Call for Abstracts | Registration | Meeting Program | Banquet | Field Trips | Accommodation | Maps

Welcome!   The 59th Annual Meeting of the Kansas Ornithological Society will be held at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas on Friday, September 28 to Sunday, September 30, 2007.  An informal reception and registration will be held on Friday evening in the atrium of Chalmers Hall.  Paper sessions with oral presentations on ornithological studies in Kansas will be held on Saturday morning and afternoon at Ackert Hall.  The banquet on Saturday night will be held at the Student Union Building and will feature guest speaker Alvaro Jaramillo who give a presentation on "Birding in Chile: the Other West Coast".  Alvaro is a professional bird guide for Field Guides, Inc., and author of a Field Guide to the Birds of Chile and New World Blackbirds: the Icterids.  Field trips to local birding destinations in the Manhattan area will be held on Sunday, and led by local birding enthusiasts including Doris Burnett, Ted Cable, Chuck Otte, David Rintoul, and Brett Sandercock.

Students:  A long-standing goal of the Kansas Ornithological Society is to encourage and support undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows who are conducting ornithological research in Kansas or studying at institutions in Kansas and nearby states.  We are pleased to be able to offer the following benefits for students who are planning to attend the Fall 2007 meeting.  First, all students presenting at the Fall 2007 meeting will receive a free 1-year membership in the Kansas Ornithological Society.  Second, low-cost (but high-quality) housing at Konza Prairie Biological Station will be available for students who are traveling from out of town to attend the meeting in Manhattan (see Accommodations below).  Housing will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis to students who register early and and submit an abstract for a presentation.  Last, we will hold a competition for the Best Student Presentations.  Student papers will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges and awards for the Best Student Presentations will be announced at the banquet on Saturday night. 

Call for Abstracts

The Kansas Ornithological Society has a proud tradition of representing amateur ornithologists and professional bird-watchers with interests in birds and ornithological science in the state of Kansas.  In this Call for Abstracts, we request submission of abstracts for the paper sessions on Saturday morning and afternoon.  Presentations on topics of both technical and general interest are welcome.  Paper sessions will be held in Room 120 of Ackert Hall, a classroom equipped with a range of multimedia equipment.  Equipment available for presentations include a computer projector for Powerpoint presentations (USB memory stick, CD, or DVD), a  VHS tape player, an Elmo projector for projection of printed photographs and other opaque media, and a traditional slide projector for 35 mm slides.  Regular time slots will be 15 minutes and speakers should plan on a 10-12 minute presentation and 3-5 minutes for questions. 

To submit an abstract:  Please prepare your abstract using the format of the example below.  Include the title of the presentation, the list of authors (use an asterix * to indicate the speaker), the institutional affiliation of the authors (if applicable), and a brief abstract of up to 250 words.  Abstracts will be printed in the KOS meeting program.  When you submit the abstract, please provide five additional pieces of information: i) the multimedia equipment that you will need, ii) whether you would prefer a shorter time slot, iii) whether you are eligible and would like to be considered for a student presentation award, iv) stage of program (undergrad, MSc, or PhD) if you are eligible for a student presentation award, and v) whether you want to take advantage of low-cost student housing at Konza Prairie.  Send abstracts by e-mail to Brett K. Sandercock at bsanderc@ksu.edu, either in the body of an e-mail message, or as an e-mail attachment in a Word (DOC), Wordperfect (WPD), or Rich Text Format (RTF) file.  In the subject line of the e-mail, please mention the meeting and give your surname: "KOS 2007: Wildcat".  The deadline for submission of abstracts for the scientific program will be Friday, September 21, 2007. 

Registration

To register for the Fall 2007 meeting:  To register for the Fall 2007 meeting of the Kansas Ornithological Society, please download and complete a Registration Form.  Registration Forms are available as a Microsoft Word file (reg.doc) or as an Acrobat Reader file (reg.pdf).  Send completed registration forms and payment by regular mail to Brett K. Sandercock, KOS Organizer, Division of Biology, 116 Ackert Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506.  The deadline for receipt of registration forms and payment for the Fall 2007 meeting will be Friday, September 21, 2007.  Cost of attending events at the meeting will be: $10 for registration fees, $23 for each banquet ticket, and $9 for box lunch from Panera Breads for Sunday field trips.  Please register early if you know you are going to attend the meeting, it will be helpful in planning numbers for the different events.  Late registrations will be accepted after the deadline and at the meeting, but we cannot guarantee that space will be available to include you at the banquet or on the field trips on Sunday.

