Welcome to the information site dedicated to the 2007 Inter Emirates Weekend of the Natural History Groups of the UAE. The Al Ain chapter of the ENHG is pleased to host the annual get together of members from the three chapters.
Be sure to visit our Events page to see the field trips we are offering. Please consider these and then let us know which trips you wish to see offered on the weekend! You have three event periods -- Friday morning, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning -- so you should vote for at least three! There are links for some of these trips to reports filed elsewhere on the website.
If you don't see anything you like, please tell us what you would like to see on offer. You can search our website (search function on home page) and let us know if there is a destination or activity you want to see included. We will do our best to accommodate everyone!
IEW2007 will be held from Thursday 22 March to Saturday 24 March (inclusive) in and around the city of Al Ain. The program includes a variety of activities with trips available Friday morning and afternoon as well as Saturday morning. There will be some other programs including information on the ENHG entomological collection and more.
The registration fee will be Dh100. This includes permission to enter photographs in the competition (and vote for best in show) and inclusion on all tours. The registration fee covers the cost of the Friday evening dinner and other expenses incurred by the Al Ain chapter. Members will be responsible for the purchase of their own lunches on Friday and Saturday. (We recommend the Buraimi Hotel for those touring in Buraimi Friday and Saturday and the InterContinental for those staying in Al Ain. Both communities have a variety of inexpensive restaurants.)
IMPORTANT REMINDER
If you are planning to join any of the trips into the Buraimi District, you will need your passport (with valid residency visa or valid visit visa) or a UAE ID card. The UAE border clerks will not stamp your passport nor will they ask for any payment. They may ask where you are going; tell them the Buraimi Hotel. If you give any other destination, you may be asked to visit the immigration office as several of the clerks are not familiar with the names of the destinations and may assume you are planning a trip into Oman proper.
To register: please send an email to Brien Holmes and then stop by the Al Ain ENHG table in the lobby of the InterContinental Al Ain Resort hotel when you arrive in Al Ain.
For Al Ain ENHG members, please send an email to Evelyn Kaplan to let her know you will be attending the Friday evening dinner.
Please contact Bob Reimer if you wish to participate in the photography contest.
When you register, you will receive a welcome package that includes:
If you would like to see the documents contained in the welcome package, click here.
Friday evening will feature a dinner at the InterContinental. One of the highlights of the evening will be a photography competition, with members from the three chapters invited to submit photographs (mounted, not framed) to be judged by all those attending the dinner. (For details, see the link below.) The evening's program will include the presentation of the Bish Brown Award and the Shaikh Mubarak Award.
Participants will be encouraged to sign up for events as early as possible as numbers may be limited.
The InterContinental Al Ain Resort hotel will be the base of operations for the weekend. Special room rates are available for ENHG members; be sure to email George Titus to make a reservation. The agreed rate is Dh 500 plus service charge and taxes (net DH 580 for double occupancy).
Some of the trips are featured elsewhere on our website. To find out more about some of these destinations, visit the ENHG website at http://www.enhg.org and look through the various links on the home page or use the search function, also located on the home page.