Sunday, October 3rd
- 2:00-5:00 pm
- Registration begins. All pre-registered attendees pick up packets.
- 5:00-6:00 pm
- Social
- 6:00-7:30 pm
- Dinner
- 7:00 pm
- Guest speaker Drew Wheelan presents:
Crisis in the Gulf: ABA Conservation Update
Lawrence Taft (Executive Director of Rhode Island Audubon) welcomes everyone to Rhode Island!
Monday, October 4th
- 5:00 am
- Breakfast buffet opens
- 6:00 am
- Buses leave for field trip
- 4:30 pm
- Buses arrive back
Tuesday, October 5th
- 5:00 am
- Breakfast buffet opens
- 6:00 am
- Buses leave for field trips (One bus to Field Trip, one bus to Block Island)
- 4:30 pm
- Field Trip to arrive back
- 6:00 pm
- Bus arrives back from Block Island
Wednesday, October 6th
- 5:00 am
- Breakfast buffet opens
- 6:00 am
- Buses leave for field trips (One bus to Field Trip, one bus to Block Island)
- 4:30 pm
- Field Trip to arrive back
- 6:00 pm
- Bus arrives back from Block Island
Thursday, October 7th
- 5:00 am
- Breakfast buffet opens
- 6:00 am
- Buses leave for field trip
- 4:30 pm
- Buses arrive back
- 5:00-6:00 pm
- Social Hour
- 6:00 pm
- Dinner
- 7:00 pm
- Keynote speakers
Don and Lillian Stokes present:
Birds, Birding and You
Friday, October 8th
- 6:00-10:00 am
- Breakfast
- 11:00 am
- Check Out
Rhode Island offers urban excitement, rural tranquility and 400 miles of coastline. The state boast distinctive regions ranging from the historic Blackstone River Valley and sophisticated Providence to world-renowned Newport and the coastal resorts of South County and Block Island. From shopping, museums, history and sporting events there is plenty to do and see in Rhode Island.
The ABA is proud to be able to offer multiple packages for our Providence event.
Full Package — $ 995
The full package includes your hotel room for 5 nights at the Crown Plaza of Providence/Warwick, Dinners for 2 nights (opening and closing night), box lunch for 4 days and the breakfast buffet the five morning of your stay. In addition your transportation to and from the field trips, the guides and ferry to Block Island are included.
Day Tripper and Student Rate — $99 & $59 per day
Your package includes transportation to and from the field trips, the guided trips and ferry to Block Island. Grab and Go lunches will be available for purchase by the Crowne Plaza for $10 a day and tickets to the opening night or closing night dinner are available for $30 per night.
The event will be at the Crowne Plaza, Providence-Warwick, RI. Sleeping accommodations are one king bed or two double beds. Rooms have hairdryers, irons & boards, coffee/tea makers, desk with internet connection. Additional amenities include an indoor pool, whirlpool, sauna, nautilus equipment, universal gym and elliptical trainer. There is a concierge who can help you on site with local attractions, reservations and other local services. Our socials, dinners, breakfasts and workshop will all be in the hotel. Contact Melissa Rausch at mrausch@aba.org, or 800-850-2473 x237 for additional questions or information.
Crowne Plaza Hotel ~ Providence/Warwick, 801 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick, RI 02886, Telephone (401) 681-4722, Fax (401) 732-0261, www.crowneplaza.com
People travel from far continents to enjoy the natural spectacle of the New England fall foliage. The six New England states offer one of nature's finest spectacles: the changing color of the fall foliage on its maple, beech, birch, oak, gum, willow, and other trees. Vibrant reds, brilliant yellows and muted tans and browns cover the branches. Countryside panoramas become blazing sweeps of color. Individual trees are like huge sun-lanterns. A single leaf can be a marvel.
New England are home to over 300 species of birds that either breed, are resident, migrate through, or winter in New England. Block Island Refuge, which occupies part of a former U.S. Coast Guard light station, was established in 1973 with the transfer of 28 acres from the U.S. Coast Guard, and has grown to its current size of 127 acres today. Although no developed trail system exists, the site is accessible by foot over sandy terrain. During the first week of October you can see almost 150 species.
CLIMATE – New England's climate, being unpredictable, doesn't let you know whether you're going to have a fine, long autumn with a brilliant fall foliage season, or a dreary, rainy, chilly day with little sunshine to admire the fall colors. So pack layers and rain gear just in case! We will have a variety of birding activities for the different weather patterns we can encounter, so there will be no shortage of fun regardless of the weather.
We would like to recognize the hard work that both Chuck Bell and Mike Tucker went into planning this event. They worked countless hours picking the field trip sites and scouting them out. We know you will thoroughly enjoy their efforts throughout the week.
We would also like to thank the Rhode Island Audubon for all their assistance in the planning, the guiding and their offering of the pre and post trips. We hope you take advantage of their generous offer to include us in their special rates. Another special thank you to Scott Comings of the Nature Conservancy for helping us with transportation and our field trips.