Alaska Bird Conference

Alaska Bird Conference

This year marks the 20th Alaska Bird Conference. The Conference regularly attracts between 150 and 200 participants reporting on their latest findings and new initiatives. By design, the conference retains a familiar and friendly atmosphere, welcoming new students and ornithologists into the fold, and providing a much-anticipated gathering for those who work with and care about Alaska’s birds.

The theme of the conference is “Bring Birds Back.” Conference organizers chose this theme to highlight the peril many migratory bird species face today as they transit between their breeding, migratory stopover, and wintering areas. During their annual cycle, resident and migratory birds encounter a variety of hazards that have led to a large-scale decline of nearly three billion birds between 1970 and 2017 (Rosenberg et al. 2019). Dr. Pete Marra, who is a co-author of this paper, will present information related to this topic during his keynote speech at the conference and at a special community event during the evening.