ABLE 2004

 The 26th annual ABLE conference will be
held June 8-12, 2004, at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, hosted by Charlene Waggoner. This will be the first time that the ABLE conference has has come to the state of Ohio. Bowling Green sits in what was the heart of the Great Black Swamp which was drained starting in the mid 1800s. Now one of the most altered ecosystems on the planet, there are still remnants of some of the original ecosystems. The surrounding areas are primarily agricultural.

Bowling Green State University, with a student population of approximately
18,000, is a state-funded institution offering over 200 undergraduate
degree programs, 43 masters degree programs and 16 doctoral
programs. BGSU is the largest producer of teachers of math
and science in the state of Ohio and has many grant-funded
initiatives addressing the Math and Science educational needs
in the region.

Program summary
The conference opens on Tuesday
with hors d’oerves at the Welcome Reception,
conveniently located in the recently opened Bowen-Thompson
Student Union. Participants who arrive early on Tuesday
can attend one of four optional field trips. Major (3-hour)
workshops will be held Wednesday and Thursday (8:30 a.m. and
repeated at 2:00 p.m.) and Friday at 8:30 a.m. Mini workshops
and poster presentations are on Friday afternoon (1:30-4:30).
The conference banquet is Friday night at the Topledo Zoo.
Other optional field trips include a Mud Hens baseball game
on Wednesday night, bird watching early Thursday morning,
and four Saturday field trips.

The Petri Dish Mixer: Teeming with Culture
On  Thursday, June 10th, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM join Hayden-McNeil
Publishing for an evening event of hor d’oeuvres, wine
and refreshment. Location: The Bowen-Thompson Student Union,
Room 209 (The Greenery Room). For more information, please visit the
Hayden-McNeil Publishing Exhibit during the ABLE conference.

Housing
All participants requesting housing on-campus will stay in the
newest residence hall on campus, Founders
Hall, which has two-, four-, and six-person suites. Founders
Hall features air-conditioning, private phones, shared washrooms
(one per two guests), and data ports. Each guest is provided
with two towels, one washcloth, linens, pillow, and blanket.
You may want to bring an alarm clock, radio, clothes hangars,
reading light, and a calling card. Single rooms are $38/day;
doubles, $34/day. Housing is requested on the registration
form.

A block of rooms will be held at the Hampton
Inn and Best Western Falcon Plaza which are near the shuttle stops
for the BGSU bus service. These rooms will cost approximately
$79 per night.

Weather
June in Bowling Green can be variable. The average high temperature
is 81 F and the average low temperature is 58 F. It can be
rainy. Come prepared for warm days and cool evenings. Bring
your insect repellant and sunscreen for outdoor activities.

Location
Bowling Green has a population of approximately 30,000 and is located
about 35 miles south of Toledo, which is the nearest airport.
The Detroit, Cleveland, and Columbus airports are all within
a 1- to 2-hour drive.

Travelling to Bowling Green…

by car:
Bowling Green, Ohio is located just south of Toledo on Interstate
75. [Due to a major construction project on Wooster Street
in Bowling Green, the following detour may be needed: From
I-75 exit 181 turn east and proceed to the first light, Dunbridge
Rd. Turn left on Dunbridge, right on Poe Rd, then right on
Thurstin. Founders Hall is on the corner of Thurstin and Wooster.

by bus:
There is a Greyhound bus station within two miles of campus.

by train:
There are Amtrak stations in Toledo, Ohio and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

by air:
Toledo Express Airport is about a 30 minute drive from Bowling
Green. You may sign up for the scheduled shuttle service on
the registration form for a small fee. In order to make sure we have
sufficient seats you must register in advance. Shuttle times are limited.
The shuttle will wait thirty minutes for delayed arrivals.
Most major car rental agencies are located at the airport.
Local hotels will also provide shuttle service for a fee.
Detroit Metropolitan Airport is about an hour and a half north
of Bowling Green. Cleveland
Hopkins International Airport is approximately two hours
to the east and we are about two hours north of the Port
Columbus International Airport. All of these airports
are readily accessible and the routes are well marked. There
will be no shuttle service provided by the conference to these
airports.

Parking:
Parking is available in Lot 7. Park only in unmetered, unreserved parking spaces.
No registration is required in this lot.

Registration
The conference fee of $185 for ABLE members ($225 after May 1)
includes the welcome reception (hors d’oerves), printed
workshop materials, lab supplies, and lunches on Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday; the cost of the Friday banquet is extra.
The registration form also includes airport shuttle, housing,
and workshop and field trip selection. Registration on Monday
and Tuesday will be in Founders Hall on East Wooster Street. Registration
on Wednesday will be on the second floor of the Life Science Building.

• Campus map

Emergency
Contact Information
Front desk at Founders Hall: 419-372-2510. For an emergency during
normal business hours contact the Center for Environmental
Programs: 419-372-8207 or Continuing Education at 419-372-8181.
For after hours emergencies: 419-261-6203.

