Conference OverviewHave questions? Contact Audrey Miles Cherney audreyanne@rosehipstudio.com
(360)379-4743 PST
Did you notice the 2011 GNSI conference logo (created by David Ehlert)? “Tako the Octo” (tako is Japanese for octopus)- is a Pacific Northwest native, the Giant North Pacific Octopus, Enteroctopus dofein. It is an interesting creature that most people do not normally think about when conjuring up ideas of the Pacific Northwest. These creatures certainly can grow to be giants as there have been reports of E. dofeini that have been over 9 m in length, but divers say they are gentle and curious. Although we can't promise you will see one that is 9 meters long during your stay in Washington, we will have at least one field trip opportunity that will allow for participants to see one or two up close (most are about 1-3 m).
 For the 2011 GNSI Conference, we want to give participants the opportunity to discover new and unique things in the Pacific Northwest you may not have known previously, highlighting the natural diversity of our region—flora, fauna, and geology. With temperate rainforests, alpine mountains nearby in both the Olympic and Cascade ranges, glaciated valleys, rivers with salmon runs, estuaries, marine environments with whales and other interesting sea life, tectonic plates and volcanoes, we aren’t short on interesting features, ecosystems, or organisms. Even the local history and Native American culture is sure to fascinate history and cultural enthusiasts. We hope your curiosity is piqued and that you will join us at the next annual conference, July 10-16th, in Washington State's capitol city, Olympia, to discover more about some of the many interesting life forms and features found in our diverse ecosystems.
The Evergreen State College (TESC) is a unique location with interesting architecture and mostly native flora in the landscape, adding to the charm. The developed campus area is compact and easy to walk. It is situated in the heart of a 1,000 acre forest owned by the school on the southern edge of the Puget Sound, the Eld Inlet, which includes 3,300 ft of undeveloped tidal beach habitat. Check out a virtual tour of the campus at: www.evergreen.edu/tour/home.htm. Due to the forest, it has a remote feeling but is only about 6 miles from downtown Olympia. Being surrounded by forest, it also means that there will be ample sources of inspiration for our creative muses just outside any given door or window on campus, or along a campus trail. As an added bonus, our region has relatively few outdoor pests or poisonous plants to worry about when out exploring, and it has a mild climate (a nice way to beat the heat compared to other parts of the country in the summer). 
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