Bug Guide Gathering details

I did do a quick look through the Forum and came up with no info on a Swarm for '08. I will not be around (spending a year in Sweden) but it would be great if it happens again, maybe in several places.

I just got a great email from the parent of a 9 year old boy who is wondering if he and his dad are going to be able to go to a Swarm, this year.

Come on people! Don't disappoint a little boy!

Now is the time to start planning this sort of thing as people fill their summer schedules pretty early on. It can be a very simple event with participants camping or in hotels. It's wide open. My understanding is that anyone could announce their own unofficial Swarm.

Any volunteers? In my experience, hosting a BugGuide Swarm is very rewarding as many really great people come to YOU and you get to show them around your favorite haunts. How cool is that?

Anxiously awaiting,

Kurt

I wrote up a little trip report and put up some non-bug photos on my website.

Thanks to Kurt for arranging the gathering! I had a great time. He set the bar pretty high for a future event. Anyone have suggestions?

P.S. Stephen posted a nice photo of a Yellow-rumped warbler from the trip.

Just thought that I would drop a note and let everyone know I made it home alright. It was a long drive, but I kept it interesting stopping at gas stations every now and again and checking out the mayflies coming to the lights! I would like to say though that I had a blast, and it was great to meet some of the Bugguide folks at last. Hope everyone made it back safely and had just as great of a time as I did. Later!

Mike Boone suggested the name "BugGuide Swarm" for these events and I like it so I'm going to use it.

Last weekend's get-together at Wolf Ridge was well attended and great, in my opinion. Although the venings were a bit cool for really active black-lighting the weather during the days was very nice with the predicted heat wave starting after everyone left.

Much our indoor, group time was spent sharing ideas and discussing entomological and photographic issues as well as just getting to one another. The level of naturalist skills within the group was deep and diverse (sedge ID was occuring within a small group on a regular basis, for example).

There is great interest in doing this again next year and someone has already contacted me with questions about this weekend in anticipation of trying to organize another one next summer. I won't divulge any details as the interested party is still trying to figure out if it will work. I think that limiting it to just one per summer is not something that we want to encourage. It would be nice if these things just popped up all over North America, giving people a chance to to choose a Swarm which is geographically of interest and/or convenience to them. I know that there were several people that would have come to Minnesota but for a simple scheduling conflict.

Included, below is the list Odonata species IDed during the field trips. Dianne Rowse kept really good notes and compliled this list for us.

I would like to thank all those who came to Wolf Ridge for being so great. May other Swarm organizers be so lucky.

Kurt Mead

Hi, Kurt- Thanks again for a wonderful weekend workshop! Here is the list from my notes:
Lake Darner
Black-tipped Darner
Ocellated Emerald
Brush-tipped Emerald
Frosted Whiteface
Crimson-ringed Whiteface
Hudsonian Whiteface
Belted Whiteface (formerly Red-Waisted Whiteface)
Saffron-winged Meadowhawk (flew by, not captured)
White-faced Meadowhawk
Aurora Damsel
Boreal Bluet
Marsh Bluet
Hagen's Bluet
Sedge Sprite
Northern Spreadwing
Emerald Spreadwing
Amber-winged Spreadwing
Sweetflag Spreadwing
That's 19 species!!!

There are currently 23 people sitting here looking at BugGuide at Wolf Ridge,. Half of us are from BugGuide and the other half are here for Minnesota Odonata.
We'll post pictures tomorrow. Weather's great!

Kurt, etc.

Greetings to you all,

There are now 30 people signed up for the weekend with a few local folks planning to show up for the field trips on Saturday. Here are a few last minute details and reminders…

The forecast for this weekend looks great. No rain is predicted and the high temps are forecast to be in the mid 70’s on Friday, low 80’s on Saturday and warming to the upper 80’s by Sunday. The nights have been cool, lately, so plan accordingly.

I suggest that you bring your own pillow and linens or sleeping bag. Although Wolf Ridge can supply them for a fee, they are not luxurious and, as I said, the nights may be cool and I would hate to have anyone stumbling around, shivering, in the middle of the night looking for more blankets. The beds are standard bunk beds (full size sheets?).

Bring your own towels, etc. There are full bathroom/shower facilities in every room.

Everyone should plan for the usual field trip supplies such as sunscreen, hat, bug spray, water bottles, day pack etc. I find that walkie-talkies are very useful when in the field with multiple cars and if we split up.

The black flies are mostly gone but there are a few mosquitoes. During the day they tend not to be so bad, but in the evening they will be plentiful.

Many of the sites that we will be visiting will be wet, so I suggest that you bring wet shoes, old tennis or rubber boots. I do use Crocs (those colorful rubber clogs) sometimes, but they may be a bit light weight for some of our sites.

There will be swimming opportunities for those in need of a cool down. Plan accordingly.