Major Workshops

Field Trips: Tuesday

Canal Boat and Ludwig Mill
Go back in time to early Ohio history and ride on a mule drawn
canal boat through a working lock on one of the remnants of
the canal. Take a tour of the working Ludwig mill. End the
afternoon with a stop in the canal town of Grand Rapids, Ohio
for a stop at the ice cream parlor, general store candy shop
and several antique stores. Click
here for more information. Leave BGSU at 1:00 p.m., return
at 4. Cost: $15

Toledo Museum of Art
The Toledo Museum of Art is renowned for its permanent collections.
The Eighteenth Century Wit of William Hogarth: A Rake’s Progress
will be a featured exhibit during the ABLE visit. Leave BGSU
at 1:00 p.m., return at 4. Cost: $15

Organic Gardening and the 577 Foundation
Explore this riverfront facility with a local organic gardening expert.
This 12 acre estate along the Maumee River, was set aside
“to keep a corner of Perrysburg green” It contains
numerous buildings, including a Geodesic Biodome, pottery
barn, small public reading room where you can buy used books
cheap or drop off books, a place to dig fossils, an 1804 log
cabin, a summer maze, river walk nature trail and much more.
Leave BGSU at 1:00 p.m., return at 4. Cost:$10

Schedel Arboretum and Gardens
A short bus ride to a beautiful retreat. This set of gardens
includes both uplands and lowlands including a Japanese Garden.
This will be a peaceful afternoon stroll through this wonderful
space along the Portage River. Schedel
Arboretum and Gardens website. Leave BGSU at 1:00 p.m.,
return at 4:30. Cost: $15

Transit of Venus (at BGSU Planetarium)
The Transit of Venus is a once a century event where the orbits of Earth
and Venus line up so that Venus passes directly in front of
the sun as seen from the Earth. During this time, Venus can
be seen as a very small dot passing along the face of the
sun. The BGSU planetarium will be running a show about the
transit. It will tell about why transits happen and other
cool stuff about a rare astronmical event. It will be shown
at 7:30 am on June 8th just after the Transit ends. The planetarium
will be open from 6:00am until 7:25 so you can see the event
through the telescopes. It won’t be spectacular, but it will
be special. ABLE attendees can participate in the observation
as well as attend the show. The planetarium usually requests
a $1.00 donation from visitors.

Field Trips: Wednesday

Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a well known minor league professional baseball
team, the triple A farm team of the Detroit Tigers. Leave
BGSU at 5 p.m., dinner at 6, game at 7. Cost for transportation,
game, and dinner: $35

Field Trips: Thursday

Early Morning Birding
For those birders in the group, Chris Gajewicz, Bowling Green
Park Naturalist, will lead an early morning birding walk through
the Wintergarden Park St. Johns Woods Bordner Meadow Nature
Preserve. A unique city park facility designed to support
natural areas rather than ball fields. This tour will leave
from campus at 6:30 am. Breakfast will be served at the Nature
Center and participants will be returned to campus in time
to start the day. Leave BGSU at 6:30 a.m., return in time
for morning major workshops. Cost: $10

Field Trips: Saturday

Lake Erie Islands
Take the ferry to South Bass Island. Board the research vessel
(optional) from Stone Labs and troll Lake Erie for invasive
species. Time spent on the Island will include a tour of Perry’s
Monument, a national monument honoring Commodore Oliver Hazard
Perry’s decisive victory in the Battle of Lake Erie
that gained control of the Lake during the War of 1812. There
will also be plenty of time to study the habitat of the invasive
tourists at the world’s longest bar, Perry’s cave,
or the world’s largest geode. Leave BGSU at 10 a.m.,
return after dinner. Cost: $45 [not
including dinner, or optional fee for boarding research vessel]

Threatened
and Endangered Species of Northwest Ohio
Kim High, Naturalist and Historical Interpreter for the Toledo
Metroparks and Instructor with the Center for Environmental
Programs at BGSU will lead an all day tour of area parks and
preserves looking for the many threatened and endangered species
that are found there. Leave BGSU at 8:00 a.m., return at 3.
Cost: $25

Canoeing Midwestern Style
When you don’t have much in the way of topographical relief
water runs a bit slower and warmer. This canoe trip will be
in true laid back Midwestern style floating down the river.
June is a great month for this because the water is warm enough
to make mishaps fun and the river is high enough to avoid
most of the portages! The group will be led by one of our
local naturalists. Leave BGSU at 9:30 a.m., start canoeing
around 10 (the time on the river will depend entirely on the
current, about 2 to 4 hours). Cost: $25

Cedar Point Amusement Park
If you are into roller coasters, you know about Cedar
Point. A group will travel to this amusement park and
spend the day riding roller coasters in the company of Steven
Van Hook, our resident physics educator. Leave BGSU at 8:30
a.m., arrive at 10, return after dinner. Cost: $50 [meals
not included]

Friday Banquet
The Final banquet for the conference will take place at the Toledo
Zoological Gardens in the African Pavilion overlooking
the Savannah. The Arctic and African exhibits will be open
for perusal. Look for other treats and entertainment as well.
Leave BGSU at 5 p.m., cash bar at 6, dinner at 7. Cost: $50