Dear U.S. Permafrost Colleagues and Organizations

There are growing interests in scientific and engineering questions related to permafrost. These heightened concerns reflect observed and potential responses of permafrost terrains and structures to global warming. Frozen Ground, the News Bulletin of the International Permafrost Association (IPA), provides details of permafrost activities at the international level and a glimpse at U.S. activities.

Since the founding of the IPA in 1983, the U.S. representative to the IPA has been the Chairperson of the U.S. committee for the IPA. In turn the USC/IPA had been a member of the National Research Council's past U.S. National Committee for Geology. During the December 2000 AGU meeting in San Francisco, a number of past members and chairpersons of the U.S. permafrost committees met and discussed future affiliations. The results of this effort was the founding of the US Permafrost Association (USPA). The USPA became the US representative to the IPA. Membership is open to any interested person residing in the U.S. The USPA also serves the IPA by distributing the publication "Frozen Ground" to interested parties in the U.S.

Currently, our annual membership costs for a Student is $10.00, Regular membership is $20, and $100 for Corporate and Institutional members. We now have a Sustaining Membership for individual members, wishing to actively support the USPA. This new membership is $250 a year. Sustaining members are mentioned in USPA information during the year, and at our annual meeting. Another new membership is our Lifetime Membership, for individuals. This is $1,000, and includes recognitition in all USPA materials and future meetings. Please join us in 2006 and be part of our growing membership. A newsletter on USPA member activities and information of interest to our membership is also prepared annually and mailed with Frozen Ground.

Please purchase your membership Online, or by downloading and mailing in our membership form