California Roundtable
The next meeting of the California Roundtable on Recreation, Parks and Tourism will be Tuesday, February 24. East Bay Regional Park District has generously offered to host the meeting and provide airport transportation. The exact location will be announced soon. For more information, contact Nina Gordon, Calfiornia Roundtable Chair, at 916.653.9377 or ngordon@parks.ca.gov.

National Main Streets Conference
Chicago, Ill., will host the 2009 National Main Streets Conference on March 1-4. The National Main Streets Conference’s focus is on commercial district revitalization. Small and rural towns, suburban-ring communities, large and midsized cities, and urban neighborhood business districts can all benefit from the ideas, solutions, issues, and networking opportunities this conference has to offer. Click here for more information.

California & Pacific Southwest Recreation & Park Training Conference
On March 3-6, Santa Clara will host the 2009 California and Pacific Southwest Recreation and Park Training Conference. Designed for people who work in the local and state government, non-profit and not-for-profit community settings, this Conference brings together people who work to create healthy communities throughout the West coast. This event attracts approximately 2,000 adults who want to learn, connect, renew and become equipped community change leaders. For more information, click here.

Central Valley Education Summit
The Central Valley Tourism Association presents its annual Education Summit on Friday, March 13, at the Veterans Memorial Building in Clovis. Featuring keynote speaker Brian Baker, Managing Partner with Cultivar Marketing, this event is the educational and networking event for Central Valley stakeholders. Click here for the registration form, or go to visitcentralvalley.com for up-to-date Summit information.

Upstairs Downtown
From the National Trust for Historic Preservation comes this great Webinar on Thursday, April 2. This seminar will discuss successful upper-floor housing development. Whether the goal is to increase investor returns, expand the district’s usage round-the-clock, or create a built-in market for retailers, upper-floor housing can be an effective solution for under-utilized space. Hear from national and state leaders who are making it happen in local Main Street districts. Cost is $25; click here to register.

California Trails & Greenways Conference
The California Trails & Greenways Conference provides an opportunity for land and recreation program planners, trail administrators and managers, trail advocacy groups, trail builders and other trail enthusiasts to network and advocate for trails in their community as well as learn about new techniques and opportunities. The Conference is also a forum for education, networking and development of strategies for envisioning, planning, funding, designing, constructing, and managing non-motorized recreational trails in California. Plan to attend the 2009 Conference, set for April 22-24 at Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite. Registration begins this month; click here for more information.

Placer Cultural & Heritage Tourism Workshop
On April 29-30, Placer County will host a special workshop to create an action plan for promoting cultural and heritage tourism. However, the meeting is not just for Placer County stakeholders - attendees from surrounding Sierra Nevada communities are invited and expected, harnessing the potential for collaborative projects that span communities and counties. For more information, contact Karen Killebrew at PlacerArts at karen@placerarts.org or 530.885.5670, or click here.

Green Main Streets
This Webinar on Thursday, May 7, from the National Trust for Historic Preservation will discuss practical steps you can take now to go green. Everyone is talking “green,” and the efficient design/density of downtowns can make Main Street the core of any sustainable community initiative. At the same time, our districts must retrofit buildings and rethink how we do business. However, confusing terminology and competing technologies for green design make it hard to know where to begin. Let these leaders in the field of design and sustainability show you how it’s done. Cost is $25; click here to register.

Save the Date for Shasta Cascade
The next meeting of the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association will take place May 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Karen Whitaker at 530.365.7500 or karen@shastacascade.org.