Report of the Sixty-Seventh Annual Meeting, San Luis Obispo, California, September 8-11, 2004

The 67th Annual Meeting of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers was held on the campus of Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, September 8–11, 2004. Approximately 200 attendees enjoyed brilliant weather in the mid-80s on California's central coast. The Business Building complex was the meeting site and offered spectacular views of two of the Morros (Cerro San Luis and Bishop's Peak). The conference opened with tributes to Bill Loy (given by Alexander Murphy) and Tom McKnight (given by Lay Gibson). The opening session was titled "Conserving Open Space and Resources on the Central Coast." Neil Havlik (City of San Luis Obispo), Dan Berman (Morro Bay National Estuary Program), and Kara Blakeslee (American Land Conservancy) spoke on greenbelt land acquisition, watershed management, and conserving the 82,000-acre Hearst ranch.

Four field trips highlighted the open spaces and the varied coastal and rural landscapes of the region. Jennifer O'Brien led a trip to the Hearst Castle, San Simeon, and Ragged Point. Jorge Lizarraga and Bob Hoover took a group to Mission San Antonio, which also included a transect of the Santa Lucia Range, a drive down the southern Big Sur coastline, and lunch at the former Hearst hunting lodge (which was designed by Julia Morgan). Cal Wilvert led a trip that blended themes in physical and cultural geography, with stops at the Pismo Dunes and the town of Guadalupe in the Santa Maria Valley. The final trip, led by Jim Keese, traveled through the emerging wine region of Paso Robles and explored the theme of the Spanish imprint on California and the new grapescape. Field-trippers returned to the Thursday evening dinner and reception on the creekside terrace at Novo Restaurant, adjacent to Mission San Luis Obispo and the city's world-famous farmers' market.

Friday and Saturday featured 81 papers and 10 posters in 19 sessions. The quality of the papers was outstanding, and participation by students was high. The President's Plenary Session was titled "Major Directions in the Future of Population Geography of the Pacific Coast." David Plane moderated a panel that included James Allen (California State University, Northridge), Patricia Gober (Arizona State University), and Waldo Tobler (University of California at Santa Barbara). At the President's Reception on Friday evening, AAG President Victoria Lawson gave an update on AAG issues. At the Saturday banquet, 101 participants were treated to a full-service dinner in the Garden Room at the fabulous Madonna Inn. APCG President David Plane enlightened and entertained us with his Presidential Address on "The Conditions of Coastality."

The geographers at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, wish to thank the APCG and everyone who attended for the opportunity to host the 2004 annual meeting. We were honored to be chosen, and it was a pleasure for us to show off a place that we hold so dear. We look forward to seeing you at the 2005 meeting in Tempe.

Respectfully submitted,
Jim Keese,
APCG 2004 Conference Coordinator