A Letter From Bob Barth

2005 would be an excellent year to join CSSA as you would be able to attend our biennial convention scheduled for August 5-10 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Held in the heart of cactus country, the upcoming convention promises to be one of the best ever. The Scottsdale Plaza Resort will be the most luxurious venue a CSSA convention has ever experienced. It's admittedly hot in the Phoenix area in August, which is why we were able to secure a room rate of $89 per night for rooms normally going for $300 or more per might. But everything inside is air-conditioned, of course; and you won't have to travel outside from one location to another as we did some years ago at the convention held at Arizona State University in Tempe. An outstanding array of speakers has been lined up including Sheila Collenette, Chuck Hanson, John Lavranos, Len Newton, and the Fitz-Maurices. Plant vendors and the traditional rare-plant auction will offer a tempting array of plants and plant-related items. Field trip day will feature trips to the Desert Botanical Garden, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and a trip out into the desert to see plants in habitat. You'll be wishing you could clone yourself. Throughout the convention there will be plenty of activities scheduled for non-cactophile spouses and children. Finally there will be a week long pre-convention tour to the Four Corners area, an area of spectacular scenic beauty and home to some of our choicest North American cacti. For more infor-mation and future updates on the convention visit the CSSA website.