Please join us at the Continental Dialogue meeting. Note that the deadline for reduced rate rooms is 10.5.09. Susan

----- Forwarded by Susan Frankel/PSW/USDAFS on 10/05/2009 09:10 AM -----

Continental Forest Dialogue <continetalforestdial@resolv.org>

10/05/2009 08:52 AM

To	Mark Lewis <mlewis@resolv.org>
cc	Paul De Morgan <pdemorgan@resolv.org>, Dana Goodson <dgoodson@resolv.org>
Subject	REMINDER - Invitation to the Fifth Continental Dialogue Meeting - October 27 - 28, San Francisco, CA

Greetings.

As a reminder, the Fifth Continental Dialogue meeting is taking place October 27-28 – less than 4 weeks to go. Below is the original invitation and information on the field trips, meeting agenda, how to register, and accommodations. Please secure your registration soon to ensure that you can join us for this exciting meeting.

While online registration for the meeting will remain open until October 20, there are two important deadlines to keep in mind:

1. HOTEL RESERVATIONS – We have arranged a special rate ($129) for hotel rooms at the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf. Today is the last day to take advantage of the negotiated rate, and the rooms have been filling up quickly. There may be a few rooms left at the $129 rate, but please be prepared for the hotel block to fill and close soon. Once the room block has filled up, the $129 rate will no longer be guaranteed. After that point, you may still reserve rooms at the Hyatt at non-guaranteed market rates.
To register, please visit: https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=1442203

2. PORT OF OAKLAND FIELD TRIP – Registration for the Port of Oakland trip has now closed. An advance security check is required for the trip. If you have signed up for the Port of Oakland trip, you will be contacted by Customs and Border Patrol in the next week or so. When requested, please be prepared to provide your full name, date of birth, state and city of birth.

3. MARIN COUNTY / SUDDEN OAK DEATH TRIP – The trip to witness Sudden Oak Death in Marin County remains open for registration. To attend, please complete your registration at:
https://www.energymeetings.com/calendar/register.asp?CalendarID=10859

Please let us know if you have any questions and/or comments.

Regards,

Paul, Dana, and Mark

Paul De Morgan Dana Goodson Mark Lewis
Senior Mediator Facilitator Associate
RESOLVE RESOLVE RESOLVE
435.750.7075 (ph) 202.965.6209 (ph) 202.965.6211 (ph)
pdemorgan@resolv.org dgoodson@resolv.org mlewis@resolv.org

redwood

Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases
October 27 – 28, 2009
At Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA

Greetings:

The Continental Dialogue Steering Committee is pleased to invite you to join other leaders from the Pacific coast and around the country who are working to address the growing threat to North American forests from non-native insects and diseases. The Fifth Continental Dialogue meeting will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27 – 28, 2009 in San Francisco, California. The Steering Committee has worked diligently to include a host of emerging issues in the meeting agenda. The meeting also provides an opportunity for participants to experience one of two exciting field trips.

This meeting will serve as an opportunity for this diverse group to build on the successes of the last year and plan for the future of the Dialogue. Specific objectives include: cultivating collaborations toward action to address the threat of non-native forest insects and diseases; linking state and local actions to Continental Dialogue efforts to enhance national policies and strategies; enlisting communities in the battle against non-native insects and diseases impacting their trees; and identifying and agreeing on needed actions for Continental Dialogue to take in the upcoming year. We invite you to join us in this important effort.

We hope you will attend, or, if you are not able to attend, you will consider sending a trusted member of your organization.

Please note that some funding is available to assist participants with travel costs. If you are interested in participating and these expenses would preclude your attendance, please contact Mark Lewis of RESOLVE (mlewis@resolv.org; 202-965-6211).

Registration
To register, please go to: https://www.energymeetings.com/calendar/register.asp?CalendarID=10859.

Registration for this meeting is limited and will be honored on a “first come-first serve” basis. Please note that online registration will close on Tuesday, October 20^th. After that date, you will be able to register onsite. Registration payment will be accepted onsite by credit card, check, or cash (please bring exact change). Please make checks payable to RESOLVE and mail to RESOLVE, c/o Mark Lewis, 1255 23^rd St. NW, Suite 875, Washington D.C. 20037.

