Subject: Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) Annual Conference - July 3-5 , 2003 Date:Fri, 14 Mar 2003 15:07:12 -0800 From: Susan Miller smiller@esri.com To: consbio@u.washington.edu

Announcing the 2003 SCGIS Conference The Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) would like to invite you to join us at the 6th Annual SCGIS Conference, July 3-5th* 2003, to discuss and promote local and global conservation of natural and cultural resources through geospatial technologies. We are busy designing a diverse conference agenda that will explore a variety of issues ranging from the technical applications of GIS in conservation to recurring philosophical and ethical issues faced by conservationists throughout the world. We will also address the role of the Society in the development of the global Conservation Community. New Venue ATTENTION: We are pleased to announce this year's conference will be held in Northern California at the Asilomar Conference Grounds http://www.asilomarcenter.com/ - a refuge on the Bay. Nestled along the shoreline of California's famed Monterey Peninsula, Asilomar is a tranquil ocean front retreat cradled by forests and white sand beaches. Designed by acclaimed architect Julia Morgan http://www.asilomarcenter.com/discover/historyarchitecture/morganbio.htm and embracing the Arts & Crafts architectural style, Asilomar harmonizes with its natural surroundings. Rich with history, scenic beauty and serenity, Asilomar is the ideal location for the SCGIS Annual Conference. The Asilomar Conference Grounds is part of the California State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=566 system, and offers 107 extraordinary acres of forests, dunes, and coastline situated right on the Monterey Bay National Marine Life Sanctuary http://www.asilomarcenter.com/discover/nature/sea/sanctuary.html. For more information about the conference facility and the local environment, go to www.asilomarcenter.com http://www.asilomarcenter.com NOTE: Reservations will need to be made earlier, rather then later this year. So please stay tuned to the website for details. A posting will be sent to this list as soon as the venue is prepared for us to begin the registration process. Many thanks! Theme for 2003

The theme of this year's conference is 'Building Community'. Presenters will be encouraged to address the community building efforts of their conservation activities, emphasizing the efforts made by government agencies, academics, nonprofits, activists, & commercial groups to work together and communicate. Those wishing to participate in this year's conference should address this theme and discuss the benefits and challenges of forging partnerships with local & international communities. Community building does not need to be the focus of your talk or poster, however we encourage you to communicate the pro's and con's of your networking & collaboration with the various interest groups relevant to your work. Tell us how you 'broke down the barriers' and how that effort benefited your project. Conference Format The conference format will include the following: concurrent sessions for formal presentations; posters sessions; discussion panels for topics such as environmental ethics, integration of GIS, and conservation science; user group meetings; hands-on training sessions; technical workshops; a field trip; and organized socials. Scholarships Limited international and domestic scholarships are available to Conservation GIS users who require financial assistance to enable them to attend the conference. For more details and a scholarship application, visit www.scgis.org/scholarship.html http://www.scgis.org/scholarship.html. Additional information about this year's conference will be posted to www.scgis.org/conference.html http://www.scgis.org/conference.html as it becomes available. A call for papers will be posted within the next few weeks. For general information about SCGIS please visit www.scgis.org http://www.scgis.org. Field Trips A filed trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium is being planned on Friday July 3rd. The aquarium features a 3-story living kelp forest tank, Sharks and Otters, Sea Stars, Bat Rays, Jellyfish and much more. An Outer Bay gallery is a million-gallon indoor ocean where turtles, tuna, and oceanic whitetip shark are exhibited. For more information please visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.mbayaq.org/ website. In addition, plans are underway with a local dive shop to provide us with a SCUBA diving trip to one of the many spectacular dive sites in the Monetary Bay area. Please stay tuned to the Conference website http://www.scgis.org/conference.html for confirmation of this trip and for additional information. Please post this announcement to all interested lists and individuals! *The weekend preceding ESRI's annual International Users Conference.