by Libby Kyer

Generally speaking, most activities undertaken at mile high require aircraft, or at the very least wings. Denver solves the flight problem by cleverly locating itself a full mile above sea level, firmly secured to some of the best ground in the world. The GNSI 2003 Annual Conference takes full advantage of this terrific location, bringing you a week so full of workshops, great information, field trips and activities you'll be hard pressed to choose your favorites. Discover how down to earth the Mile High City is - with big city perks and the balance of natural serenity.

What can you look forward to?

The University of Denver is host to our event this year. Founded in 1864 by Colorado Gov. John Evans, it is the oldest independent university in the Rocky Mountain region, ranked among the top 100 national universities by U.S. News & World Report.

The campus is located just a few miles south of the heart of Denver. University Hall, DU's oldest building, was built a century ago at exactly 5,280 feet. The campus provides lodging and workshop/lecture halls for our conference, and its wide-flung satellites serve many specialty needs. Meyer-Womble Observatory sits atop Mount Evans, a 14,148-foot peak one hour from campus. The location gives it the second-highest vantage point of any telescope on Earth. The telescope's resolution rivals that of the Hubble Space Telescope because Mount Evans' summit stands above 40 per cent of the light-distorting effects of the atmosphere. The DU high-altitude research facility on Mt. Evans provides lodging and labs for a variety of natural scientists. This immediate access to the Front Range provides scientist and illustrator alike with close-encounters of the wildlife kind. Black bears in a range of coat variations, mountain goats, Rocky Mountain sheep, elk, deer, moose, mountain lions and bobcats are all frequent subjects for lens, study and sketchbook. Montane, subalpine and alpine zones abound with unique creatures and rare but hardy flora.

The extensive interface between human habitat and native flora and fauna continues to challenge all the residents of the Front Range. With really high territory just 15 miles west of the city, the lure of hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, horseback riding and camping is seductive. Plan to spend some time getting to know the mountains on a more intimate level. You can extend your trip to allow free time in the mountains, and still take advantage of the field trips and workshops during the conference for a fully realized Rocky Mountain high.

The city itself offers a bounty of activities. The Denver Art Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science and Denver Zoo are each recognized as unique and progressive institutions. Ocean Journey is Colorado's aquarium - yes, the kind with lots of water and sea life! - with a terrific local twist. The installations follow the course of Colorado water as it wends its way from the Continental Divide to its final destination in the ocean. Freshwater and marine creatures thrive in this setting, as do exhibits of mammal and bird species found along the waterways. Museums abound and run the gamut from the Colorado History Museum to the Black American West Museum, telling the forgotten story of African American cowboys, who made up as many as one third of all the cowboys on the great cattle drives; from the Molly Brown House - a full-dress restoration of the Unsinkable Molly Brown's Victorian era mansion - to the Denver Botanic Gardens with a large award-winning conservatory, an alpine garden with rare tiny flowers, a Japanese tea garden, as well as a water garden with hundreds of water lilies that bloom in late summer. It is just one of 506 public gardens in Denver where over 240,000 flowers are planted each year. Evening entertainment activities range from fine dining, theater and music to Six Flags Elitch Gardens with rides to keep you awake late.

So, we think it's clear, it's time to GET READY. PLAN AHEAD. Don't let this gathering get away from you. It's one of a kind. Looking forward to seeing you in the great West.

Mile-High Factoids:
Denver is the most educated city in the U.S. with the greatest percentage of high school and college graduates of any major metropolitan area in the U.S

Denver is the nation's baby boomer capital, with the highest percentage of boomers of any major city, according to the 1998 U.S. Census. One third of the city is between age 35 and 54.

The 15th step on the west side of the State Capitol Building is exactly 5,280 feet (1,609 m) -- one mile -- above sea level.

Denver International Airport has a roof that is Teflon-coated fabric, shaped into 34 different peaks, symbolizing the Rocky Mountains, Native American tipis as seen on the plains, and the white covers of the "prairie schooners" heading west.

Colorado produces more beer than any other state. Besides the huge breweries of Coors and Anheuser-Busch, the Denver area is filled with micro-breweries and brew pubs.

In 1935, Louis Ballast grilled a slice of cheese onto a hamburger at his Denver Humpty Dumpty drive-in restaurant, and patented the invention as the world's first "cheeseburger."

It was on top of nearby Pikes Peak in 1893 that Katherine Lee Bates was inspired to write the words to "America the Beautiful."

The mountainous area of Colorado is six times the size of Switzerland and contains 9,600 miles of fishing streams, 2,850 lakes and over 1,000 peaks two miles high.

The road up 14,260 foot high Mount Evans is the highest paved road in North America -- and it is maintained and operated by Denver City Parks Department.

The wainscoting in the state capital is Colorado onyx, a rare stone found near Beulah, Colorado. The entire world's supply was used in this building and no more of it has ever been found.