You are invited to join fellow NABA members from points near and far at the eighth Biennial NABA Members' Biennial Meeting, to be held June 26-29, 2008 in Kernville, Kern River Valley & Southern Sierra Nevada, California. Beginners and new members are heartily welcome.

BUTTERFLIES SEEN DURING MEETING    PEOPLE AND FIRE IMAGES

MEETING REGISTRATION
MEETING ACCOMMODATIONS
FIELD TRIPS REGISTRATION (please register for meeting first)
MEALS REGISTRATION (please register for meeting first)
ORDER T-SHIRTS
BUTTERFLY CHECKLIST
TRIP PLANNING
MEETING SCHEDULE
GENERAL INFORMATION
SUPPORT & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MEETING UPDATES THROUGH 3/1/2008

LOCATION
The site of this year's Members' Meeting is California's Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada, an area recognized as one of the premier natural areas in the United States. Within a fifty mile diameter circle centered northeast of Kernville, are found the Chimney Peak National Backcountry Byway, Giant Sequoia National Monument, Greenhorn Mountains, Kern Plateau, Sequoia National Forest, South Fork Valley, and Upper Kern River Canyon where 120+ butterfly species are known to have flown in late June.

The Great Basin, Mojave Desert, and Sierra Nevada meet here resulting in a staggering number of distinct habitats in close proximity to each other: chaparral, cliffs and rocky hillsides, dry and wet mountain meadows, Giant Sequoia groves, grasslands and pastures, Joshua tree woodland, marshes, mixed conifer and fir forest, pinyon pine and juniper woodland, and riparian woodland made up variously of alders, ashes, cottonwoods, sycamores, and willows. There is excellent access to Audubon-California, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Game, Kern County, and Sequoia National Forest lands.

ACTIVITIES
All-day field trips to major areas in the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada will highlight each day. Late afternoon and evening meeting events will feature a combination of dinners, evening programs, and workshops covering gardening, identification, photography, and other topics. In addition, there will be a book signing, an auction, a raffle, and more.

Thursday evening will be highlighted by Fred Heath's evening presentation on Butterflies of the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada and Friday evening will feature Alison Sheehey's after dinner presentation Big Picture in a Small Frame: The Natural History of Kern County and the Southern Sierra Nevada.

Pre-meeting activities include the North Fork Kern River Valley Butterfly Count on June 25 and a field trip to Mt. Pinos on June 26. Post-meeting activities include the Giant Sequoia National Monument Butterfly Count on June 30, and daily birding trips July 1-3. All of these activities are included in the registration cost.

ATTRACTIONS
Butterflies: Among those endemic or near endemic butterflies to Califorrnia which have flown in the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada in late June are Gray Marble, Great Copper, Gorgon Copper, Golden Hairstreak, Gold-hunter's Hairstreak, Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak, San Emigdio Blue, Lupine Blue, Veined Blue, 'Sierra' Arctic Blue, 'Behr's' Mormon Metalmark, Alkali Skipper, and Rural Skipper. Colorful butterfly possibilities which will no doubt attract NABA 08 Biennial Meeting participants' attention include Clodius Parnassian, Anise, Indra, Western Tiger, and Pale Swallowtails, Zerene, Callippe, Great Basin, Hydaspe and Pacific Fritillary, Arachne, Northern, Variable, and Edith's Checkerspots, West Coast Lady, California Tortoiseshell, Lorquin's Admiral, and California Sister. For a complete list, see the printable Late June Kern River Valley/Southern Sierra Nevada Butterflies Checklist featuring early and late dates from Butterflies of Kern and Tulare Counties by Ken Davenport.

Other Recreational Attractions: In addition to butterflies, the region centered on the Kern River Valley hosts an incredible 200+ nesting bird species (within a twenty-five mile radius!), 2000+ plant species (a third of California's flora), and the highest mammal diversity in the United States (115 species)! The South Fork Kern River Valley was one of the first ten areas in the U.S. to be designated a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy under the auspices of BirdLife International. The Sequoia National Forest Globally Important Bird Area and meadows in the Sierra Meadows Globally Important Bird Area are located here, too.

The Kern River Valley is known as one of the premier outdoor recreation areas in the United States. Kayak world championships and Olympic trials have been held here. World class activities recognized here include birding, fishing (blue ribbon trout fishery), hiking, mountain biking, rafting, and rock climbing. Camping, horseback riding, and windsurfing are some of the other of more than one hundred quality outdoor recreation activities present.

Audubon-California's Kern River Preserve, California Department of Fish and Game's Canebrake Ecological Reserve, a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail (Mexico to Canada), the Trail of 100 Giants in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, and numerous nature nooks and crannies are wonderful places to visit and enjoy.

Cultural Attractions: The Kern River Valley is home to cowboys and Native Americans. The California Department of Fish and Game's Kern River Fish Hatchery, Kern Valley Historical Museum, and Nuui Cunni Native American Cultural Center are among the attractions. Kernville itself is an attraction with its western-themed architecture and the North Fork Kern River running through it. A town of two thousand residents set at 2700' in the Upper Kern River Canyon below 7000' high mountains, Kernville is a stunningly scenic location for a NABA biennial meeting.

Bottom Line: Kernville is not only a great place to host the NABA 08 Biennial Meeting, it is also a great place for non-butterflying family members as well.

For any questions about the meeting, registration or area attractions, contact Bob Barnes at E-mail: bbarnes@lightspeed.net or Phone: 760-382-1260.