Greetings from Newport!

In the last 25 years the annual meeting of US-IALE has been held all over the country, but never in New England. That is changing! We are pleased to announce that the 2012 annual meeting of US-IALE will be held the week of April 8, 2012 in Newport, RI at the Newport Marriott Hotel. The Newport and southern New England landscapes have a long history of intensive human use, are intimately tied with coastal and marine systems, have a rich maritime history, and are in the middle of one of the most densely populated urban corridors (DC to Boston) in North America. This unique setting provides the opportunity to showcase the role that landscape ecology has in informing environmental decisions across a diversity of ecosystems (land and sea) and across scales of governance (i.e. local to federal). Our conference program will emphasize how the science and practice of landscape ecology benefits environmental protection and management.

Additionally, Newport, RI will serve as an excellent starting point for visiting many exciting ecological and human settings, all within 100 miles of the conference venue. Some of these include exploring Block Island, touring historical Newport, and learning about the rich human and ecological history of southern New England. The core planning committee has been hard at work already on putting together a great program. We are excited to spend time with you and look forward to welcoming all of you in 2012 to New England.