The seventh meeting of Latin American Scarabaeoidology was held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in mid-November 2006. About 70 people were in attendance from Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Canada, USA, France, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, and South Africa. There were ten posters exhibited, and 42 scientific papers were presented. Caroli Hamel and Sebastian Herzog did an amazing job of organizing, hosting, and caring for all of the minute details that made for an extremely successful meeting. Their efforts were greatly appreciated by all.
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Santa Cruz, a bustling small city, is on the east side of the Andes about 17º south of the equator and 400 meters in elevation. The climate was warm (pleasantly so from the perspective of a North American coming from a winter climate). The excellent meeting facility was the Hotel Casa Kolping, a modest hotel with meeting rooms, bar, and restaurant. A break for refreshments was held on the hotel’s inner court yard at mid-morning and mid-afternoon of each meeting day, where a lot of informal, convivial discussions were held with colleagues.
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The last day of the formal presentations concluded on Wednesday with informal discussions about various topics but focusing mostly on the dilemma of obtaining collecting and export permits in many countries. Lively exchanges took place as one might imagine. Ideas for the location of the next RELAS were put forward (Panama, Peru, Bolivia again, Guatemala again), but a locale has not yet been decided.
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Thursday was the “field trip” day (see "Salida al campo" section). A farewell dinner at a buffet restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz ended the day, and there was much toasting, regaling of field experiences, planning for future collaborative ventures, and genuine collegiality. These were very successful meetings.