've had a couple of inquiries about the possibility for more personalized and extensive, custom tours targeting particular species, etc. Yes, some of that may be possible and we'll soon post more here about that.

Weather:

As many who came to the previous two DFC meetings here will recall, November can be very cold, but also quite nice. Check the summary data, but come prepared for diverse conditions.

Travel

Saftety/Security:

We are aware that many U.S. citizens are concerned about travel in Mexico. We’ll have updates closer to the meeting date, but want to point out early on that the U.S. Federal government recently recognized the security achievements of Coahuila by removing it from the restricted area list for México. Independently, for over a year, we’ve seen extensive documentation from both countries governments, and regional and national press coverage in México, that Coahuila is the second-safest Mexican state. Recently, the State of Texas, which complies with US Federal rules, approved requests to drive to Cuatrociéngas within a few days with no questions asked. The municipality of Cuatrociénegas is rightfully proud of it’s outstanding safety record, and has promised special support for all meeting-related events. See the video about this created by our partner CICBEC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq0RLHa5zro

Driving:

Excellent highways, including a section of divided 4-lane toll road, from both Del Rio and Eagle Pass, Texas will get one from the border to Cuatrociénegas in 3.5 - 4.5 hours. Those crossing the border in private vehicles will have to stop and get visas (available online), vehicle importation permits, and Mexican auto insurance (search for "Mexican auto insurance" on Google), and of course, a passport is required (as well as vehicle ownership documentation - read the instructions carefully before you hit the road).

Dean Hendrickson (local host) has MANY times in the last few years, driven from central Texas through San Antonio to cross the border at Eagle Pass, Texas and continue to Cuatrociénegas. Google Maps worked flawlessly, and he took notes, during his August 2025 trip, including details about getting visas, vehicle importation permits in Piedras Negras, sites along the way, etc. Those planning to drive personal vehicles into Mexico crossing there (or at Del Rio, Texas) may want to download the pdf. 

A long-time Big Bend-based US/Mexico tour operator has been doing back country and river tours on both sides of the border out of Big Bend for many years. The owner has offered to customize his Big Bend National Park (crossing at Boquillas) to Cuatrociénegas trip to get small groups ffrom Big Bend National Park to the meeting.via very interesting, little-traveled roads through an amazing and very remote part of Coahuila. There may also be vans from the border (Del Rio or Eagle Pass) - check this post in the DFC Google Group to sign up if interested.  

Air + road:

There are no commercial flights to Cuatrociénegas, but the major airports in Monterrey (Nuevo León), Saltillo (Coahuila), and Torreón (Durango) are options, with inexpensive rental cars available. Drive times to Cuatrocienegas from those are (respectively) about 3.75, 3.2 and 2.5 hours (all on very good, safe highways on routes approved by US travel guidelines). Monterrey has more international flights than do the other two, with, for example, Viva airlines having 3 daily, very reasonably priced, 1hr 15-minute flights to and from the closest major US hub of San Antonio, Texas.

Our local partner, Hacienda 1800, has been managing its own van service between Cuatrociénegas and the Monterrey airport for years now that works smoothly and dependably, and we've reserved their vans all day for arrivals on Wednesday and returns on Sunday. So, rest assured that, if you schedule your arrival and departure flights for those days, they will pick you up and get you there on time. DFC is paying for this service, but you may want to tip the driver (and donate to DFC?). We hope to have every van relatively full, so you may end up waiting a bit while others roll in, but you WILL be picked up. We'll soon add detailed instructions here for you to directly provide their administration and drivers with your flight and contact information. Their black Sprinter vans are distinctive (with their Tyranosaurus artwork at Mina de Marmol enblazoned on the sides), and you'll be in cell phone contact with the driver who will pick you up on the sidewalk immediately outside the arrival terminal.

Abstract submission

Visit the meeting's EasyChair submission site (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=dfc2025) and follow instructions there. The site will close to submissions on midnight Mountain Standard time on the deadline date listed at the top of this page. After scheduling of presentations, the site will reopen well before the meeting starts for minor updates of abstracts and uploading of presentation files (replacing the former practice of emailing them to the Program Chair). We are trying also to make it possible for those not attending in person to still present by uploading a recording of them presenting their talk to play during the paper sessions. Recorded presentations will also be viewable via the internet-published program, and all uploaded files (with authors' permission) can be made permanently accessible in perpetuity by anyone anywhere via EasyChair's links in the meeting's program.

Before you submit, please look at EasyChair's information about their "Smart slides" option and consider taking advantage of it. This is great way to quickly and easily make your full presentation content available to those at the meeting, either physically and virtually (one click from the online program), and far beyond the meeting in both time (permanently) and space (globally), They can even be created retrospectively. To demonstrate this feature and encourage all presenting at this meeting to take advantage of it, see the slides created shortly before this was written using the files uploaded for DFC talks in 2019 and 2024, so archived in the submission system back then, but never before visible, in Easychair.

Registration

Payment of registration fees is required. Only current members of the DFC can present papers, nominate Executive Committee candidates, run for the Executive Committee, and vote in the business meeting. Follow these steps:

1. Membership in DFC is required. Become a member and pay this year's dues in our Annual Membership page. Life Members skip this step - become a life member!

2. Members can then register in the meeting registration page. 

3. Applying for a DFC travel grant might help cover some of the costs.

Deadline for early registration is midnight Mountain Standard time, (GMT-7) October 31, 2025. Rates increase after then:

Registration fees (in US dollars):

• Latin member, professional – $65 early registration, $130 late registration
• Latin member, student – $45 early registration, $90 late registration
• Non-latin member, professional – $275 early registration, $550 late registration
• Non-latin member, student – $100 early registration, $200 late registration
• Non-member – $300 early registration, $600 late registration
• Banquet companion ticket (non-attending) – $45

Souvenir meeting t-shirts 

Check out the gorgeous artwork and very reasonable price in this form where you can place your orders. Take some home as gits - income goes to a great cause!

Acknowledgements

This meeting would not be possible without the extensive logistical and financial support provided by local groups with whom we've partnered.In no particular order, they are:

• CICBEC
• Desuvalle A.C.
• Fundación ProCuatrociénegas
• Fundación Plan 2040
• CONANP Cuatrociénegas