The Midwest Herpetological Symposium

The 2008 Midwest Herpetological Symposium will be hosted by the Michigan Society of Herpetology. It will take place November 7-9, 2008 at the Radisson Hotel Detroit-Livonia, MI. More information as well as the registration form is available under the link below. There is a discount for early registrations before January 1, 2008 ($55 instead of $65)!

Click here for more information about the 2008 Symposium (Michigan Society of Herpetology Site)

Speakers for the 2008 Symposium include:
Andy Snyder (curator at the Fresno Zoo, formerly of the Detroit Zoo),
Rick Hudson (Fort Worth Zoo and Turtle Survival Alliance),
Vincent Russo (owner of Cutting Edge Herpetological, author of two new books on Boa constrictors),
Yu Man Lee (Michigan Natural Features Inventory),
Chris Tabaka (Reptile Veterinarian and Tortoise expert) and
John Binns (International Reptile Conservation Foundation (IRCF)).

Click here to see pictures from the 2005 Midwest Herpetological Symposium in Minneapolis

Who should attend?

This is the annual weekend event for anyone interested in amphibians and reptiles, from beginner to scholar. Attendance provides a fantastic opportunity to meet LOTS of new people who share your interest from all over the U.S. (and even other countries). The atmosphere is relaxed and the fun soon becomes contagious. The weekend will fly by before you know it. Be aware, however-sleep may be in short supply-conversations have been known to go all night!

When?

The symposium is scheduled to occur one weekend around the middle of October each year. Locations are agreed upon when representatives from each society meet at the end of the current symposium. At this point, the next three years are scheduled as well. Many societies have hosted this event (see list), each putting their own touch to the weekend event. Interested societies continue to join the rotation taking the attendees to new places.

What is it?

Each symposium has a variety of events throughout the days. However, the main focus of every symposium has been its educational aspect, fulfilled by providing a wide array of speakers and topics. Typically, the festivities begin Friday night with an Icebreaker along with a show or swap. This provides a great opportunity to visit with old friends and to make new acquaintances. Saturday morning begins with lecture style illustrated talks-in a range from six to ten speakers. These presentations are a mix of local, regional and international names, with just as diverse a subject matter, most everyone finding topics to their interest whether that is Komodo Dragon natural history or gecko husbandry. A short break after the last speaker is followed by the banquet where more time is available for socializing. The keynote speaker launches into their topic after the crowd is satiated. Next, the hosting society holds an auction of many donated items from vendors, societies, manufacturers and other donors. From this auction, the hosting society will make some profit for all their efforts. The monies generated here are used to bolster society funds (as many have little other incoming money), to provide for special projects or are dispersed in the form of grants. Many different types of activities have been planned for Sunday such as workshops, zoo tours, herp medical lectures, and herp sales.

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

What else do I need to know?

The fees to attend are reasonable at around $50 to $60 for the weekend, this includes an early registration discount. The banquet is a separate fee, but is not required-as it only covers the food for dinner-the rest of the events (including the keynote speaker) are covered in the registration fee. The hotel fees are extra, and vary by location. Host societies usually provide an insert for the MHS newsletter to help get the word out to any interested people. This gives the potential attendee a chance to review the cost, location and speaker list. It contains all the registration information you need to get on your way. The hosting society allows for travelers coming in by car or plane. Car-pooling with other MHS members is a great ways to make the traveling and expenses easier to take. For the others in your family that may not share you interest, the hotels usually have near-by activities for them as well. Most hotels have a pool-great for the kids.

History

The first Midwest Herpetological Symposium was held on October 5, 1985 at the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota. The President of MHS, Fran Frisch, thought the Midwest needed a symposium like other areas of the United States currently had. In less then one year, a small group of MHS volunteers succeeded in creating this one-day seminar! The attendance was a strong 85 people, mostly from Minnesota. The banquet was held at the Minnesota Zoological Gardens and included a tour of the new (at the time) zoo. Similar to the second Midwest MHS hosted in 1990, the symposium was held in conjunction with the regular Friday night meetings. After the success of the first Midwest, MHS encouraged other regional societies to adopt the format and host their own symposium. Indeed, each year following the first only served to increase interest and expand on the original concept. By far the biggest year to date was in 1997, once again hosted by Minnesota (our 3rd). Registrations were turned away due to capacity at almost 250 people, the max allowable at the hotel! Recent average attendance has been around 150 people. In 1997, our keynote speaker Dr. Peter Pritchard, was fittingly, the headliner just as in 1985. The members of MHS should be proud. For every year, we have consistently had the largest attendance excluding the hosting society! We are well known for our dedicated 'groupies' who are always there and in such large numbers. Even at the farthest away locations we have a contingency of about 25 members attending-it just gets larger as you get closer to Minnesota. It is indeed our largest continuing and best-regarded contribution to herpetology and herpetoculture in the Midwest!

Click here to go to the Midwest Herpetological Symposium website

Click here to see where the Midwest Herpetological Symposium has been held in previous years

If interested in volunteering to help at the next MHS Midwest, please contact the President.

A Calling Canadian Toad (Bufo hemiophrys)

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