MESSAGE FROM AUGUST 2005:

Travel Information and Hotel Update
Thanks to Wendy Gardner and Ann Harris
For additional information:
Lynne Breese & Greg Tegart, Publicity Co-Chairs
jlbreese@prinetime.net Greg.Tegart@gov.bc.ca

Please visit the SRM website, http://www.rangelands.org/srm.shtml click on our identifier and follow the paths for more information about the meeting and the Vancouver area. The web site will be updated regularly and is a key resource for program details, registration and activities. Registration information will also be in the preconvention Trail Boss which will come your way later this fall.

Correction for Ski Package contact!! The correct address for Lisa at Peak Packages is lisam@peakpackages.com See full information in June Member Resource News, p.5. Thanks go to SRM'er Dale Weisbrot, Regina SK, for catching the error.

Non-Technical Tours - Summary of Tour and Costs

Full Day Tour to Victoria
Friday, Feb 17, 2006
Board the bus at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the morning for a full day (12 hour) narrated tour to beautiful Victoria BC. Travel on the BC Ferries through the Gulf Islands and then drive through Victoria and see the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, Beacon Hill Park, the Parliament Buildings and Victoria's Inner Harbour. You will have free time for lunch (no host), shopping and to tour the Royal British Columbia Museum (admission included in tour price). Before boarding the ferry back to Vancouver you will visit the Butchart Gardens, known for their 55 acres of wonderful flora displays. Price per person $123.00 CAN.

Afternoon Tour of Vancouver Area
Tues., Feb 14, 2006
Board the bus at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and see the highlights of the downtown Vancouver area in one afternoon! This 4 hour tour includes: exotic Chinatown; Gastown, the birthplace of Vancouver; a drive through 1,000 acre Stanley Park; the English Bay beaches; the City Centre and Robson Street; and Granville Island Public Market which offers shopping, dining, arts and entertainment. You will have time to shop and explore at Granville Island before heading back to the hotel. Price per person $17.00 CAN.

West Coast History and Aquatic Life
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006
On this 4.5 hour afternoon tour you will learn more about the history of BC and the spectacular aquatic life on the West Coast. Travel to Gastown and take a 65 minute guided tour at Storyeum through a series of unique theatres. Experience a walk through time. Witness the dramatic creation of Canada's untamed Western Province and magnificent rainforests, hearken to the First Nations' sacred stories of the spirit of man and the Spirit of Nature. Hear chants of the Bighouse, arrive by ship with the first explorers, get swept up in the Gold Rush and witness the birth of British Columbia. Then travel to Stanley Park to visit the Vancouver Aquarium. At the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre in Stanley Park you will see more than 60,000 aquatic creatures and have the opportunity to see live shows such as the Belugas, dolphins and sea lions. Admission to both locations included in tour cost. Price per person $56.00 CAN.

Hotel Update

Occasionally we get questions regarding accommodations; the most common one is "why only two hotels?" The answer is relatively simple but worth repeating. In the course of negotiating facilities we endeavour to get the best deal we can for you as regards accommodation and registration costs. When we, through your reservations, achieve a preset number of rooms we get a very, very good rate for the convention and meeting room facilities. Therefore, when booking your stay in Vancouver please remember to ask for the Society for Range Management rate and thereby ensure your room is tallied to our block. You get a good room rate and we all benefit via reduced meeting costs. Please note the occupancy levels and the rates which apply at each hotel. Your continued support is appreciated!

HYATT REGENCY VANCOUVER
Hyatt Regency Vancouver
655 Burrard Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Phone: (604) 683-1234
Fax: (604) 689-3707
Rates:
$170 CAD - Single/Double/Triple/Quad
$120.00 CAD - Gov't
Be sure to ask for the "Society for Range Management" rate.
Toll-Free reservations: (888) 421-1442
Direct hotel reservations: (604) 639-4820

FAIRMONT HOTEL VANCOUVER
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
900 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Phone: (604) 6843131
Fax: (604) 662-1929
Rates: $170.00 CAD - Single/Double
$120.00 CAD - Gov't
Be sure to ask for the "Society for Range Management" rate.
Toll-Free Reservations: (800) 441-1414
Direct Hotel Reservations: (604) 684-3131
Email: hvc.reservations@fairmont.com

This article was originally published in the August 2005 MRN.