Birdwatcher's Hour:  After lunch on Saturday, Birdwatcher's Hour will be an opportunity to share your best images of birds.  Here is your chance to present photos from a recent trip abroad, digi-scoping of rarities in Kansas or elsewhere, or even just interesting observations from the bird feeder in your backyard.  The same multimedia equipment used for the paper sessions (see above) will be available for Birdwatcher's Hour.  If you would like assistance in assembling a presentation, please attach a short note of explanation when you submit your registration form. 

Call for Nominations - Best Bird of the Year:  What are the best records of birds that have been sighted in Kansas over the past year?  Check your field notes and consider submitting a nomination for the "Best Bird of the Year".  To be eligible, records must be of birds that were sighted in the state of Kansas sometime during the period between October 1, 2006 and October 1, 2007.  Please send your nominations by e-mail to Max Thompson at maxt@cox.net, with brief details of the species of bird observed, the observer, location, and date.  If your sighting is a rarity for Kansas, the Kansas Bird Records Committee of the Kansas Ornithological Society would also be glad to receive information on your report. 

Call for Donations - Silent Auction:  Members are encouraged to bring items to donate for the Silent Auction. Items that have been donated in past years have included: bags for field guides, binocular accessories, books on birds, prints and illustrations, calendars, bird houses and feeders, and arts and crafts.  Items will be available for view and bidding during the meeting on Saturday.  Sign up sheets for bids will accompany all items and bidding will be open until 5:00 pm on Saturday afternoon.  All proceeds from the Silent Auction will go to the Student Research Fund of the Kansas Ornithological Society.

Meeting Program

Banquet

Banquet:  The banquet for the Fall 2007 meeting will be held in the Main and West Ballroom of the Student Union Building of Kansas State University.  The meal will be served buffet style, and dinner will include sliced beef, vegetarian lasagna, side dishes, salads, beverages, and dessert.  Highlights of the Banquet will include reports on the Best Birds of the Year, Resolutions, Student Awards and a presentation by Keynote Speaker Alvaro Jaramillo.
Alvaro Jaramillo - Birding in Chile: The Other West Coast
	Keynote Speaker:  The speaker at the banquet on Saturday night will be Alvaro Jaramillo who will give a presentation on birding experiences in California and Chile.  Alvaro was born in Chile, grew up birding in Toronto, Ontario, and now lives in Half Moon Bay, California with his wife and children.  Alvaro studied ecology and evolution at the University of Toronto and Simon Fraser University in Canada, earning a Master's degree studying co-evolution among cowbirds in Argentina.  Research forays and backpacking trips introduced Alvaro to the natural history of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively.  He has published a Field Guide to the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile's birds.  His previous book, New World Blackbirds: the Icterids, describes the biology and identification of a fascinating group of birds found only in the Western Hemisphere.  Alvaro has served on the American Ornithologists' Union checklist committee for South America, and the state checklist committee for California.  He has written popular and scientific articles for various publications, contributed a chapter on icterids to The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, and co-edited a translation of A Neotropical Companion for Birder's Exchange. Alvaro is a naturalist who is keenly interested in all aspects of the natural world and has great fun as a professional field guide who leads birding tours throughout the Americas for Field Guides, Inc.

Field Trips

Accommodations

Camping
Tuttle Creek State Park ($5-10), Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Manhattan - (785) 539-7941.

