MESSAGE FROM APRIL 2005:

The Pacific Northwest Section is pleased to offer each of you an invitation to attend the 2006 Annual Meeting in Vancouver, BC! The dates include a Saturday Board of Directors meeting (Feb. 11), Sunday committee meetings (Feb.12) and a week of symposia, workshops, concurrent sessions, social activities, and tours following an interesting and educational plenary session (Feb. 13-17). This promises to be an outstanding meeting filled with cutting edge technologies, management options, and discoveries germane to rangelands around the globe. The theme of the Meeting is “RANGELANDS TO RAINFORESTS”. British Columbia is a beautiful province filled with wonderful diversity ranging from the huge forests associated with the inlets and fiords of the Inland Passage, across the marvelous grasslands of the interior, to the Canadian Rockies with their majestic heights and rugged slopes. The city of Vancouver is a modern, cosmopolitan city with an old world charm, which offers every imaginable shopping and dining experience—all against a backdrop of rugged mountains and a beautiful view of bay.

The SRM has booked two wonderful hotels for our members. The Hyatt is a beautiful, modern facility which is located directly across the street from the Hotel Vancouver, which is a glorious, Victorian style facility. Both hotels will be accepting reservations later this spring. Be sure to watch for the regular updates concerning the 2006 Annual Meeting in both the Membership News and the Rangelands publications. Also check the SRM website periodically for updates.

Travel to and from the United States and/or other nations and Canada is remarkably straightforward. Passports are the preferred documentation for entrance and egress. Visas are not necessary for US citizens. If you are traveling with minors, signed and notarized letters of permission to travel across the border by their legal guardians are mandatory (Children of delegates, High School Youth Forum, and certain University Student Conclave members will fit into this category). The exchange rate between US and Canadian currencies changes daily, but is favorable for US visitors. Most merchants will accept US currency, although if one uses his/her credit card / debit card at one of the numerous ATMs, the exchange rate will be calculated instantly for that day. And, of course, your credit cards are welcome almost everywhere—with the bank calculating the appropriate exchange rate. We recommend this method of handling your money. Canada has a system of city and province sales taxes from which US citizens may be exempt. In a later “Annual Meeting 2006” update, we will provide details concerning the forms and protocols appropriate for reimbursement of these taxes to those who wish to pursue that course.

Finally a note to those who may be exhibiting at this meeting: We are working closely with customs officials to insure straightforward passage back and forth across the border. Both the US and Canada understand the economic advantage of trade shows and exhibits. To this end, customs will create a “bubble” which enables trade show exhibitors to ship to a common location, pass customs uniformly, and have materials delivered directly to the trade show location at the hotel. Any sales that occur within the trade show are exempt from Canadian taxes as part of the “bubble” (assuming one doesn’t go out on the street and attempt to make sales to non-SRM people which would be deemed in competition with Canadian venders).

The 2006 Annual Meeting in Vancouver promises to provide a beautiful setting, marvelous facilities, a fascinating and educational program, excellent opportunities for social interaction, and excellent symposia, workshop, and Trade Show venues. The PNW is pleased to have this opportunity to showcase this fabulous region of British Columbia for our members.

We look forward to seeing you in Vancouver!

This article was originally published in the April 2005 MRN.