Report of the Seventy-Third Annual Meeting, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, September 15–18, 2010

What a beautiful setting greeted APCG meeting participants at Coeur d'Alene in September! Despite the remoteness of the venue, the meeting was quite well attended, with more than one hundred participants from as far away as Arizona and southern California. Gundars Rudzitis and Harley Johansen, co-chairs of the meeting, organized a most memorable APCG conference, with their choice of forest and lake venue. The group was treated to an opening session on Wednesday evening with an interesting and amusing history of the area presented by Dean Katherine Aitken of the College of Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences at the University of Idaho. Dr. Aitken spoke about "From Noah Kellogg's Donkey to Superfund Site: Idaho's Silver Valley; Some Historical Vignettes." The group was also honored with a few words from the president of the University of Idaho, geography's own Duane Nellis.

Many geographers ventured out into the wilds of northern Idaho on one of the two Thursday field trips. One trip involved learning about the old silver-mining industry and its impact on the economy of the region; the other explored the history and effects of the horrific wildfires that swept throughout Idaho and Montana 100 years ago, during the summer of 1910. Both trips managed to merge when the fire folks were seeking refuge from the drizzle in an old and very dark railroad tunnel to enjoy their gourmet box lunches. The tunnel was one of several that became famous for having provided shelter for trainloads of townsfolk seeking escape from the fires. The railroads were also an essential part of the silver-mining industry, transporting tons of ore at the height of the mining years.

Thursday evening, APCG members were treated to a lovely sunset cruise around Lake Coeur d'Alene, complete with cocktails and appetizers, accompanied by beautiful views of the northern forest and shoreline resort development. We also started a new tradition of having two free drinks at each evening event.

The Friday and Saturday paper and poster sessions were of the usual high quality, although unfortunately few, if any, undergraduates were represented. Most compelling were the presentations by the impressive cohort of climate specialists at the University of Idaho, Drs. Jeff Hicke, Von Walden, John Abatzoglou, Crystal Kolden, Harley Johansen, and Mike Jennings, during the President's Plenary on Climate Change 2010. These talks culminated with the stark and disturbing projections of earth's climate future by ecologist Mike Jennings, sparking intense discussions among the audience and presenters.

The Saturday evening banquet was opened with ceremonial drumming by a group of Coeur d'Alene Native Americans, who then honored our group by joining us at dinner. AAG President Ken Foote spoke for a few minutes about his goals for supporting early career faculty and improving the preparation of graduate students for their academic careers. APCG President Dolly Freidel then handed the gavel over to Vice President Martha Henderson, who led the presentation of awards. The banquet culminated with Dolly Freidel's Presidential Address on her geoarchaeological work in the highlands of Guatemala, "Volcanic Eruptions, Earthquakes, and Drought: Environmental Challenges for the Ancient Maya People of the Antigua Valley, Guatemala."

Organizers of the meeting would like to extend their thanks for the financial support provided by Scott Wood, the Dean of the College of Science and University of Idaho President Duane Nellis, and for the work of all of our volunteers. The meeting made a profit of $3,500, which went into the APCG treasury.

We are all looking forward to the next APCG meeting this fall at the storied Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, September 28 through October 1, 2011. Mark your calendar, as this is likely to be an excellent and exciting meeting!

Humbly Submitted,
Gundars Rudzitis and Harley Johansen
Conference Coordinators
APCG 2010 Annual Meeting
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho