Goa Meet 2009 : Payment Details

Total meet expenses will be Rs. 3000 from Panjim to Panjim. (Depending on number of participants, we expect it to be less).
Registration Amount: Rs. 2000. (50% refundable in case of cancellation done by 15 Sept. 09. Later on it will be decided depending upon the number of participants).
Please deposit the cheque in any ICICI ATM account in the country.
After deposition of the cheque please mail to me the details of the cheque.
Parag Rangnekar. ICICI bank. Acc. No: 001501008063.

In case of any clarification contact Amol 9820962452 or Parag 9822129811

Program Schedule : Goa 2009

[This is tentative program and may undergo changes in coming few days]

Day 1: 26th September 09 Saturday
- Arrival at Panjim early morning.
- Travel to Bondla and breakfast on the way. It is 55 km, one and half hour from Panjim.
- Room allocation and freshen up
11.00 AM Formal Inauguration, Introduction of participants, tentative program of the meet etc.
12.30 to 13.30 Lunch
13.30 onwards Field visit
19.00 to 21.00 Tea, discussion, slide shows etc.
21.00 Dinner
21.30 - Light trap for moths

Day 2: 27th September 2009 Sunday
Travel to Tambdi Surla. 35 km. from Bondla Field visit for the entire day.
Packed lunch will be taken.
Back to base camp at Bondla Evening freshen up Discussion, slide shows, screening etc
21.00 Dinner
21.30 - Light trap for moths

Day 3 28th September 2009, Monday
Travel to Dudh Sagar via Mollem/Collem 50 km from Bondla
Field visit for the entire day.
Packed lunch will be taken.
Back to base camp at Bondla Evening freshen up Discussion, slide shows, screening etc
21.00 Dinner
21.30 - Light trap for moths

Day 4 29th September 2009, Tuesday
Travel to Netravalli. 90 km from Bondla. The journey will commence in early morning.
Field visit for the entire day.
Packed lunch will be taken.
Back to base camp at Bondla Evening freshen up Discussion, slide shows, screening etc
21.00 Dinner
21.30 - Light trap for moths

Day 5 30th September 2009, Wednesday
Morning field visit at Bondla
Valedictory/ Thanks giving session
Lunch
Disperse
----------------

Invitation : ButterflyIndia Meet 9 : Goa 2009

Dear Friends,

We are happy to inform you that the ButterflyIndia Meet 2009 is being planned from 26th-30th September 2009 in Goa. We are planning to organize it in Bondla WLS. Further details would be available on the group and here soon.

To express interest in the meet please enter your name here

Meet 2009 : Proposals

---

Satyendra Tiwari [kaysat1 @ yahoo . co . in]

Proposed Location : Pachmarhi
State : Madhya Pradesh
Ideal Month / Dates : September Last week or first week of October
Possible Local Organizers : Satyendra K Tiwari
Highlights of the Location : Hill Station in M.P.
Why the location is important ? Because of its altitude and Sal forest we may see different butterflies than North or north east. Although they will never be in that numbers as seen in North east.
Remarks :

---

Amol Patwardhan [power_amol @ yahoo . com]

Proposed Location : Kudremukh
State : Karnataka
Ideal Month / Dates : September- October
Possible Local Organizers : Prof. Mohandas
Highlights of the Location : Tropical Western Ghat forest+ Sholas
Why the location is important ? No Meet has been organised in that region.
Remarks : Mr. Mohandas is inviting for the meet since long.

---

Chakrata Meet 2008 : Photo

Here are the links to the photo sets of the meet

Rudra - Flickr
Pinakin Karve - Picasa
Mihir - Picasa
Satyendra K.Tiwari - Flickr

If you have attended the meet, please send me links.

Chakrata Meet Successful

Chakarata meet was a successful event, from 29th Sep to 3rd Oct. The participants recorded close to 150 species of butterflies in the 5 day event.

I would like to thank all the participants for making it a successful one. Special thanks are due to Pinakin Karve for efficient organization of the meet and Dr. Amol Patwardhan for coordination of the meet.

The checklist of the meet is under preparation and we will be posting it soon, along with the links of some photo albums.

Time to start planning for the Meet 2009 ?

FAQ ButterflyIndia Meet 2008: U

[This document is being updated frequently.]

