What is Entoblitz? Entoblitz is an annual insect survey of various sites of Texas started by Will Godwin in 1999-2000 and run by the Texas A&M University Entomology Graduate Student Organization (EGSO).
Why is it in Oklahoma this year? There are several reasons that this year is a great year to have the Entoblitz at the OU Biological Station:
The OU Biological Station is right on the border of Oklahoma and Texas, being station on the North side of Lake Texoma (so its nearly Texas for die-hards!)
Many insects have distributions on both states, so entomologists from both sides of the border can share information about different groups
The effects of the drought of 2011 are slightly less pervasive in Oklahoma, thereby hopefully increasing collecting success
The Sam Noble Museum has Texas A&M University alumni Katrina Menard...so she apparently is missing her Texan colleagues too much.
How many people can I bring? Currently the OU Biological Station can hold a maximum of 100-120 people. Therefore, if you are part of a large group or want to bring a group of students with you, please notify Katrina or Ben so we can plan ahead and possibly accomodate everyone. If we get close to the limit, we will have to close the event to new registrations earlier than the February 28th deadline.
I want to attend, what next? Fill out the Registration form and
mail the corresponding amount to the following address:
Entoblitz 2012
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
2401 Chautauqua Ave
Norman, OK 72072-7029
This information MUST be sent to Katrina by FEBRUARY 28th, 2012. She will add you to the listserve for the meeting, and will keep you informed of any updates. If you do not notify her by that date, you will not be able to participate in the Saturday dinner or stay at the station (the Station and Food and Housing services requires an advanced head-count).
What is the registration fee for? This covers the facilities fee for the OU Biological Station and the cost of the Saturday night meal, regardless of whether you are staying overnight at the station.
For every day you access the services of the Biostation, a $2 fee is charged. Therefore, if you are arriving Friday and doing Entoblitz Saturday through Sunday and leave Sunday afternoon (most attendees), you will have a $14 registration fee to cover the $10 Saturday night meal and the two days using the station. If you collect at the site Friday, it will be $16.
However, if you are staying overnight at the Station, your facilities fee is waived per day (its included in the hotel night rates).
What kind of event is this? Can I bring my kids? Entoblitz is traditionally a professional meeting, meaning that the main goal of the Entoblitz is to collect as many taxa of insects as possible. Therefore, the focus has been on spending as much time in the field doing specialized and targeted collecting as possible to do so. This has meant that organized activities such as bug-walks and public programing have not been incorporated in the past. However, people have brought their kids and students along despite this to see what its like doing hard-core field-work, and have had fun doing so. Its just worth noting ahead of time that if you bring your kids, you'll be in charge of entertaining them!
If you do decide to bring your kids or anyone under the age of 18, please contact Katrina.
What about pets? The OU Biological Station does not allow pets at the facility; however if you want to bring your dog you are welcome to do so at the campsites at Juniper Point, on the other side of the lake.
Where can I stay? There will be two main sites to stay over, the OU Biological Station, Juniper Point Recreation Area, or Buncombe Creek . If you stay at the OU Biological station, you need to bring your own linens but beds and bathing facilities will be provided for at $26.30 a night. If you decide to camp, you need to reserve a site at Juniper Point which has rates starting at $15 a site. Please click on the links for the sites for more information.
What about meals? There will be a group meal at the OU Biological Station on Saturday Night, April 28th 2012 provided by the OU Housing Services. This meal will cost $10 a person, and will be the only required group meal so that everyone can meet and greet. The remaining of the meals are flexible, with the following options:
If you are staying at the Station and want all of your meals provided for please indicate which other meals besides the Saturday dinner you'd like in the Registration Form.
If you are staying at the Station and want to provide your own food, be aware that there are no cooking or refrigeration equipment in the rooms, so you will have to provide your own pre-prepared foods.
If you are camping but still want to have food provided for you, see the rates for the OU housing services and again LET US KNOWN BEFORE FEBRUARY 28th! If you are bringing your own food, please refer to the cooking rules for the Juniper Point campgrounds.
There are several nearby locations for dining out, which will be updated shortly
What about Collecting Permits? Can I keep the insects I collect? Yes, you can keep the insects you collect, and no you do not need permits for the OU Biological Station area and Corps of Engineers areas. However, if you do decide to collect at Juniper Point or Buncombe Creek campgrounds please contact the campsite parks directly about permission.
Where can I collect? There are several sites both at the OU Biological Station as well as nearby parks and reserves. We are updating this information shortly, and will have a link to the various sites (information provided by OU faculty member Ken Hobson).