Thanks to a private grant, we are able to cover a significant portion of facility costs. There is, however, a registration fee that will cover all meals, refreshments and attendance on one of two concurrent field trips. The cost to attend the full event is $75; the cost for attending the first day only (Tuesday, October 27th) will be $45. This includes attendance on one of the field trips. The cost for attending the second day only (Wednesday, October 28^th) will be $30.

For more information and updates regarding the meeting, as well as existing background materials, please go to http://www.continentalforestdialogue.org/events/dialogue/2009-10-27/index.html.

Meeting Agenda
Attached you will find a draft agenda which defines the meeting goals and describes the presentations, plenary discussions, and breakout deliberations we are planning to help us achieve the meeting goals. The document also includes draft agendas for two field trips (described below).

We will be distributing additional background materials closer to the meeting date.

Field Trips
The Fifth Dialogue Meeting will include two field trips, to take place concurrently on the morning of Tuesday, October 27^th. Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to attend ONE of the two trips. If you want to attend one of these trips, you will need to indicate which of the trips you plan to attend when registering for the meeting. There are space constraints for one of the trips and logistical considerations for both, so please plan to register as early as possible to guarantee a spot. The cutoff date for field trip registration is Tuesday, October 20^th.

Both trips will depart by bus from the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf at approximately 7:30 am on October 27^th and conclude between 12:15 and 12:30 pm when the buses return to the Hyatt. Following the field trips, attendees will proceed to Fort Mason to register and begin the first day of the meeting.

Field Trip #1 – Experimental Nursery and Sudden Oak Death (Marin County, CA)
One group will visit the experimental nursery at Dominican College in San Rafael, California, followed by an excursion to forested areas at Muir Woods in Marin County to witness the effects of Sudden Oak Death. This trip does not have a limit on the number of people who can attend.

Field Trip #2 – Port of Oakland (Oakland, CA)
Another group will visit the Port of Oakland to learn about wood packaging and the inspection activities by Port staff. This trip will be limited to 30 participants and require a security check in advance of the trip. Participants will be required to provide some form of personal information (e.g., Social Security number) for review by the Port of Oakland. Further information about this field trip will be provided as it becomes available, including instructions on what information you need to share and how to share it.

Overnight Accommodations
A subsidized rate of $129/night plus tax has been secured for overnight accommodations at the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf, which is near the Fort Mason meeting venue.

Attendees must make their own reservations. You may contact the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf at (888) 421-1442; please reference the “Nature Conservancy: Continental Forest Dialogue” group rate. Reservations can also be made online at https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=1442203.

Please note that the availability of overnight accommodations cannot be guaranteed after Monday, October 5, 2009.

For questions regarding meeting objectives or the background documents posted on the web site, please contact Frank Lowenstein of The Nature Conservancy at flowenstein@tnc.org or by phone at 413-229-0232, extension 224. If you have any logistical questions, please contact Mark Lewis of RESOLVE (mlewis@resolv.org; 202-965-6211).

We look forward to seeing you at this exciting event in October.

Very truly yours,

The Steering Committee, Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases

Frank Lowenstein, Director
Forest Health Program
The Nature Conservancy

Nadine Block, Manager, Forest Policy
American Forest & Paper Association

Michael Buck, Sustainable Forestry Representative
National Association of State Foresters

Faith Campbell, Senior Policy Representative
The Nature Conservancy

Allegra Cangelosi, Senior Policy Analyst Ecosystem Team
Northeast Midwest Institute

Bill Dickerson
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA

Keith Douce, Professor of Entomology
University of Georgia

Donald Eggen, Forest Health Manager
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources

Bob Ehart, Animal & Plant Health Safeguarding Coordinator
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

Jodie Ellis, Exotic Insects Education Coordinator
Purdue University, Dept. of Entomology

Joe McCarthy, Senior Forester
City of Chicago, Bureau of Forestry

Teresa McDill, Supervisor
Invasive Species Unit
Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Ken Rauscher, Past President
National Plant Board
Michigan Department of Agriculture

Craig Regelbrugge, Senior Director of Government Relations
American Nursery & Landscape Association

Lin Schmale, Senior Director of Government Relations
Society of American Florists

Carl Schulze, President
National Plant Board
Director, Division of Plant Industry
New Jersey Department of Agriculture

John Peter Thompson, Consulting Representative
American Nursery & Landscape Association

Phyllis Windle, Senior Scientist
Global Environment Program
Union of Concerned Scientists