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Upcoming Meeting
2025 MOS FALL MEETING
October 17–19
Starkville, MS
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED!
The Fall 2025 MOS Meeting will be in Starkville, Mississippi and the surrounding area, October 17–19, with special guest speaker Dr. Murry Burgess of Mississippi State University. Dr. Burgess is an ornithologist, author, and advocate for biologists and researchers from historically excluded groups.
Among the highly biodiverse landscapes of the regional Black Belt Prairie and Flatwoods, a field trip highlight will be Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, one of the top birding hotspots in Mississippi. Noxubee was the proverbial battleground in local and regional efforts by MOS members and the Oktibbeha Audubon Society to elevate protections and management for the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The grassroots efforts toward informed habitat management for this species were acknowledged in the October 2024 species downlisting, as the late 1970s populations of less than 1,500 clusters have increased over five-fold to 7,800 clusters today, stretching from eastern Texas to southern Virginia.
The Fall 2025 meeting highlights the resiliency of these unparalleled, biodiverse MS landscapes and recognizes the achievements of MOS / Oktibbeha members’ historic collaborative conservation milestones to inform the next generation of conservation leaders. Friday night features a mini-symposium on current ornithological research in Mississippi, and Saturday night’s keynote will highlight Dr. Burgess’ research and advocacy for engaging with non-traditional conservationists in Mississippi, including the announcement of the first Mississippi Beginning Birding Series in collaboration with Dr. Burgess’ Field Inclusive.
In addition to the potential for diverse birds among Noxubee’s swampy lakes, forests, and prairie, other field trip destinations will likely include, but are not limited to: Columbus Lake, Plymouth Bluff Environmental Center, and open-country birding in agricultural areas. Field trip destinations will be fine-tuned based on scouting efforts immediately before the meeting.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We have a block of rooms at the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Starkville at MSU (982 Highway 12 East, Starkville, MS 39759; phone: 662-270-4100). The hotel is holding at least 10 rooms (5 kings and 5 doubles) at a group price of $139 per night, up until 2 weeks before the meeting. (You can reserve either night or both nights Oct. 17 and 18.) Call them to see if any of the rooms in the block are still available.
There are also 10 rooms with King-sized beds reserved for a price of $149 per night at the Holiday Inn Express – Starkville. To reserve a room, attendees must call the front desk of the hotel at 662-324-0076 and ask for a room reserved for the MOS meeting. (MOS is the name under which they are reserved.) The hotel address is 110 B Highway 12 West, Starkville, MS 39759. Attendees will need to reserve a room there no later than Oct 8th. On Oct 9th any unreserved rooms will be released.
SCHEDULE
Friday evening, October 17
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We will send birding tips the week before the meeting, in case you want to head to the area early and get a head-start on your weekend of birding.
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~6:00 – ~7:00 p.m. Informal happy hour & food meet & greet at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux (996 MS-12, Starkville, MS 39759). NOTE: this is next door to the La Quinta Inn. Cost is not included in registration – just show up to hang out; come and go any time. We have reserved a separate room, so let the restaurant staff know that you are with our group.
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~7:00 p.m. Mini-symposium on current ornithological research in Mississippi. Brief presentations by students and early professionals. This will be held at Walk-On’s unless registration exceeds 40 people, in which case we have reserved the auditorium in Thompson Hall Annex at MSU (775 Stone Blvd, Mississippi State, MS 39762).
Saturday, October 18
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Lunch: On your own or with your morning field trip group.
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After lunch: Field trips. Details to be announced.
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6:45–7:45 p.m. Program by Dr. Murry Burgess.
Sunday, October 19
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7:30 a.m. Meet for field trips. Meet-up and field trip location(s) will be discussed and announced on Saturday at the banquet.
COSTS
Lodging
Lodging rates will depend on where you make reservations.
Meals
The Saturday evening banquet dinner cost is included in meeting registration fee (see below).
Meeting Registration
Registration fees are $25/person for students and any 1st-time attendees of an MOS meeting, $50.00/person for non-student MOS members, and $70 for non-members (but you can join MOS before the meeting to receive the member rate). Meeting registration includes the Saturday evening banquet. If you have special dietary restrictions please let us know by email: mcwulff@gmail.com
To register for the meeting, please use the “Pay Now” link at the bottom of this page.
If you wish to register at the MOS member rate, please join MOS or renew your membership here (if you haven’t already in 2025): https://missbird.org/membership-2/
If you have questions about your membership status, please contact Wayne Patterson, Membership Committee Chair, at wrp6@att.net
More information about special guest Dr. Murry Burgess:
“I grew up in the suburbs of MN, FL, TN, and MS with an interest in the wildlife around me. I followed this interest into a B.S. degree in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University. I also earned my Associate Wildlife Biologist® certification from The Wildlife Society. I went on to grad school at North Carolina State University to pursue a Ph.D. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. After completing my dissertation, I became a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University.
My work extends past ornithology and ecology research. I am also an advocate for field safety in the natural sciences as an aspect of accessibility and inclusion. In 2022, I co-founded a nonprofit, Field Inclusive (www.fieldinclusive.org), which amplifies and supports marginalized and historically excluded field biologists. I am also a children’s author with both self-published work and a children’s STEM series with Little, Brown Young Readers.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, birding, photography, video games, and snuggling with my dog, Loki.”