What is this Meeting / Meet / Workshop / Seminar / Conference is officially called ?

"ButterflyIndia Meet- 2 2008: U" Uttarakhand (September 29, 2008)

How do I Register for the meet ?

Send email to Amol (power_amol@yahoo.com) and cc to Vijay (vijay.barve@gmail.com). For this meet advance payment of INR 2ooo is to be paid to "Tekdi Eco Services Private Limited", Account number: 033805003140 of ICICI, Kothrud Branch, Pune. The deadline for the payment is 15^th September 2008. Please inform to above email after you have paid.

Should I bring Sleeping bag there?

Yes, it is a must. Bring sleeping bag and mattress with you. Basic bedding is required.

Is it expected to Rain there? Should I bring Raincoat / Umbrella?

As the season is in its end monsoon phase so there may be rain may not be. So at least an umbrella and few plastic cover for camera, binox you should bring.


What kind of accommodation will be available?

The stay is made in the hotel Himalayan Paradise at Chakrata.

What is the program schedule like ? Is the talk "blah blah" going to be there? How much time is allocated for outdoor sessions ?

the focus of this meet is to explore the butterfly diversity of the area. So there will be nature trails during major part of the day. There will be discussions at the rooms for identification and related topics. Participants are welcome to share their knowledge through talks.

What kind of food will be available?

Simple Vegetarian food will be there.

How do I reach there?

Details are posted on Yahoo group as well as this blog.

What are the things I should carry along with me ?

1. Sleeping bag & Mattress
2. Light warm clothes
3. Umbrella/ Rain-coat
4. Personal medicines
5. Mosquito repellant cream
6. Torch, Candle & Matchbox
7. Rope & Polythene sheath for rain protection in the field
8. Cap
9. Water bottle
10. Extra battery pack for camera, torch etc.
11. Note book & Pencil
12. Field guide of butterflies

I still have questions

Write to Amol Patwardhan – power_amol@yahoo.com or call 9820962452
Pinakin Karve - pinakin.karve@gmail.com

How to reach Uttarakhand Meet site

Getting to Dehradun

One can get to Dehradun, by 3 routes, road, rail and by air.

By road- Roadways Buses of all types (AC, non AC dlx. Semi dlx and ordinary) run from Kashmiri gate ISBT all the time. Most of the buses run at 10.30 pm from Delhi and reach at 5.00 am to ddn. By bus it’s a 7 hrs journey. One Can reach by own car even in the same time (7hrs.) via Meerut (bypass), Muzaffar nagar (bypass) Roorkee, Mohand.

By Rail-

One can travel by the Dehradun express which starts from Bombay. It’s a 40 hour long journey. Other options are getting to Delhi and traveling by trains like

1. Mussoorie express - (from old Delhi Rly Stn) 10.25 pm from Delhi and reach at 7.00 am to dehradun
2. Jan Shatabdi express (Ac and non Chair car) from New Delhi Rly St. - 3.00 pm from Delhi and reach at 9.30 pm at DDn
3. Nizamuddin A/c Express from Nizamuddin Rly stn start at 11.00 pm from Delhi and reach at 6.00 am at ddn.
4. Shatabdi Express. From New Delhi Rly Sty 6.30 am from Delhi and reach at Dehradun 12.30 noon.
5. Dehradoon Express came from Mumbai (please do not use this as it’s very slow from Delhi to Dehradun)
6. Okha Express came from Okha via Delhi (While coming from Delhi usually the timings are indefinite)

By Air - Doon has a tiny airport called JollyGrant. Its quite far from the main town and is on the Doon- Haridwar road. Not sure of what flights one can take to get here.


More details on where to report for pickup will be announce soon here.

Special thanks to Rekha W and Bhumesh Bharti for information

Chakrata Meet : Registration

The expendeture for the meet is INR 3500, which includes Travel from Deheradun to Deharadun, stay and simple vegitaraian food. Please make advance payment to confirm your participation. Members are requested to deposit INR 2000 to the ICICI account of 'Tekdi Eco services Private Limited' account number 033805003140 at Kothrud Branch, Pune. The last date for the payment is 15 Sept. 2008.

