August 27–28, 2021
CONFERENCE THEME
20/20 Vision: A serious look at declining bird populations and practical things that everyone can do to address this concern
SCHEDULE
Friday, August 27 |
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| 7:00 pm–7:15 pm | Welcoming remarks and introduction of keynote speaker. (John Burk) |
| 7:15 pm–8:15 pm | Keynote speaker: Mark Robbins Collection Manager at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Mark will provide an overview of why birds are important, discuss the issue of disappearing birds, as well as what is being done and what more could be done to address this issue. |
Saturday, August 28 |
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| 8:00 am–9:00 am | Welcome and highlights of the year. (Bill Mees: Chair, MoBCI Steering Committee)
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| 9:00 am–10:15 am | 3, 20-Minute presentations on the reality and seriousness of the 3 billion bird decline:
Focus on Grassland Birds. Ethan Duke, Missouri River Bird Observatory. Focus on Wetland/Shorebirds. Midcontinent shorebird conservation initiative: a hemispheric collaboration to benefit shorebirds and their habitats. Doreen Mengel, Wetland Ecologist and MU Research Specialist Focus on Shrubland Birds. Cara Joos Ph.D. Science Coordinator, Central Hardwoods Joint Venture, American Bird Conservancy. |
| 10:15 am–10:30 am | Break |
| 10:30 am–11:30 am | 3, 20-Minute presentations on things that are being done at the landscape scale to address these alarming trends: |
| 10:30 am–10:50 am | Focus on Grassland Birds Audubon Conservation Ranching Program. Chris Wilson, National Audubon Society Director of the Audubon Conservation Ranching Initiative. |
| 10:50 am–11:10 am | Waterfowl in North America—a success story of conservation partnerships. Dr. Mike Brasher, Waterfowl Scientist, Ducks Unlimited |
| 11:10 am–11:30 am | Focus on Forest Birds: Improving carrying capacity for habitat limited birds in the Missouri Ozarks. Jane Fitzgerald, Central Hardwoods Joint Venture Coordinator, American Bird Conservancy. |
| 11:30 am–12:30 pm | Lunch will be a time for folks to participate in the Silent Auction, which concludes at 1pm. An ongoing loop of photos of MoBCI projects will be broadcast. |
| 12:30 pm–1:50 pm | 3, 20-Minute presentations on calls to action featuring “The 7 Simple Actions for Birds” where every individual can contribute at their very local level to positively impact birds. |
| 12:30 pm–12:50 pm | Johnson Community College: A Model for Protecting Birds from Glass Collisions. Krystal Anton, Zero Waste Coordinator, Center for Sustainability, Johnson Community College. |
| 12:50 pm–1:30 pm | BirdSafe Missouri: Kansas City and St. Louis Programs presented by Dana Ripper, Co-Founder and Director of Missouri River Bird Observatory and Jean Favara, Vice President of Conservation, St. Louis Audubon Society ~12:50 -1:10 and 1:10–1:30. |
| 1:30 pm–1:50 pm | Bring Conservation Home: Gardening for Birds and Other Wildlife. Dan Pearson, St. Louis Audubon Society. |
| 1:50 pm–2:15 pm | The American Bird Conservancy’s Cat Program to Mitigate Predation by Cats. Cara Joos, ABC/Central Hardwoods Joint Venture |
| 2:15 pm–3:00 pm | Interactive panel discussion session where the audience discusses issues covered and provides next steps to be considered by the organization. |
| 3:00 pm–3:30 pm | Wrap-up and closing comments summarize ways we can make a difference for birds
Bill Mees — major call to action to spread these topics we’ve discussed to each MoBCI partners’ respective audiences. It’s now or never, and we ALL have to make some changes if we want to see bird declines slow down at all. RALLY THE TROOPS! |