I. Conference Committee

-   Members

-   Introductions

-   Contact Information

-   Purpose

-   Organization

    -   Bi-Monthly Committee Conference Calls

-   Timeline

II\. 2004 Conference Overview

III\. Dates

-   Time of Year

-   How many days?

IV\. Location

-   Review possibilities

-   Pros and Cons

-   Limit to Three

V. Disseminate Information to all Coordinators

-   How to?

-   Time frame

VI\. Next Meeting

\- Availability for the week of February 21^st^

**Selecting a Location:**

Below is information from six individuals who have demonstrated an
interest in hosting the 2006 conference. Please review this information
**before** the Conference Call and email me with questions/requests for
further information so that I can be prepared to answer your questions
before we actually speak. Please email questions/request for information
directly to me no later than Monday, February 7^th^.

When thinking about the location, please remember that personal ties
with other coordinators should not influence your decision. We hope to
make this conference accessible to all of the coordinators, and in a
area/space that will support our conference mission and goals best.

1.  **Jackson Hole, WY**

There is a possibility that we might be able to host the Jr. Duck

Coordinators here in \'06.

Our museum, The National Museum of Wildlife Art, in Jackson Hole, WY
does

sometimes host conferences. We have classrooms and a flexible \"Wapiti

Gallery\" space each of which can accommodate about 50 people (Is that
the

correct number of attendees as an estimate?)

We also have an auditorium that seats 200.

We have a café and meals can be served on-site.

One problem might be accessibility\...People can fly directly into
Jackson,

however they would need ground transportation to hotels and to the
museum.

The museum is not within walking distance of hotels.

There are lots of hotels in Jackson Hole, but they are expensive,
especially

during the summer season and the height of ski season (Dec. - Feb.)

I have talked with our Event Coordinator, Wendy Merrick briefly about
this

already. Here are her questions/comments:

Meeting space available - our classrooms (both) could seat 50 in a

\"classroom set up\' The Wapiti (my recommendation) could seat 50 in
either classroom or at round table configurations

We wouldn\'t charge for the space as long as it is used between 9 and 5
pm

What time of year is the group meeting? That could help me figure out

transportation. How many days is the conference? (this helps me with
meals, etc)

Let me know if you need additional information. You can learn more about

our museum via our website
[www.wildlifeart.org](http://www.wildlifeart.org/). To see the spaces I
mentioned, click on \"Info\", then on \"facility rental.\"

Thanks!

Jane Lavino

Curator of Education

National Museum of Wildlife Art

\(307\) 732-5417

> <jlavino@wildlifeart.org>

2.  **Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, KS**

I\'d like to propose the 2006 JDS Coordinators Workshop be held at the
Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, KS. We have a 188-seat auditorium,
complete with VHS and DVD players for showing videos/movies on a large
screen. The ceiling-mounted projector is set up to accommodate
PowerPoint presentations, too.

The nature center is adjacent to a 240-acre city park (Chisholm Creek
Park) which offers nearly 2 miles of accessible trails through wetlands,
prairie, and riparian habitats. The park is open sunrise to sunset so
would offer folks opportunities to work off goodies consumed during the
meetings. The wildlife observatory in the nature center overlooks an
artificial stream, bird-feeding stations, and a wetland thereby
providing an excellent spot to watch ducks, geese, & other birds found
listed in the Junior Duck Stamp program!

Because the US Fish & Wildlife Service is a partner of the Great Plains
Nature Center \-- it\'s actually a federally-funded building! \-- there
would be 0 cost to host the meeting.

Meals - lunches/snacks - would be served in our classroom as all food
must remain in that area of the nature center (no food allowed in the
auditorium). Unfortunately it\'s not the largest of rooms, but it will
accommodate \~ 30 people (w/ tables) and more if we remove all the
tables & just have chairs.