The members who are coming to Dehradun are requested to gather near Main reservation counter by 8.00 AM on 29 Sept.  We will travel together from Dehradun. Chakrata is 2.5-3 hrs journey. Please note that the road to Chakrata is narrow and controlled by Indian Army. So every alternate 2 hrs. only one way traffic is allowed. 

The program of the meet is going to be full of field sessions and interactive sessions on topics related to butterflies like identification, conservation etc. 

Amol Patwardhan

9820962452

Invitation : ButterflyIndia Meet 2008 : Uttarakhand

I am happy to invite you all to "ButterflyIndia Meet 2008". This year the meet is planned at Chakrata, Dehradun in Uttarakhand State (More details on how reach will be posted soon). The meet is scheduled between 29 Sept-3 Oct 2008. This meet will be organised by ButterflyIndia.

Primary objective of this post is to get a number, which will help in better planning. More details on formal registration will be made available in the due course.

The agenda of the meet is going to be full of field sessions and interactive sessions on topics related to butterflies like identification, conservation etc.

Anyone interested in serious butterflying is welcome for this meet. We expect them to be members of ButterflyIndia Yahoogroup.

To express your interest in this meeting please click on the link ( http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ButterflyIndia/database?method=addRecord&tbl=12 ) and enter the detail in the Yahoogroups database (You need to log in using yahoo id), or send an email to
Amol Patwardhan power_amol@yahoo.com.

Regular updates on the meet will be available here.

West Bengal Meet Successful

Dear All

Any how, now for this meet I have a wonderful experience. Though the cancellation and all those monitory hazards are still on my shoulder but butterflies and great company of all the participants are really refreshing.

Thanks to Vijay. You are really the leader. Apart from going through different problem the way you manage to join the meet is really a lesson for all the group members. Salute for your dedication.

We are going to post every details of the meet in our website www.naturemates.org and http://bengalbutterflies.com very soon. So just give us this week to make that thing happen.

Regards to all the participants once again, thanks Amol for your valuable guidance, thanks Pinakin, Rahul, Mihir, David, Kiran, for being there. Thanks Kalluriji, your enthusiasm is an inspiration for all the junior members, your effort is splendid.

A special mention for Mr. Garg, your constant photography yield wonderful result in the end. The great windmill is wonderful. also, after being injured you continue to take photographs!!! you are really a spirited member. we all appreciate your spirit and wish your early recovery.

Thanks Ujjal Da, for you we have managed to reach the 23rd miles area. That was one of the most special visit of this meet. The area is closed for all the tourist, but for us you made the visit possible, and salute to your love for butterflies, hope they will be benefited in the coming days from your efforts.

Now for my fellow members, nothing to say much, without all of you the meet will not be possible. my hearty thanks to all of you.

Udiran needs a special mention, he was the junior most member in the meet, his first one also, but contributed a lot in making the butterfly checklist so rich. Plum Judy is for you only, U

Thanks every body for all your support and positive response.

regards

Arjan Basu Roy

FAQ ButterflyIndia Meet 2008

[This document is being updated frequently.]

What is this Meeting / Meet / Workshop / Seminar / Conference is officially called ?

"ButterflyIndia Meet 2008: NB" North Bengal (March-21st, 2008)

How do I Register for the meet ?

Send email to Arjan(naturemates@gmail.com) and cc to Vijay (vijay.barve@gmail.com)

Should I bring Sleeping bag there?

Yes, it is a must. Bring sleeping bag and mattress with you.

Is it expected to Rain there? Should I bring Raincoat / Umbrella?

As the weather is in its transitional phase so there may be rain may not be. so at least an umbrella and few plastic covers for camera, binox you should bring.


What kind of accommodation will be available?

The stay is going to be in Forest Dormitory and Tents.

What is the program schedule like ? Is the talk "blah blah" going to be there? How much time is allocated for outdoor sessions ?

North Bengal meet schedule is available now. But it may be altered a little according to situation demand.

What kind of food will be available?

Simple Veg and Non veg food will be there.

How do I reach there?

Details are posted on Yahoo group as well as this blog.

What are the things I should carry along with me ?

