Black Hills Area Botany & Ecology Conference – March 13

Black Hills Area Botany & Ecology Conference – March 13. more details coming in March

We don’t know time of day, but guessed at 8 to 5.  There sometimes is a post event social hour at a different location.

The 2026 Black Hills Area Botany and Ecology Workshop (BHABEW) is coming up on Friday, March 13, so it is time to register.

Registration: The workshop will take place on-site at The Outdoor Campus – West, 4130 Adventure Trail, Rapid City, SD, and parts of it will be online via Zoom. Although there is no registration fee, sponsors ask that all attendees (especially off-site speakers!!!!) pre-register, whether you will attend on-site or online. Please register at this link:

https://tnc.zoom.us/meeting/register/Fnc1E1AlS9uGY1u_oVuIxA

To help us plan, we ask that you register by February 27. In the registration form, you’ll be asked to indicate whether you will attend on-site or online.  Please indicate “in-person” even if you aren’t sure at this time that you’ll be able to be there. This is especially important because you’ll also be asked if you’ll attend a chili feed lunch at the workshop site. There is no charge for that lunch, thanks to The Nature Conservancy and its volunteers. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom meeting, regardless of whether you say you’ll be on-site or online. That way, if something comes up at the last minute and you can’t attend in-person, you’ll still be able to hear the great talks lined up. Please note that only the presentations, from ~ 10:15 to 3:15, with a break for lunch, will be accessible by Zoom.

Program: Here is a draft schedule for the day and more details about the program; updates to this file will be made between now and the workshop.  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ln5TM9z7URKdIN8pc6a8pqBHsx79AEVSiWqfmkp3aWY/edit?gid=0#gid=0   Some notes about the program:

• The workshop will begin with an “Organization Fair”. At least 12 organizations will have a table hosted by one or two members of that organization. This is a chance for attendees to speak to those members and learn what these agencies, colleges, and organizations do, and to find out their recent activities and future plans. There may even be a fun activity or two.
• The workshop will close with a “World Cafe.” There will be three ~15-minute sessions of small-group discussions on a topic of your choosing from those listed in the program. Come prepared, as many of these topics require a bit of thinking in advance! (But nicethinking, not hard thinking.)

Door Prizes: Door prizes will be drawn throughout the day for on-site participants. If you would like to contribute to the selection of prizes, just bring them the day of the workshop.

Snacks and Sustainability: The Nature Conservancy will provide coffee, tea, a variety of snacks, and an optional lunch. If you attend on-site, please bring your own mug for coffee, bottle for water, and even your own dishes for lunch if you like. Also please bring a name tag.