“Colorado Collage: Inspecting and Protecting our Special Places”

The CoNPS Board of Directors invites you to attend the 2010 Colorado Native Plant Society Annual Meeting co-hosted by our Meto-Denver Chapter and sponsored by the University of Colorado, Denver, Biology Department.

Colorado is home to diverse ecosystems and ecological communities, with unique natural features of uncommon beauty.  Native vegetation and associated biological and geological features provide habitat for a wide variety of plants, some are rare and unique to the state.  These special places serve as resource material for scientific inquiry and biological exploration.  Each place: grassland, shrubland, wetland, forest, or alpine tundra serves as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for scientific study by students of all ages.  The beautiful collage these natural areas form are inspirational.  They meet our aesthetic needs by enriching the meaning and enjoyment of our lives.  Local communities, businesses, and volunteers all have a role in preserving these special places for the enjoyment and study of everyone for today and for future generations.

The Annual Meeting and the Rare Plant Symposium will be held on the Auraria Campus of the University of Colorado, Denver. Visit http://www.cnhp.colostate.edu/teams/botany.asp for more details.

The Rare Plant Symposium will be held on Friday, 10 September, followed by a Friday evening social.  The Friday evening social will be held at Brauns Bar & Grill, 1055 Auraria Parkway, hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available.  Saturday, September 11, will be devoted to speakers with posters, booths, and silent auction continuing during breaks. Sunday, September 12 will feature field trips!

Being Green Reminder: We feel that the Colorado Native Plant Society should set an example for a green conference and, therefore, we encourage everyone to bring their own mug for coffee or tea and water bottles for water.  The Annual Meeting Planning Committee will do everything we can to keep the conference as green as possible.

Registration

Please complete the enclosed registration form, which is also available online at www.conps.org.  Please submit as soon as possible and no later than August 30.  After that, you may still register and pay at the door.  Please note that box lunches will not be available for late registrants, and the field trip selection will be limited.

Cancellation policy: If the Annual Meeting Registrar receives your cancellation notification (via phone call, email, or regular mail) before 28 August, 50% of your total payment (which includes the registration fee, food fees, and all other fees) will be returned.  There can be no refunds after 28 August.

Location

The 2010 Annual Meeting will be held in the Tivoli Center, 900 Auraria Parkway, on the Auraria Campus in Denver http://www.ahec.edu/campusmaps/maps.htm .  The Annual Meeting, speakers, poster sessions, silent auction, and book sales will all be held in Turnhalle (Rm 250) in the Tivoli Center.  The Rare Plant Symposium on Friday will be held in the North Classroom Building, room TBA, on the Auraria Campus, just a short walk from the Tivoli Center.  The Friday Night Social will be held at Brauns Bar and Grill, 1055 Auraria Parkway, across the street from the North Classroom Building parking lot. 

Hotels

A list of close-by hotels are available here.

Directions to the Auraria Campus

The Auraria campus is located just off I-25 in Denver.  To reach the Tivoli Center exit I-25 at the Auraria Parkway, Exit 210.  Travel east on Auraria Parkway to 9th Street and turn right into the Tivoli parking structure on the left or the Tivoli open-air parking lot on the right.

Parking on the Auraria Campus

Tivoli Parking Lot and Parking Structure are designated visitor parking areas, located at the intersection of Auraria Parkway and Ninth Street.  Parking on Friday is $5.50 a day (Credit Cards Accepted). 

Parking will NOT be free on Friday or Saturday per a CU-Denver change in parking policy.  The Society will arrange a discount ticket at $4 for you. Discount tickets only work in any of the attended lots where you pay when you leave. Discount tickets will be available at the Rare Plant Technical Committee Meeting (North Classroom Bldg., Room 1207) on Friday. Correct change would be appreciated.

Map for parking locations

Call for Posters Abstracts

2010 CoNPS Annual Meeting: “Colorado Collage: Inspecting and Protecting our Special Places”
September 10-12, 2010
Auraria Campus, Denver

• Posters accepted from students and professionals
• All topics related to Rocky Mountain native plants are welcome
• Deadline for submission is August 13, 2010

Submit: Author(s) name(s), affiliation address, e-mail address, title, and abstract text to John Vickery at jvickery@mcg.net

Notification of acceptance will be August 23, 2010.

Silent Auction: Request For Items

This year’s Annual Meeting will once again feature a silent auction.  We would like nice items such as live plants, posters, note cards, ecological/biological/botanical books, jewelry, etc.

For more information or to make a donation please contact Lindsey Brant at lindseybrandt@yahoo.com or Lee Curtis at buzzcurtis@netscape.com, 303-985-5749.

Annual Meeting Committee Members