FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2009
National Natural Areas 2009 Conference
Early registration extended until August 31
National conference comes to Washington for the first time
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources announced the extension of early registration rates for attendees of the 36th Annual Natural Areas Association Conference to be held at The Hilton Vancouver Hotel, September 15 to 18, 2009. Natural Areas Association members as well as all other attendees will save significantly.
“In these tight economic times, we want to make it as easy as possible for people to take advantage of this great opportunity to learn the latest, and network with other professionals in their field,” said Pene Speaks, Assistant Division Manager overseeing Washington State’s Natural Areas Programs.
Full and partial registrations are available. Full registration is extremely cost-effective and includes: admittance to the all conference sessions, continental breakfast on most days, a Thursday field trip/workshop and the Awards Dinner on Thursday night.
Participants will be a part of dialogues about global climate change and other factors that challenge long-term protection of native ecosystems
At the conference, ‘Living on the Edge: Why Natural Areas Matter,’ scientists, researchers, land or wildlife managers, educators, and restoration or conservation enthusiasts will find valuable information and tools to use in their day-to-day efforts.
Presentations and workshops will examine the many edges of restoration and conservation land management—such as species on the edge of extinction, and conservation lands at the edge of development. They will examine human-caused ecological effects, conservation programs marginalized by budgets or politics, Pacific Rim issues, or species at the edge of their habitat, among others.
All of the professions or disciplines mentioned above have one or more emerging and potentially critical edges that they face, and society overall faces several human-created “edges” that affect conservation efforts. Also, being along the Pacific Rim, the conference location presents opportunities to discuss geographic edges.
Register now for early bird specials, and join us September 15-18, 2009 in Vancouver, WA (just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon).
Managing Washington State Natural Areas
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages more than 5.6 million acres of state-owned forest, range, commercial, agricultural, conservation, and aquatic lands. These lands include 130,000 acres of Natural Resources Conservation Areas and Natural Area Preserves that protect rare and threatened species as well as high-quality examples of the native ecosystems and landscapes of Washington.
DNR is administered by Peter Goldmark, Washington’s 13th Commissioner of Public Lands since statehood in 1889, and the first commissioner from Eastern Washington.
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Media Contact: Jane Chavey, Senior Communications Manager, 360-902-1721, jane.chavey@dnr.wa.gov
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