HOCP Quarterly Meeting November 13-14, 2014

HOCP Quarterly Meeting, November 13-14, 2014

Laurentian Environmental Center, 8950 Peppard Rd., Britt, MN 55710; 218-749-1288

Lake Vermilion/Soudan Underground Mine State Park, 1302 McKinley Park Rd., Soudan, MN 55782; 218-753-2245

See below for Agenda, What to Bring, Lodging, Meals, Costs, & How to Prepay

Pre-Register online using form below

AGENDA (All times CST)

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Pre-meeting Options
9:00 am Bois Forte Heritage Center. On your way to the Soudan mine, folks can visit Bois Forte Heritage Center, 1500 Bois Forte Road, Tower, MN 55790, 218-753-6017. Open at 9 am; admission is $5.00. Tells the story of the Bois Forte Ojibway. Adjacent to Fortune Bay Resort Casino.

11:00 am Lunch at Sulu’s in Tower

Meeting Begins
12:30 pm Underground Mine Tour – Lake Vermilion/Soudan Underground Mine State Park (1302 McKinley Park Rd., Soudan, MN 55782; 218-753-2245). We’ll gather at 12:30 pm for a prompt 1:00 pm elevator ride down one-half mile underground. We’ll tour both the historic side and also the science research side.

  • Wear sturdy walking shoes and a jacket as temp is about 55 degrees underground.
  • Cost $22/person (pay in advance, see details below)
  • Note: The Park needs committed RSVP numbers by Oct. 30. That means if you cancel after Oct. 30, you still have to pay for the tour.

3:45 pm Travel to Laurentian Environmental Center (8950 Peppard Rd., Britt, MN 55710; 218-749-1288), check in, move in to cabins. Forty minute drive.

4:45 pm Reconvene at Main Lodge – Welcome and introduction to Laurentian Environmental Center by the staff of Laurentian EC.

5:00 pm Dinner at Laurentian Main Lodge (please RSVP in preregistration, see details below for costs)

5:30 pm HOCP Welcome and Introductions

6:00 pm Local Coalitions, Part I: Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability – Brian Bluhm will present their history, accomplishments and how they go about coalition building. Followed by group discussion on insights, connections for Heart of the Continent’s work.

7:00 pm Evening refreshments & socializing

Overnight Lodging in cabins at Laurentian EC (please RSVP in preregistration, see details below for costs)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014

7:00 am Breakfast at Laurentian Main Lodge (please RSVP in preregistration, see details below for costs)

8:00 am Local Coalitions, Part II: Mesabi Trail – Ardy Nurmi-Wilberg and Bob Manzoline will present their history, accomplishments, and how they go about coalition building. Followed by group discussion on insights, connections for Heart of the Continent’s work.

9:00 am HOCP updates including the Geotourism Initiative, the Connecting Volunteers Initiative, and recruiting new leadership to the Steering Committee.

10:00 am Snack Break

10:45 am Building Cross Border Networks for Environmental Learning, Part I – Panel members will share and compare their respective programs in relation to environmental learning. Participants to include Ontario Parks, Universities/Colleges, Environmental Learning Centers, and others.

11:30 am Lunch at Laurentian EC (please RSVP in preregistration, see details below for costs)

12:00 noon Building Cross Border Networks for Environmental Learning, Part II: Group Discussions – Panel members will help lead group discussion on cross-border network building in relation to environmental learning.

2:00 pm Adjourn

What to Bring

  • Bedding: towels, pillow, sleeping bag for bunkhouse lodging
  • Orange jackets: Everyone should bring blaze orange outerwear as we are in the woods during MN firearms deer hunting season. If you don’t have blaze orange, wear bright colors like red, and avoid brown or white.
  • No Alcohol: FYI–Alcohol is not allowed on the property at Laurentian Environmental Learning Center.

Lodging

Overnight lodging (bunkhouse style, in cabins) is available right at Laurentian EC.
There are a variety of spaces with varying number of bunks. If you are part of a larger group that wants to stay together, please indicate and we’ll do our best to accommodate that (but no promises). Bring your own bedding and pillow.

We encourage participants to stay on-site, as it promotes more opportunities for informal conversations and networking. If you choose to stay off-site, nearby hotels can be found at ironrange.org/places-to-stay.

Costs (please prepay by checks, as indicated below, and send checks to Jackie Monahan-Junek, City Clerk/Administrator, 413 Pierce Street, Eveleth, MN 55734; 218-744-7563):

  • Sessions: There is no cost to attend any of the meeting sessions at Laurentian ELC.
  • Mine Tour: $22 (send checks “payable to Soudan Underground Mine” to Jackie before October 30)
  • Lodging/Meals Package: lodging and 3 meals: $70 (Th dinner, Fr breakfast, Fr lunch). There is no “lodging only” plan at Laurentian EC. (Send checks “payable to Laurentian Environmental Center” to Jackie (address above) before October 30.)
  • Meals Ala Carte: meals $7.50/each (Th dinner, F Breakfast, F lunch) (send checks “payable to Laurentian Environmental Center” to Jackie before October 30)
  • Canadian Funds? If you’re using Canadian funds, you don’t need to prepay. Just please bring U.S. cash or a credit card and see Jackie when you arrive. Thanks

Note: write two checks payable to different places, but send both to Jackie (address above). Thanks.

Pre-Register Online