http://www.rmcnargs.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=59 will take you to the page dealing with the NARGS Study weekend and AGM....for July 11-14, 2010
This event will be organised and hosted by Panayoti's Local Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society.......
http://www.rmcnargs.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=1...........
note that "ZZ", another Forumist, is listed as a Speaker!
Main info is:
NARGS 2010
Romancing the Rockies
The Marriage of Plant and Stone
July 11-14, 2010
Denver & Salida, Colorado
Exploration and field study of the “edaphic factor”: how does limestone or granite substrate influence the flora and biodiversity?
Join the Rocky Mountain Chapter of NARGS for a trip to the undiscovered Colorado that is every bit as beautiful—but somehow more pristine and authentic—as the famous resorts that grab headlines. The meeting is scheduled to coincide with the peak of the alpine season: come dance with Eritrichium and Primula on the very backbone of America! More information at
www.rmcnargs.org, including about coming to high altitude (please read). Questions to Randy Tatroe, Conference Chair, at saximontana@gmail.com or 303-699-8958.
This unique conference will take place at a historic, renovated steam plant in the picturesque town of Salida (elevation: 7,083 ft [2,159 m]), near the headwaters of the Arkansas River in a broad, U-shaped, glaciated valley. Salida is poised with the Collegiate Peaks soaring to the West and to the East, the Mosquito Range, with its own cluster of 14’ers. These two ranges are comprised of Leadville Limestone, which boasts the lion’s share of the Southern Rocky Mountain alpine plant endemic taxa.
Register with the Rocky Mountain Chapter for the meeting and make your own housing reservations in Salida; nowthisiscolorado.com/ has good information. (Reserve quickly, as this popular town can fill up.) We have found that although the hotels/motels have rooms listed on the website that they may have additional rooms for rent. We suggest calling the hotel/motel directly. See the document link to the left on this page with a list of hotels, motels, B&Bs, and lodges.
A limited number of rooms have been blocked at the following motels: Holiday Inn Express at 719.539.8500 to reserver a room in the room block. Mention 'North American Rock' and you will get a room with 2 queen beds for $110.94 plus tax per night. Super 8 at 719.539.6689, mention the 'North American Rock Garden Society' and you will get a room with 2 queen beds for $85.65 plus tax per night.
There are many other local activities in the Salida region, including rafting, historic train rides, hot springs and national parks.
Day 1 (Sunday, 7/11): Outstanding rock garden visits (on own) around Denver and reception, speakers, and alpine botanic art show and Henry Moore outdoor sculpture exhibit at Denver Botanic Gardens.
Day 2 (Monday, 7/12): Optional bus from Denver to Salida, with stops for guided botanizing. Evening reception, dinner on own and speakers Kirk Johnson: “The Rockies through Time: a Geological and Paleobotanical Whirlwind Tour” and Zedenek Zvolanek: “Tao of Limestone: Great Limestone Mountains and their Plants.”
Day 3 (Tuesday, 7/13): Hikes, plant sale, exhibits, book sale and dinner, with speakers Wiert Nieuman: “The Recycled Rock Garden from the Lowlands to Rocky Heights” and Marcia Tatroe: “Rock Gardens of the Rockies.”
Day 4 (Wednesday, 7/14): Hikes, plant sale, exhibits, book sale, closing banquet with business meeting, and speaker Vladimir Kolbintsev: “Central Asia: Lovely Steppe-Sister of the Rockies.”
Day 5 (Thursday, 7/15): Optional buses back to Denver.
Plant Sale:
Exceptional plants from regional specialty rock garden nurseries.
Speakers:
Zedenek Zvolanek. No rock gardener has created more stunning gardens in more places: across the United States, Canada and much of Europe. He is every bit a notable plant collector who has introduced hundreds of spectacular alpines to rock gardens from Europe and Asia Minor, including Campanula choruhensis, Matthiola montana and Centaurea achtarovii.
Kirk Johnson. This dynamic speaker joined the Denver Museum of Nature and Science after earning his doctorate in geology and paleobotany from Yale University. He studies fossil plants, terrestrial stratigraphy, geochronology, and dinosaur extinction; and has published many popular and scientific articles on topics ranging from fossil plants and modern rainforests to the ecology of whales and walruses.
Wiert Nieuman has overseen the magnificent rock garden at Utrecht Botanic Gardens in Netherlands for nearly 30 years; this is not only one of the finest collections of rare alpine plants, but a garden of great artistic creativity filled with novel and sustainable design. Long before sustainability became a catchword, Wiert and his staff have used nothing but recycled materials for their construction.
Marcia Tatroe. As a monthly contributor to Sunset Magazine and garden columnist for the Denver Post, no gardener in the Rocky Mountain region has made a greater effort to gauge the pulse of our horticultural scene. Author of Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West, she has also created one of our region’s more distinctive rock gardens. She and husband Randy travel widely photographing gardens.
Vladimir Kolbintsev. For over 20 years, Vladimir was research scientist at the Aksu-Dzhabagly nature reserve in Kazakhstan. As a naturalist, he has an amazing grasp of the flora, fauna, geology and ecology of Central Asia; he has led dozens of tour groups through the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains, Colorado’s closest climatic correlative.
Hikes:
Monarch Pass. Take in the spectacular scenery on a ten minute gondola ride to a knob above Monarch Pass. Disembark and immediately you are strolling on a Persian carpet of alpine cushion and mat plants. Silene acaulis, Eritrichum aretoides, and Minuarta obtusiloba abound. Easy half mile.
Independence pass. From the parking lot, a nearby level trail takes you along an endless field of alpine plants. More than 60 species are to be found on this easy stroll. Tetraneuris grandiflora, Rhodiola integrifolia, and many Erigeron are just a few of the flowers you are sure to see; colors abound! The trail on this land above the trees goes on and on. Easy.
Cottonwood Pass. Discover at least 40 species of alpine plants within several hundred yards of the parking lot. After lunch overlooking a small alpine pond, more energetic participants may want to hike to a knob a couple of hundred feet above, where Aquilegia coerulea, Saxifraga bronchialis and Phacelia sericea grow tucked into crevasses high above the Continental Divide. Easy quarter mile or moderate three quarter mile hike.
Weston Pass. At Weston Pass a brief, nearly level walk above treeline passes near an old mine and tailing rich in alpine flora. Among the many flowers are some Mosquito Range endemics like Physaria alpina, and Astragalus molybdenus, while Ipomopsis spicata ssp. capitata fills the air with its fragrance. The trail can be followed to a small knob which makes for a three mile round trip. Easy to moderate.
Mt. Sherman and the Dauntless Mine. This hike features a fine variety of alpine goodies: mesic (waterloving) plants along the creek and dry-meadow alpines. Some Mosquito Range endemics to be seen are Astragalus kentrophyta var. implexus and Physaria alpina. To see all the special flowers, a hike of three miles with an elevation gain of one thousand feet is necessary. Moderate to difficult.
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People:
The Convention Committee officers are;
Randy Tatroe - Chair
Panayoti Kelaidis - Program
Ellly Amade and Fran Enright - Hikes
Sally Boyson - Publicity
Gesa Robeson and Joan Sapp - Registration
Hugh MacMillan - Transportation - Web administrator
Hope this tempts some of you Folks!!