There are numerous hotels w/in a 3-mile radius of the nature center
which offer rooms @ government per diem. Everything from Holiday Inn
Express, to North Rock Suites (w/ free hot breakfasts, and complimentary
drinks in the evening!). The list of nearby restaurants is nearly
staggering! There is a fairly large shopping mall (nothing like the Mall
of America) \~ 6 miles south of the nature center, w/ Starbucks and
Krispy Kreme in between, in case one were to get lost :-)

The Wichita Airport is \~ 15 miles from the nature center. Most likely
folks would fly into Kansas City since flights into KCI are usually
cheaper than into Wichita. Driving from Kansas City to Wichita is a 3.5
hour drive via the turnpike. We\'re also \~ 9 hours (driving) from
Denver and \~ 12 hours from Minneapolis, so some Coordinators might opt
to drive. Driving from the Albuquerque area would be do-able, but it\'d
be a bit of a haul, though OK, MO, and other neighboring states could
access us without too much trouble.

We do have a Friends group; I\'d have to pose the idea of them hosting a
dinner one evening. Unlike most refuge-based Friends groups, that\'s
typically not something they do. However, they would probably consider
it since we\'d have a fairly large \"captive\" audience and many of our
Coordinators might be prone to frequent (and support) our Friends gift
shop :-)

Wichita boasts many excellent attractions (Exploration Place, Botanica,
Sedgwick County Zoo, Old Town, Cowtown, Ulrich Museum of Art, Museum of
World Treasures, etc.), plus at least 19 community and professional live
theaters so there should be evening entertainment during the Workshop.

If you have questions or would like additional information, please let
me know.

Thanks \... Lorrie.

Lorrie Beck, Visitor Services

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Great Plains Nature Center

6232 E. 29th N

Wichita, KS 67220

\(316\) 683-5499, x 108

> [www.gpnc.org](http://www.gpnc.org/)

3.  **J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island FL**

**The J.N. \"Ding\" Darling National Wildlife Refuge would like to host
the 2006 Jr Duck Stamp Coordinators Workshop on sunny Sanibel Island!
Snowbirds (JDS Coordinators!) migrate down to this winter haven during
January 2006!**

[Meeting space available]{.underline} :The refuge has one large meeting
room that can accommodate over 120 people comfortably or can be divided
into two small rooms. Also there is a smaller break out room (my
Environmental Education classroom) next door to these rooms that can
hold all the food/ break sessions.

[Travel/accessibility to the suggested conference location]{.underline}
: Suggested conference location is the Refuge \"Ding\" Darling Education
Center on Sanibel Island. Travel to Sanibel Island would have to be into
the Ft. Myers International Airport (20 minutes) or Tampa Airport(2+
hours) from the refuge. Possible free shuttle travel to the hotel from
the airport depending on which hotel is selected.

[Any fees associated with space]{.underline} : No fees for the
conference space since it is on the Refuge.

[Possibility for sponsorship of meals by friends groups or local
businesses:]{.underline} Our Friends Group, the \"Ding\" Darling
Wildlife Society would help off-site meals. I would have to bring a
proposal to them if selected. Area business have been generous in the
past to sponsor or give us discounts for our refuge events.

[Hotel/Lodging options/availability :]{.underline} \$77.00 per night is
the government rate given to us from the West Wind Inn, 3345 W. Gulf
Drive, Sanibel 239/ 472-1541. FREE shuttle to the refuge can be arranged
by [Refuge Tram]{.underline} and/or Refuge 16 passenger van.

[Other pertinent information]{.underline}

\*Beautiful weather, beautiful beaches!

\*Other educational, fun activities can be planned! Sea Turtle/beach
programs, bird watching tours with world renowned bird field guide
authors: Don and Lillian Stokes etc.!

\*Jaye Boswell former teacher who started program in FL to speak on
starting program in FL \"teacher\'s perspective\"

\*Past workshops held here include: USFWS Region 4 SCEP Orientation
2004, National Roads Coordinator Workshop, NWRA National Friends
Meetings etc.

**4. Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge**

I hope the new year is going well for you and your coworkers. **Our big
news for the new year is that the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge**

**Complex (Sacramento NWRC) in partnership with the California Waterfowl
Association (CWA) would like to host the 2006 Jr. Duck**

**Stamp Coordinator\'s workshop!**

We feel that we can provide the meeting space needed at the Sacramento
NWRC combined with tours of the spectacular wintering waterfowl for one
day,

workshop meetings in Sacramento at the Federal building or other site
for one day and possible tours to either San Francisco Bay NWR or Stone
Lakes

NWR for part of a day.

