FALL MEETING OF THE SOUTHERN LEPIDOPTERISTS’ SOCIETY AND THE ASSOCIATION FOR TROPICAL LEPIDOPTERA, 28-30, September 2012

The Annual Meeting is scheduled for 28-30 September, 2012 in the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity Conference Room, at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. The McGuire Center is located adjacent to the Powell Hall on the University campus and can be accessed directly off 34th St. and Hull Road.

Friday, September 28, 2012 Registration, 2-5 p.m. Lobby, Powell Hall, Florida

Museum of Natural History, Cultural Plaza, University of Florida

Field Trips

Members attending the joint ATL/SLS meeting will have the opportunity to participate in the Friday field trips. We are investigating some new sites close by for the day trips and will provide you with further details shortly. For the day trip, we will meet in the Department of Plant Industry parking lot at 9 a.m. on Friday morning, September 28th. For those wanting to go on this trip, please bring along sufficient water or drinks for the day, sunscreen, hat, etc. Neither lunch nor transportation will be provided. Carpooling is encouraged.

There will be an update in early September concerning further details on the day trip leaders and contact emails for each trip.

Charlie Covell and Jeff Slotten will be leading the moth trip in the evening. Charlie has made arrangements with the rangers at Paynes Prairie. Members attending the evening trip should be prepared to pick up something fairly quick to eat (neither dinner nor drinks will be provided) and drive out to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park located 10 miles south of Gainesville, in Micanopy, on the east side of US 441. Please contact Charlie well in advance ((352) 273 2023;) for instructions on where and when to park and meet the group for collecting.

Directions to Paynes Prairie – Coming from the north on I-75: Take exit 374, the Micanopy exit, and turn left at the end of the exit ramp. You will then be traveling east on CR 234. Stay on this road 1.4 miles until it intersects with US 441. Turn left onto 441 and go 0.6 miles to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (on the right). Camping facilities, which includes water and electricity, are available at $18/night.

Saturday, September 29th

Registration and reception 8-9 a.m., McGuire Center Conference Room Bring along specimens for display and discussion

9 a.m. – noon: Morning Session Noon: group photo

Lunch: McGuire Center 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. 1:15-5:00 p.m.: Afternoon session

4:30-5:15 pm SLS Business Meeting

6:15 p.m. Dinner Buffet – Program ($17.00) in the Powell Hall Galleria

Sunday, September 30th

Registration and reception 8-9 a.m., McGuire Center Conference Room Bring along specimens for display and discussion

9 a.m. – noon: Morning Session
12:00-12:30 p. m., Business meeting ATL, Executive Director, Dr. J. D. Turner Afternoon field trips may be scheduled depending on interest.

Final program will be available on the websites for Southern Lepidopterists Society (www.southernlepsoc.org), Association for Tropical Lepidoptera, (www.troplep.org), and McGuire Center (www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflies) by 15 September. Hard copies will be available at the meeting. Please continue to check these websites for updates prior to the meetings.

Presentations: Any person interested in presenting a paper should contact Dr. Jacqueline Y. Miller, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P. O. Box 112710, Gainesville, FL 32611-2710. {e-mail:  and cc: Dr. Nancy Turner: }

Abstract forms will also be available as Word and pdf files on the SLS and ATL websites or can be e-mailed by request. In order to ensure your abstract is included in the program, please send these on or before 15 August 2012 and we ask that you also e-mail a copy of your abstract. Please remember to include your title, type of presentation, and time requested (limited to 20 minutes). Shorter presentations are encouraged.

Registration and Contact Information: $20/individual; $35/ couple; $10/ students. Registration forms were sent out with previous newsletters but will be available on the websites or sent by e-mail upon request.

Please send information and checks to either:
Dr. Jacqueline Y. Miller or Dr. Nancy Turner, Program Co-Chairs, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P. O. Box 112710, Gainesville, FL 32611-2710. (Phone 352 273 2016) (email: ; Nancy Turner: ).

Directions to the Florida Museum of Natural History: From Interstate 75: Take exit 384 and travel 1 mile east on State Road 24 (Archer Road). Turn north (left) on State Road 121 (SW 34th Street). Travel 3/4 mile to the third traffic signal. Turn east (right) on Hull Road. The entrance to the University of Florida Cultural Plaza is on the south (right) side of Hull Road. On the weekend, no parking decals are needed in the large museum parking lot here.

From U.S. 441: Travel 2 miles west on State Road 24 (Archer Road). Turn north (right) on State Road 121 (SW 34th Street). Travel 3/4 mile to the third traffic signal. Turn east (right) on Hull Road. The entrance to the University of Florida Cultural Plaza is on the south (right) side of Hull Road.

From Jacksonville: Take I-10 west to US 301 South (exit 343 to) towards Starke staying on 301 to Waldo – 37.6 miles. From Waldo veer right (Gainesville sign the junction of SR 222/NE 39th Avenue. Turn west (right) onto SR 222/NE 39th Avenue) and drive 10 miles southwest on SR 24 (becomes Waldo Road in Gainesville). Cross over Main Street and then US 441/NW 13th Street. Continue to NW 34th Street. Turn south (left) and travel 3.5 miles to the traffic signal at Hull Road. Turn east (left) onto Hull Road. The entrance to the University of Florida Cultural Plaza is on the south (right) side of Hull Road.

Parking: Parking is available in the garage and commuter lots after 4:30 pm on Friday and all day on Saturday and Sunday. Reserved parking for Museum visitors – excluding University holidays – is $3 per day (cash only), 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The reserved parking area is immediately east and north of the Harn Museum of Art in the UF Cultural Plaza. Please see attendant in gated booth.

Accommodations: Gainesville has a wide variety of hotel and motel rooms available, but we would strongly suggest that you contact the hotel/motel directly as the prices vary on the various listserves as opposed to checking rates here in Gainesville. A block of 10 rooms has been reserved at the Hilton Hotel Convention Center (352 371 3600) and will be available at the rate $129 (single or double). Others with similar and lower rates and located not far from the McGuire Center with prices and phone number include:

Paramount Plaza, 2900 SW 13th St., Gainesville ($66-72; (352 377 4000)
Super 8, 4202 SW 40th Blvd, Gainesville ($50; 352 378 3888)
Comfort Inn West, 4000 SW 40th Blvd., Gainesville ( $63-72; 352 264 1771),

Hilton Garden Inn, 33rd Pl. Gainesville ($101; 352) 338 1466)
Motel 6, 4000 SW 40th Blvd., Gainesville ($40-45; 352 373 1604)

Red Roof Inn, 3500 Southwest 42nd St | Gainesville ($68; 352 336 3311) Bambi Motel, 2119 Southwest 13th Street Gainesville ($45; 352 376 2622)