The Society for Ethnobotany

Fostering research and education on the past, present, and future uses of plants by people.

Economic Botany 2014


Joint Society Conference
Society for Economic Botany & Society of Ethnobiology

May 11-14, 2014
Cherokee, North Carolina

2014 Program | Schedule at a Glance

Sign Up NOW for Post-Conference Field Trips!

If you are interested in sharing accommodations please visit the Room Share Message Board to find roommates.

 

Conference Information
The Energy of People, Places, and Life

Econ Botany 2014

The logo for the joint Society of Ethnobiology 37th annual and Society for Economic Botany 55th annual conference has been generously shared with us by the Cherokee Youth Council, whose Go Green Team worked with the late Walker Calhoun to identify a traditional Cherokee symbol associated with the concept “endless” and apply it as a Cherokee brand to the contemporary concept of recycling. We feel this symbol, found on southeastern pottery vessels beginning in the mid-thirteenth century, is especially appropriate to brand the 2014 conference, “The Energy of People, Places, and Life,” held at Cherokee, North Carolina.

We are excited to announce the first joint conference between the Society for Economic Botany (SEB) (http://econbot.org/) and the Society of Ethnobiology (SoE) (http://ethnobiology.org/) in Cherokee, North Carolina, from May 11-14, 2014. We anticipate a fully blended conference that builds on the energy sparked by each membership. This is the 37th annual conference of the SoE and the 55th annual conference of the SEB.

Cherokee, the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (http://nc-cherokee.com/), is adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm). We are meeting in the Conference Center at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. Click Here to find out about the resort, restaurants, spa, and other amenities.

The Council/Board meetings will be held on Sunday, May 11, as will an optional field trip. Arrival and opening evening reception will be held on Sunday, May 11. Papers, posters, and workshops will be held on Monday-Wednesday, May 12-14. The closing Banquet will be Wednesday evening, May 14. Optional one-day field trips will run on Thursday, May 15 and Friday, May 16. We recommend people fly in to Asheville, NC, airport, which is 1.5-hour car trip from Cherokee.

Early registration will be $130 for non-students, and $70 for students. Registration will open the first week in January.

Index of Contents
DEADLINES
Preliminary Schedule at a Glance
How Do I Get to Cherokee, North Carolina?
Making your Flight and Shuttle Reservations
Visa Applications
Child Care
Where to Stay in Cherokee and Asheville
Conference Events
      Pre-conference Optional Field Trip (May 11 afternoon)
      Pecha Kucha (May 11 evening)
      Opening Reception (May 11 evening)
      Cherokee Heritage Experience (May 12 afternoon)
      Teaching Tuesday Educational Workshops (May 13 all day)
      Open Science Network Evening Reception (May 13 evening)
      Award Ceremony and Joint Banquet (May 14 evening)
      Post-Conference Optional Field Trips (May 15)
      What to Do in Cherokee, Asheville, and western North Carolina

 

DEADLINES

January 15   paper, poster, film abstract submission deadline, online.
February 15  notification of acceptance or not of paper, poster, film submissions.
March 15   early registration deadline (rates go up after this date).
April 4  final reservation deadline for shuttle from Asheville to Cherokee, and/or shuttle from Cherokee back to Asheville.
April 7  deadline for registering for a post-conference field trip, Banquet, Student mentor lunch.
April 26  room reservations at Harrah’s Resort hotel, made directly with them.

The following represents a provisional conference overview schedule. Although individual elements may change, in essence this is how the schedule is looking as of late December, 2013. It will be updated when possible. Find descriptions of individual items in our posted Conference Information.

