American Association for the Advancement of Science Arctic Division

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Field Trips and Activities

Several field trips are currently planned for Saturday, 21 September. Fees include drinks and light snacks. Registrants may also be interested in participating in the Equinox Marathon.

CRREL Permafrost Tunnel/Trans Alaska Pipeline

Fee: $20

The CRREL facility is a unique research tunnel excavated in ice-rich permafrost. It is located in Fox, about 10 miles north of Fairbanks. Fox is also the location of a viewing site and visitor center for the Trans Alaska Pipeline.

Maximum participants: 24

Large Animal Research Station

Fee: $10

The UAF Large Animal Research Station (LARS) was created in 1979 to establish a colony of muskoxen. Current residents are muskoxen, caribou and domestic reindeer. Research emphases include comparative nutritional and reproductive physiology, endocrine and physiological controls, behavior and energetics, genetics, and disease.

Alaska Bird Observatory Bird Banding Presentation

Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge

Fee: $15

Founded in 1991, the Alaska Bird Observatory (ABO) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats through research and education. ABO has operated a bird banding station for monitoring migration at Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge since 1992 and to date has banded over 42,000 birds of 64 species at the site. This field trip includes a bird walk and visit to the Creamer's Field Migration Station with an ABO naturalist. Rain or snow will cause cancellation.

Maximum participants: 20

Fort Knox Mine

Fee: $20

The Fort Knox gold mine is located 30 miles north of Fairbanks near Cleary Summit. It is an open pit mine and, with an annual capacity of 350,000 ounces, is one of the largest gold mines in Alaska. This will be an afternoon tour.

Maximum participants: 14

40th Annual Equinox Marathon

Registration

This race starts at UAF's Patty Center with a run up a sledding hill and keeps going up for about 2000 feet in elevation and 13 miles in distance before the return leg. Considered by many as the second most difficult marathon in the U.S. (after Pike's Peak), it is also one of the oldest. Individuals or teams may enter.

Accommodations and Ground Transportation

Blocks of rooms have been reserved for AAAS participants at three hotels. Please contact the hotel of your choice directly to make your reservation. All hotels have free airport/train station shuttle service and are on borough bus lines. At this time we are not planning to provide transportation between hotels and the conference site.

Bus routes and schedules

Sophie Station Hotel

$69 single/double + 8% bed tax (additional guests $10 each). Reservations must be received by 17 August. Reference code AAAS902 for group rate. Reservations: 800.528.4916; or go to reservation page on hotel website, scroll to bottom and click on "Contact Us" to email reservation information (website is not set up for conference rates).

1717 University Avenue, 1.6 miles from UAF. Near shopping centers, all rooms are suites.

Pike's Waterfront Lodge

$75 single/double + 8% bed tax (additional guests $10 each). Reservations must be received by 3 September. Reference code AAAS for group rate. Reservations: 877.774.2400; or at hotel website-include AAAS $75 rate in Comments/Special Requests section of reservation page.

1850 Hoselton Drive (off Airport Way), 2.6 miles from UAF. Near airport, on Chena River.

Wedgewood Resort

$65 single/double + 8% bed tax (additional guests $5 each). Reservations must be received by 17 August. Reference code AAAS902 for group rate. Reservations: 800.528.4916; or go to reservation page on hotel website, scroll to bottom and click on "Contact Us" to email reservation information (website is not set up for conference rates).

212 Wedgewood Drive (off College Road), 3 miles from UAF. Borders on Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, no on-site dining but all rooms are full suites.

UAF Parking and Dining

campus map

The plenary session will be in the Salisbury Theatre in the Fine Arts Complex of "lower" campus (largest black building on the eastern section of the UAF map). Public parking in the core area of lower campus is very limited and ticketing is pursued aggressively. Registrants who park in the Taku lot (gray block on eastern edge of map) for the plenary session will not be ticketed. A shuttle bus cycles every few minutes between the parking lot and a bus stop next to Fine Arts. The remainder of the meeting will be held on West Ridge (western section of map). You may park in any except reserved spaces on West Ridge.

Dining on West Ridge is limited to a small café (capacity ~ 50). Wood Center on lower campus offers several dining options. There are also a variety of restaurants near UAF (a listing will be included with your registration packet when you arrive). We recommend either of these latter two alternatives.