IAVS (July 18-23, 2004)

Landscape Change and Ecosystem Disturbance
Islands and Continents

47th Annual Symposium
International Association of Vegetation Science
July 18-23, 2004

King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel,
Kailua–Kona, Hawai’i, USA

**picture not shown**
Pulama Pali, Kilauea Volcano, 2000. T. Pfeiffer

HOSTED BY

• University of Hawai’i-Manoa
• University of Hawai’i-Hilo Conference Center
• USDA Forest Service
• USGS Biological Resources Division
• North American Section of the IAVS

Conference Co-chairs:

• Julie S. Denslow (USDA Forest Service)
• Dieter Mueller-Dombois (University of Hawai’i-Manoa)

Support for this website provided by Hawaii County office of Research and Development.

E Komo Mai – Welcome

Extreme isolation and spectacular environmental heterogeneity have combined to provide the Hawaiian Islands with one of the most fascinating biota in the world. The volcanic island chain is continuously forming in the center of the North Pacific Ocean as the Pacific tectonic plate slowly moves northwest over a stationary hot spot in the earth’s mantle. As a result, the current high islands in the archipelago range in age from fresh lava surfaces being produced daily by Kilauea volcano on the Island of Hawai’i, to sites more than 5 million years old on Kaua’i.

Hawai‘i’s volcanic mountains, which reach up to 4205 m above sea level, interact with the tradewinds to produce such a wide range of climates that most of the world’s terrestrial biomes are represented in the archipelago, including tropical rain forest, savannah, and alpine desert. This environmental diversity has made Hawai’i a model system for studies of vegetation dynamics and ecosystem development.

Because Hawai’i is separated from the nearest continent by 3750 km of ocean, few organisms have been able to colonize the islands naturally. However, many species that did establish underwent extensive evolution, producing some of the world’s best-studied examples of adaptive radiation, including honeycreepers, land snails, drosophilid flies, lobelioids, and silverswords.

Recently, the arrival of humans and alien species in the islands has transformed many Hawaiian ecosystems and caused hundreds of species of plants and animals to become extinct or endangered. Sadly, this now makes the Hawaiian islands a model system for studies of invasive alien species and conservation of rare species.
Organization

Five conference days will feature plenary sessions, contributed papers, posters and special sessions on topics around the conference theme. A mid-conference field trip for all participants is planned to explore leeward and windward altitudinal gradients on young and old lava flows, impacts of invasive species on native ecosystems, and community rehabilitation. Capping the last evening of the conference will be a banquet of tropical delicacies and Hawaiian music and dance. Pre- and post-conference field trips will provide an outstanding opportunity to explore the rich evolutionary landscape across several of the main islands in the Hawaiian chain and to engage researchers and managers attempting to understand and conserve the health of these plant communities. Programs to experience the rich Hawaiian natural and cultural heritage are planned for accompanying family and friends as well as participants.
Meeting Highlights

Explore the plant communities of Hawai’i with the experts. Field trip leaders Dieter Mueller-Dombois, Linda Pratt, Peter Vitousek and others have decades of experience studying the ecosystem and vegetation processes in Hawai’i and the Pacific.

Plenary speakers will include (with tentative topics) Peter Vitousek (formation and development of the Hawaiian island ecosystems), John Ogden (the legacy of Pleistocene events in modern vegetation), Patrick Kirch (the impacts of Polynesians on island ecosystems), Julie Denslow (assessing impacts of invasive species on plant communities), Bastow Wilson (local and regional control of vegetation processes), Boone Kauffman (fire and land use in tropical ecosystems) and Campbell Webb (implications of phylogeny for plant ecological processes).

Special sessions are planned on tropical Pacific landscapes, on patterns of species richness along natural and disturbed elevation gradients, on disturbance-based vegetation management, on the role of urbanization for plant diversity and on ecoinformatics. We look forward to receiving your contributions to the discussions at the symposium.
Schedule

• Early registration opens: January 15, 2004
• Deadline for Submission of abstracts: March 15, 2004
• Early registration closes: April 15, 2004
• Pre-conference field trip: July 17-18, 2004
• Registration and opening reception (evening): July 18, 2004
• Paper sessions and mid-conference excursion: July 19-23, 2004
• IAVS Council meeting: July 19, 2004

Editorial Board Meeting (7 p.m.): July 22, 2004
IAVS General meeting: July 23, 2004
Symposium Dinner and Closing Party: July 23, 2004
Post-conference field trip (tentative): July 24-28, 2004

Registration

Submitted by April 15
IAVS members: $250
Non-members: $275
Students: $150

Submitted after April 15
IAVS members: $350
Non-members: $375
Students: $250

Full refunds less an administrative fee of $50 will be given to participants submitting intent to cancel, in writing to iavs2004@hawaii.edu by June 15, 2004. Any requests for cancellations on or after June 16, 2004 are not eligible for refunds.