 

Preliminary Schedule-at-a-Glance


Event

Place

Time

Saturday, May 10

 

 

SoE Board, SEB Council arrive
in Cherokee

Hotel suggestion yet to be determined

afternoon to early evening

Airport shuttle run(s) by reservation

Asheville airport to Cherokee hotel(s)

afternoon, early evening as needed by reservation, April 4 Deadline

Sunday, May 11

 

 

SoE Board, SEB Council meet separately

Harrah’s Conference Center

8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Airport shuttle runs by reservation

Asheville airport to Harrah’s Cherokee

morning, afternoon, evening as
needed by reservation, April 4 Deadline

Optional Field Trip by registration

Harrah’s Conference Center

3:00-5:30

Pecha Kucha presentations

Harrah’s Conference Center

6:00-7:30

Opening Welcome Reception (free)
and cash bar

Harrah’s Events Center

8:00-10:00

Monday, May 12

 

 

Conference welcome, and oral presentations

Harrah’s Events Center, and
Conference Center

8:00-11:30

Lunch on your own

 

11:30-1:00

Cherokee Heritage Experience (free)

Museum of the Cherokee Indian
Qualla Arts and Crafts
Oconaluftee Village

1:00-5:00

SoE Business Meeting

Harrah’s Events Center

5:30-6:30

SoE Distinguished Ethnobiologist talk

Harrah’s Events Center

6:30-7:15

Student Social

Harrah’s Events Center

7:30-10:00

Tuesday, May 13

 

 

Oral presentations

Harrah’s Conference Center

8:00-12:00

Teaching Tuesday Educational Workshops by registration

 

Harrah’s Conference Center

 

8:00-12:00

Lunch on own

 

12:00-1:30

Student Mentor Lunch (by registration)

Harrah’s Conference Center

12:00-1:30

Oral presentations

Harrah’s Conference Center

1:30-4:20

Teaching Tuesday Educational Workshops by registration

Harrah’s Conference Center

1:30-4:20

Distinguished Economic Botanist talk

Harrah’s Event Center

4:30-5:30

SEB Business meeting

Harrah’s Event Center

5:30-6:15

OSN Teaching Tuesday Reception
by registration

WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center

6:30-9:00

Wednesday, May 14

 

 

Oral presentations

Harrah’s Conference Center

8:30-10:00

Poster presentations

Harrah’s Conference Center

10:30-12:30

Lunch on own

 

12:30-2:00

Oral presentations

Harrah’s Conference Center

2:00-5:30

Airport shuttle runs by reservation

Cherokee to Asheville

by reservation, April 4th Deadline

Joint Banquet & award presentations

Harrah’s Event Center

7:00-9:30

Thursday, May 15

 

 

Airport shuttle runs by reservation

Cherokee to Asheville

by reservation, April 4th Deadline

One-day field trips by registration

may end at Asheville

See Field Trip descriptions

Friday, May 16

 

 

One-day field trips by registration

may end at Asheville

See Field Trip descriptions

Airport shuttle runs by reservation

Cherokee to Asheville

by reservation, April 4th Deadline

Click Here to see a map of the conference facilities.

 

How do I get to Cherokee, NC?

Participants who fly in to Asheville (AVL), NC, located 58 miles away, will have access to affordable shuttles to and from Cherokee. Otherwise, Cherokee is 119 miles from Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP), 164 miles from Charlotte (CLT), and 171 miles from Atlanta (ATL) airports. Access to the airport at Knoxville (TYS), 77 miles away, may not always be practical due to crossing the mountains.

We suggest you fly to Asheville, NC (AVL), where we will have charter buses available at cost ($20 one-way) for those who have reserved a day/time. The bus drive is 1.5 hours one-way to Cherokee. Otherwise, you may rent a car and drive yourself to Cherokee.

The following airlines and non-stop flight schedules are current for January, 2014. However, schedules may change – check with the Asheville airport under Flight Schedules at http://www.flyavl.com/ . Delta flies Atlanta (ATL) to AVL; US Airways flies Charlotte (CLT) to AVL, and United flies a few flights from Chicago (ORD) to AVL.

In the following schedule, Monday=1, Tuesday=2, and so on.