1. Sleeping bag & Mattress
2. Light warm clothes
3. Umbrella/ Rain-coat
4. Personal medicines
5. Mosquito repellant cream
6. Torch, Candle & Matchbox
7. Rope & Polythene sheath for rain protection in the field
8. Cap
9. Water bottle
10. Extra battery pack for camera, torch etc.
11. Note book & Pencil

I still have questions

Write to Vijay Barve - vijay.barve@gmail.com call 9845080456
For North Bengal Meet call Arjan 09230532706 or Rudraprasad Das – 098305-17019

How to reach North Bengal Meet Site

Note: This is draft document and may undergo many changes over coming weeks.

Where is Jayanti and Samsing?

These are located near Jalpaiguri district of Upper West Bengal.
Nearest Railway Station - New Jalpaiguri and New Alipurduar
Samsing is a 2 hrs drive from NJP and Jayanti an hour drive from New Alipurduar
Nearest Airhead - Kolkata and Baghdogra
From Kolkata NJP is a journey of 15 hrs and new alipurduar 18 hrs.
From Bagdogra NJP is an hour far and Jayanti is a drive of 6 hrs.

How to reach ?

All participants have to report at New Alipurduar @ 11.00 Hrs on 16th March 2008.

New Alipurdaur (NOQ ) is on Kolkata - Guwahati route. Kolkatta team will take Saraighata Express on 15 march 2008 @ 16.00 Hrs. So participants are encouraged to book in the same train for Kolkatta.

As New Alipurduar is not a common place to go from southern or western india, There are very few trains from Mumbai, Bangalore and Trivandram etc. Its better to come to Kolkata by train or air and board train from here. Train to Kolkata are available daily from all the metro cities.

From Kolkata the following trains are available :

2345up Saraighat Express Departure from Howrah daily at 4 p.m and will reach new Alipurduar on the next day morning at 5.00 AM arround

3141up Tistatorsha Express Departure from Sealdah daily at 1.35 p.m and will reach new Alipurduar on the next day morning at 8.00 AM around

5959up Kamrup Express Departure from Howrah daily at 5.35 p.m and will reach new Alipurduar on the next day morning at 10.00 AM arround

For the return journey

Darjeling mail fro New Jalpaigudi (NJP) to Kolkata(HWH) on 21st March 2007.

Train leaving from New Jalpaiguri in the evening and will reach Kolkata by the next day morning. you can avail any connecting train from Kolkata to your home town after 3.00pm on 22nd March safely, or you can fly from Kolkata by some evening flights.

Note

You are welcome to plan other trips (Jaldapara, Gorumara, Buxa, Neora Valley, Singalila, or even Sikkim) outside the schedule of the meet and hence can plan for a longer duration vacation in the North West Bengal.

Invitation : ButterflyIndia Meet 2008

I am happy to invite you all to "ButterflyIndia Meet 2008". This year the meet is planned at Jayanti and Samsing in Northern West Bengal (More details on how reach will be posted soon). The meet is scheduled between 16-21st March 2008. This meet will be organised by ButterflyIndia and Nature Mates, Kolkata.

Primary objective of this post is to get a number, which will help in better planning. More details on formal registration will be made available in the due course.

The agenda of the meet is going to be full of field sessions and interactive sessions on topics related to butterflies like identification, conservation etc.

Anyone interested in serious butterflying is welcome for this meet. We expect them to be members of ButterflyIndia Yahoogroup.

To express your interest in this meeting please click on the link ( http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ButterflyIndia/database?method=addRecord&tbl=12 ) and enter the detail in the Yahoogroups database (You need to log in using yahoo id), or send an email to me .

Regular updates on the meet will be available here.

Location Suggestions for Meet 2008

Sl No	Location	Time Period	Suggested By	Possible Organisers
1	Simlipal, Orissa		Krushnamegh	Manoj Nair
2	Sikkim		Krushnamegh
3	Western Arunachal (Ziro)		Krushnamegh	Arif, NE Butterflies Team
4	Northeastern Chattisgadh		Krushnamegh
5	Kanha-Bandhavgadh		Krushnamegh
6	North Bengal	Feb 2008 end	Arjan	Nature Mates
7	Uttarakhand		Pinakin Karve
8	Top Slip		Dhaval	Dhaval

Eastern Ghats Meet 2007 : Photo

Here are the links to the photo sets of the meet

Rahul Natu - Picasa album
Mihir - Flickr
Rahul Natu - Flickr
Pinakin Karve - Shutterfly
Vijay Barve - Picasa Album
Anoop A A - Flickr
Rudraprasad - Flickr
Subramanyam Kalluri Flickr, Picasa

More to come...

