A message from Dr. Steven Norris, your Local Host for the 2007 DFC Annual
Meeting.
DFC People....
It is time to start planning for your attendance at the 2007 Annual Meeting,
Nov. 14-18 in Ventura, California.
Check the DFC website for technical details, deadlines and costs.
http://www.desertfishes.org/meetings/2007/call.html
The meeting will be held at the historic Pierpont Inn in the city of Ventura
(Ventura County). Its a little bit of old California, overlooking the
Pacific Ocean. The Pierpont has a wonderful atmosphere, near to downtown
Ventura with its numerous restaurants and shops. Weve booked the entire
facility for our meeting. That is 75 rooms and suites, all going for the
same steeply discounted DFC price (which also includes a hot buffet
breakfast). We anticipate filling the Pierpont, so book early to have a
choice of rooms. We have also reserved a limited number of rooms at the
Pierpont Inn for early arrivers or late stayers (13 Nov. -Tuesday; 18 Nov.
-Sunday). These are available for meeting attendees at the discounted
meeting price. More can be made available if interest warrants.
For more details and other rooming options, consult the meeting
announcement.
If the days are clear, you will be able to see the Channel Islands National
Park from the Pierpont, perhaps from your bed if you book early and grab an
ocean view room. Your local host has booked a day trip to Santa Cruz Island
for 18 Nov. (Sunday). Santa Cruz Island is the largest of the Northern
Channel Islands, and our excursion will visit the colorfully named
Prisoners Cove which is on a Nature Conservancy holding within the Channel
Islands National Park. Here there will be opportunity for a short hike, a
beach with small estuary, and some rocky intertidal habitat. Marine birds
abound, and marine mammals (seals, sea lions, dolphins) are nearly always
present on the cruise over or back; whales are an occasional treat in
November. See meeting announcement for details, cost, etc. Half-day trips
to Anacapa Island can also be arranged.
If interest warrants, shorter trips will be made to local aquatic habitats
to meet some of the natives on Sunday morning.
The Ventura region has much to offer. If youre in the mood for
sight-seeing or shopping, Santa Barbara, Malibu and Ojai are all close at
hand. Camarillo is home to a large outlet mall. In Camarillo is also the
Western Foundation for Vertebrate Zoology, one the largest private
ornithological collections and research institutes in the world. For local
nature exploration or birding, there are numerous regional public beaches
and other coastal habitats. Rocky intertidal habitats are exposed at
multiple places along the coast, one of the more easily accessed is at Leo
Carrillo State Beach, just up the coast from Malibu. The Santa Monica
Mountains National Recreation Area sprawls throughout the region, and the
Cespe wilderness is not too distant.
Your local committee hopes all will take this opportunity to visit Ventura
County and Californias Gold Coast.
Feel free to contact Steven Norris ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) with any
questions or concerns.
