(01/15/21)

By Scott Ball, TBW Editor

During its January conference call of the Board of Directors, Lance Cherry (ACI Vice President and 2021 Conference Chair) broke the news: New Mexico will be unable to physically host the ACI Conference.

Because of the pandemic, New Mexico officials do not anticipate relaxing the state’s restrictions on public gatherings. Several BOD members also spoke to their own states’ travel restrictions, even into the summer.

So, the bad news is that we won’t be able to hug each other, share a field trip and enjoy the other face-to-face interactions that go with meeting in person. The good news, however, is that we will still have a 2021 ACI Conference hosted by the New Mexico Dept. of Game & Fish. This year it’ll be a virtual conference.

There are plenty of details to be worked out, but there are some things we can confirm. The conference dates will stay the same (July 25-28). The agenda will be much the same, as far as sessions are concerned – including the optional Locavore Workshop on July 29. The registration fee will be lower, enabling states to “send” more employees. And obviously, travel and lodging costs will be eliminated.

Watch the ACI website and your email box for updates as they become available.