MDS Annual Meeting & Gathering 2023

Join the Minnesota Dragonfly Society on Saturday, January 28th for our first-ever *hybrid* Annual Meeting & Gathering!  You have two options to join:

1. In-person: go to the farm entrance of Dodge Nature Center (1701 Charlton Street in West St. Paul), park in the lot, then walk up the paved trail to the white building on the right, & enter on the right side of the building near the clear garage doors.
2. Virtually on Zoom: register here.  After registering, you will receive an email with a separate link that can be used to join the meeting.  Registration is required to join us on Zoom.

In-person guests can enjoy socializing, presentations, activities, food, & the chance to support MDS through our silent auction & merchandise purchases.  (Last chance to buy the current t-shirt design before it's retired; limited sizes and colors available!)

If all goes as planned (cross your tarsi!), registered Zoom guests can watch the presentations, socializing, & odonata art gallery slideshow, & can send questions for our speakers through Zoom's chat feature. 

Agenda*:

• 12:00-12:30  Food/mingling
• 12:30-1:00  Business meeting
• 1:00-1:40  Virtual Presenter: Steve Valley, “The Art and Science of Dragonfly Photography”
• 1:40-2:00  Break and silent auction
• 2:00-2:30  Live Presenters: Kerrie Schaefer and Lily Erickson, Augsburg students studying odonates
• 2:30- 2:45  Break/ close out auction
• 2:45-3:30  Live Presenter: Ron Lawrenz, dragonfly research year-in-review
• 3:30-4:00  Final comments, mingling, and auction cash-out  

*This is an informal gathering; agenda times are approximate.

As always, this gathering is free, but donations are always appreciated.  If you would like to donate items for our silent auction or contribute artwork to our odonata art gallery, please email info@mndragonfly.org before the end of the day on Wednesday, January 18th. 

Whether you join us in-person or on Zoom, we look forward to seeing you!   And if you can't join us this time, we hope to see you at a future event or out in the field.  Happy new year! 

MDS Annual Meeting & Gathering 2022

Join the Minnesota Dragonfly Society on January 29th at noon (CST) for the 2022 edition of the MDS Annual Meeting and Gathering (virtually, of course)!  Enjoy presentations (see details below), view our odonata art submissions, and test your odonate knowledge with our dragonfly and damselfly-themed trivia. Come laugh, socialize, learn, and be part of our community. Registration is required (see link below). After registering, you will receive an email with a separate link that can be used to join the meeting. 

Zoom Meeting Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/.../tZEsc...

Agenda:

12:00-12:10  Welcome and Introduction

12:10-12:40  Business meeting (election of board, treasurer’s report, committee updates)

12:40-1:20  Keynote speech Dr. Melissa Sanchez Herrera (with Q&A)

1:20-1:30 Break (art show entries slideshow)

1:30-2:00  Bill Mauffray speech (with Q&A)

2:00-2:10 Break (art show entries slideshow)

2:10-3:00 Trivia

3:00 End Meeting

We look forward to seeing you!

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Dragonfly Art Show

Our second virtual annual meeting wouldn't be complete without our second dragonfly art submission and contest!  Create your own dragonfly- or damselfly-inspired artwork and submit it to our (virtual) show.  Express yourself in any medium you prefer; whether it be a drawing, painting, poem, or even interpretive dance!  All ages and skill levels are welcome to submit art.  There will also be a contest for ages 3-20, with the chance to win an aerial net or Dragonflies of the Northwoods ID book.  Submissions will be shared during the annual meeting and on the MDS Facebook group.  All dragonfly artwork must be submitted before the end of the day on Wednesday, January 20th.

Submissions can be made at: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfollkg1Y9.../viewform...

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2022 Meeting Presenters

In line with the Odolympics this year that encouraged folks from North, Central, and South America to survey dragonflies and damselflies throughout the Americas, our two main speakers for our 2022 Annual Meeting are focusing on work outside of Minnesota.  

Dr. Melissa Sanchez is the President of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas and will speak about the damselflies of Colombia.

Dr. Bill Mauffray is the Managing Director of the International Odonata Research Institute and will speak about the odonata collection in Gainsville, Florida.

A big thanks to Drs. Sanchez and Mauffray for being willing to speak with us!