Sacramento is very accessible for travel and lodging and could serve as
the main site. Willows also has several possible lodging sites.

The Sacramento Valley is truly one of the premier wintering bird
locations and combining this \"show\" with the goals of the Federal Jr.
Duck Stamp program

is, I feel, a unique opportunity. CWA initiated this possibility and is
most willing to work and plan the details with our Refuge. CWA has had
extensive

experience in presenting conferences and their involvement would be
invaluable. Several of us here at the Sacramento NWR also have had
experience with

large conferences and this partnership would work very well.

As you are aware of, the Sacramento NWRC has been the receiving site for
the Federal Jr. Duck Stamp program since the 89/90 beginning. CWA has

become more involved each year and has been a tremendous educational and
promotional asset for not only the California program but nationally as
well.

We are all excited and look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Marilyn

5.  **Muscatatuck NWR (Seymour, IN)**

Muscatatuck NWR might offer to host the 2006 workshop (but I don\'t know
what I would be getting us into\...). We are located in Seymour, Indiana
and have a large meeting room attached to our Visitor Center that will
accomodate about 70 people comfortably (actually a few more) at tables.
The refuge is within 3 miles of some nice motels (Hampton Inn, Lee\'s
Inn), is located on Interstate 65, and has every fast-food place you can
imagine, along with some nicer restaurants. The refuge is about an hour
from the Indianapolis, IN and Louisville, KY airports. We have a friends
group that might help with meals.

I don\'t know if our facility would suit the needs of the workshop, but
you might think about it.

> Donna

6.  **Albuquerque, NM**

In addition, I would like to propose Albuquerque as a site for the
workshop. There are a number

of hotels with minutes of the International Airport. Several of the
downtown and Old Town hotels

offer shuttle service to and from the airport. The number of potential
activities for evenings

or even field trips is complex to list in this short e-mail. I do want
to state that three of the NWRs

in NM would like to host potential field trips. They are Las Vegas NWR,
Sevellita NWR, and Bosque

del Apache NWR. Each is no longer than a 2-hour drive from Albuquerque.

Depending on the hotel, there may be fees associated with hosting the
conference. At this point, I am

unable to answer that particular question. It might be possible for the
Friends of either Bosque del

Apache or Bitter Lake to host the meals. However, it is early to talk of
that point.

The following website will provide you with the potential of hosting the
workshop in Albuquerque:

http://www.virtualalbuquerque.com/

Of course, the Southwest Regional Office is in Albuquerque. This could
make things easier for

folks to receive messages or meet with people.

**7. Oregon Coast NWR Complex, Newport, OR**

Meeting space available: We have a very nice conference room that fits
approx 20 people comfortably. Based on attendance, I would see if the
local hotel would \'donate\' their conference room for our use if we
stayed there. Also, the aquarium could be a potential space for one day
\-- they sometimes will let you use their space if you buy their box
lunch that day (\~\$5 \-- very good food). Potential for a variety of
places.

Travel/accessibility to the suggested conference location: This would be
the only potential issue. Portland airport is approx 3 hours from our
refuge complex hq\'s. We do have a small airport locally, but costs to
fly into the small airport are higher.

Any fees associated with space: Hopefully no. Would expect to be able to
have space donated.

Possibility for sponsorship of meals by friends groups or local
businesses: Not likely, but would try. Plenty of fast food and
restaurants available at a close distance. Would \'try\' to host a crab
feed one evening. **(continued)**

Hotel/Lodging options/availability: Plenty of lodging available. Local
perdiem is \$84 for lodging.

> Other pertinent information: We are located on the Oregon Coast. The
> potential hotel is at a hotel at the ocean. Plenty to see and do. Our
> refuge HQ is located between the Hatfield Marine Science Center and
> the Oregon Coast Aquarium and has a view of the bay. If transportation
> can be figured out, could do great field trips up and down the coast.