Post Conference Thank You!

From: David Purcell <davidepurcell@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 2:22 PM

Organizers David Purcell and Kimberly Spurr thank everyone who made the 2011 Pecos Conference a success! Thank you to the presenters, attendees, vendors, and many volunteers both “official” and spontaneous. Thank you to our sponsors Kaibab Vermilion Cliffs Heritage Alliance, Coconino County Board of Supervisors, DMG Four Corners Research, Inc., Past Peoples Consulting, and Kaibab National Forest. And lastly, thank you Allied Waste of Page, Bigfoot BBQ, Burnett Family Bluegrass Band, The Lumberyard Brewery, Simone Sellin, and Yucca Portables for making this possible. We had a great time and are very pleased that so many people have told us that they did too. Due to work commitments (Four Corners can’t let me work part time forever), please do not expect to take delivery of T-shirts and hats that were ordered at the event or during late registration until the end of September. We want to make only one additional order, and will need to process registrations and orders, purchase Priority Mail packages, and label and stuff the orders. Please be patient!

Photo Of 2011 Pecos Conference Camp -- Mile-And-A-Half "Lake" In Foreground

Conference Notes from David Purcell

Remote Location
In contrast to the 2010 Pecos Conference, which was held at a location in town, with ready access to services, the 2011 Pecos Conference is in a remote area that has few services. In 1989 I did a survey on the North Kaibab Ranger District, not far from where we are camping, and lived for 10 days on what I could buy for $30 at the Jacob Lake Store (bread, hot dogs, catsup, and potato chips). I had moved to Arizona two weeks earlier and was ignorant of how remote and undeveloped some parts of northern Arizona are.

Don't repeat my mistake: Come prepared.

Remember that the campsite is at almost 8,000 feet elevation. Not as high and not as cold as Silverton, but expect chilly temperatures overnight, especially if you are planning on attending the Friday night Star Party. We do not know if campfires will be permitted, but if the summer is dry, be prepared for fires to be banned. Conversely, more years than not, it rains heavily at Pecos Conference. Since it has not for the past several years, be prepared for the potential of heavy Monsoon rains, lightning, and wind. The convenience stores at Jacob Lake and the North Rim have very limited selections of groceries (including charcoal and stove fuel): bring what you need from home.

Time
Please remember that Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, although the Navajo Nation does. Arizona will be on Mountain Standard Time (same as Pacific Daylight Time for attendees traveling from California and Nevada) at the time of the conference, and is one hour earlier than Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.

User Fees
The Forest Service has assessed the Pecos Conference a 5 percent use fee on everything except the camping fee, including the sales of our vendors. Our vendors have added 5 percent to the price of the goods that they are selling to recover the cost of this fee. They are not keeping this money for themselves, and none of them are happy about having to surcharge our conference participants; please do not argue with the vendors or request special accommodations.

Logging Operations
The Kaibab National Forest is currently logging in an area to the west of the conference camping area, with logging trucks using Forest Road 212 to access State Route 67. Warning signs are posted along FR 212. Please use extreme caution driving between SR 67 and the camp site on Thursday and Friday when logging activities will take place.

Fire Restrictions
As of July 25, no fire restrictions are in place on the Kaibab National Forest, including the North Kaibab Ranger District. However, please remember to exercise caution when smoking, cooking on charcoal grills, or with campfires. As always, all fireworks are prohibited on National Forest lands. Firewood cutting is prohibited, including standing dead trees. Please consult the Kaibab National Forest information station at Jacob Lake for further information.

Trash
Pecos Conference is providing one large dumpster for disposing of camping trash only. We are unable to provide facilities for recycling, due to the lack of a recycling facility in St. George, the location of the nearest trash service provider. If you are concerned about depositing recyclable materials in the landfill, please retain your recyclables and take them home for disposal.

Ice
Available at the Jacob Lake convenience store 10.8 miles north of the campsite, at the North Rim Store 30 miles south of the campsite (outside of Grand Canyon National Park, so no entrance fee is required), east of Jacob Lake at Cliff Dwellers (32.1 miles), Vermilion Cliffs (37.4 miles), and Marble Canyon (40.7 miles), and west of Jacob Lake at Fredonia (32.0 miles) and Kanab (36.0 miles).

Water
The Kaibab National Forest has supplied the Pecos Conference with a water tank containing drinking water for people camping at the conference. As of August 7, we do not have a confirmation that this tank can be refilled during the conference. Please bring as much water as you normally would for an undeveloped campsite, be frugal in your water use, and do not fill RV or camper tanks from the water tank. If you are staying at a hotel, please remember to fill your water bottles each morning at the hotel.

Beer/Wine
Available at Jacob Lake, North Rim Store, Cliff Dwellers, Vermilion Cliffs, Marble Canyon, and Fredonia & Kanab. The selection and quantities are limited.

Satuday Conference BBQ
The vegetarian in you wants to know: The "Veggie Q made from TVP" option ( noted on the Conference Registration Form ) is a superb Vegetarian BBQ made from Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP). It looks like sloppy joe but taste really good even to non veggies.