5th Annual Conference

About the Conference

This dynamic conference is for professionals and partner organizations who coordinate, administer, or host training and volunteer programs in natural resource conservation, education, and outreach and for those interested in developing such a program. Enjoy a beautiful Appalachian setting as you learn from a diverse range of programs, network with colleagues, and obtain valuable tools to enhance your existing program or develop a new one. The West Virginia Master Naturalist program and the Potomac Valley Master Naturalists are proud to host this year’s conference.

ANROSP is a national alliance of adult natural resource education and stewardship programs, including Master Naturalists, Master Watershed Stewards, Coverts, Wildlife Stewards, Master Woodland Managers, and more. ANROSP facilitates networking and exchange of resources and information among coordinators of citizen-based environmental programs across the United States, helping create healthy ecosystems and communities through citizens who learn, teach, and practice natural resource stewardship.

Registration Fees, Scholarship, and Cancellations

Registration can be completed online at https://www.regonline.com/63374_725292A. All fees must be paid in advance. Payment by credit card, purchase order, and check are all accepted. The full conference registration fee includes access to all conference sessions and trainings, training materials, one off-site field session, and conference proceedings. Lodging and meals are provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center, and participants must contact NCTC to arrange and pay for them.

Basic Conference Fees

Optional Add-ons

Scholarships

The Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs has some funds in reserve to provide scholarships for the annual conference. Our goal is to provide assistance to individuals who would not otherwise be able to attend the conference. First-time conference attendees are especially encouraged to apply. If you are interested in applying for a partial scholarship, please e-mail ANROSP Board Member Sara Focht at sara.focht@idfg.idaho.gov by July 1 with the following information:

1. Name and affiliation

2. Statement describing why you want to attend the conference and how you hope to use the information and contacts you gain there

3. The size, scope, and mission of your program (or planned program).

4. Your estimated cost for the conference, including travel, conference fee, lodging, etc.

5. The amount that you or your employer can provide and the amount that you are requesting from ANROSP.

Our funds are limited so we cannot guarantee that we will be able fulfill requests. Scholarship applications will be reviewed by committee and winners will be announced prior to the July 15 early bird registration deadline.

Cancellations

In the event of a cancellation, notification must be received in writing or email by August 5. Cancellations are subject to an administrative fee of $25. No refunds of any amount can be made after August 5, 2009; however, you may transfer your registration to another individual.

Preliminary Schedule

Off-site Sessions During Conference (participants may choose one)

Cacapon Resort State Park and Eidolon Nature Preserve

Cacapon State Resort Park is located south of the town of Berkeley Springs, a one-hour drive from the ANROSP Conference site. Activities at Cacapon will include a tour of the park and a visit to the Nature Center. Park Naturalist, Kelly Smith, and Potomac Valley Master Naturalists who have worked with her will discuss Nature Center volunteer service projects at Cacapon and at the nearby Eidolon Nature Preserve.

On its 6000 acres Cacapon Resort State Park also provides golfing, lake activities, and hiking opportunities on 20 miles of trails, while providing top visitor service in a first-class lodge. The Eidolon Nature Preserve is located west of Berkeley Springs, along the summit and east side of the Sideling Hill ridge. It is owned by the Nature Conservancy and is managed by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society.

If time permits, the field trip will return to downtown Berkeley Springs to visit shops in the town and the historic spa at Berkeley Springs State Park.

Geology Field Trip – Harpers Ferry

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the town of Harpers Ferry are a 30-minute ride from the ANROSP Conference site. This field trip will begin as an extension of the plenary session presentation on Wednesday afternoon by Dr. Edward Snyder of Shepherd University. The presentation and the field trip are designed to explore Appalachian and Atlantic Coastal Plain geology, emphasizing both geological history and regional geomorphology, with focus on the significant interplay between geology and the environment. At Harpers Ferry, both the Potomac River and the Shenandoah River cut through the Blue Ridge system of the Appalachians, forming steep cliffs overlooking the rivers and exposing the rocks of the ancient mountain chain. It is an excellent site for the study of Appalachian geology.

The trip will continue in the town and the National Historic Park, where museums, restored buildings, trails, park bookshop, and town shops provide a glimpse of life in the small town that was once a major river industrial town. The history of the Civil War years is especially colorful, with the 1859 raid on the town’s arsenal by John Brown and his followers.

