Important Updates-1 February 2008: 

See new addition of a guest housing option for which each registrant can make a direct reservation.  A block of rooms have been reserved in a dorm until June 1.  Indicate on the registration form if you want to reserve a single or double room (rates increased to $35/45).   Payment for dorm rooms will be separate from advance registration fee and must be paid to “Department of Entomology” at registration desk (Entomology Building on June 23-24 and Bost Extension Center on June 25) where room keys will be provided.   Please register as early as possible, and if you intent to come by air, plane reservations should be made early because of the few number of connecting flights.

T-shirts will be available for sale (for more info, pricing, and view of design).

The Mississippi Entomological Museum (MEM) and Mississippi State University invite you to the 59th Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society.  A block of rooms has been reserved at the Comfort Inn near the Bost Extension Center, the venue for contributed papers, and campus dorm rooms will also be available.  A workshop for teachers will begin on June 23, and details of this will be announced later.  The Executive Council and Committees will meet on June 24 at the Clay Lyle Entomology Building, where registration will also be open.  During this time a day trip to Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge will be held.  The MEM in Clay Lyle will be open for visitors on June 24 and throughout the meeting.  A reception will be held at 5:00-6:30 PM at the Henry Hunter Alumni Center, a short distance from the Comfort Inn and the Entomology Department, and this will be followed by a night field trip to Osborn Prairie.  Registration will continue and the program of contributed papers will begin on June 25 at the Bost Extension Center on the MSU campus.  The last session of contributed papers will be given on the morning of June 27 followed by the annual business meeting.   A picnic at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge (with shuttle service provided) on evening of June 25 will feature BBQ, Blues, and Blacklighting.  The banquet will be held at the Henry Hunter Center on June 26.  An Associates Program on June 25-26 will include tours of museums, antebellum homes, and other points of interest.

Registration information will be posted and updated on the following websites:   Lepidopterists’ Society (http://www.lepsoc.org) and MEM (http://www.mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu).  Reservations for airline travel should be made as early as possible because of the low number of flights connecting with Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTR).   Shuttle service will be provided from GTR and the Tupelo airports  to Mississippi State University if flight arrival times are provided.   Questions about the program should be addressed to the Program Chair, SangMi Lee (sl161@entomology.msstate.edu).  Questions about accommodations should be addressed to Local Arrangements Chair, Barbara Perrigin (bperrigin@entomology.msstate.edu) or Richard Brown (moth@ra.msstate.edu).   

Local Arrangements

Travel

Starkville is located approximately 55 miles south of Tupelo, 110 miles northeast of Jackson, and 130 miles southeast of Memphis, TN.  Travel by airline directly to Starkville (Golden Triangle Regional Airport - GTR), ten miles east of Starkville, will be inconvenient and costly because only three Delta Airlines flights from Atlanta (departing 11:22 AM, 4:40 PM, and 7:30 PM) service GTR.   Tupelo is served by Delta from Atlanta and Northwest Airlines from Memphis, and fares to Tupelo typically are $100+ lower than those to GTR.   Memphis and Jackson have a wider range of airlines, and fares can be much less than those to GTR.   Shuttle service will be provided from Tupelo and GTR if arrival times are provided on the registration form or directly to the transportation coordinator JoVonn Hill (jgh4@entomology.msstate.edu; 662-617-1526 or 662-325-2085).   Otherwise, reservations for rental cars at GTR and other airports should be made.

Directions to the Clay Lyle Entomology Bldg (including the MEM), Comfort Inn, and Bost Extension Center are provided.  To reach the Entomology Bldg, take Hwy 82 to the Hwy 12 exit for Mississippi State University (second Starkville exit from east and third from west).  Turn left off Hwy 12 at the first signal light onto the Stone Blvd entrance to campus (or turn right onto Russell St for Comfort Inn), just beyond the campus entrance, make a quick right onto Sheely Circle Dr. that runs between the fraternity houses, continue to end of this drive, turn right, then a quick left to cross the double-laned Bully Blvd at the signal light, and bear right to the red brick Clay Lyle bldg at the crest of the hill.   Directions to Bost Extension Center are the same in turning left off Hwy 12 at the first signal light onto Stone Blvd, except take the first left turn onto Bost St.; the Center is the first building on the right.  Parking is available at both the Entomology Bldg and Extension Center, and the required parking permits will be provided at the time of registration. Click here for more information on location, directions, and links to area maps.

Housing, Food, and Recreation:

Hotels:  Fifty rooms have been blocked for June 23-28 at Comfort Inn (662-324-9595), which is about 400 yards west of the Bost Extension Center and is near to off-campus restaurants.   The MSU rate in June, 2008 will be $104/night.  Registrants are responsible for making reservations before the cut-off date of June 7 for the reserved block of rooms and to ask for the Lepidopterists’ Society Block.  Other hotels include Hampton Inn (662-324-1333; 0.7 mi from Bost; $81/MSU rate), Holiday Inn Express (662-324-0076; 1.1 mi from Bost; $84), University Inn (662-323-9550; 0.7 mi from Bost; $48), and Microtel (662-615-0700; 2.5 mi from Bost; $64).  These other hotels are not connected to MSU by sidewalks along Hwy 12 and are not recommended to those without vehicles.  Current rates for these other hotels may increase in 2008.  A table of these accommodations with additional details will be available on websites of the Lepidopterists Society and Mississippi Entomological Museum. 