Programme Schedule : EG 2007

Day 1: 16 August 2007

Time	Session	Details	In-charge
7:00 AM	Gathering at Rajahmundry station	Bus available with banner	Mr. Murali/Minhaj
7:30 AM	Depart to Rampachowdavaram	Bus travel	Mr. Murali
10:00 AM	Reach Rampachowdavaram PMRC	Allotment of beds/rooms	Mr. Suri Babu/Aravind
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM	Freshen up/Nature calls	Registrations/payments to be done parallel	Ushodayan
	Breakfast at PMRC		Mr. Suri Babu
11:30 AM to 12:30 PM	Inaugural function	Welcome to the participants
		Mrs. Rana – About Maredumilli	Rehman Mr. Suri Babu (logistics)
		Dr. Tej Kumar – Why meet in Eastern Ghats?
		Mr. Ashok Kumar – Details of BCS
		DFO-Rajahmundry – Wildlife in the area
12:45 PM	BCS Press meet	Dr. Tej Kumar + Mr. Ashok Kumar + Mr. Rehman
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM	Lunch Break	Pending registrations/payments to be done parallel	Mr. Suri Babu
1:30 PM to 2:30 PM	Travel to Kuduru	3 groups made in bus – BLUE – GREEN - RED	Minhaj/Ushodayan
2:30 PM to 5:30 PM	Survey/Study at Kuduru		Rehman/Ushodayan/Minhaj
5:30 PM to 6:30 PM	Depart to Rampachowdavaram		Mr. Murali
6:00 PM	Tea	Brief stop at Maredumilli	Mr. Prabhu
7:30 PM	Compilation of worksheets		Minhaj
8:00 PM	Dinner at PMRC		Mr. Suri Babu
8:30 PM	Presentations/exhibitions	by Butterfly India/BCS members	Rehman

Day 2: 17 August 2007

Time	Session	Details	In-charge
7:00 AM	Breakfast at PMRC		Mr. Suri Babu/Aravind
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM	Travel to Pushpanjali restaurant	4 groups made in bus EGG-CATERPILLAR-PUPA-ADULT	Minhaj/Ushodayan
8:30 AM to 12:30 PM	Survey/Study	EGG - Valamuru CATERPILLAR – Towards Maredumilli PUPA - G.M.Valasa ADULT - Guntada	Rehman/Ushodayan/Minhaj
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM	Lunch Break	Gathering at Pushpanjali restaurant	Mr. Suri Babu
1:30 PM to 5:30 PM	Survey/Study continue...	Same areas but shuffle the groups	Rehman/Ushodayan/Minhaj
5:30 PM	Depart to Maredumilli
6:00 PM	Tea	At Maredumilli Forest guest house	Mr. Prabhu
6:00PM to 7:00PM	Depart to Rampachowdavaram
7:30 PM	Compilation of worksheets		Minhaj
8:00 PM	Dinner at PMRC		Mr. Suri Babu
8:30 PM onwards	Technical sessions	by Butterfly India/BCS members	Rehman

Day 3: 18 August 2007

Time	Session	Details	In-charge
7:00 AM	Breakfast at PMRC		Mr. Suri Babu/Aravind
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM	Travel to Maredumilli	4 groups made in bus EGG-CATERPILLAR-PUPA-ADULT	Minhaj/Ushodayan
8:30 AM to 12:30 PM	Survey/Study	Gedada area	Rehman/Ushodayan/Minhaj
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM	Lunch Break	Gathering at Sunampadu	Mr. Suri Babu
1:30 PM to 3:30 PM	Survey/Study continue...	Same areas but shuffle the groups	Rehman/Ushodayan/Minhaj
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM	Depart to Rampachowdavaram
5:30 PM	Compilation of worksheets		Minhaj
6:30 PM	Return to Rajahmundry	For some participants	Mr. Prabhu
7:00PM to 8:00PM	Tribal dance
8:00 PM	Dinner + Final checklist		Mr. Suri Babu

Day 4: 19 August 2007

Bus to Rajahmundry at 4:30 AM