It's time to register for the 52nd annual Southern Forest Insect Work Conference, 28-31 July 2009, Courtyard by Marriott Gulfport Beachfront, in Gulfport, Mississippi USA! The 2009 SFIWC registration form and program summary are now available at http://www.sfiwc.org//2009/index.html as both .doc and .pdf files. The registration fee is $180 ($110 for students and retired members). Extra banquet tickets are $39. Please be aware that an additional $8.00 fee applies to all Canadian and other non-U.S. checks. This year's banquet will be a poolside seafood boil, featuring Louisiana crawfish and gulf shrimp, cooked with Cajun spices, new potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and stewed onions; fried catfish fillets with cocktail and tartar sauce; pulled BBQ pork with fresh yeast rolls; Southern fried chicken; creamy coleslaw and mustard potato salad; baked beans; hush puppies/sweet cornbread; banana pudding/peach cobbler for dessert; and a cash bar. Vegetarian plates also are available; please be sure to mark your preference on the registration form. The hotel requires a portion of our bill to be paid 30 days prior to the meeting and would like to have a reasonably accurate head count in advance for food preparation, so I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE everyone to send in their registration forms and fees to me as early as possible. Pre-registration will be accepted until July 13. Remember to reserve your room at the Courtyard by Marriott Gulfport Beachfront no later than June 30. Room rates are $80.00 per night plus tax. Remember, this low rate is valid only for the first 90 rooms (first 30 on Monday, July 27). Please go to http://www.sfiwc.org//2009/index.html for details. I hope to see you in Gulfport! - Will Shepherd William P. Shepherd, SFIWC Secretary-Treasurer