Please be assured... REP members are as welcome as ever and encouraged to attend. There will be plenty to hold your interest! However, for the first time, we’re reaching beyond our membership ranks to invite a select group of GOP elected officials and candidates, offering an opportunity to learn about environmental and conservation issues from a group of experts they can trust: fellow Republicans.

This will be the first such conference ever offered by a Republican institution!

The conference will run for two days, beginning with optional concurrent sessions on Friday morning for:

1. REP members who are already chapter leaders or want to help form chapters in their states, and
2. elected officials and candidates who want to learn how to succeed by talking about environmental and conservation issues from a conservative perspective.
   

Both sessions will be conducted by the REP staff.

The full conference will start after lunch on Friday, with a remarkable line-up of speakers:

• GOP pollster Whit Ayres
• the Rev. Joel Hunter, an outspoken advocate of action to control global warming
• Rod Dreher, a conservative columnist and author of the popular book Crunchy Cons.

Later in the afternoon, three elected officials—a state senator, a state rep, and a county supervisor—will speak on “Making Environmental Issues Work for Republicans.”

Saturday will be a rewarding day, too, with an outstanding array of experts, including many GOP elected officials. We’ll hear from Dr. Terry Maple, co-author with former Speaker Newt Gingrich of a new book, A Contract with the Earth.

Then comes a series of panels on critical issues:

• “Exploring the Threat to Western Lands”
• “Feeding our Energy Appetite”
• “Confronting Climate Change”
• “Balancing Economic Growth with Quality of Life and Property Rights.”

Two of REP’s talented staffers—Jim DiPeso and David Jenkins—will conclude with a lively and unique session, “The Care and Feeding of Environmental Groups.”

Saturday evening, we’ll enjoy a wonderful dinner, recognize key REP supporters, and—we are working very hard to make this happen!!!—hear Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speak on California’s efforts to lead the country to improve energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and control climate change.

There will be a pre-conference workday for the REP and ConservAmerica boards and staffs: Thursday, October 4.

REP members are welcome to join the REP board and staff for an open session between 4:30-5:30.