Time is running out! The deadline for Early Bird registration <http://naturalareasconference.org/registration> and *special hotel rates* for the 2017 Natural Areas Conference, October 10-12 in Fort Collins, Colorado, is *SEPTEMBER 15.*
Field Workshops are booking up. Hotel rooms are filling up. Flights to Colorado are selling out. It's time to register for the Natural Areas Conference. We're expecting a big crowd this year. See below for details on our plenary sessions and other attractions we have in store for you in Fort Collins, Colorado, or visit our conference website! <http://naturalareasconference.org/> REGISTER NOW. <http://naturalareasconference.org/registration> *Opening Plenary* Welcome: Terri Hogan, Invasive Plant Program Manager, National Park Service and Lisa Smith, Executive Director, Natural Areas Association Keynote Address: Keeping Natural Areas Natural: Juggling Resource Protection and Heavy Visitor Use. Darla Sidles, Superintendent, Rocky Mountain National Park Plenary Address 1: Click-Bait Hazards, and Collaborative Conservation. John Stokes, Director, City of Fort Collins Natural Area Department Plenary Address 2: The Natural History of Colorado. Dave Anderson, Director of the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University. *Closing Plenary* Managing Smaller Natural Areas: Case Studies on the Role they Play in Protection Case Study 1: Reed Noss, Visiting Scholar at the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Case Study 2: If You Want to Go Fast, Go Alone. If You Want to Go Far, Go Together. Heather Knight, Associate Director, Center for Collaborative Conservation Case Study 3: Successful Partnership Conserves the Imperiled Mardon Skipper. Scott Black, Executive Director, Xerces Society Panel Discussion moderated by Greg Aplet, Senior Science Director, The Wilderness Society. For more info, visit our conference website. <http://naturalareasconference.org/> *Thanks to our event Beer Sponsor, Odell’s Brewery!* Our evening networking events will feature complimentary hometown beer selections from one of Fort Collins’ most famous breweries, Odell’s. *Network and Celebrate at our Events* Regular registration gains you entrance to our NAA Awards Dinner, the Poster Session and Reception, and Thursday’s Happy Hour. *Hundreds of Sessions Open to Registrants* We are featuring sessions on such cutting-edge topics as: - Collaboration/Conservation Across Boundaries - Communicating about Natural Areas Conservation - Restoration in the Anthropocene - Pollinator Conservation - Urban Conservation - Value of Healthy Land in Water Resources Management - Value of Ecosystem Services - Technology for Land Management Success - Natural Areas Management in Light of a Changing Climate - Invasive Species Management - Climate - Research Natural Areas - Fire - Native Seed *Choose from 7 Field Workshops!* We are offering 7 fabulous workshops this year on Thursday, October 12. There are so many nearby natural areas in Fort Collins that exemplify innovative, successful natural area management practices that 6 just wasn't enough! Each Field Workshop is $75/each. and can be added when you register. Lunch and transportation are included in the fee. FW-1 Rocky Mountain National Park <http://naturalareasconference.org/field-trips#FW-1> - FULL FW-2 Conserving Biological Diversity in the Boulder Area Prairie-Foothills Ecotone: Tallgrass Prairie in the Semi-arid West <http://naturalareasconference.org/field-trips#FW-2> FW-3 Chalk Bluffs State Natural Area <http://naturalareasconference.org/field-trips#FW-3> FW-4 Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Red Mountain Open Space <http://naturalareasconference.org/field-trips#FW-4> FW-5 Urban River Restoration Bike Ride: Successes and Challenges <http://naturalareasconference.org/field-trips#FW-5> FW-6 Forests, Fires, and Water: Poudre Canyon, Cache la Poudre River, active forest restoration sites, and Historic Mishawaka Amphitheatre and Restaurant <http://naturalareasconference.org/field-trips#FW-6> FW-7 Recreation Management in the Urban Interface <http://naturalareasconference.org/field-trips#FW-7> See you there! Register now! <http://naturalareasconference.org/registration>
