03 February 2026

Carbondale, IL Presentation on the Appalachian Trail

 Sierra Club Presentation


Thursday, February 12, 2026, 7pm

 

Presenter: Robert Bristow, SIU Graduate, Professor Emeritus Westfield State University, and former Shawnee Group Sierra Club Chair

Presentation: Hiking the Appalachian Trail BC (before cell phones)

In 1975, a young enthusiastic hiker completed his dream to hike the Appalachian Trail.  He was the 282nd hiker to complete the 2,048 mile trail.  Fifty years later, in his talk for us, Rob Bristow, that enthusiastic hiker, will share the story of his trip and draw on the 100-year history of the world-famous AT.  We will also get to see some of the archived photographs and maps that illustrate the challenges early hikers faced in those days before cell phones and computers. His recently published book, The Real Appalachian Trail, BC, supports the Appalachian Trail Museum and will be available.

NOTE: Start time at 7 PM!


Location: 217 East Main, Carbondale, IL. Entrance is in the alley behind Consume, Buckwater Brew Works and Holt Tire, through the blue door. The front door is locked! Ample parking is accessible from the alley and from Monroe Street (between Washington and Marion).

 


or here

30 January 2026

Another Month of Decline of International Visitors to US

 Another Month of Decline of International Visitors to US.



According to International Travel Receipts and Payments Program, we see another month decline in visitors coming to the US.

See the facts here.

For previous years, for example, see the role of Amusement Parks to International Tourism.  Think Orlando in Florida.

16 January 2026

Real Appalachian Trail, BC, Book Reading and Signing in Carbondale, IL

The Real Appalachian Trail, BC, Book Reading and Signing in Carbondale, IL



Sunday 25 January 2026 at 2 pm at

Confluence Books

Confluence Books

705 W Main St. Ste 100

Carbondale, IL 62901

USA

In 1975 a young enthusiastic hiker completed his dream to hike the Appalachian Trail.  He was the 282nd hiker to complete the 2,048 mile trail.  Fifty years later he brings the reader the story of his trip, along with the 100 year history of the world famous AT.  Archived photographs and maps illustrate the challenges early hikers faced in those days before cell phones and computers. 

His book, The Real Appalachian Trail, BC supports the Appalachian Trail Museum and will be available to purchase.

Can't wait?  Pick up your copy from Real Appalachian Trail BC*, The by Robert S Bristow | Confluence Books

or here The Real Appalachian Trail BC*


Come to Confluence Books

Some local press.

12 January 2026

RIP Bob Weir

 Bob Weir, Guitarist and Founding Member of the Grateful Dead, Dies at 78. (1947-2026.


This shot was taken during my first Dead Concert.  I also developed the film!



Listen to this show here.

09 January 2026

Incoming tourism to the States continues to drop

 


As expected:


October 2025 Total International Travel Volume to and from the United States

07 January 2026

SERR 2026 CFP

 Forwarded CFP

SERR 2026 - Call for Presentations!

We invite your participation in the 48th Annual Southeastern Recreation Research (SERR) Conference, scheduled for March 29-31, 2026 at Lake Guntersville State Park in north Alabama.  Graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, agency planners, land managers, and researchers are all encouraged to attend the conference and submit a proposal for an oral or poster presentation.

Presentation Proposals
Abstracts (consisting of a completed form* and a 500-word abstract) for oral and poster presentations at the 2026 SERR Conference are now being sought.  Presentations should be of an empirical, conceptual, or theoretical nature related to recreation or the environment, and one or more of the following topics:
  • Education
  • Programs and Services
  • Human Behavior
  • Economics
  • Policy
  • Planning and Management
  • Health
  • Methodological Approaches
  • Diversity, Access & Participation
  • Technology
  • Sustainability
  • Environmental Justice
  • Ecosystem Services
  • Climate Adaptation
  • Travel & Tourism

Authors are encouraged to give presentations focusing on completed empirical research, as well as conceptual papers on innovative models or theories, perspectives, or methods. Presentations detailing innovative recreation programs or other applied practices within the field are also encouraged.

Submissions should include a component addressing policy, planning, or management implications. As always, graduate student research will be an important part of the conference. Graduate student attendance and submissions are strongly encouraged!

Oral presentations will be given in a conference room setting. Audiovisual support will be available in the form of a laptop (with a USB port) and a projection unit. Each oral presenter
will be given 15 minutes for presenting their work and 5 minutes for discussion. Authors presenting planned or uncompleted research may be asked to make their presentations in the form of a poster.


Abstract Submission
Please submit your proposal using this link:

Abstract Deadline - January 9th, 2026

*For your submission, be prepared to provide the following information:

  • Presentation title,
  • Author(s) name(s), position title(s), and affiliation
  • Your (or the corresponding author’s) email address.
  • Your preferred session type: oral presentation or poster presentation
  • Your general topic area (see first bulleted list above)
  • Your presentation abstract: Limited to 500 words.

Your abstract should be sufficiently detailed to permit judgment of the paper's quality. Abstracts of empirical papers should include a problem statement, methods (including analysis), results, and address policy, planning, or management implications. Abstracts of conceptual and theoretical papers should include a problem statement and discussion with a system of organization like that of the empirical papers. A list of references is not required.

Selection
Selection of abstracts for presentation will be based upon review by two peers of the SERR community. Authors with accepted abstracts are expected to present their papers at the conference. In case of multiple authorships, at least one author must be present. Abstracts submitted are expected to meet professional standards.

Deadline
All proposals must be submitted by Friday, January 9, 2026. Authors will receive notification of acceptance or rejection by January 30, 2026. A list of presenters with session titles will be available on the SERR Conference website (http://serrconference.org) by the end of February 2026.

Student Scholarships
We will be offering a limited number of student scholarships for undergraduate and/or graduate students to attend this year's SERR conference. The scholarship amounts will vary but will only cover a portion of the costs of attending the conference (registration, travel, etc.). Interested students need to email a one‐page letter (as an attached MS Word or PDF file) to the conference co‐chairs (see below) describing how they believe their academic and professional interests will be enhanced by their attendance.
____________________________

More information, along with the abstract submission link, can be found on our website, www.serrconference.org. Registration and lodging information will be posted soon.

We look forward to seeing you in Alabama!

The SERR Planning Committee