[LTER-nco-travel] Invitation to LTER Workshop

Wed Apr 5 16:38:57 PDT 2017

Dear Working Group Participant

We are pleased to invite you to the National Center for Ecological Analysis
and Synthesis and the LTER Network Communications Office as a participant
in the LTER: Biodiversity and Productivity working group with Forest
Isbell, Jane Cowles, and Laura Dee.

Please book your flight and hotel as soon as possible. For your
convenience,  LTER-NCO provides pre-paid airfare to and from Santa Barbara.
To book your flight, go to the NCEAS custom web page with Santa Barbara
Travel Bureau and fill out the travelers request form:
www.sbtravel.com/nceas/.

Please call the Upham Hotel to secure your room at 1 (805) 962-0058.  Hotel
details are included below and in the attached invitation.

Please contact us at nceas at nceas.ucsb.edu if you have any questions
concerning your trip to NCEAS.

Thanks

Ana Peters

LTER-NCO Travel Coordinator
nco-travel at lternet.edu

************************************************************
****************************************

*Dear LTER Working Group Participant: *

We are pleased to invite you to the National Center for Ecological Analysis
and Synthesis and the LTER Network Communications Office as a participant
in the LTER: Biodiversity and Productivity working group with Forest
Isbell, Jane Cowles, and Laura Dee.

*Schedule:*

Begin: *Monday, June 12, at 8:30 AM*

End: *Thursday, June 15, at 5:00 PM*

(Domestic travelers and Canadians, please arrange your travel to arrive the
evening before your meeting starts and depart the morning after your
meeting ends. Travelers coming from outside the U.S. or Canada can arrange
to come two days prior to the meeting for recovery time.)

*Hotel Information*

The Upham Hotel         Phone: 1 (805) 962-0058

1404 De La Vina Street

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

http://www.uphamhotel.com/

*Group Block Name: LTER:  Biodiversity and Productivity Meeting*

*Reservation Deadline: May 16, 2017*

The LTER-NCO has reserved blocks of rooms at the hotel listed above. Please
call to make reservations directly with the hotel by phone to ensure a
booking in your name. The hotel will ask for a credit card to reserve the
room; this is standard protocol for all hotels. Unless prior arrangements
have been made to the contrary, the NCO will be directly billed for your
room. You will be responsible for any charges incurred above the negotiated
NCO/NCEAS room rate such as room service, cable movies etc. Most of the
hotels provide a modest continental breakfast. Coffee and snacks will be
provided at NCEAS during your meeting.

** *If you need to cancel your trip for any reason, you must call the hotel
and cancel your reservation at least 48 hours in advance of your check-in
date or you will be responsible for all charges assessed by the hotel.*

*Making Flight Arrangements*

The LNCO provides pre-paid airfare to and from Santa Barbara. To book your
flight, please go to the NCEAS custom web page with Santa Barbara Travel
Bureau and fill out the travelers request form. www.sbtravel.com/nceas/.

***Please make your airfare arrangements as soon as possible. Airfare must
be booked 21 days in advance of the date of travel or you will be
responsible for any additional airfare costs. *

Your name will be on a list of approved pre-paid flights for the dates of
your working group. If you need further assistance by phone, please call
Santa Barbara Travel Bureau (SBTB) at 1 (800) 350-9333. Our account
representatives, Teresa Weeks and Lisa Luyties, are available to you
weekdays between the hours of 5:00 am and 5:30 pm PST. Please request your
travel dates to arrive the evening before your meeting starts and depart
the afternoon of the meeting’s final day or the following morning. For
international travelers, we allow you to arrive up to two days prior to the
start of the meeting to provide you time to recover from your journey. *It
is important that you contact SBTB with any problems or changes regarding
your flight(s) before or during your travel. Do not contact the airline
directly.* If you need to contact them after hours, between 5:30 pm and
5:00 am PST, call US: 1 (800) 823-2590 (call collect if you are calling
from outside the United States).

Should you need to make your own travel arrangements to and from NCEAS, the
LNCO will reimburse for an advance purchase, direct, economy-class ticket.
We have provided the following rates for you to use as guidelines for
reimbursable amounts for air travel. Email *nceas at nceas.ucsb.edu
<nceas at nceas.ucsb.edu> *to ask for approval if your airfare will exceed
these listed amounts.

$450 from Western US and Canada                                     $600
from Midwestern US and Canada

$700 from Eastern US and Canada                                      $1,100
from Western Europe and South America

$1,800 from Australia and Asia                                          $2,000
from Africa

*Travel from the Airport to the Hotel*

All air travel should be booked directly to Santa Barbara. Taxicabs are
available outside the Santa Barbara Airport terminal or you can call Lucky
Cab (805) 968-5020 or Gold Cab Company (805) 685-9797, which offer a
discount on your fare if you mention that you are visiting the Ecology
Center. Fares from the airport to downtown Santa Barbara are typically $40.
If you must fly to Los Angeles because you are unable to get a convenient
direct flight to Santa Barbara, we recommend you arrange transportation on
the Santa Barbara Airbus, http://www.sbairbus.com, which provides shuttle
service from LAX to Santa Barbara. Please obtain receipts for these
additional travel expenses. The LNCO will not reimburse for car rentals
without prior approval.

*Reimbursement Information *

The LNCO will reimburse participants for the cost of ground transportation
and meals. Prior to the meeting you will receive an emailed packet
containing visitor information and the necessary forms for reimbursement.
If you do not receive a packet, please contact one of the staff in the
front office when you arrive at NCEAS. Unless prior arrangements have been
requested, the cost of your hotel room will be directly billed to the LNCO.
To reimburse you for your travel to and from airports and hotels, we will
need receipts from cab rides, bus rides, or other forms transportation
related to your meeting.

*Note to all Non-U.S. Citizens** Regarding Reimbursement *

While at the meeting please allow our front office staff to make copies of
your *passport and visa or I-94 card,* as these are required to process
your reimbursement claims for the meeting. We will also need for you to
complete a “Declaration of Immigration Status” form, which will be provided
to you in your reimbursement packet.

NCEAS recommends non-U.S. travelers coming from outside the United States
carry a hard copy of this invitation, as it may be required documentation
when entering the United States. If you are entering the United States
under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), please note that your stay in the
United States cannot exceed 90 days without a visa. Recent changes in the
VWP require that visitors entering the United States from a VWP
participating country obtain travel authorization via the Electronic System
for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Authorization must be obtained prior to
boarding any carrier to the United States. ESTA information and application
can be found at: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/

It is very important that you complete your ESTA application prior to
boarding your plane to the United States, as you may be refused entry if it
has not been submitted and approved.

Please contact us at: nceas at nceas.ucsb.edu if you need information
regarding obtaining a visa. As obtaining a visa can be a time-consuming
process, we ask that you contact us as soon as possible.

We look forward to your visit to NCEAS and the LTER Network Communications
Office!

Ana Peters

LTER-NCO Travel Coordinator

nco-travel at lternet.edu
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