Freshwater Institute

The Freshwater Institute is a 15-minute ride from the ANROSP Conference site. In the words of the Institute’s web site: “Recognizing the value of clean water resources, the Freshwater Institute works with government, industry, non-profits, and individuals to shape sustainable, environmentally responsible solutions to water resource management.” Institute facilities, on a 100-acre farm with a history of farming that can be traced to 1718, include the following:

A centerpiece research building with office and laboratory space; more than 10,000 square feet of greenhouse space,

A 6,000-square-foot wet lab for technology development; a learning center for workshops in aquaculture and entrepreneurial training,

A 3,000-square-foot structure where aquaculture technologies are developed and tested. The field trip will include a tour of these facilities.

Ice Mountain Preserve – Nature Conservancy of West Virginia

Ice Mountain, approximately a 1-hour ride from the ANROSP Conference site, gets its name from the refrigeration effect that takes place inside its talus — a sloping mass of boulders at the foot of a mountain. In cooler months, dense, cold air sinks deep into the talus, and ice masses form inside. As the weather warms up, the cooler air flows out of vents among the rocks at the bottom of the slope.

The 149-acre Ice Mountain Preserve protects a rare collection of boreal plants usually found much further north. These plants are sustained by the cool air flowing from some 60 small holes and openings at the base of the talus.

Two trails traverse the preserve, taking visitors through the forest to either the rare plant area or the sandstone cliffs. Our field trip would be a guided tour by a Nature Conservancy docent.

Optional Post-Conference Field Trip, Friday, October 2, 2009

Smithsonian Institution National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center near Front Royal, VA

Front Royal is approximately a 1.5-hour drive from the ANROSP Conference site. The National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center is world-renowned zoological facility, which is not regularly open to the public. The Center encompasses 3,200 acres in the Blue Ridge foothills, and houses between 30 and 40 endangered species at any given time. Its scientists are in the forefront of efforts to preserve threatened and endangered animal species, protect habitats, and restore species to the wild.

Species currently on hand at the facility include clouded leopards (one of whom recently made news by giving birth to two cubs) cheetahs, South American maned wolves, red pandas, Mongolian wild horses, Chinese tufted deer, and a variety of birds.

The tour group will have the opportunity to see several of these animals. Participants will also learn about endangered-species research being conducted at the Center, at the National Zoo, and around the world.

Program Marketplace

This informal networking opportunity will allow you to interact with representatives from a variety of natural resource volunteer programs. Registered attendees may bring a floor or tabletop display for their program or organization to set up at the Program Marketplace. Space for each program to display is limited to a maximum size equivalent to a 6-foot table, so please plan your materials to display accordingly. Tables will be provided as space permits, but you will be responsible for supplying your own extension cords or other equipment as needed. Poster presentations will be included in the Program Marketplace.

Conference Silent Auction

We ask each of our registrants to bring an item for the ANROSP silent auction. All proceeds from the silent auction will go towards supporting scholarships and special guest speakers at future conferences. ANROSP is a 501(c)3 organization, so your donation is tax-deductible. Popular items from past silent auctions include items unique to your state or program, naturalist guides and books, autographed books or artwork, and limited edition gear for the natural history enthusiast—really, anything you would want for yourself!

Travel Information

Learn more about the USFWS National Conservation Training Center at http://training.fws.gov/.

For information on nearby airports and driving directions, visit http://training.fws.gov/meet/gettinghere.htm.

NCTC has a fee-based shuttle service from Washington Dulles International Airport that runs at regular times on Sundays and Fridays. We plan to arrange at least one special shuttle for Monday, but we will likely not be able to accommodate all schedules and needs. We will post information on the special shuttle on the conference Web site as soon as it is available. For information on the standard NCTC shuttle, please visit http://training.fws.gov/meet/shuttle.html. We will send out a list of participants ahead of time to facilitate ride sharing opportunities with individuals who plan to rent vehicles.

For more information on the conference or ANROSP, please contact:

Michelle Prysby
ANROSP Vice President and Conference Committee Chair
Virginia Master Naturalist Program Coordinator
434-872-4580
mprysby@vt.edu