MSU Dormitory:  Newly constructed or renovated dormitories to include private bathrooms, will be available for the meeting, but reservations for a specific dormitory or block of rooms cannot be made until January, 2008.   Rates will be $35/single and $45/double [Note:  rates have increased since registration information was published in the newsletter].   Please indicate on the registration form if you want to stay in a dormitory, the number of nights, and whether you want a single or double reserved. 

MSU Butler Guest House:  Ten hotel rooms are available at the rate of $75/night, but none are blocked.  The Butler Guest House is located about 300 yards from Bost Extension Center.  Reservations should be made directly to the Guest House at 662-325-4140. 

NEW ADDITION.
Herbert Hall Guest Housing.  Herbert Hall, which is 15-20 minutes walking distance from the meeting venue (slightly farther than other dorms) will be available on a “first come – first serve, make your own reservation” basis.  Rates are $30/single and $35/double for second floor (no elevator) and $35/single and $40/double for first floor.  Each room has two single beds with linens, phone with voice mail, cable TV with HBO, MicroFridge (combination refrigerator, freezer, microwave), and high-speed internet connection.  There are no private bathrooms.  More information on Herbert Hall is available at http://www.housing.msstate.edu/guest/ or from Lari Wright at 662-325-2867.  Reservations should be made directly to this phone number or to conference@saffairs.msstate.edu.   

Plymouth Bluff Environmental Center:  Cabins are available at Plymouth Bluff, near Columbus and 25 miles from MSU, at a rates of $59-$69/night.  Cabins include a microwave-fridge.  Cabins cannot be reserved by individuals until two months before the June meeting and will not be available for the weekend of June 27.  High quality collecting habitats (oak-hickory woodlands and bottomland forest) habitats are near the cabins.  Call 662-241-6214 for reservations. 

Dining:  The MSU cafeteria and the Union Food Court, with five dining establishments, are within a short distance of Bost Extension. Starbucks Coffee cafe is present in the Barnes & Noble Bookstore adjacent to Bost Extension.  Several restaurants and nightspots on University Ave. are near Comfort Inn, and a map of these will be available at registration.

Recreational sports:  The MSU Sanderson Center for recreation sports, a relatively new facility, includes a swimming pool, racquetball courts, gyms, strength and aerobic room, and indoor track.  Guest access to the Sanderson Center is available for $6/daily.  More information on the Sanderson Center can be found on the MSU webpage.   

Field Trips:

Field trips are planned for the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge during the day on Tuesday, June 24 (box lunch provided for $7).  Night field trips will be made to Osborn Prairie, a remnant of the Blackbelt Prairie, on June 24.   Night collection will also be an option at Noxubee N.W.R. following the BBQ picnic on June 25.

A wide variety of habitats are present in Mississippi and Alabama for those planning independent collecting before or after the meeting.   Information on the Blackbelt Prairie and links to state parks and federal lands can be found on MEM's website under “Mississippi Habitats.”  The Natchez Trace National Parkway and Gulf Islands National Seashore require permits from the National Park Service, which can obtained at: http://science.nature.nps.gov/research/ac/ResearchIndex. Permits for collecting in Mississippi State Parks can be obtained from Joe MacGown (jmacgown@entomology.msstate.edu; PH:  662-325-9551).  These permits require notification of the park manager before collecting (especially at night) and a report on the collections that are made.  Logistical support, including recommended collecting sites, maps, and collecting permits for selected other areas, can be provided to individuals who wish to collect in Alabama or Mississippi, prior to or following the meeting by contacting Joe MacGown.

Associates Program

Associates of Society members will be provided with tours during June 24 and 25 from 8:30 to 4:30.  The fee for the two days of tours is $50.00, which will cover costs for transportation, admission to antebellum homes, and lunch at the MSU cafeteria on June 24. The tour on June 24 will include the Templeton Music Museum, Clock Museum, Cobb Institute of Archeology, and other points of interest on the MSU campus.  The tour on June 25 will include the Waverly Plantation http://www.wpnet.org/waverley_mansion.htm and ante-bellum homes in Columbus, MS. Associates will be responsible for the meal in Columbus, MS on June 25.

Registration

Click here (pdf, Word doc.) for a pdf or Microsoft Word copy of the registration form. Please complete the registration form and send it as an email attachment to: Dr. Richard L. Brown (moth@ra.msstate.edu) or mail it to Dr. Richard L. Brown, Mississippi Entomological Museum, Box 9775, Mississippi State, MS 39762 (FAX: 662-325-8837).

Call for Contributed Papers and Posters

Click here (pdf, Word doc.) for a pdf or Microsoft Word copy of the "Call for Papers and Posters" form. Please complete the form, scan it, and send it as an email attachment (Word, Text or pdf) to Dr. SangMi Lee (microlepi@hotmail.com) or mail it to Dr. SangMi Lee, Mississippi Entomological Museum, Box 9775, Mississippi State, MS 39762 (FAX: 662-325-8837). If you do not receive confirmation of receipt of title/abstract within one week please resend to Richard Brown, moth@ra.msstate.edu, Mississippi Entomological Museum, Box 9775, Mississippi State, MS 39762 (FAX: 662-325-8837).