NEXT STEPS FOR BIRDS

December 7th: Opening reception and story-telling event

December 8th: Keynote speaker Caroline Van Hemert, followed by discussions and science presentations. Early evening student and science networking sessions.

December 9th: Keynote speaker Nick Bayly, followed by discussions and science presentations. Early evening poster session.

December 10th: Keynote speaker Chris Wood followed by discussions and science presentations. Dinner, evening awards and closing comments.

December 11th: Morning half-day Fundamentals of eBird Data Access workshop

See the 2026 Program page for more details about the invited keynote speakers.

May 1 – Call for Abstracts opens

June 1 – Registration opens

October 1 – Abstracts due (authors notified within two weeks of submission)

October 16 – Pete Isleib Award nominations due

November 1 – Student travel award applications due

October 20 – Early bird registration ends

Many bird species face an uncertain future shaped by rapidly shifting environments. Additionally, the costs and logistics of accurately tracking the distribution and abundance of bird populations have risen and new methods have emerged but require additional evaluation. The composition and focus of many organizations that have traditionally studied and monitored bird populations have also significantly changed in recent years.

This year’s theme Next Steps for Birds focuses on the major changes affecting bird populations and the ways we monitor them, emphasizing both the challenges and opportunities ahead. We are planning for most conference sessions to explore three key areas: 

• Tracking the Distribution and Abundance of Birds in Alaska
• Conserving Alaska´s Long-distance Migrants in the Neotropics
• Changes in Funding and Focus

We welcome presentations on all topics relevant to Alaska birds, but are particularly interested in these three topics. Each day will begin with a plenary and continue with shorter presentations and discussions aimed at developing some concrete, actionable “next steps” for researchers, agencies, and the public on these topics. Outcomes will be summarized and shared on this website after the conference.

By bringing together a diverse community of knowledgeable, dedicated people, we aim to focus collectively on the near and distant future—on what is changing, what matters most, and what we can do right now. Our goal is to move beyond acknowledging problems and to center our conversations on concrete actions and achievable steps.

For thousands of years the Dena’ina have been and continue to be the stewards of this land. We respect and recognize the contributions and perspectives of the upper Cook Inlet Dena’ina.