1991 Conservation GIS Users Meeting xHistory xConference
(From Historical Article by C. Convis in the first SCGIS Newsletter Vol 1 #1)
1991: The First Meeting at the James Reserve and The First Special Interest Group.
In 1991 the conservation support program was finally launched as a formal activity, with it's own conference and program. The very first conservation track was offered at the ESRI User Conference, consisting of 10 papers and 6 conservation scholarships for the speakers, and opened with a welcoming ceremony by the Agua Caliente Birdsinger Dancers (pictured right, Tony Andreas is second from left. photo c. convis) to let conservation attendees understand the native cultural setting of the area in addition to it's biological setting. As the conference agenda explained: "As Conservation workers, we are all involved in protecting pieces of the earth we call home. It is appropriate therefore that we be welcomed to Palm Springs by the people whose home this has been since time immemorial, the Agua Caliente. The Birdsinger
