ASN at Banff, Alberta, Canada, July 11-14, 2002.
A Conference for Naturalists
In recent years, the ASN has been meeting jointly with the SSE and the SSB, producing the exciting but large "Evolution meetings." By meeting alone in 2002, in a spectacular natural setting, the ASN plans a more intimate conference that embraces the full scope of interests of ASN members (as represented by contributions to The American Naturalist). Because of limited room sizes, attendance may be limited, so register early to ensure a place.
The meeting will be held in the Banff
Centre(http://www.banffcentre.ca/), located on the outskirts of the town of Banff in Banff National Park.
The Centre offers comfortable accommodations, high quality dining,
and ready access to numerous natural and cultural attractions.
It's not too late to register! Because some of you have had difficulties obtaining the registration forms, we have extended the deadline for early registration and abstract submission until May 22. TO OBTAIN THE NECESSARY FORMS, CLICK HERE. Note that there are three forms, corresponding to the three steps to registration:
1) Reserve housing at the Banff Center by phone, fax, or mail. Note that housing prices during the conference include breakfast and lunch, and are in Canadian dollars. The exchange rate is very favorable, about 63 cents to the dollar. If you make reservations by phone, make sure that you mention that you are registering for the ASN meeting in order to get the conference package rate (and post-conference room rate) on the form. We strongly recommend that you do this soon as possible, to assure room availability at conference rates.
2) Send the meeting registration form with your check (made out to the American Society of Naturalists) to Treasurer Joel Trexler (Florida International University, Dept of Biological Sciences, University Park, Miami, FL 33199-0001 USA). While we prefer checks in US dollars, we can accept checks in other currencies written for the appropriate amount to equal the registration fee in US dollars; please include a note indicating the currency with the check. For those having difficulties using checks, we can also accept electronic transfers; please contact Joel Trexler (trexlerj@fiu.edu) for the necessary information to make such a transfer. Unfortunately, in order to keep your meeting costs as low as possible, ASN cannot accept credit card payments for registration.
To download the Program Schedule, click here.
Salient points:
The number of concurrent sessions of talks will be small (2-3).
ASN members will receive priority for registration and can register at reduced cost.
To maximize the impact of posters, we will integrate poster sessions with mixers (buffet food and drink).
Symposia:
ASN Young Investigators Symposium
ASN Vice-presidential Symposium (Mutualisms: beyond the pair-wise perspective)
Research Challenges for Naturalists in the 21st Century
Presentations:
There will be 2-3 concurrent sessions of contributed oral presentations. Presentations will be 12 minutes in length with 3 minutes for questions. Slide and overhead projectors will be available. Unfortunately, we will not have the facilities for computer-generated (e.g., PowerPoint) presentations.
Poster presentations will begin with a poster session mixer on July 11 at 6:30 pm and will be kept up for the majority of the meeting. Posters are limited to 4 feet x 4 feet.
If you wish to give a poster or oral presentation, you must indicate this on the registration form, complete the abstract form, and email your completed abstract form to Tim Wootton (twootton@uchicago.edu) BY MAY 1, 2001. Both of these forms may be obtained by emailing Tim Wootton.
Field trips:
Note: As of 5/23, the trips to Burgess Shale are now filled, with a waiting list for any cancellations. We can no longer accept applications. However, there are plenty of spaces still available for the montaine ecosystems trip. Email Joel Trexler (trexlerj@fiu.edu) about the waiting list.
1. Montane ecology, July 11. A guided bus trip on an ecological transect in the Bow and Kanaskis River valleys, including montane, subalpine, and tundra vegetation. Wildflowers should be extraordinary. Limited to 48. Housing for the night of 10 July will be at the Kananaskis Field Station of the University of Calgary (http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/KFS/); $45 US includes housing, dinner, bus transportation from Kanaskis to Banff Centre the afternoon of July 11. Estimated cost $36CDN for room and dinner, plus an additional fee for bus transport (TBA).
2. Burgess Shale, July 11 (A VERY DEMANDING HIKE, space very limited). Housing for the night of 9 and 10 July must be arranged individually; some space may be available by special arrangement at Banff Centre. ($30 US includes tour and bus transportation to/from Banff Centre)
Possible post conference trip on 15 July:
3. Burgess Shale, July 15 (if warranted by demand; A VERY DEMANDING HIKE, space very limited). Housing for the night of 15 July must be arranged individually; some space may be available by special arrangement at Banff Centre. ($30 US includes tour and bus transportation to/from Banff Centre)
Banff provides many other opportunities for hikes, camping, or guided tours, including "snowcoach" excursions on the stupendous glaciers of the Banff-Jasper National Parks region. There are ca. 100 restaurants, and shopping opportunities are also plentiful. It should be easy to keep non-scientist family members appeased and engaged. Additionally, the Banff Centre offers excellent pool and gym facilities and art exhibitions as part of their young artist training programs.
