KOS 2008 Fall Meeting
October 3 - 5, Hays, Ellis County
Ft. Hays State University
Registration Form
Call for Papers
Best Bird of the Year
Join KOS members for a weekend of paper presentations and birding in the Smoky
Hills of Kansas, an area named for the early morning haze that often gathers in
the valleys. On average this region receives 18-26 inches of precipitation
annually, and short- and mid-grass prairies typify the vegetation. Birders may
expect to find a variety of birds in these mixed habitats.
Outcrops of Cretaceous Period rocks and limestone of the Niobrara Chalk
formation characterize the geology of this region. Because of the paucity of
timber in this area, settlers used limestone for buildings and fence posts;
participants may also wish to look for fossils in stones.
Paper abstracts are due by
September 15; send in MS Word to Greg Farley at
gfarley@fhsu.edu.
Schedule of Events
An informal reception, bird quiz and registration will be held Friday evening.
Paper sessions on ornithological studies in Kansas will be held Saturday in 169
Albertson Hall.
The banquet Saturday night will feature Geoff Hill of Auburn University. He will
speak about his most recent book on bird coloration, as well as ongoing efforts
to document Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in the Choctawhatchee River Basin of the
Florida panhandle.
Field trips will be led by individuals with strong connections to the region:
Greg Farley, Terry Mannell, Mike Rader, and Scott Seltman.
Friday, October 3
7:00 p.m.—Informal reception at Memorial Union. Refreshments
and a bird quiz will be provided at the Sunset Lounge.
Saturday, October 4
7:15 a.m.—Bird walk. Meet at south entrance of Albertson Hall.
7:45 a.m. —Registration begins.
8:30 - 8:45 a.m.—Welcome.
8:45 - 9:00 a.m. —Business meeting.
9:00 a.m. - noon —Paper session.
Noon - 1:30 p.m. —Lunch on your own; KOS board will meet in Albertson 303.
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. —Birdwatchers' Hour.
2:30 - 5:00 p.m. —Paper session. Silent auction ends.
5:00 - 5:30 p.m. —Business meeting.
6:00 - 6:30 p.m. —Social.
6:30-9:00 —Banquet – Robbins Endowment Center
adjacent to Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Sunday, October 5
6:30 a.m.—Half-day field trips depart to Wilson Reservoir, Cedar
Bluff Reservoir, Ellis County hot spots and the Fort Hays State University bird
banding station.
Noon—Compilation at Frontier Park.
Lodging and Dining
Lodging opportunities abound in Hays:
http://www.haysusa.com/html/accommodations.html. There is no home
football game that weekend, but make reservations early. Information on dining
options may also be found on the same Web site.
Registration
Please print and fill out the registration form
located here.
Other than the Friday reception, Saturday snack breaks, Saturday banquet and
Sunday lunch, participants are responsible for meals and snacks. All
participants must sign the liability release on the
registration form in order to participate in any portion of this meeting.
Silent auction
Members and guests are strongly encouraged to bring donated items for the Silent
Auction. Suitable donations include birding-themed equipment, field guides, bird
houses, bird baths and optics. All proceeds go to the KOS Student Research Fund.