71st Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society
Billings, Montana, July 19 - 23, 2023
THANKS EVERYONE FOR A GREAT MEETING! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT CORNELL!
THE FULL PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE HERE: 2023 LepSoc Billings Program
Please join us for the 71st Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society as we gather in Billings, Montana and enjoy the wide-open spaces of the American West. The meeting will be held from Wednesday, July 19th to Sunday, July 23rd and will be hosted by the Lepidopterists’ Society, the Northern Rockies Research and Education Services (NRRES, Lolo, MT), and the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity (Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO). The area provides an outstanding array of scenery, western history, and opportunities for exploring a diverse flora and fauna while set in a modern city, rich in industry and innovation. Billings, the largest city in Montana, is nestled between ancient marine cliffs (the Rimrocks) to the north and the Yellowstone River (North America’s longest, free-flowing river), to the south. Residents consider Billings "Montana’s Trailhead," as recreational opportunities abound in nearby ranges, including the Beartooth Mountains, which boast a 10,000 foot high alpine plateau, and the older, unglaciated Pryor Mountains to the South.
Field trips will include both collecting and observing, which will feature both daytime and night collecting trips to the Beartooth and Hell-Roaring Plateaus, riparian sites along the Yellowstone River, and to the southern flanks of the Pryor Mountains with its impressive ecological richness and unique high-desert habitats. The region also hosts areas of badlands to the north of Billings and myriad public lands accessed via National Forest, State, and Bureau of Land Management properties.
The meetings and lodging will be held in the historic Northern Hotel located in downtown Billings and less than two miles from the Billings International Airport. Shuttle services are available from the airport. There are many other lodging opportunities across the city as well as camping areas in nearby towns.
The Executive Council meeting will be held Wednesday morning (July 19). The welcome reception will be at the Northern Hotel Wednesday evening. The scientific program (talks and posters) will be scheduled for Thursday (July 20) and Friday (July 21), with Saturday morning available if needed. The annual BBQ will be held at a location just outside of town with an organized moth collecting/observing opportunity to follow the catered meal. The banquet will be held Saturday night at the Northern, again followed by an organized nighttime collecting trip after the meal. Dark skies come late (>10pm) this far north and collecting sites are always nearby and accessible.
The organizing committee consists of Mat Seidensticker and Marian Lyman with NRRES, and Chuck Harp and Todd Gilligan with Colorado State University. For more information, please email meeting@lepsoc.org. We look forward to seeing you in Montana!