To register for the International Association of Vegetation Science 2004 Symposium click here.

Financial Support for Students

We will have modest funds available to defray registration fees for university students. A waiver of the registration fee is available in exchange for assistance with program organization, registration, AV monitoring, etc. (ca. 12 -16 hours). We also have limited additional funds to assist students with the costs of registration and travel. If you are interested in attending the conference and helping the organizers in exchange for a waiver of your registration fee, please send the information below by April 1st. If you responded to the earlier call, please respond again if you wish to be considered for the broader range of support currently available.

Field Excursions

Pre- and Post-Symposium field excursions are planned to explore Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (July 16-18) and the islands of Maui and Kaua’i (July 24-28) with expert field naturalist guides. A mid-symposium excursion is free and open to all registrants (July 21); four alternative trips will provide a variety of experiences and entail hikes of different lengths.

Social Programs and Activities

Kailua-Kona
The IAVS conference is situated in the beautiful, seaport village of north Kona, more affectionately known as Kailua-Kona. This is foothill country leading up to Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa. With a rolling, and rocky countryside and very dry and sunny climate, Kailua is known as the center of for all West Hawaii.

The climate ranges from arid desert to humid tropical and in July temperatures will run in the low to mid 80′s, but there are comfortable trade winds cooling the island. Outlying villages include Holualoa, Honalo and Kainaliu.

We have planned several opportunities for symposium participants to get together in a relaxed atmosphere and to enjoy the food, music and dance of Hawai’i. An Opening Reception, included in participants’ registration fee, is planned for the evening of Sunday, July 18, to meet old and new friends.

The Symposium Dinner and Closing Party the evening of July 23 will be held on the luau grounds of the King Kamehameha Hotel and will feature delicacies from across the Pacific and Hawaiian music and dance.

A day-long excursion for accompanying family and friends is planned for Tuesday, July 20. The day will begin at the ancient Place of Refuge, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, where a ranger from the National Park Service will guide us through a faithfully reconstructed Hawaiian village. We will explore other Hawaiian archaeological sites and picnic along the Kona coast. In the early afternoon we will join the crew of the Fairwinds to sail, swim and snorkel in Kealakekua Bay. The day will end with a barbecue aboard and an early evening return to the hotel. Numerous other activities are available in the area; the conference organizers will facilitate tours by small groups. For links to points of interest, go to http://www.konahistorical.org/tours/ or http://bigisland.gohawaii.nyc.world.net/exec/106941/519%20.

Hotel Accommodations

Symposium Venue. King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel, is an historic hotel on the beach in the heart of Kailua-Kona. We have reserved a block of rooms at the special conference rate of $110 + tax/night. Participants should make their lodging reservations directly with the hotel at telephone 808-329-2911; fax 808-329-4602. U.S. and Canadian residents may call 800-367-2111 for reservations. Please mention IAVS when making your reservation to receive the conference rate.

See http://www.konabeachhotel.com/ for a description of the hotel. Click here to download a copy of the hotel registration form.

Other Accommodations. To search for other accommodations in Kailua-Kona and elsewhere on the Big Island, visit the Big Island Visitors Bureau Website.

Air Travel

The Kona International Airport (code KOA) has direct flights to and from Honolulu, mainland USA (American Airlines, United Airlines, Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and others), including Japan (Japan Airlines) with additional connections internationally through Honolulu. United Airlines has agreed to provide discounted rates for meeting participants from the US West Coast. Call 800-521-4041 and mention the meeting ID code (523AE).

Two inter-island airlines (Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines) provide connecting flights to Hawai’i island from Honolulu. Please note when making flight arrangements that Kailua-Kona is a two-hour drive by car from Hilo. Click here for a map of the Kailua-Kona area.

Please inquire early about visa requirements to visit the United States from your local US Embassy or Consulate. For general information on the USA visa requirements, go to: http://travel.state.gov/visa;visitors.html.

Ground Travel

Rental cars are available from most major agencies. See links for the Kailua-Kona area at http://www.carrentalinhawaii.com/fleetinfo2004.htm or http://www.hawaiicarrentalsearch.com. There is one daily bus transport from Hilo to Kailua-Kona.

Call for Abstracts

Abstracts for contributed papers, posters, plenary addresses, and special sessions should be submitted as e-mail attachments following the instructions provided. Please click here to review and download those instructions.

Contact Information

• Direct inquiries: iavs2004@hawaii.edu

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