Alaska Bird Conference 2008

The 2008 Alaska Bird Conference will be the thirteenth conference since its establishment in 1982, as the conference is held every two years. The very first Alaska Bird Conference was held in Anchorage, and this year the West Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center, in Fairbanks, will host and accommodate the hundreds of scientists and bird specialists who will be attending. Not only will the conference dazzle those in attendance with new information, but it falls within perfect timing to watch the breathtaking Northern Lights perform their spectacular dance in the skies of Alaska.

With every conference, the Alaska Bird Conference attracts approximately two hundred people from the birding community, including researchers, educators, students and birding professionals. At this avifauna event, everyone has the opportunity to discuss various issues concerning the birds of Alaska, research results, future projects and any wildlife concerns they might have that influence the existence of bird species in Alaska. It is a vital event in the conservation of birds and the Alaska Bird Conference receives support and sponsorship from various businesses, organizations and agencies.

This year, the conference will be held from the 4th to the 7th of March 2008, with the key guest speaker of the conference being Scott Weidensaul. Weidensaul is the author of “Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds”, “The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking and the Search for Lost Birds”, and “Of A Feather: A Brief History of American Birding”. His published work, including articles in the New York Times and Smithsonian Magazine, and the admiration he has received in regard to his knowledge and understanding of wildlife and conservation, make him a leading expert, and he will be hosting two presentations during the conference.

Sharing knowledge and working together to raise conservation awareness and to protect the avifauna of Alaska, is the aim of the Alaska Bird Conference. Through research and the tireless work of biologists, scientists and everyone involved in the protection of birds, the Alaska Bird Conference has become a vital tool in forming relationships and bonds between different agencies and broadening the horizon for all who attend.