Hey, believe me, I feel the pain! It keeps getting more and more expensive for all of us to be involved in this science/activity we love.
The National Cave and Karst Management Symposium runs up against inflation like we all do, and the cost of appropriate venues keeps increasing. The NCKMS does its best able to offer a top quality, professional-level event at reasonable price, and Mike Warner and the Northeastern Cave Conservancy have done a great job this year keeping the prices down while offering a great program.
The NCKMS Steering Committee realizes that some people would not be able to attend with out financial assistance, so created the
George N. Huppert Scholarship program.
http://www.nckms.org/scholar.html This is the third symposium for which we've offered grants for either registration or lodging, or both, and we received 15 applications. I don't know right off how many scholarships were awarded this year, however we had about $2600 to distribute.
In addition, students attend the symposium at a reduced price.
New this year and free to all via the Internet is the NCKMS Road Show -- so anyone can benefit from a part of the symposium.
http://www.nckms.org/2005/travel.htm
The room price at the hotel where the sessions will be held is a few dollars more more per night than in FL in 2003, if I remember the figures correctly, but inexpensive for a quality downtown hotel in the capital of NY. We use the government per diem allowance as the upper limit of the cost of lodging.
This year several meals are included in the registration fee to save this additional cost for attendees -- all lunches are included as well as two dinners and of course the cookie- and-coffee breaks.
For those who would rather not stay in the host hotel, generally there are other motel options nearby, as there are this year, and sometimes camping areas aren't too far away. And then cavers often stay with cavers in the area.....as we do.
The cost of travel is out of our control, of course. However, like NSS Conventions, we move the Symposium around the country, so it will be in different "backyards." In 2007, the symposium will be in Missouri, and closer to completely different regions of cavers.
Thanks for writing and for your interest. I hope you'll be able to make it to Albany, but if not, make it MO in 2007.
Cheryl
Chairman
NCKMS Steering Committee