Airline

Days of Week

Leave Atlanta

Arrive Asheville

Delta

12345.7

9:10

10:07

 

1234567

11:45

12:38

 

1..4567

12:45

13:35

 

1234567

15:10

16:02

 

12345..

17:00

17:55

 

12345.7

19:40

20:37

 

1234567

22:00

22:57

Airline

Days of Week *

Leave Charlotte

Arrive Asheville

US Airways

……7

9:55

10:49

 

.23456.

9:58

10:53

 

.234567

11:30

12:14

 

.234567

13:09

13:57

 

1234567

14:50

15:39

 

.23456.

16:34

17:24

 

……7

17:10

17:51

 

..345.7

19:30

20:11

 

1.345.7

22:30

23:22

Airline

Days of Week *

Leave Chicago

Arrive Asheville

United

..345.7

19:01

21:37

 

…..6.

19:30

22:06

* Note: Other flights run at other times on single days of the week.

 

Making your flight and shuttle reservations

Arrival to Cherokee: We suggest that if you want to attend the optional field trip on Sunday afternoon, you should plan to arrive in Asheville by 12:15-12:30 Sunday (May 11) morning, OR arrive in Asheville on Saturday (May 10) and plan to spend the night in Asheville, taking one of our shuttles to Cherokee on Sunday morning. If you want to attend the opening welcome reception on Sunday evening, you should plan to arrive in Asheville by 6:00 pm (18.00 hrs) on Sunday (May 11) at the latest, and by 2:00 pm (14.00 hrs) if you want to attend the Pecha Kucha.

If you are on the SoE Board or SEB Council, you should plan to arrive in Cherokee on Saturday. See the airline overview above for information about what flight arrival times on Sunday would allow you to attend either the field trip or the evening welcome reception.

As soon as you know your flight/transportation plans, you need to return to the Conference Registration site and reserve a specific day/time for a $20 one-way shuttle from Asheville to Cherokee. Shuttle reservations need to be made by Friday, April 4th to guarantee a seat.

Return to Asheville: If you plan to attend one of the optional post-conference field trips, your field trip may return you to Asheville (see details on individual field trips). Otherwise, if you do NOT plan to attend a field trip and need to take a shuttle from Cherokee back to Asheville, you need to make certain that you budget enough time (2 hours shuttle) for the shuttle trip back to the airport plus time for security clearance before your flight out. You need to reserve a day and time for your $20 shuttle trip from Cherokee to Asheville by Friday, April 4th, to guarantee a seat.

SHUTTLE RESERVATIONS

DEADLINE to book a seat: April 4th

Each shuttle run is $20 one way (e.g., $20 from Asheville to Cherokee, and an additional $20 from Cherokee to Asheville).

WARNING: Book your plane flights to match with your shuttle reservations. Make sure to plan enough time to make your return flight home: the 56-mile drive from Cherokee to Asheville may take 1.5 hours, plus you should plan to arrive at the airport 70-90 minutes before your flight so that you have time to pass through Security and arrive at your gate before your boarding time.

Note that you may elect to take a field trip along the way on Thursday, May 15th, as you travel back to the airport: be sure to read the field trip descriptions and time of arrival at airport. If you register for a field trip that returns you to the airport, do NOT also sign up for a return shuttle here: your field trip will take you to the airport as stated in the field trip description.

A note about scheduling your shuttle on Sunday, May 11th to arrive in time for scheduled activities:
To arrive in Cherokee in time for the 3:00 field trip, you must take the 1:00 pm shuttle;
To arrive in Cherokee in time for the 6:00 Pecha Kucha, you must take the 4:15 pm or earlier shuttle;
To arrive in Cherokee in time for the 8:00 pm welcome reception, you must take the 6:30 pm or earlier shuttle.

