It is official! We have set a date for the 2022 Ohio Odonata Society Statewide Conference! See below for details.
What: The Ohio Dragonfly Conference
When: Saturday, June 25th Mark your calendars now so you don’t double book that weekend!
Where: Education Building at Possum Creek MetroPark in Dayton, Ohio
Why: Join us for our long delayed “annual” meeting to hang out with other engaged naturalists. You can attend presentations on dragonfly and damselfly identification, ecology, using iNaturalist, and so much more! Oh, and there is a field trip portion on Saturday afternoon so you can apply your new skills and see some cool Ohio flora and fauna. This is a conference for beginners and advanced alike, with field trips to areas with cool odes (and birds, and leps, and bees).
Activities include:
- Expert guided field trips
- Identification presentations
- Business meeting for the Ohio Odonata Society
- A chance to rub elbows with like minded naturalists in a new area
A few key things to note related to Covid precautions:
1. We plan to keep as much of the conference outdoors as possible. We have limited the number of presentations to maximize the amount of time spent outside.
2. We selected a venue that has several large double doors and large windows that we plan to keep open for the duration to maximize air flow while people are in the building.
3. We opted to have the conference at the end of June which coincides with the lowest case count in 2021, so hopefully this year will follow a similar trend of decreased cases in the state.
4. We cut our normally 3 day conference down to a single day to reduce the overall contact time.
5. Conference size will be capped at 50 attendees.
6. Meals are on your own, so no group gatherings around food. Packing a lunch will reduce chances of getting covid while visiting a restaurant.
7. We ask that you please bring a mask to wear indoors, but again, most of the time will be spent outdoors and there will hopefully be only a handful of active cases in the state by then.
Tentative schedule:
Saturday June 25th:
You can select to go to a field trip on Saturday. You are not required to go out in the field (or attend presentations), but we recommend both to get the optimal experience.
Field guides: Below are a list of verified trip guides, with more being added once we get their bios.
- Jim Lemon – Ohio Odonata Society Database admin with a Master’s of Science in Entomology from The Ohio State University and a previous President of the Ohio Odonata Society. Although retired from OSU, he stays busy as a Volunteer Naturalist in West Central Ohio; Co-Chair, Urbana Tree Commission.
- Dave McShaffrey – Biology professor at Marietta College, co-director of the Institute of Arthropod Research, and manager of the Barbara A. Beiser Field station. He has BS and MS degrees in Aquatic Biology from the University of Akron and a PhD in Entomology from Purdue. His research includes water pollution biology, biogeography of Chironomids and Odonata, functional morphology of aquatic invertebrates, and forensic entomology. He co-edited The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ohio and co-authored the Ohio Division of Wildlife booklet on Odonata. His photographs have appeared in numerous field guides and textbooks.
- Bob Restifo – Retired from the Ohio Department of Health as an entomologist and treasurer for the Ohio Odonata Society
- Elisabeth Rothschild – Elisabeth is a well rounded naturalist, largely active in the Lepidopteran community. She has documented many butterflies and moths across Ohio and regularly participates in the butterfly monitoring events. Elisabeth resides in the Dayton area and is familiar with the unique flora and fauna of the fen habitats.
- Bob Glotzhober – Retiree from the Ohio Historical Society after 33 years. Bob led the 1991-1999 state-wide survey of dragonflies and damselflies, and co-edited of The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ohio. He was also a high school Biology teacher, naturalist for the National Wildlife Federation and Michigan Audubon Society, and served on the Federal Recovery Team for the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly. In 2008 Bob was awarded the Wildlife Diversity Conservation Award by the Ohio Division of Wildlife for his work with dragonflies and damselflies in Ohio.
- Chelsea Gottfried – Chelsea Gottfried works for the Crawford Park District as a naturalist and nature-based preschool teacher. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, studying Early Childhood Education, Biology, and Psychology but has since realized a growing obsession with nature and macrophotography. She is particularly passionate about insects and native plants and has volunteered for Ohio’s Dragonfly and Bee Surveys.