I will have regional dragonfly and damselfly guide books available for sale and will have a few loaners for the weekend. The Wolf Ridge gift shop has a nice selection of regional guides for sale and they have stocked up on Eric Eaton’s new insect guide.

I assume that everyone who is flying in has made their own arrangements to get from the airport to Wolf Ridge. There are maps and directions on the Wolf Ridge website. www.wolf-ridge.org

Anyone who has requested a private room will be getting one. We have added a few more rooms to our block of rooms at Wolf Ridge so there is plenty of space.

I am going to try to muster as many computer resources as I can, at Wolf Ridge, but if you feel that you will need to have regular access I would suggest bringing a laptop if you have one. There will be a projector available (slide projector too, but you’ll have to let me know in advance if you want to use one) so we can do some show and tell. There is high speed wireless at Wolf Ridge, but because of the local topography and odd weather conditions at the time, in can get dodgy.

Please feel free to email me with any other questions. I’m really looking forward to this weekend!

Kurt

Hey, cool! i would LOVE to go!

Greetings,

There are now 23 people signed up for the joint, Minnesota Dragonfly Gathering and BugGuide Meet-Up at Wolf Ridge ELC in Finland, MN. I just thought that I would send a note to those already signed up to give you a few more details of what is happening and when.


Friday, July 20th – Check-in will be at the main office and your rooms will be ready to move into by 4:00pm. Dinner is at 5:00. I think we can plan on a meet-and-greet and intros by 6:30 with an Intro to Odonata ID, following. Weather permitting, we will set up black light traps before dark at different locations around Wolf Ridge and we’ll keep checking them until we get too tired.

Saturday, July 21st – There will be an optional, early morning walk with photographer, Bill Morgenstern, to the Sawmill Creek Valley to get some of the dewy shots that some people like so much. Breakfast is at 7:00 and we’ll plan to gather by 8:30 for the macro photo workshop by Bill Morgenstern. By 10:00 we should be ready to head out into the field for the day, carpooling to local sites with bag lunches provided by Wolf Ridge. We are blessed with some amazing wetland habitats and our field trips will focus on these, so be prepared for wet feet. Supper is at 5:00. At 6:30 we will reconvene to create a list for the day, help each other out with ID, download some photos to the BugGuide website, look at each others photos on the big screen, etc. I also plan to get us onto either one of the indoor rock climbing walls or onto the Adventure Ropes Course.

Sunday, July 22nd – Breakfast is at 7:00 after which, you will pack up to vacate your rooms so that they can be cleaned. We will meet at 8:30 to go into the field. Sunday field trips will be at Wolf Ridge, which has over 2000 acres of varied habitats to explore, including two lakes with canoes available for our use. I don’t have a firm ending date on Sunday which will allow all of you to get going as you see fit, dependant upon airport schedules, long drives home, etc.


Other notes…

If you have any dietary restrictions, please let me know. Wolf Ridge is able to accommodate a variety of needs, but please tell me fairly soon so that the kitchen staff has time to make plans. The food is served cafeteria-style with very few ala carte options.

We will have computer and internet access, but if you have your own laptop, it would be good to bring it.

As with any field experience you should come prepared with items such as sunscreen, bug spray, hat, water bottle, snacks, day pack, rain gear, camera, net, etc. We do plan to visit a variety of wetlands including bogs, fens, marshes, swamps, streams and lakes (one swimming beach possibility if the weather cooperates) so come with the appropriate footwear. Open-toed sandals are NOT recommended for hiking through wetlands due the increased possibility of foot injury. I prefer old tennis shoes or sturdy wading shoes over rubber boots as I always want to go deeper than the boots and boots are so hot in the sun.

Summer weather up here in NE Minnesota can range from 100’F to just above freezing (they had 36’F in nearby Hibbing last week) so plan on a variety of clothing options.

The dreaded blackflies will be all but done by the time you get here, but it’s been wet enough that there are a few mosquitoes.

Did I miss anything?



Kurt

We just added four more names onto the list of people coming to the BugGuide "event" (I still haven't come up with an event title that really sticks, yet). There are now a dozen BugGuiders signed up with an additional eight Minnesotans coming for the Odonate focus of the event (Minnesota Dragonfly Gathering).

As I have stated, earlier, couples who would like a private room can request one (limited availability). There is an additional charge of $47.50 per room for this (which is half of what they normally charge as it is usually per person, not per couple). All others will be arranged by gender, no more than 4 to a room.

The field trips will be primarily to sites of Odonatological interest, but they will, undoubtedly yield unusual species of many insects. I happen to know that there will be many of the rarer bog-dependant butterfly species at many of our sites.

I have not done much black-lighting for bugs at night, but we are going to give it a shot. If anyone has any equipment to bring along, please do! I was going to brew up some moth bait but some folks in Duluth attracted more bears than moths, and although black bears are NOT dangerous if given the proper respect, they can be a nuisance and they will probably just eat all of our moths!