ARRIVAL: Shuttles from Asheville Regional Airport to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino

Saturday, May 10
8:15 pm

Sunday, May 11
1:00 pm (arrives in time for 3:00 optional field trip)
4:15 pm (arrives in time for 6:00 pm Pecha Kucha)
6:30 pm (arrives in time for 8:00 pm welcome reception)
9:15 pm

Monday, May 12
11:15 am

DEPARTURE: Shuttles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino to Asheville Regional Airport
note: arrival at airport is approximately 1.5 hours after departure from Cherokee

Wednesday, May 14
3:30 pm (for flights departing 6:00 pm and later)

Thursday, May 15
7:00 am  (for flights departing 9:28 am and later)
4:15 pm (for flights departing 6:20 pm and later)

Friday, May 16
Please inquire via email by Friday, March 28 to Gail Wagner at gail.wagner@sc.edu; put Conference Shuttle in the subject heading of your email.

If you are booking a shuttle (including a field trip that returns you to the airport), you will be asked to supply the following information:
-your name and email address;
- Arrival date, airline and flight number, and arrival time in Asheville (for example, May 11, Delta 5322, 11:54 am);
- Departure date, airline and flight number, and departure time.

 

Visa Applications

A reminder that overseas participants need to begin applying for visas NOW. If you need a letter of invitation in order to secure a visa, please send a request (with your needed conference start/end dates) to the Society for Economic Business office (regardless of which society you belong to) at johanne@botany.org. Please write “Conference Visa Letter” in the subject heading of the email. Clearly specify to whom the letter needs to be addressed, and the names of the people who should be invited. A pdf letter of invitation will be emailed to you by return email.

 

Child Care

A drop-in child care facility is adjacent to the Casino and Conference Center. Contact Kids Zone at (828) 497-6868 and read about their facilities and charges at http://kidzonedropin.com/

 

Where to Stay in Cherokee and Asheville

Note that hotel reservations are separate from and not included in the Conference Registration process: we (SoE, SEB) do not handle hotel room reservations. We have booked a room block at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (http://www.harrahscherokee.com/) for the very reasonable price of $99/night single or double occupancy (each additional person for $10 more, up to 4 maximum/room) plus a combined 10.5% Tribal Levy/Occupancy Tax (i.e., $109.40/night, tax included, for 1-2 people). We encourage conference attendees to take advantage of our special room rate (normally much higher in May) and stay at the conference hotel, on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights (May 11-14). We need to fill our contracted room block! Please be advised that the Resort is a non-smoking facility, and each room must have at least one registered guest 21 years of age or older. Check-in time is 2:00 pm and check-out time is 11:00 am.

You should make your reservation by phoning the hotel directly at 1-800-HARRAHS (1-800-427-7247) and giving them the code S05SEBE or by booking online - click here. We recommend that you book early: the special rate is available only until Saturday, April 26th!

All reservations must be guaranteed with a deposit of the first night’s charges (including tax/levy), usually by charging a credit card immediately. Be advised that you may not stay at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort on a Friday or Saturday night: rates are five times higher and the rooms have been fully booked a year in advance, as have hotels immediately adjacent to Harrah’s. Those needing to spend the night in Cherokee on Saturday night, May 10th, will need to book at another hotel as soon as possible. We are still looking into whether we can book a special rate for that night at any of the local, Cherokee hotels (we will keep you posted on that, too). But meanwhile, you should go online and book your own Saturday night accommodations if you need them. A reliable online free booking agent is http://www.booking.com, or you can find other weekend-night hotels through http://visitcherokeenc.com/ .

If you are interested in sharing accommodations please visit the Room Share Message Board hosted by SoE to find roommates.

If you plan to spend a night in Asheville, you will need to book your own hotel rooms directly by searching your options on the internet. Booking.com - Asheville, for example, is an excellent and reliable service.

