Snow Mountain Ranch, YMCA of the Rockies

The following is information to help you prepare for the upcoming Teaching Outside the Box conference at Snow Mountain Ranch.  For more information on Snow Mountain Ranch, visit www.ymcarockies.org.  If you have any questions, please contact CAEE at this email or 303-273-9527.

Registration:

**All registration and lodging check-in will be in the second floor lobby of Aspenbrook Lodge.**

Pre-Conference Lodging:

Dinner will be served from 5:00-7:00pm on Thursday night. 

Check-in after 9:00pm on Thursday will be at the Snow Mountain Ranch Conference Office. 

Pre-Conference Registration:

Registration for pre-conference workshops will be open Friday, April 24 from 7:00 am-1:00 pm.

Main Conference Lodging:

If you reserved lodging for the conference, check in will be open on Friday April 24^th from 4:00-9:00pm (you will not be able to register or check in to your room before 4:00pm on Friday). 

Lodging check-in is at the same time as registration. 

Dinner will be served from 5:00-7:00pm on Friday night. 

Check in after 9:00 pm on Friday will be at the Snow Mountain Ranch Conference Office. 

Main Conference Registration:

If you registered for tuition without lodging, or are presenting at the conference, please check in at the registration area when you arrive.  Registration will be open on Friday, April 24 from 7:00am-1:00pm and from 4:00-9:00pm, and on Saturday, April 25 all day beginning at 7:00am.

Additional Lodging and Registration Notes:

The opening session will begin at 7:30 pm on Friday - don’t miss it!  And plan to arrive on Saturday in time for the keynote presentation at 8:30 am!

Presenters:

Please check in at the second floor lobby of Aspenbrook Lodge for presenter information.

Lodging Assignment:

If you have registered for lodging, you will receive your room assignment at the time of registration.  Every attempt to honor your roommate requests (if applicable) will be made as long as all parties have listed each other.

Check-Out:

Check-out is on Sunday, April 26^th by 9:00 am (the conference continues after checkout until noon).

For your convenience there will be an information table as well as a message board in the registration area.

Contact Info:

The phone number at Snow Mountain Ranch where you can be reached during your stay is 970-887-2152 (Denver direct line 303-443-4743).

Directions: 
Take 1-70 West to Exit #232 (US 40 to Granby).  Travel over Berthoud Pass and through town of Winter Park.  Snow Mountain Ranch's entrance is 12 miles past Winter Park on the west side of the US 40.  Click here for a MAP.    

What to bring:
The weather at Snow Mountain Ranch can be unpredictable in late April.  Plan to dress in layers so you can adjust to dips or, if we’re lucky, increases in temperatures.  Linens, blankets, and pillows are provided.  Don’t forget a flashlight, water bottle, mug, canvas bag, binoculars or spotting scope, items for the Swap (see below) and musical instrument for those impromptu jam sessions.  A yoga session will be offered, please bring a yoga mat if you would like.  A notebook for taking notes and a cloth bag or backpack for gathering materials are always useful.  Please also bring cash or checks; items will be available for purchase, and a gratuity for Snow Mountain Ranch’s support staff is greatly appreciated (gratuity contributions will be collected in the registration area).  There is also wireless internet access available in most buildings – bring a laptop if you’d like. 

Resource Hall:
The Teaching OUTSIDE the Box Conference will feature a day long Resource Hall on Saturday, April 25th where exhibitors can showcase their programs, products, and where representatives can talk with conference participants.  The Resource Hall will be open from 8:00 am - 9:00 pm, and conference participants can visit the area throughout the day during breaks and in the evening during the social activities.

Do you have supplies, props, books, etc., that you no longer use?  Do you have items that might be useful to others at the conference, such as cloth tote bags, clean coffee cups, water bottles, etc.?  Bring them to swap!  The Swap will be open all day Saturday in the Resource Hall, so bring any items that you no longer need, but that may be useful to others (all is worthy - anything from old books on EE to a collection of film canisters).  If your swap does not find a new home you will be responsible for taking it back to your home.

Sessions:
A list of conference sessions is available on the CAEE website at http://www.caee.org/development/conference/conference-sessions.

Cancellation Policy:
Should you need to cancel, our cancellation policy is as follows:  Prior to 3/06/09 registrants are subject to a $50 fee.  After 3/06/09 your registration can be transferred but can not be refunded.  The conference will be held rain or shine.

Zero Waste:
CAEE is working towards the goal of zero waste at Teaching OUTSIDE the Box.  Zero waste encourages the design and use of products that can be repaired, remanufactured or recycled rather than trashed, in addition to emphasizing the benefits of durable over disposable products.  You may notice that additional recycling bins will be available in the meeting spaces.  Please note: disposable cups will not be readily available - please bring your own mug, cup, AND water bottle.  Presenters are being asked to reduce the number of handouts they bring to sessions.  Please bring your own materials to take notes.  Many handouts will be made available on CAEE’s website (www.caee.org).  Also, consider your personal use of items throughout the conference- instead of grabbing a large stack of napkins at lunch, use one; turn the lights off in your room when you leave; etc.  We appreciate your help in supporting these efforts!

Carpooling:
In an effort to come as close as possible to a “zero-waste” conference, we would like to encourage you to look for carpooling opportunities.  Not only does this conserve resources, but carpooling is also a great way to get to know people on the way to the conference!  If you would like to carpool, please visit http://www.caee.org/development/conference/carpooling-to-teaching-outside-the-box and use the discussion board to share your location, whether you can drive or need a ride, how many people you can take, and your preferred departure and return times.

Teacher recertification credit: 
You may earn up to 1 credit hour of teacher recertification credit through Colorado School of Mines for participating in 16 contact hours during the main conference, plus an additional .5 credit if you participate in a full-day pre-conference workshop.  To have a full 16 contact hours, please plan to attend the wrap-up session that will be offered on Sunday from 12-2 pm.  You may also apply hours from a pre-conference workshop to your main conference hours if you do not earn a separate .5 for the pre-conference workshop.  There is an additional fee for credit ($57 for 1 credit, $34 for 1/2 credit).  Course requirements will be available at registration.  Please contact Linda Martin with any questions about CSM credit at this email.

*Wrap-Up Session:
To complete the time requirement for CSM credit, attendees who did not participate in a pre-conference workshop will participate in a working lunch from 12-2 pm on Sunday.  More information will be available at the Conference, but you will use this time to reflect on your experience at Teaching OUTSIDE the Box, to plan curriculum and discover other EE programs.

Sponsors:
Sponsors help to keep registration costs low, and make scholarships and presenter stipends possible.  Does your organization support environmental education and professional development for educators?  Would you like to let 200 educators know about your organization.  Click here for more information on becoming a 2009 Conference Sponsor.

CAEE is grateful to the following sponsors for their generous support of the 2008 Teaching OUTSIDE the Box Conference:

Xcel Energy
ESRI
Colorado State Forest Service
Colorado Division of Wildlife
Acorn Naturalists
Henry Wurst Incorporated