Conference Description:
The waters of the Arctic Ocean are warming and the Arctic ice is melting. As the ice melts, new opportunities arise. New trade routes open and access to natural resources increases, as does the number of people visiting and living in the region. With these opportunities come new risks and challenges. Multiple sovereign and commercial claimants scramble for newly accessible resources and navigable waters. Environmental changes threaten wildlife habitats and imperil indigenous peoples’ economic livelihoods and cultural traditions. More ominously, the potential for clashes to occur over disputed boundaries and resources increases. Regulatory agencies, law enforcement and militaries will be confronted with new requirements and responsibilities for which they are neither prepared nor budgeted. Overall, the changing landscape leads to greater uncertainties and exacerbates the potential for confrontation between a variety of stakeholders. Now is the time for these stakeholders to work together to prevent conflict in the Arctic region.
The conference will bring together representatives from communities with diverse interests and perspectives to identify, raise awareness, and discuss points of conflict and confrontation or disagreement in order to help minimize them. It will do so by providing a forum for stakeholders and interested parties, e.g., academia and science, business and economic, military and security, indigenous peoples, environmental and government, to engage with each other toward win-win solutions.

The Conference Will:
1. Provide a scientific assessment of the best-projected future of climate
change in the Arctic region.
2. Provide a political-diplomatic overview of the Arctic region.
3. Identify potential areas of confrontation that may emerge as the Arctic
waters warm and provide opportunities for stakeholders to explore winwin
outcomes.
4. Enhance networking among the various stakeholders affected by
climate change in the Arctic region.
Methodology: The goals will be achieved through interactive plenary panels and discussion, a wide menu of nine, focused breakout sessions, and ample time and space to network during organizational exhibits and at the reception.

Conference Deliverables:
1. Increased awareness and knowledge on the issues facing the region.
2. Broadened professional networks among stakeholders.
3. Sixteen to twenty page conference overview report.
4. Reference CD of conference material.

Target Audience: (250 participants)
The conference will pull together a diverse group of participants from the broad spectrum of communities involved with Arctic issues: technical and social scientists, environmental groups, indigenous peoples, industry representatives, inter-governmental organizations and officials from the
Arctic countries (i.e., United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland).

Attire:
There is no dress code required for this event.

Reception:
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has graciously offered the use of their facilities for a reception, which will take place from 7 pm – 9:30 pm on the evening of Monday, December 8, 2008.

Registration and Accommodations:
Interested persons may go to the CSRS website at www.csrs-nps.org and apply on-line. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, so early application is encouraged. However, CSRS will reserve a number of spaces so that each of the interested and affected communities can be adequately represented. Acceptance notifications will be issued via e-mail by CSRS on a rolling basis beginning September 30, 2008. The event will be held at a hotel in downtown Monterey. Included with the notification of acceptance will be the reservation web link to the hotel for those needing accommodations and the procedures to pay your registration fee. A limited number of hotel rooms are reserved at a discount rate.

Organizational Tables:
To help facilitate effective networking (which is an important goal of this conference), organizations are encouraged to bring materials about the activities in which they are involved. Tables will be made available free of charge to all interested organizations; organizational staff working the tables must be registered conference participants.

Costs:
There is a conference fee for this event. Participants who pay on or before December 1, 2008 will be charged $100; participants who pay after December 1, will be charged $150. The conference fee is payable by credit card, cash or check (made out to the NPS Foundation).
Instructions for payment will be sent with the acceptance announcements.
Participants must pay for their own travel, meals and hotel accommodations.

Contact:
For further information, please contact Nick Tomb, CSRS Program
Coordinator, by e-mail at: ntomb@nps.org or by telephone at: (831) 656-1829.