Place-based venues for adventurers:

Near Cherokee (within 12 miles):
            Hemlock Inn – family style food (dinner and breakfast included) in an old inn near the Great Smoky Mountains Park.
            Fryemont Inn – On the National Register of Historic Places in downtown Bryson City. The inn is covered in yellow poplar  (Liriodendron tulipifera) shingles and has wormy chestnut, cherry and walnut throughout the interior.

Outside Cherokee:
            High Hampton Inn (Cashiers, ~45 minutes from Cherokee) – another Inn on the National Register of Historic places with Chestnut shingles on exterior walls, lots of hiking trails and rooms include all meals.
            Grove Park Inn (Asheville, 1 hour from Cherokee) – Opened in 1913 and constructed largely from stone quarried on Sunset Mountain, overlooking Asheville.

 

Conference Events

Pre-Conference Optional Field Trip: Plant Walk  (Sunday, May 11, 3:00-5:30 pm)
Cost $15/each (Minimum 10, Maximum 25 registrants)
Join Karen Hall and Sunshine Brosi for a plant walk in the Cherokee area. We'll depart by bus from the casino from 3:00 and make our way to the Talking Trees exhibit on the Oconaluftee River, into the Great Smoky Mountains along the river trail (perhaps we'll see elk), and end up at Kituwha, a large floodplain with mound remnants alongside the Tuckaseegee River. This important site was once home to one of the seven sacred Mother towns of the Cherokee people. We return to the casino at 5:30 pm.

Pecha Kucha   (Sunday, May 11th, 6:00-7:30 pm)
     Searching for a non-traditional way to convey your overall research goals? Looking to showcase some aspect of your work in an impactful way? Want to recruit graduate students or inspire your colleagues to study something? Have a compelling and innovative teaching method or content area that you'd like to share? If so, come join us for the second SEB (first SoE) Pecha Kucha session, held on Sunday evening, May 11th, from 6:00-7:30 pm in the Conference Center.
     What is Pecha Kucha? Pecha Kuchas are short, inspiring and innovative presentations that consist of 20 images (slides in PowerPoint) for 20 seconds each for a total of 6.6 minutes. Pecha Kucha sessions, devised by architects in 2003, are held with an intentional atmosphere of informality, as a way to encourage conversation and thinking. (If you are thinking of a Prezi presentation, we cannot guarantee internet connectivity during presentations.)
     To participate, simply look for the sign-up sheet as you enter the room. Bring your presentation on a thumb drive! Because only a limited number of slots are available, we encourage you to come early for sign up and bring a clearly inspirational and innovative (but concise) presentation!  Please DO stick to the format (20 slides with 20 seconds on each slide) – there will be a timekeeper!!

Opening Reception (Sunday, May 11, 8:00-10:00 pm, Events Center)
The opening reception will have free light snacks and a cash bar. Come and socialize!

Cherokee Heritage Experience (Monday, May 12 1:00-5:00 pm)
Registration includes the Cherokee Heritage Experience on Monday afternoon from 1:00-5:00 pm. Everyone will be bused in two main waves from the Casino to downtown Cherokee, half going to Oconaluftee Village and half going to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and Qualla Arts & Crafts. You may need to wait about 15 minutes to catch the second wave of buses. At 2:45 the Museum group will move to the Village, and at 3:40 the Village group will move to the Museum. Gift stores are available at the Museum and Qualla Arts and Crafts. Picnic box lunches (available for purchase from Harrah’s Casino) may be eaten at the Village (Click Here to see the map). Cherokee heritage craft demonstrations are held at the Village, and following the tour participants may spend time talking with the demonstrators. A Cherokee dance exhibition will be held from 3:00-3:30. Following the dance demonstration, those who began at Oconaluftee Village will be transported to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, with Qualla Arts and Crafts across the street. At 5:00, all participants will be returned to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, again in two waves of buses.

