News from IAB

The mission of the International Association of Bryologists (IAB), as a society, is to strengthen bryology by encouraging interactions among all persons interested in byophytes.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

So Be Free 2009

Subject: BRYONET: Re: SO BE FREE 14 - registration deadline in one week!
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2008 12:02:21 -0800
From: Brent Mishler <BMishler@calmail.berkeley.edu>

BRYONET

A REMINDER -- NOTE THAT DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION IS DEC. 15th. -- ONE
WEEK TO GO!

The Fourteenth Annual
Spring Outing,
Botanical Excursion,
Foray, Retreat, and Escape to the Environment!

**** SO BE FREE 14 ****

Tuesday-Friday, 24-27th March, 2009
Central Sierra Nevada near Oakhurst, California

impresario: Brent Mishler
treasurer: Paul Wilson
fieldtrip scout: Jim Shevock

Founded in 1996, SO BE FREE is a series of West Coast forays
started by the Bryolab at UC Berkeley, but open to all botanists. The
main focus is on bryophytes, but we also encourage experts on other
groups to come along and smell the liverworts. We welcome specialists
and generalists, professionals and amateurs, master bryologists and
rank beginners. SO BE FREE is held each spring, somewhere in the
Western US, associated with spring break at universities. The usual
tradition is to have a four-day, three-night schedule with communal
meals, in inexpensive and remote locations. Evening slide shows and
informal talks are presented as well as keying sessions with
microscopes. In addition to seeing interesting wild areas and
learning new plants, important goals for SO BE FREE include keeping
West Coast bryologists (and friends) in touch with each other and
teaching beginners. For glimpses of the past outings, consult the SO
BE FREE web site: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/bryolab/trips/sobefree.php

LOCATION THIS YEAR:
The 2009 SO BE FREE will be held in the lower elevations of the
central Sierra Nevada. The area offers great sites for montane
coniferous forest, oak woodland with rocky outcrops, chaparral, and
gorges of all sizes cut through granite by swiftly flow waters. We
will also visit a giant sequoia grove and a foothill woodland.
Bryophyte diversity will span a life-strategy range from California's
spring ephemerals to the brown mosses of continuously wet sites. The
wildflowers should be great too!
Beginning bryologists are welcome, and we are planning some
special activities for beginners, as well as serious fieldtrips that
will be exciting for the hard-core.
We will be based at Calvin Crest Conference Center, near
Oakhurst, California (not far from the south entrance of Yosemite
National Park, which will not visit during the Foray but a good choice
for a tourist trip before or afterwards). Fresno airport is ~60 miles
(1 hour and 20 minutes) away.
Calvin Crest is at 5,000 ft elevation, and has great facilities
(www.calvincrest.com
), with bryophytes right on the grounds there for the picking. Calvin
Crest will be providing eight meals starting with dinner on Tuesday
night and going through breakfast on Friday morning. For lodging, we
have several options: (1) Cedar Lodge (where our headquarters and
microscope room will be) has 22 hotel-style rooms each with a
bathroom, intended for 3-4 people per room, and linens are provided.
(2) The Apple Orchard is a group of 4 cabins with 8 bunk beds per
cabin to be occupied by students and other destitute individuals who
bring their own linens. (3) You may engage your own motel/lodge in or
near Oakhurst (although we do not encourage this option -- Cedar Lodge
is quite nice, probably the best accommodations we have ever had for
SO BE FREE). (4) You may camp nearby (we really don't encourage this
option, but it is there for the truly destitute). Calvin Crest is
completely surrounded by Sierra National Forest.
Registration details are below. Registrations and deposits are
due by 15 December 2008 (and housing will be reserved on a first-come,
first-served basis). All registration is being handled by Paul
Wilson, so please do not contact Calvin Crest directly. Paul has
already had to pay 20% down for reserving Calvin Crest, so (1) if you
can pay the full balance by 15 December, that would be great, (2) or
if you must, Paul will accept a non-refundable deposit of $80 with the
full balance due at the event. If you do not register by 15 December,
then an additional $50 late fee will be charged if we are still able
to accommodate you at all, which seems problematic since Calvin Crest
needs a head-count three months in advance. Please fill out the
following registration form and return by paper mail. Further details
will be sent to those who register.
******************************************************************************
SO BE FREE 14 24-27 MARCH, 2009 Sierra Nevada near
Oakhurst, CA
Name: ____________________________
Date: _____________________________
Address: __________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Phone No: _________________
email: _____________________
Room and board (facility fee and copying fees included):
[ ] Bed in Cedar Lodge, room shared among a few acquaintances, linens
included: $150 for 3 nights, 8 meals
[ ] Bunk in the Apple Orchard for students and others claiming
poverty, bring your own sheets, sleeping bag, towel, etc.: $80 for 3
nights, 8 meals
[ ] Meals and facility fees only; you're on your own with motels,
camping, or whatever: $100 for 8 meals, facility fee, copying fees; or
$50 for the one day and $25 for each subsequent day
We really encourage everyone to eat with the group, as this is part of
the magic of SO BE FREE. But if you insist:
[ ] Facility fees only; you're on your own for housing and all food:
$35 for 3 days.

**************************************************************************
Checks should be made out to Paul Wilson and sent to:
Paul Wilson
Department of Biology
California State University, Northridge
Northridge, CA 91330-8303
email: paul.wilson@csun.edu - phone 818-677-2937

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