The Department of Geography and Geology and the Applied Research and Technology Program (ARTP) are happy to announce an upcoming international conference that will be held at WKU in May 2020, with the support of the WKU Office of Research, the Ogden College of Science and Engineering, and ARTP.  Please find detailed information and links to the meeting website below.  Registration fees can be waived for WKU faculty, staff, or students who are interested in participating through presentation, workshop facilitation, and/or volunteering in some capacity.  Please contact Lee Anne Bledsoe, lee.bledsoe@wku.edu, for more details.  

UNESCO Karst 2020, Conservation of Fragile Karst Resources: 

Abstract Submission Deadline, November 30, 2019

PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY

WHILE PROTECTING FRAGILE KARST ECOSYSTEMS.

The Conservation of Fragile Karst Resources: A Workshop on Sustainability and Community, informally called UNESCO Karst 2020, aims to enhance communication and the sharing of ideas and resources between major international conservation and science programs that protect, study, or manage cave and karst resources. The meeting will bring together a diverse group of managers, scientists, educators, and community partners to share successes and challenges in promoting sustainability and community involvement while protecting fragile karst ecosystems.

The call for abstracts is open! Abstracts may be submitted until November 30, 2019 and authors will be notified of acceptance by January 1. In addition to traditional scientific presentations, we encourage participants to propose workshop sessions. Workshops are 1.5-hour blocks of time that you organize in order to achieve a specific outcome. These may include a panel discussion, collaborating on a strategic plan or research project, a business meeting, or simply a space to share ideas about a common challenge.  Find more information about organizing your workshop here.  The planning committee looks forward to your proposals!

UNESCO Karst 2020 will occur on 18-22 May 2020 in the world-class karst area of south-central Kentucky! The meeting will take place in the newly remodeled Downing Student Union on the campus of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with mid-week field excursions to nearby Mammoth Cave National Park and Biosphere Reserve. A pre-meeting field excursion at Mammoth Cave National Park is also planned for 15-17 May, 2020, in cooperation with the USGS Karst Interest Group.

For all of the details on the meeting, including information on how to prepare and submit your abstracts, visit http://www.unescokarst2020.com/. .

UNESCO Karst 2020 is managed by the Crawford Hydrology Laboratory at Western Kentucky University, the George Wright Society, and the Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve as well as an outstanding team of karst experts from around the world who join us to form the Advisory Committee. On behalf of the UNESCO Karst 2020 team, we look forward to receiving your abstracts and seeing you in Kentucky next year!