- Kyle Bailey – Kyle is a life long resident of Ohio and currently serves as a Naturalist and as the Natural Resource Manager for the Crawford Park District. He received his B.A. degree in Biology from Kenyon College in 2013. He currently serves as the Vice President of the Ohio Odonata Society and as a board member for the Ohio Wetland Association. He has nearly a decade of experience in natural resource management and in outdoor natural history education. He previously has worked for the Richland County Park District and Saguaro National Park in resource management, which has led to a deep-rooted passion for conservation. His fields of interests include birding, odes, and leps.
- MaLisa Spring – President of the Ohio Odonata Society. MaLisa has a Masters of Science in Entomology from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Marietta College. Past experience includes bee richness and floral use, ladybeetle diversity, among others.
- Sarah White – As a longtime contributor of Odonata records to iNaturalist, Sarah has documented 98 species of dragonflies in Ohio, largely in the Dayton area. Sarah is adept at locating cool clubtails along with a plethora of other interesting dragonflies. Her passion for Odonata has led her to have several interesting records. She also holds the 2022 record for earliest record of an adult green darner, which she spotted March 6th at Grant park!
- More to be added. If you are willing or want to guide, please contact MaLisa Spring at spring.99@osu.edu
Field trip sites: You will start at one main site and then your guide is welcome to pick a second site
Odonata notes from Jim Lemon: ” Taylorsville has seeps that have supported Seepage Dancer, Paiute Dancer, Eastern Red Damsel. Proximity to Great Miami River means Clubtails: Cobra, Midland, Handsome, and Dragonhunter all possible. Carriage Hill has several lakes and ponds with the usual big populations of Skimmers and Damsels. Oakes Quarry is also good for Skimmers, Saddlebags, and Gliders. Phanogomphus sp possible across the area.”
Odonata Notes for Koogler from Sarah White: “Fawn Darner, Cyrano Darner, Black-shouldered Spinyleg, and Great Blue Skimmer are possibilities. All are kind of hit and miss.
Odonata Notes for Koogler from Sarah White: “Fawn Darner, Cyrano Darner, Black-shouldered Spinyleg, and Great Blue Skimmer are possibilities. All are kind of hit and miss.
Morning field trip: For those who would prefer to spend the entire conference outside, we will have a morning field trip option in exchange of the morning presentations. Location and guide for morning field trip TBD.
Potential dragonfly and damselfly species will vary based on your chosen field site, but some we might expect are:
- Pond Damselflies (Family Coeniagrionidae): Azure Bluet (Enallagma aspersum), Double-striped Bluet (Enallagma basidens), Eastern Red Damsel (Amphiagrion saucium), Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita), Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum), Skimming Bluet (Enallagma geminatum), Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans), Violet Dancer (Argia fumipennis)
- Broadwing damselflies (Family Calopterygidae): American Rubyspots (Heterina americana), Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)
- Spreadwing damselflies (Family Lestidae): Spotted Spreadwing (Lestes congener), Swamp Spreadwing (Lestes vigilax), Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus)
- Clubtails (Family Gomphidae): Midland clubtail (Gomphurus fraternus), Unicorn Clubtail (Ariogomphus villosipes), Cobra Clubtail (Gomphus vastus), Rapids Clubtail (Phanogomphus quadricolor), Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus)
- Cruisers (Family Macromiidae): Swift River Cruiser (Macromia illinoiensis)
- Emeralds (Family Corduliidae): Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura), Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps)
- Darners (Family Aeshnidae): Comet Darner (Anax longipes), Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata), Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros), Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa)
- Petaltails (Family Petaluridae): Grey Petaltail (Tachopteryx thoreyi)
- Skimmers (Family Libellulidae): Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina), Spot Winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea), Twelve Spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella), Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens), Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa), many others
Housing and food:
Both housing and food are on your own. Since we are hosting the conference in Dayton this year, there are plethora of options for both.
Registration cost:
$5 for student, $20 for regular attendance – meals and housing are separate.
Treasurer needed!
The Ohio Odonata Society needs a new treasurer! Bob Restifo is officially retiring from his treasurer position that he has held for 2 decades. If you would like the Ohio Odonata Society to continue to exist, please consider stepping up as a new treasurer. This topic will be discussed at the society business meeting at the conference, but feel free to reach out to us beforehand if you think you would like to take up the role. We will also be recruiting a new member-at-large position, but the treasurer position is more important.
We have a registration cap of 50 attendees. Please register and share with your friends! We would love to have new enthusiasts join us for presentations and field fun!