For those of you who still haven't gotten your registration forms in yet, you can turn them in through October 29th.  This is also the deadline for purchasing your advance copy of the CLT Reader, which will be offered at a cost of $25 through the end of the month.  [Pre-purchased copies will be distributed at the conference. Additional copies will also be for sale at the conference for $30.]

The rich roots of the CLT movement can be traced to Native American traditions, and for the first time, we are going to be focusing on tribal land issues at our national conference.  On November 9th, there will be a bus tour to the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, which is doing some of the most innovative affordable housing development in the country.  On November 10th, there will be a panel on tribal land stewardship, giving us the opportunity to learn about centuries of stewardship experience, and how tribes and CLTs can learn from each other and seek opportunities for collaboration.  Later that same day, we will have a roundtable conversation bringing together folks from the U.S., Canada and Australia to talk about the potential role for CLTs on indigenous lands.  We hope that you can participate in at least one of these activities.

On November 10th, the CLT Network and the Lincoln Institute will be hosting a release party for The CLT Reader.  But this will be be more than a book signing party -- this will be an opportunity to celebrate the centuries-old arc of our movement.  Editor John Davis will take us on a walk through the years of our movement, and also recognize the many contributors to this book who will also be in attendance.  Promises to be good for your brain and your heart.

On the afternoon of November 9th, there will be the opportunity for you to sit down with technical assistance providers to focus on three topical issues raised by the CLT Network membership.  This is a chance to meet with some of our most expert technical assistance providers, as well as to meet folks working through some of the same issues you are.  The three groups are:  (1) start up issues and challenges (Allison Handler); (2) NSP (Joe Gray and Rick Jacobus), and (3) mergers and acquisitions (John Davis and Lisa Byers).

Many CLTs have been constructing new green homes for years.  But many of us are looking to figure out how to "go green" when it comes to rehabbing existing housing, particularly using NSP funds.  On November 9th, we'll be offering a hands-on course for those of you who want to learn the nuts and bolts of green rehab -- and how to make good decisions about (a) which properties to buy, and (b) how to set your green priorities in the context of scarce funding.  And on November 10th, we'll have a workshop going over the some of the new national green rehab standards, including Enterprise's Green Communities framework. 

At lunch on November 10th, there will be a presentation from Rick Jacobus about the Cornerstone Partnership, a national network for homeownership programs that preserve long-term affordability and community stability.  The CLT Network is a founding member of this partnership, which serves to broaden our impact by joining forces with other organizations committed to permanently affordable homeownership.  For more information, you can check out their website at www.affordablehomeownership.org.