(revised 26-Apr-2005)

Meeting Logistics

The 2005 Annual LTER Information Management Meeting will be held at the Courtyard Marriott in Montreal, Quebec on August 4th thru August 7th. When making you travel arrangements, please consider that the meeting will officially begin with a working dinner on August 4th at 6:00 pm and end on Sunday, August 7th at 12:00 pm. If you have any logistical questions, please do not hesitate to contact Linda Powell (FCE) via email at powell@fiu.edu or telephone at 305-348-6054.

Please visit the Montreal's Tourism website at http://www.tourismemontreal.org/B2C/00/default.asp for more Montreal area information not included in the following details.

1) HOTEL ACCOMODATION INFORMATION

General Hotel Contact Information:

Courtyard Marriott Montreal
410 rue Sherbrooke ouest
Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B3
Reservations: 1-800-449-6654
Direct Phone: 1-514-844-8855 poste 713
Fax: 1-514-844-6700
WWW: http://www.courtyardmontreal.com

The hotel is in the heart of downtown Montreal, just two blocks away from the metro (subway).

The hotels in Montreal have a slightly different way of doing business with regards to meeting planning in that they require a signed contract, with a lodging room count, BEFORE a block of rooms will be set aside for a meeting. The IM Meeting planners have to make a 'best estimate' of rooms needed during the IM meeting for the Marriott contract, and if there is an adjustment to that room commitment, LNO may have to pay the Marriott a penalty fee. To that end, it is very important that a 'Rooming List' is completed by April 25th, 2005 for LNO supported participants, site supported participant, and meeting guests. LNO is responsible for the ENTIRE block of rooms (as stated on the contract), whether LNO is paying for a group of rooms or a guest or site supported participant is paying for an individual room.

Instructions for LTER Network Office (LNO) Supported Participants:

A list of meeting participants, with 'roommate' information for those Information Managers (IMs) who will be doubling up with their fellow IMs, will be submitted to the Marriott prior to the meeting. LNO will be paying for our 'block' of rooms directly so there will be NO room payment by those individual IMs being covered by the LNO. Please make sure you contact Linda Powell (FCE) regarding your roommate information (whether or not you have a roommate, and if so, who you will be rooming with and your dates of stay, i.e. thru August 6th or August 7th) by APRIL 25th, 2005 via email at powell@fiu.edu or telephone at 305-348-6054. Please note that IM Meeting participants supported by LNO MUST get pre-approval for room expenses for the evening of August 7th as the meeting officially ends at noon on August 7th.

2) AIR TRAVEL INFORMATION

For those Information Managers whose costs are covered by the LNO, please call Rio Grande Travel 1-800-778-6861 or 505/768-7999 as soon as possible and ask for a UNM Representative. You may also contact the following representatives directly for assistance: Rita Ortiz at RitaO@RGTravel.com, Tracey Fria at TraceyF@RGTravel.com. Tell the agent that the LTER Network Office at UNM (contact: Pam Griego) is paying for your ticket. If you have any other problems, please e-mail the manager, Doris Phillips, DorisP@RGTravel.com with a copy to pgriego@LTERnet.edu. Once you have made and approved your reservation, Rio Grande will forward the itinerary to the Network Office, which will pay for the ticket.

If you wish to purchase the airline ticket yourself, please e-mail Pam Griego or Katy Perry (kperry@lternet.edu) your arrival/departure dates/times, flight number and the amount of the ticket. Reimbursement for the ticket will be made after the meeting.

NOTE: Any airline reservations made within 21 days of the initiation of travel will have to be paid for by the traveler and will be reimbursed at the APEX 21-day advance purchase rate. Failure to make reservations in a timely fashion may therefore have serious personal financial implications.

**Additionally, Rio Grande Travel will also be happy to make air travel arrangements for those participants who are supported by their sites.

Note: The following is required for travel to Montreal, Canada:

Travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada will be required to have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports. You may find out more about these new requirements at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html.

• U.S. Passport or other secure, accepted document Required (Passport Information found at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html)
• Tickets and Documents for return or onward travel
• No Visa Required for stay up to three months
• Vaccinations - None Required

Usually Acceptable Proofs of U.S. Citizenship:

• Valid U.S. Passport (http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html)
• One of the following carried together with Official Photo ID: (Photo ID not applicable for minors up to 16 years of age)
  • Certified Copy of Birth Certificate
  • Certificate of Citizenship
  • Certificate of Naturalization
  • Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen
  • Note: A Voter's Registration Card does NOT constitute proof of U.S. Citizenship. Acceptability should be checked with the airline carrier. Persons using a Voter's Registration Card may be subject to extensive questioning on return to the U.S by Immigration Authorities

When making your travel arrangements, please consider that the IM meeting officially begins on Thursday, August 4th at 6:00pm and ends on Sunday, August 7th at 12:00pm. Please note that IM Meeting participants supported by LNO MUST get pre-approval for room expenses for the evening of August 7th as the meeting officially ends at noon on August 7th.

3) AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION

Shuttle Services

The Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport offers an airport shuttle service to the Montreal Central Bus Station in downtown Montreal. The L'Aérobus shuttle service (http://www.admtl.com/admmaintext.jsp?idbin=211B00) runs every 20 minutes, 7 days/week and is $13.00 Canadian one way. Once at the Montreal Central Bus Station, a free minibus shuttle service will take you to the Courtyard Marriott Montreal. Tickets for the L'Aérobus shuttle service may be purchased at both the Montreal Central Bus Station (505, De Maisonneuve Blvd.) and the Airport ticket kiosk. Reservations for the minibus shuttle service between the Central Station and the downtown hotels can be made at (514) 843-4938.

Taxi Services

There are taxis and Limousine services from the airport: a taxi runs about $31 Canadian and a Limousine is $50 Canadian from the airport to downtown area (http://www.admtl.com/admmaintext.jsp?idbin=211900&pagetitle).

4) LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

Public transportation is very good in Montreal. Public Transportation information can be found at http://www.stcum.qc.ca/English/a-somm.htm and a map of the Metro at http://www.stcum.qc.ca/English/metro/mtl-sout.pdf. The Metro (subway) is two blocks from the Courtyard Marriott Montreal and will take ESA meeting attendees directly to the PLACE-D'ARMES station; they would then follow signs to the Palais des congres de Montreal (ESA Conference Venue: http://www.congresmtl.com/en/index.php).

5) REIMBURSEMENTS

After the meeting, please fill out the UNM Travel Reimbursement form and mail it to Pam Griego according to the instructions in the document for reimbursement of food and miscellaneous travel expenses. The reimbursement amounts posted on the UNM form are not applicable to our Montreal trip. The Montreal Meal per diem is $120. On line reimbursement forms can be found at http://intranet.lternet.edu/archives/documents/forms/travel_reimbursement_form.doc.

6) THINGS TO DO IN MONTREAL

The following links provide more information about Montreal:

http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/B2C/00/default.asp
http://www.esa.org/montreal/MontrealWebsite_ESA/Discover_Eng.htm

Web design by Wade Sheldon, Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER