Schedule

The following schedule is preliminary and subject to change; please check back for updates. {as of 10/2/2014}
Monday, October 6
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Conference Registration Desk Open
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Black Rail Working Group Meeting
Mike Wilson, The Center for Conservation Biology; Troy Wilson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
A gathering of the Black Rail Working Group is designed to discuss past summer work, discuss short-term future plans, and come to greater agreement on survey protocols and immediate conservation needs. The summer of 2014 brought together the greatest dedicated effort along the Atlantic Coast to fill critical information gaps on the species distribution and abundance. With additional projects expected in the next year, this group will help coordinate efforts across the species range.
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Loggerhead Shrike Working Group Meeting
Amy Chabot, Queen's University; Rich Bailey, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources; Sergio Harding, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
An informal working group consisting of partners from the U.S. and Canada, has been coordinating a regional approach to answering questions on the population ecology of Loggerhead Shrike on its breeding and wintering grounds within the framework of an initial 5-year plan. At this meeting, the Group plans to assess interest from state leads and other partners on a coordinated, regional research effort for Loggerhead Shrike, and to make progress toward initiating work on a multi-state level.
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm International Wood Thrush Conservation Alliance (IWOTHCA) - agenda
Ron Rohrbaugh, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Becky Keller, Appalachian Mountain Joint Venture
This meeting is open to anyone who is interested in science and conservation of Wood Thrush and associated forest bird species. We are a relatively new group and welcome your input on full life-cycle Wood Thrush research, conservation planning, and habitat management. IWOTHCA is a consortium of scientists, biologists, and conservation practitioners from academic institutions, agencies, and non-profits in Central and North America. Our specific mission is: to ensure the long-term viability of Wood Thrush populations and the habitats on which they depend through science-based, full life-cycle conservation planning, management, and education.
2:45 pm - 3:15 pm Refreshment Break
Tuesday, October 7
7:00 am - 5:00 pm Conference Registration Desk Open
7:00 am - 8:00 am Enhanced Continental Breakfast
8:00 am - 5:00 pm Exhibit Hours
8:00 am - 9:30 am Griffin Groups Training — {Hands-on Workshop; Pre-registration required}
Ed Laurent, Connecting Conservation
Griffin Groups is a free online tool for building conservation communities. It provides user-friendly methods to create networked forums and websites that can be used independently or through integration with other groups and web services. Examples of how groups are used include those dedicated to the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy, Avian Knowledge Network, Southeast Partners In Flight, and several groups dedicated to migratory bird species research and conservation. This hands-on workshop will provide an introduction to Griffin Groups features and use for members and group administrators, strategies and examples for administering groups for various purposes, an example of how to design a group from the ground up, and many opportunities for asking questions about designing and administering groups. Attendees are asked to bring their own laptops.
8:00 am - 12:00 pm CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS
  • SHARP/Tidal Marsh Birds - agenda
    Chris Elphick, University of Connecticut; Brian Olsen, University of Maine
  • Golden-winged Warbler Conservation and Monitoring - agenda
    David Buehler/Jeff Larkin
8:00 am - 12:00 pm NBCI/PIF Joint Meeting - agenda
Jane Fitzgerald, American Bird Conservancy; Catherine Rideout, East Gulf Coastal Plain Joint Venture
Members of Partners in Flight and the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative have worked together in the past, most notably on a coordinated monitoring effort to evaluate CP-33 – Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds, a USDA Farm Services Agency program. Meeting participants will share information on current projects or efforts to conserve grassland ecosystems. Updates will be followed by identification of overlapping challenges to grassland conservation, and development of strategies to address these challenges. We hope to leave this session with a specific grassland conservation effort or project identified with individuals committed to work together on this project over the next 1-2 years.
8:00 am - 12:00 pm Bobolink Conservation Plan Working Meeting - agenda
Randy Dettmers, Tom Will — U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
In response to mounting conservation challenges faced by grassland birds, USFWS has designated Bobolink as a Migratory Birds Program focal species and supported the development of a comprehensive, full life cycle Bobolink Conservation Plan. The ultimate goal is to prioritize and advance strategies to sustain Bobolink populations and address needs of other, co-occurring grassland bird species, the habitats they depend on, and related environmental services. The proximate goal of the Plan is to develop a comprehensive, regionally-based guide for full life cycle conservation of Bobolinks across their range based on input from North and South American partners. This session provides an important opportunity for Northeast biologists and conservationists to provide their input relevant to the region. The session will facilitate discussions in order to incorporate population goals and conservation objectives and actions specific to the Northeast into the Plan.
9:30 am - 10:00 am Refreshment Break
10:00 am - 12:00 pm Avian Knowledge Network/Eastern Avian Data Center Training
Troy Wilson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Ed Laurent, Connecting Conservation
The model for how aggregations of data can be used in bird conservation has evolved over the last ten years from centralized data management to distributed data sharing, and the main hub for data sharing in North America is the Avian Knowledge Network (AKN). In 2014, we launched a new regional node of the AKN, the Eastern Avian Data Center (EADC). Initially including data from eBird, BBS, and the Point Count and Marshbird Databases, we have developed a new application to help people manage and enter bird monitoring data, and enhanced our interactive mapping and histogram query tools. Now that we have a proof of concept, we are actively training and growing the community of users, from those who want to manage and share their own data, to those who want to use data for research or to evaluate conservation outcomes at various scales. Participants will gain a working knowledge of EADC and how they can use it to accomplish their bird conservation or monitoring objectives.
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch - On Own
{See conference registration desk for options}
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm Keynote Address: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes… Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going in Partners In Flight
EJ Williams, American Bird Conservancy {about}
2:00 pm - 2:15 Overview/Reason for Meeting/Logistics
Randy Dettmers, Troy Wilson — U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm Refreshment Break
2:30 pm - 5:00 pm CONCURRENT SPECIAL SESSIONS
  • Population & Habitat Objectives for Conservation Design - agenda
    Todd Jones-Farrand, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Central Hardwoods Joint Venture
  • Full Annual Cycle Population Modeling and Monitoring Needs - agenda
    Ron Rohrbaugh, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Randy Dettmers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • Fire Ecology and Prescribed Fire Management for Priority Bird Habitats - agenda
    Larry Heggemann, Central Hardwoods Joint Venture; Catherine Rideout, East Gulf Coastal Plain Joint Venture
  • Migration Stopover and Bottlenecks in the Eastern U.S. - agenda
    Chris Eberly, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory; Jeff Buler, University of Delaware
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Cocktail Reception & Silent Auction
Join your colleagues for hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, and bid on great auction items – proceeds to benefit educational programming for this conference.
Wednesday, October 8
6:15 am - 7:45 am Birding Field Trip: First Landing State Park {about}
Advance registration is required. Pick up a “To Go” Breakfast in the Atlantic Ballroom Foyer. Depart from hotel lobby at 6:15 a.m. Transportation provided.
7:00 am - 5:00 pm Conference Registration Desk Open
7:00 am - 8:00 am Enhanced Continental Breakfast
8:00 am - 5:00 am Exhibits Open
8:00 am - 9:30 am PLENARY SESSION {about}
  • Overview of Conservation Business Planning: A Funder’s Perspective
    Guy Foulks, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • The Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Business Strategy: Developing Broad-scale Coordinated Conservation from the Ground Up
    Caleb Spiegel and Troy Wilson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • The Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative Takes Flight—Moving Beyond Business Planning for Migratory Birds
    Ian Davidson, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
  • Overview of PIF V Conservation Business Plans
    David Younkman, American Bird Conservancy
9:30 am - 10:00 am Refreshment Break
10:00 am - 5:00 pm CONCURRENT PLANNING BREAKOUT GROUPS
Breakout groups will focus on developing strategies and associated projects to inform the Conservation Business Planning efforts that began at the 2013 International PIF meeting in Snowbird, UT. These groups will be working to address various threats, focusing on breeding grounds and migration. The outputs will largely be incorporated into the three geographic area plans that overlap with the Northeast and Southeast working group regions. These are 1) Central and South American Highlands Linked to Appalachian and Northeastern Forests, 2) Caribbean Linked to Eastern Upland Hardwoods, and 3) Gulf-Caribbean Slope of Mexico & Central America Linked to Eastern Deciduous Forest. Results from the “Eastern Short-Distance Migrant/ Grassland Species” breakout will be incorporated into the Prairie to Pampas Grassland Bird Business Plan. Based upon your interest and background, please choose one breakout group in which you would like to participate. We request that you plan to participate in only one session in its entirety.
  • Bottomland Forest
    Randy Wilson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • Upland Forest
    Dave Buehler, University of Tennessee; Jeff Larkin, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
  • Pinelands/Fire-adapted Systems
    Laurel Barnhill, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • Migration/Stopover/Connectivity
    Chris Eberly, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory; Randy Dettmers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • Anthropogenic Threats (non-habitat)
    Darin Schroeder, American Bird Conservancy
  • Eastern Saltmarsh
    Chris Elphick, University of Connecticut; Brian Olsen, University of Maine
  • Eastern Short-distance Migrant/Grassland Species
    Jane Fitzgerald, American Bird Conservancy; Catherine Rideout, East Gulf Coastal Plain Joint Venture
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch - On Own
{See conference registration desk for options}
1:30 pm - 5:00 pm Concurrent Planning Breakout Groups continued from earlier
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Refreshment Break
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Poster Social & Silent Auction - poster abstracts
Visit with poster authors as you enjoy a beverage and light hors d’oeuvres. Last chance to bid on the silent auction items!
Thursday, October 9
6:00 am - 8:45 am Birding Field Trip: Pleasure House Point Natural Area {about}
Advance registration is required. Pick up a “To Go” Breakfast in the Atlantic Ballroom Foyer. Depart from hotel lobby at 6:00 a.m. Transportation provided.
7:00 am - 5:00 pm Conference Registration Desk Open
7:00 am - 8:00 am Enhanced Continental Breakfast
8:00 am - 12:00 pm Exhibits Open
8:00 am - 12:00 pm Golden-winged Warbler Working Group Meeting
David Buehler, University of Tennessee; Jeff Larkin, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
8:00 am - 5:00 pm SHARP/Tidal Marsh Birds Writing Session
10:00 am - 11:00 am Refreshment Break
9:00 am - 11:30 am Planning Breakout Groups continued
  • Bottomland Forest
    Randy Wilson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • Upland Forest
    Dave Buehler, University of Tennessee; Jeff Larkin, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
  • Pinelands/Fire-adapted Systems
    Laurel Barnhill, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • Migration/Stopover/Connectivity
    Chris Eberly, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory; Randy Dettmers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  • Anthropogenic Threats (non-habitat)
    Darin Schroeder, American Bird Conservancy
  • Eastern Saltmarsh
    Chris Elphick, University of Connecticut; Brian Olsen, University of Maine
  • Eastern Short-distance Migrant/Grassland Species
    Jane Fitzgerald, American Bird Conservancy; Catherine Rideout, East Gulf Coastal Plain Joint Venture
11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lunch - On Own
{See conference registration desk for options}
1:15 pm - 2:55 pm CONCURRENT CONTRIBUTED PAPERS
2:55 pm - 3:25 pm Refreshment Break
3:25 pm - 5:00 pm CONCURRENT CONTRIBUTED PAPERS - abstracts coming soon!
Friday, October 10
8:00 am - 1:00 pm Highland Business Conservation Plan
8:00 am - 5:00 pm SHARP/Tidal Marsh Birds Writing Session
Friday, October 10 - Sunday, October 12
Eastern Shore of Virginia Birding and Wildlife Festival