Meetings
Image description: Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata) from Pratt Co., Kansas. Photo by D. Riedele.
52nd KHS Annual meeting, co-hosted with MWPARC!
MW PARC is joining the Kansas Herpetological Society (KHS) for their meeting from 7 - 9 November 2025!
Meeting Registration
Meeting Program
See below for more details about registration, Friday workshops, hotel information, and more!
Jump to a section:
Registration
Friday Workshops
Keynote Speaker
Awards
Travel Information (hotel, airport)
Tentative Conference Schedule at a Glance
Registration
Register by midnight (PST) on 9 October to receive a discount. Register here!
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Early Student Registration: $20
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Early Regular Registration: $45
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Full Student Registration: $30
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Full Regular Registration: $60
Friday Workshops (hosted by MWPARC)
Workshops take place on Friday, 7 November, from 2 - 5 PM. Student cost is $25 and professional cost is $35. Register for workshops here! You don't have to register for the full weekend meeting to attend a workshop.
Workshop 1: Community outreach project development: How to develop and implement conservation projects in your community.
Led by: Dr. Nicole Palenske Ladner (Department of Natural Sciences, Central College) and Dreux Watermolen (Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources)
Are you interested in learning more about how to educate your community by studying herps in their natural environment? Join our workshop to explore how you can study live animals in both education and community outreach. We will explore Community Citizen Science development and explore ways that you could try to implement projects in your community. Feel free to bring your laptop – though not required. We’ll provide some worksheets on how you could create a project of your own.
Workshop 2: Getting started with ecological niche modeling/species distribution modeling
Led by: Dr. Mona Papes, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee
The development of GIS tools with applications in ecology and evolution has enabled new research avenues. Ecological niche modeling (ENM) used to investigate species’ geographic distributions has generated much interest in the past couple of decades. This workshop will introduce participants to the theoretical aspects of ENM and data inputs in modeling algorithms and will include a demonstration of one modeling algorithm (Maxent). The workshop will close with a discussion about uses and limitations of model outputs (potential distribution maps) to address questions related to species’ ecology, conservation, and biogeography.
Keynote Speaker:
KHS is proud to host Edward Meyers, PhD, California Academy of Sciences for this year's Keynote Address.
Awards:
KHS has numerous awards given at the conference. See their Awards page for more details.
MWPARC will be offering a one-time Brodman Student Travel Grant to help offset the costs of attending the conference for a MWPARC student member. Stay tuned for details!
Travel Information:
Hotel:
The DoubleTree Manhattan by Hilton has set aside a large block of rooms for us at $119/night for Friday and Saturday nights. They have also reserved a smaller block of room for us that will include Thursday night for anyone coming in early to attend MWPARC events.
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To reserve a room for Friday/Saturday nights, click here.
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To reserve a room for Thurs/Fri/Sat nights, click here.
Airport: Manhattan Regional Airport
For anyone needing to fly, Manhattan does have a small airport close by. Flights from Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth arrive a few times daily.
Tentative Conference Schedule at a Glance:
Friday:
10am-noon: MWPARC Task Team Meetings
1-1:45pm: MWPARC Business Meeting
2-5pm: Preconference Workshops
6:30-8pm: Poster Session A. Snacks, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks provided. Cash bar available as well.
8-9:30pm: Friday Night Social. The above consumables will remain available.
Saturday:
8am: Registration Open. Pastries and coffee offered.
9am: Opening Remarks
9:15am-4:30ish pm: Paper talks. Light snacks and beverages. Lunch option available for pre-order.
5pm: Dinner option available for pre-order.
6-7:30pm: Poster Session B. Snacks, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks provided. Cash bar available as well.
7:30pm: KHS Awards Ceremony
8pm-10pm: KHS Live Auction
Sunday:
8am: Registration Open. Pastries and coffee.
9am-noonish: Paper talks. Light snacks and beverages.
Noonish: KHS Business Meeting, Officer Elections, and presentation of final awards.
Shortly thereafter: Close of meeting. Disperse.
Donate to support future awards & efforts here!