Teaching Tuesday Educational Workshops  (Tuesday, May 13)
(organized by the Open Science Network)
These optional, hands-on workshops will be held on Tuesday, May 13th. Attendance space is limited and must be reserved, $5 each. Please register online for these optional workshops: you may register for one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Register early – workshops are likely to fill! Click Here to view the workshop descriptions. Alternative non-ticketed activities, discussions, meetings, or presentations may also run concurrently.

Open Science Network Reception (Tuesday, May 13, 6:30-9:00 pm)
Cost $10 (Includes discounted membership in OSN)
Come join the Open Science Network (OSN) in an evening ‘active’ reception as we celebrate Appalachian cultures at the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC. OSN was originally an NSF-funded network of ethnobiologists, seeking to create a virtual and in-person network of scientists willing to share curricula, ideas, research, grant writing and more! In 2013, OSN spun off into its own organization and we hope to continue positively influencing the careers of ethnobiologists. We’ll travel by bus to the MHC, where we can enjoy their interesting exhibits and some fun activities. Come join us for growth and fun! 

Awards Ceremony and Joint Banquet (Wednesday, May 14, 7:00-9:30 pm)
The joint societal banquet will be held on Wednesday evening, May 14th, from 7:00-9:30 pm, in the Events Center at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. Societies will make awards at the beginning of the banquet from 7:00-7:20 pm. The banquet is a ticketed event: you must register and pay ahead of time to eat, although not to attend the awards ceremonies. A cash bar will be available. We plan only informal entertainment at the banquet, so bring your musical instruments and voices for creating our own brand of ethnobiological fun.

Post-Conference Field Trips (Thursday, May 15)
The optional post-conference field trips will be on Thursday, May 15th. Go HERE to read about the field trips. Each has a minimum number needed to meet the costs of the trip, and each has a maximum number. Make certain to register early before your preferred field trip fills! Most of the field trips return you to the Asheville Regional Airport or to downtown Asheville (so if you drove your own car, you may need to make arrangements with the field trip organizer). Two of the trips return you to the conference center in Cherokee, but you may reserve a shuttle to the airport immediately following those field trips. DEADLINE for field trip registration is Monday, April 7th, the date after which we need to cancel bus transportation for those trips that don't make the minimum.

What to Do in Cherokee, Asheville, and western North Carolina
We encourage people to take this opportunity to stay and explore this beautiful area, although if you plan to stay in Cherokee on a Friday or Saturday night you will need to book rooms at a different hotel in the area (Harrah’s weekend rates are very high and fully booked a year in advance).


 

Here are some additional links to whet your appetite and facilitate planning for this visit:

Cherokee, NC http://visitcherokeenc.com/
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian http://cherokeemuseum.org/
Cherokee Adventure (buy advanced tickets) http://cherokeeadventure.com/
Oconaluftee Indian Village http://cherokeeadventure.com/things-to-see-do/#oconaluftee
Qualla Arts & Crafts http://www.quallaartsandcrafts.com/
Warriors of AniKituwah http://www.cherokeemuseum.org/html/anikituhwa.html
Mountain Heritage Center, at nearby Cullowhee  http://www.wcu.edu/about-wcu/centers-institutes-affiliates/mountain-heritage-center/index.asp

Great Smoky Mountains National Park http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm
Western North Carolina Attractions http://www.westernncattractions.com/

Asheville, NC http://www.exploreasheville.com/
Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC http://www.biltmore.com/

 

Conference Refund and Cancellation Policy

Requests for registration fee refunds will be honored if received in writing before March 15, 2014 to:
Society for Economic Botany, Conference Registration
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166
or e-mailed to: johanne@botany.org

Registration fee refunds will be subject to a $50 processing fee. Fees for Field Trips, Social Events, Workshops, and Shuttle Transportation are non-refundable if cancelled after March 15, 2014.

Full fee refunds will be granted for Social Events, Field Trips and Workshops if they exceed maximum enrollment, do not meet minimum enrollment, or are cancelled for any reason.

ALL refunds will be issued AFTER the conference.