Low-cost Housing for Students
A limited number of low cost rooms ($12-$18 double occupancy, konzafee.pdf) will available in the Hulbert Center and two Guest Cottages at Konza Prairie Biological Station for the nights of September 28-29.  Housing will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis for up to 20 students and postdocs who register early and and submit an abstract for a presentation.  Other participants are welcome to express interest in case space is available, but priority will be given to students with limited resources who will be traveling from out of town to attend the meeting in Manhattan.  The Hulbert Center is a heated and air-conditioned dormitory facility with shared bathroom, kitchen, and telephone; guests are requested to provide their own towels and bedding.  The two Guest Cottages are 2-bedroom heated and air-conditioned cottages with living room, bath, kitchen, laundry facilities, and telephone; towels and bedding are available with agreement to launder them prior to departure, or guests may bring their own.  All facilities have access to on-site computers/internet connections.  Contact Brett K. Sandercock at bsanderc@ksu.edu for more information.

Motels
Comfort Inn ($80), 150 E. Poyntz Ave, Manhattan - (785) 770-8000.
EconoLodge ($65), 1501 Tuttle Creek Blvd, Manhattan -
Fairfield Inn (check availability), 300 Colorado St, Manhattan - (785) 539-2400.
Super 8 ($125), 200 Tuttle Creek Blvd, Manhattan - (785) 537-8468.
Holiday Inn (check availability), 530 Richards Dr., Manhattan - (785) 539-5311.

Bed and Breakfasts
Guest Haus Bed and Breakfast ($75), 1724 Sheffield Cir, Manhattan - (785) 776-6543.
Morning Star Bed and Breakfast ($90-180), 617 Houston Ave, Manhattan - (785) 587-9703.
Shortridge House Bed and Breakfast ($95-120), 52 Pierre St, Manhattan - (785) 565-0086.
Scenic Valley Inn Bed and Breakfast ($150), 610 South Scenic Dr, Manhattan - (785) 776-6831.

Notice 
Accommodation options are only a partial listing of hotels and motels in Manhattan, Kansas.  For more information on accommodations and other activities, please visit websites for the Manhattan Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Manhattan Restaurants, Kansas Flint Hills Travel, and the Wamego Convention and Visitor's Bureau.  Listings are provided for the convenience of visitors only and no endorsement is intended by the meeting organizers or the Kansas Ornithological Society.  Please note that there is no home game scheduled for the K-State football team in Manhattan on the weekend of Sept 28-30, but the fall is often a busy time for visitors so we recommend that you book your accommodations early.

Maps

Manhattan, Kansas is located in northeast Kansas, about two hours drive west of Kansas City.  You can calculate mileage between your home town in Kansas and Manhattan, Kansas with the mileage calculator of the Kansas Department of Transportation, or obtain driving instructions from Mapquest (use a destination of 1800 Claflin Road and a zip code of 66502 for the intersection adjacent to Ackert Hall).  The Fall 2007 meeting of KOS will be held in Ackert Hall on the northwest corner of the Kansas State University campus.  Directions and maps for Manhattan, Kansas, the campus of Kansas State University and Ackert Hall are listed below.

Directions for Manhattan, Kansas To reach Manhattan from western destinations, come east on I-70, take the Exit 303 for Highway 18 past Ogden and the Manhattan airport.  To reach Manhattan from eastern destinations, come west on I-70, take Exit 313 for Hwy 177 north.
Directions for K-State Kansas State University is centrally located in Manhattan, Kansas.  To reach Ackert Hall from Fort Riley Blvd on the south side of town, turn north on 17th Avenue, and drive until you reach the south end of campus and can see the Student Union Bldg.  Turn left on Anderson Ave, travel one block west, turn right on Denison, and travel ~3 blocks north.  Ackert Hall is at the intersection of Denison Rd and Claflin Ave.
Directions for Ackert Hall Ackert Hall is on the northwest corner of campus.  At the intersection of Denison Rd and Claflin Ave, Ackert Hall is on the southeast corner.  The reception on Friday night in Chalmers is the small wing attached to the east side of Ackert Hall. Parking adjacent to Ackert Hall is available in the lot immediately south of Ackert.  There is no charge for parking in this lot after 5 pm on Friday or on the weekend.  Please use the regular parking slots only, a K-State parking permit is required for parking in all handicapped and reserved parking slots.

Last Revised: September 26, 2007