Incidentally, though I have had little time to do any moth ID this summer, there seem to be more moths and more species of moths present than I recall seeing here in the past.

I spoke with Bill Morgenstern on Thursday and he is looking forward to the photography workshop during the weekend. He will hold a "formal" workshop for a couple of hours after breakfast on Saturday. Then he will join us in the field to provide hands-on assistance with your macro photography. Bill also wants to invite all of you early risers (not me) to join him on Saturday, before breakfast, to shoot those dewy, early morning shots in Wolf Ridge's Sawmill Creek Valley.

Please email me with any comments or suggestions. There is no real deadline for registration, but if you have specific rooming requests, I suggest that the earlier the better.

Kurt Mead
mndfly@cpinternet.com

Yes, you can count my wife and I in. I just sent you a seperate email for contact info. You're just up the road apiece, from home, here in Minneapolis. It sounds like a great time and some really good photographers.

Just bought my plane ticket. I will be arriving in Duluth Friday around midday and leaving Monday afternoon. If anyone wants to share a ride up to Finland or back, let me know.

Looking forward to it!

For registration, just email me your address and phone number. I am keeping this info. I'm not going to ask for any money, up front.

I've got a professional, outdoor photographer lined up to do photo workshops during the weekend. His name is Bill Morgenstern and here is his website, http://www.earthmoodsphoto.com/main.htm. Bill is also an avid Odonate enthusiast.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Kurt

I plan to attend, this sounds like great fun!

I have hammered out the details for the BugGuide Get-Together and here they are:

COST: $125 per person for the whole weekend

WHEN: July 20-22, 2007 - Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon

WHERE: Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Finland MN

ACCOMODATIONS: The Wolf Ridge Dorms are spacious and each room includes four bunk beds, a table, and a full bath. No more than four people per room (sorted by gender, family - otherwise, by request). Private room adds $47.50 per night and they are available only on a limited basis. Linens are provided for a $7 fee.

MEALS: All meals are included and are served cafeteria-style. We will have a bag lunch in the field on Saturday. Vegetarian entree options available if requested when registering.

ACTIVITIES: We will have buggy presentations on Friday and Saturday evenings. Field trips to include visits to bog/fen and other local aquatic habitats as well as Wolf Ridge's 2000 varied acres. Other options include: night-time black-lighting, etc. for bugs, rock climbing on Wolf Ridges indoor walls, high adventure ropes course, canoeing on Wolf Ridge's lakes, moose-watching trips by car, birding hikes, etc.

WORKSHOPS: Macro Photography and Dragonfly ID workshops will be offered.

NATIVE CRITTERS: Much of the local flora and fauna are boreal. You may expect to see moose, wolves, black bear, pine martens, black-backed woodpeckers, carnivorous plants such as pitcher plant and sundew, many of the northern emerald and darner dragonfly species, many of the rare bog-dependant butterfly species, old growth white pine stands, etc.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS: The list includes, but is by no means limited to: Lake Superior, Split Rock Lighthouse, Goosebery Falls State Park, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, hundreds of lakes, dozens of rivers and waterfalls, picturesque northern towns such as Ely and Grand Marais, Superior Hiking Trail, The International Wolf Center.

If you want or need to stay at a motel or campground before or after the weekend, ask Wolf Ridge for a list of options when you register.

Air travel is to Duluth which is 1 1/2 hour drive from Wolf Ridge. Car rental is available at the airport. A shuttle to and from Wolf Ridge is possible, for a fee, but arrangements will have to be made in advance.

If there is an interest we can have a time for authors, photographers, etc. to sell their wares. Let me know if you are interested.

Contact me and I will send/email you a registration form. See you Up North!

Kurt

I'm thinking about making the trip to Minnesota. This is probably as close as I'll get to the Boundary Waters in a long time. I'm an avid kayaker, and I was thinking of maybe doing a couple days paddling/camping at the Boundary Waters either before or after the BugGuide gathering. Any other BugGuiders thinking about coming to MN and interested in a side trip? I don't yet know if a short paddle trip is feasible, but I thought I'd throw the idea out there.

To answer Mr. Din's question (or do you prefer a less formal, Infamous), yes, the more the merrier. I have Wolf Ridge expecting as many as 40-50 people, but less will work and in a few months, if response is good, we can probably up this number as we see fit.

To get your name on the list of interested persons, email me, directly. As we get closer to the date we may have to ask for some money down to reserve a spot. Please let me know names, address, phone number and if you plan to stay at Wolf Ridge or if you want to rent a room in a nearby hotel/motel/cabin. also let me know if you feel up to taking the lead on a particular group(s) of critters. We will be depending upon participants to bring ID resources to share with others. I would also like to encourage authors of related texts/guides to come as we can set up a time for authors to sell and sign books.

