We have some exciting news as we get closer to the Fourth Chihuahuan Desert Conference at the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The conference schedule has now been posted online, and we encourage everyone who is planning to attend to take a look at the great lineup of presentations we have planned.
If you are one of our presenters, please take a few minutes to review the schedule carefully. In particular, please double-check your name and the title of your presentation to make sure everything is spelled and listed correctly. If you see something that needs to be changed, please let us know as soon as possible.
We also want to clarify an important change in the conference schedule. When we originally announced the conference, we advertised the dates as November 4, 5 and 6. We did not receive enough presentation proposals to schedule a full additional day of sessions on November 6, so all conference presentations will conclude on November 5.
However, we are keeping November 6 as part of the conference experience. At 9:00 a.m. that morning, we will hold a Conference Committee meeting for anyone interested in becoming involved in planning the next Chihuahuan Desert Conference. If you have ideas about the future of the conference—or simply want to help—we would love to have you join us.
We are also including two special post-conference tour opportunities at the end of the schedule. One will provide an opportunity to visit Keystone Heritage Park, and another will be sponsored by the Frontera Land Alliance. These are great opportunities to experience more of the natural and cultural treasures of the El Paso region while you are here.
If you are coming from outside the area and have questions about other things to see and do in El Paso and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert, please feel free to contact me directly. We want your visit to El Paso to be about more than attending a conference—we hope you will have an opportunity to experience and enjoy the desert that brings all of us together.
We are really looking forward to seeing everyone in November. We have some outstanding presentations planned, and registration is looking very encouraging. If the current pace continues, we may even break attendance records compared with the previous two Chihuahuan Desert Conferences held at the El Paso Zoo.
Registration closes October 20, so if you are planning to attend and have not registered yet, now is the time.
The Chihuahuan Desert is an extraordinary place, and this conference is about bringing together the people who study it, teach about it, work to protect it, and simply love it. We look forward to welcoming you to El Paso!
Rick LoBello
Chihuahuan Desert Conference