Program for BOTANY BC 2004
Atlin, BC
July 5 – July 8, 2004
Agenda

Monday July 5 (Day 1) 	Registration, Greeting and Social 7:00 p.m. -8:30 p.m. 
Atlin Recreation Centre – beer and wine available (by donation) – light snacks will be served but 
not dinner

8:00 – 8:30 Botanizing with Tibetan nomads - Evelyn Hamilton

8:30 - ?  Social Event – BOTANY BC past and future (bring 5 or more slides)

Tuesday July 6 (Day 2) 		Breakfast 7:30 - 8:30 – Recreation Centre

	Talks 8:30 – 10:30 – Recreation Centre

1.	The flora of Atlin (the results of Carol Latimer’s 6-year crusade)
2.	Tracking the Wild Shrubbery – the role of NatureServe in plant conservation - Jenifer Penny and Bruce Bennett
3.	How to Get a Plant to Move : An overview to listing and delisting species at risk in Canada. – David Fraser

Afternoon excursions: (11:00 am– 5:30 pm) lunch provided
Note: The same excursions are offered on July 6 & 7. Choose one for each day.

1.	Monarch Mountain  and beach hike
2.	Warm springs, wetlands, and sage slopes. 
3.	Alpine hike on Ruby Mountain with Atlin Adventures - $20/person

Dinner 6:30 – 7:30 - Atlin Recreation Centre

Evening talk 7:30 – 9:00 – to be held in the historic Globe Theatre

1.	History of Atlin – Atlin Historical Society
2.	Plants (and Animals) and the First Ancient Glacier Body from the Americas –        Dr. Jim Dickson, University of Edinburgh

Evening Social: bring musical instruments – Recreation Centre

Wednesday July 7 (Day 3) 	Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30 – Recreation Centre

Talks 8:30 – 10:30 – Recreation Centre
1.	Natural Regions of Atlin: What a Complex Place - Shawn Francis
2.	The Beringian Connection – Bruce Bennett
3.	Some Troubles with Ferns: More Questions than Answers – Adolf Ceska

	Afternoon excursions: (11:00 am – 5:30 pm) lunch provided

1.	Monarch Mountain  and beach hike
2.	Warm springs, wetlands, and sage slopes. 
3.	Alpine hike on Ruby Mountain with Atlin Adventures - $20/person

Dinner on board the historic Motor Vessel - MV Tarahne  (2 sittings)

6:00 – 7:00  - sitting 1 (50 maximum)
7:30 – 8:30 – sitting 2 (50 maximum)

Evening talks (concurrent with dinner) – Recreation Centre

6:00 – 7:00 Contemporary Botanical Painting – Pamela Stagg
7:30 – 8:30 Botany through the camera lens: Flora of Monarch Mountain – Gernot Dick

9:00 – 9:45 Good-byes and voting on location for BOTANY BC 2005! – Recreation Centre

Thursday July 8 (Day 4) 		Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30 – Recreation Centre

Leave Atlin - box lunches available by request

	Optional post-BOTANY Excursions  (9:00 – 5:00) 

If there is enough interest, we may be able to book a bus for the White Mountain and Tagish Loop excursions (extra costs may be involved if bus rental is required). The Takhini Salt Flats – Kluane National Park excursion will require your own transportation or a ride with a friend.

1.	
1.	Hike up White Mountain (~4 hour return hike, 6km return, elevation gain 2300 ft)
Located 85 km north of Atlin on the east side of the Atlin Road (approximately 8 km south of Jake’s Corner), this mountain offers a moderate hike, including a 2-hour continuous climb. White Mountain gets its name from the limestone that makes it such a prominent landmark. The trail provides access to a beautiful limestone plateau where the possibilities for extended wilderness hikes are endless.  The south-facing slope is full of calciphiles reaching their farthest point north here and the alpine meadows are open and loaded with alpine flora unique to the north.

2.	Tagish Loop – Carcross Dunes (estimated return to Whitehorse 5 pm)
A driving tour of some of the driest areas of southern Yukon, including Crag Lake and the Tagish Narrows. We will have lunch at historic Carcross (made famous by Farley Mowat’s Never Cry Wolf that was filmed there). From there we will hike into the famous Carcross Dunes (checklist of plants provided) and view unique endemics including Lupinus kuschei and Carex sabulosa. If time permits, there will be a short stop at Emerald Lake that is a marl lake before continuing on to Whitehorse. 

3.	Takhini Salt Flats – Kluane National Park (the group may want to leave before 9 am)
Be prepared for a full day here. It will take 2 ½ hours to drive to the Takhini Salt Flats (checklist of plants provided), west of Whitehorse. These salt flats contain species that were isolated for thousands of years and that are rare in Yukon and unknown in Alaska. This is one place where undescribed species may be found. Another hour and 15 minutes beyond the flats will take you into scenic Haines Junction for a lunch stop. Local botanists will meet the group at the Kluane Visitor Centre.  A further 45-minute drive down the highway towards Alaska takes you to the shores of beautiful Kluane Lake and the famous Sheep Mountain viewing station.  Here we will look at unique plant communities and species, including Aster yukonensis, Artemisia rupestris and other saline-loving plants. Make sure to bring your camera for the scenic views. Camping is available in Kluane Park or at Congdon Creek or hotels are available in Haines Junction. It is an additional 2 ½ - 3 hours for those who wish to return to Whitehorse