Any other details?

Kurt
info@mndragonfly.org

I have scheduled what I am calling the "BugGuide Festival" for the weekend of July 20-22, 2007. It will happen at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center near Finland, MN. The name of the "Festival" is up for discussion and should probably standardized if others plan to book events in other parts of the country. I argue that having the BugGuide name involved will help the website in publicity and will be unique as there are other "BugFests" and the like, out there.

Accomodations at Wolf Ridge include comfortable, dormitory-style housing and meals in a dining hall. Wolf Ridge sits atop a ridge over-looking Lake Superior, not far from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and has 2000+ acres of mixed northern hardwoods and coniferous forest with 2 lakes, 3 streams/rivers, a diverse wetland area with fens (floating bog-like environment), cedar and black ash swamps, beaver dams, many cliffs (popular in in the rock climbing community), easy access to the Superior Hiking Trail, etc. Locally accessible field trip sites include habitats for many of the rare, boreal dragonfly and butterfly species as well as phenomenal northern birding.

Some housing options include booking dorm rooms as a family or a group (otherwise you will be assigned dorm rooms based on gender),or using local hotels and campgrounds, lists of which are available upon request. Book hotel/motel rooms early as this is a popular tourist destination and rooms and campgrounds fill quickly.

Estimated cost for the weekend at Wolf Ridge (Friday after lunch through Sunday afternoon) is $120 which will include all meals, housing and the use of some of Wolf Ridge resources such as their indoor rock climbing walls (with instuction) and the Adventure Ropes Course (see website!). There are also canoes at both of the lakes. I have actually estimated the cost a little high, but it will depend upon the presenters and experts, who will be encouraged to "donate" their time, but there may be some expenses... Stay tuned for more details! Let me know if you have someone in mind (you?) to conduct a macro photo workshop or if there are entomological experts who might want to lead field trips.

Transportation to and from the Duluth Airport (about 75 miles away) can be arranged, for a reasonable fee.

Although Finland, MN is a little off of the beaten path, I think that this could be a great time and place to gather, get to know a few other BugGuide people and learn from other enthusiasts.

FYI...I plan (hope) to host one of our Minnesota Odonata Survey Project's "Minnesota Dragonfly Gatherings" concurrent with this Festival at Wolf Ridge so there will be focused, Odonate workshops and field trips in which you may participate.

I am going to try to pursuade a regional spider and butterfly expert/friend to get involved, as well.

Well? What do you think?

Kurt

Great idea. But instead of everyone travelling to 1 destination, have events scheduled for different parts of the U.S.

i.e. North East bugguide gathering, East, Southeast, Mid West, West, etc. and plan accordingly.

But if there's one that's inexpensive to get to from Seattle, I can plan to be there. None of my friends & family are really very interested in invertebrates, like me, and I think it would be really awesome to meet some of you.

I love the idea and the location sounds great, too.

If you are willing to organize it, I think Wolf Ridge sounds great. The person that steps up to organize the next gathering can choose a location near them, and so on. I think the idea of planning it around other events is also a good one, it makes for less organizing for the host. I would love to take a half day photography course or entomology course while meeting up with other buggers. The meeting we had in Raleigh last summer at the Bugfest was pretty cool. It was a little too short because I came late, but it was really neat to put faces with names.

I agree this is a terrific idea, but I would propose a slight change. Many of us no doubt attend other scientific and professional meetings, and our travel budget is rather limited. Having the Bug Guide gathering at the same place and time (or staggered time) as one of these other gatherings would be ideal. This year I plan to attend the annual meeting of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators in Madison, Wisconsin. Also hope to attend the annual meeting of the National Association for Interpretation (park ranger and nature center folks) in Albuquerque this fall. Teaming up with one of these other meetings might be a thought, anyway. We might also propose a second gathering so we can actually get into the field together. So, you'd have the field trip/workshop in spring or summer, and the photo sharing meeting in the fall or winter. What say the rest of you?

Sounds great to me! I think this is a great idea.

--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com

got my support. im up for it when it happens

That would be really cool. I would really enjoy the chance to thank personally everyone here who has helped me a great deal. This website has been a god send. I've been interested in bugs for years and this has been my graceland ever since I found it. No more scouring of obscure scientific white papers that I don't understand anyway.

I do propose one change.. ;) It should be in Chicago every year.. lol

Actually maybe some people around the midwest may have been to or heard of bug bowl. It's held in indiana every spring at purdue university layfette campus. It's a whole weekend of events put on by the entom. department. Exibits of pinned specimens, photos, live insects to "pet", quiz bowls, everything for little kids to doctoral students to get together and celebrate bugs. I went a few years ago and had a blast. It was before I found this site and was a place where I took a bunch of my photos to be ID'd.

-Gehan Gehale