Other relevant websites:
National Parks: http://www.parkscanada.pch.gc.ca (See pages for Banff, Jasper,Kootenay, Yoho, Revelstoke, and Glacier Parks)
General sightseeing information: http://www.banfflakelouise.com
Sulphur Mountain Gondola: http://www.banffgondola.com
Banff Upper Hot Springs: http://www.parkscanada.gc.ca/hotsprings
KidScenes: http://www.canadianrockies.net/kidscenes
Brewster Charter Services: http://www.brewster.ca
Housing:
ASN's bulk reservation of housing at the Banff Centre (conference site; http://www.banffcentre.ab.ca) is for the nights of 11-14 July only, so formal sessions will take place on the 12th, 13th, and 14th. We expect that the 11th and 15th will be travel days, except for those participating in field trips.
Rooms come in Standard and Superior classes. The number of Standard rooms available is limited so you are encouraged to register early. Contact the Banff Centre directly for room reservations (1-800-884-7574) or obtain the Room Registration Form from Tim Wootton (twootton@uchicago.edu) and FAX or mail it to the Banff Centre (FAX 403-762-7502). Prices per person are listed on the Room Registration Form and depend on the class of room chosen and the number of people per room.
Transportation:
The nearest airport is Calgary. The Calgary airport (http://www.calgaryairport.com) is served by Air Canada, Canada2000, WestJet, Horizon/Alaska/Northwest, Continental, United, American and Delta airlines, with connections to major hubs including Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, Houston, Montreal, Minneapolis, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City.
The Banff Centre is served by shuttle from the Calgary airport (1.5 hour trip): the Banff Airporter (1-888-449-2901; http://www.banffairporter.com), and the Brewster Canadian Rockies Airporter (1-800-661-1152; http://www.brewster.ca/airporter/).
Banff is located just off the Trans-Canada Highway (Canada Route 1). The Banff Centre can be reached by taking either the Banff Avenue or Norquay Road exits, turning left onto Wolf Street and continuing until the street ends, then taking a right and driving on St. Julien Road until you reach the Banff Centre. Complimentary parking is available for registered guests of the Centre only. There are also several public parking lots in central Banff (6-8 block walk to the Centre). Drivers are required to pay a daily Banff National Park entrance fee ($10 per car).
Climate:
Banff is at an altitude of 1384 m (4540 feet) so people unaccustomed to high altitudes may temporarily experience shortness of breath or dizziness, particularly with physical exercise. The area is subject to sudden, dramatic changes in temperatures and conditions. Summer temperatures average 20-25°C (68-77°F) with substantially cooler evening temperatures.
Meals:
There is a beautiful dining room on the
Banff Centre grounds, which features a high-quality and varied buffet
selection of hot and cold dishes and decadent desserts. Meals at the
dining room are by advance registration only. Several small
concessions are also present at the Centre, but are not equipped to
handle large crowds. The restaurant district of Banff is a 15-20
minute walk down a reasonably steep hill, and features a wide range
of dining options.
Because of the physical arrangement of the Banff Centre relative to town, a breakfast-lunch meal plan at the dining hall is included as part of the daily costs of lodging at Banff Centre.
The meeting registration fee will include a welcoming mixer with finger food, a poster session mixer with finger food and the Society Banquet. Other dinners are the responsibility of the participants.
Graduate Student Travel Awards:
Graduate students who are ASN members and who would like to apply for financial assistance to attend the meeting in exchange for a modest contribution of time to running projectors or staffing the registration desk should contact Tim Wootton (twootton@uchicago.edu) for more details.
Child Care:
The town of Banff has a child care facility for children 18 months to six years. Priority is given to local families so call to check availability: 403-762-3339. The Banff Centre offers no childcare facilities, but arrangements for casual childcare may be possible. Inquire with the Banff Centre (1-800-884-7574) when registering for housing.
Business Center:
There is a business center available which can handle FAXing, photocopying, and transparencies for a charge. Computers are also available for hourly rental. There are also two complimentary email stations using Telnet.