THE 17th ANNUAL SAMAB CONFERENCE

November 28-30, 2006 at the Holiday Sunspree in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The conference is co-sponsored by USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. EPA Region IV, the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, UT-Battelle, and the SAMAB Foundation.

• Program and Abstracts booklet (a PDF file)
• Detailed Agenda (a PDF file)
• Agenda Overview (a PDF file)
• Registration Form - (a PDF form to print and fax or mail with a check or credit card information)
  If you plan to register at the door, we urge you to go ahead and complete a registration form and send it to us so that we can prepare your name badge in advance.
• Hotel Information
• Call for Participants

Natural Resources and the Economy: Hand-in-Hand -- Economics and the natural resources go hand in hand in the Southern Appalachians, where we have come to depend on abundant clean water, productive forests, biodiversity, and scenic beauty to sustain a wide range of businesses and industries─from timber and farming to raft guiding and hotel management─as well as a distinct sense of place and quality of life which attracts more and more people to the area. With increased population─and the development that follows it─comes the responsibility to make sure that economic growth does not compromise the resources it relies on.

The 17th Annual SAMAB Conference will provide a unique opportunity to learn about this relationship between natural resources and the economy in the Southern Appalachians. Held November 28–30, 2006, at the Holiday Inn SunSpree in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the conference will highlight what a wide range of constituencies─citizens; businesses; local, state, tribal, and federal leaders; resource managers; scientists; and educators─are doing to strengthen the link between good stewardship of the land and a strong economy.

Announcement and Call for Participants

• One page color announcement/call for participants to print and post (in PDF)

Participate in the SAMAB Fall Conference, November 28-30, 2006 at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Send an abstract (see a sample) of your short talk, field trip, presentation, group discussion, or poster to the SAMAB office. We encourage you to address one of the following conference topics:

Biofuels

• Economic benefits of protecting air quality through the use of alternative fuels
• Bio-fuel options for the Southern Appalachians that make and save money
• Available resources and technologies for the sustainable production of bio-fuels
• Helping municipalities incorporate alternative fuel programs
  

Development

• The changing face of agriculture: how to make“eating local” work for farmers
• Conservation easements and tax incentives to preserve forested and open landscapes
• Designing local ordinances for the long-term economic health of the Southern Appalachians
• Building gently on the land for profit and quality of life
• Building a land-use ethic that combines the stewardship of natural resources with economics
  

Invasive Exotics

• The impact of forest fragmentation and invasive species on forest based economies
• Educating land owners about invasive plants: identification, effects, and eradication
• Rapid response monitoring and eradication of invasive plants and insects, exotic and native

Water

• Balancing competing interests for water quantity: aquatic habitat, municipal water supplies, agricultural and industry needs
• Responsible development practices for steep land and floodplain properties
• Water quality protection benefits from the reduction of sedimentation and nutrient loading
• Ecosystem service benefits associated with stream restoration and wetland protection

Research

• Breaking research on Southern Appalachia's natural resources and economy

Include with your abstract the subtheme and type of presentation you propose. Also include your name, title, address, organization name (if appropriate), phone number, email address and audio-visual or space requirements. Submission should be made by September 15, 2006 to:

SAMAB
311 Conference Center Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-4134
865-974-1838 (fax)
samab@utk.edu (email -- preferred)

Hotel Information

Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, 520 Historic Nature Trail--
Call (865) 436-9201 or toll free 1-800-435-9201 for reservations and mention the SAMAB Conference. Conference room rates (if reserved by 11/03/06): $66.00 per room daily, one to four person occupancy. Current room sales tax will be added. If your organization qualifies for a tax-exempt status, the hotel will need a copy of your Tennessee Sales Tax Exemption Certificate.

You can get driving directions by clicking on the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort's web page link above.

Previous Conferences

The links below give information and highlights from previous conferences:

• SAMAB Conference 2005
• SAMAB Conference 2004
• SAMAB Conference 2003
• SAMAB Conference 2002
• SAMAB Conference 2001
• SAMAB Conference 2000
• SAMAB Conference 1999
• Previous Conferences