Hello COSA members, we are excited to roll out an RFP for the 2018 COSA conference sessions. Do you have open space, natural resource management, or conservation expertise that you’d like to share? We are seeking presentations for the 2018 COSA conference, which is themed “Ripple by Ripple, Water is the Driving Force in Nature.” This year’s conference will be held in Grand Junction at Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501 on September 10-12, 2018.
The deadline to submit your proposal is Friday, April 20th 2018.
Keeping in line with this year’s theme – which centers on WATER – preference will be given to proposals that focus on the following open space topics:
1. Watershed Management – Land and water conservation projects; adaptive management; integrated watershed management through environmental and socio-economic interactions
2. Human impacts on water – Agriculture (use and diversion), Energy (dams, levees, oil & gas), Population Growth (consumption), Recreation
3. Restoration Projects – Fish and wildlife management; habitat enhancement through floodplain restoration; streambank and outfall/diversion restoration projects
4. Natural threats – drought, flooding, climate, habitat loss
In addition to sessions surrounding WATER topics, the following ideas for session topics were requested by attendees following last year’s conference. (The COSA Steering Committee wants to encourage you to submit all session topics you feel will be engaging and expand our collective knowledge):
· The future of open space with population growth; managing the influx of open space transient populations; urban open space project challenges and accomplishments
· Stewardship, restoration and trail projects; wildlife/natural resource management
Our field crews in attendance want to learn about practical hands on topics and what’s successful in your organization.
· Oil and Gas; both sides of the conversation; Social Media and Politics of Open Space
· GIS technology in land management; advanced acquisitions strategies; research and monitoring
· Generation WILD project updates; grant writing and management
Think creatively! What are you and your partners doing that will inspire others?
Workshops are 75 minutes, and this year we have some 60 minutes slots available in length. Expect roughly 20-40 people in attendance per session (overall conference attendance is expected to top 300 people). Preference will be given to interactive presentations that invite dialogue, discussion, and constructive debate.
Please submit your session proposal in the format described in the attached document by email with the subject line “2018 COSA Session Proposal” to rob.burdine
All proposals are due by close of business on Friday, April 20th 2018.
Thanks