The Waterbird Society Annual Meeting 2023
Download the full PDF program HERE: Full PDF Program
Welcome to the 47th Annual Meeting of the Waterbird Society and Joint Meeting with the Atlantic Marine Bird Cooperative!
The Waterbird Society will hold its 47th Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Greater Fort Lauderdale area is the gateway to the Everglades, where wild beauty makes up almost two-thirds of the destination's total area. Take an airboat ride and witness tropical and subtropical flora, fauna, and wildlife from alligators to Florida panthers. The Everglades also is home to the Seminole Indians, who invite visitors to learn about their proud, ancient culture. South Florida has an abundance of national parks, state parks, national wildlife refuges, and nature preserves. It is also home to the third largest living coral reef system in the world. South Florida also hosts some of the most unique waterbird species found nowhere else in the continental United States
The Waterbird Society's annual conference will be held jointly with the Atlantic Marine Bird Cooperative (AMBC). On October 9-10, 2023, the AMBC will hold a meeting and associated symposium of partner presentations in coordination with the Waterbird Society's program. The Scientific Program will be October 10 - October 12, 2023. Council will meet on October 9 and the Business Meeting followed by the Awards Ceremony and Banquet will occur on the 12th. Field trips will occur on October 13, 2023.. The conference will include a very diverse selection of symposia on the research and management of waterbirds in addition to the general presentations and a poster session. And new this year, we will be offering workshops and training seminars.
IMPORTANT UPDATES:
1. Presenters - please follow the instructions below to submit your presentation files. This is not required for poster presenters:
Refer to the “WBS_Scientific Program” document, found in the Google Folder, to locate your presentation’s date, session and grouping/symposium.
Once you know your presentation’s date, session and grouping/symposium, please locate the according folder in the Google Drive folder and upload your presentation in PowerPoint format.
If you run into any issues, please contact Ricardo.Zambrano@waterbirds.org
2. Due to an overwhelming interest in attending the conference, we have made the difficult decision to shut down registration. We are at maximum capacity. If you have already submitted an abstract but have yet to register and pay, please contact ricardo.zambrano@waterbirds.org as soon as possible. Payment will be required to attend and present.
3. THE FULL PROGRAM IS NOW AVAILABLE! Please click here: Waterbird Society Annual Meeting 2023 Programto find your presentation date, time, and grouping/symposium. This is the FINAL program!
4. Rooms at the conference rate are sold out. If you have already booked a room and want to save some money, consider sharing a room. If you need a room and/or are willing to share please visit the following link on the website: Roommate Matching Spreadsheet. All rooms have at least one bed and one pull out bed/couch.
5. Free shuttles will be available on Monday October 9 for pick up from the Fort Lauderdale Airport. BOTH VANS ARE WHITE AND MARKED WITH WATERBIRD SOCIETY ON THE WINDOWS. There will be no free shuttles on Monday, October 9 after 6:30pm or all day Friday, October 13th, but we encourage you to set up a ride-share with other attendees. For more information on free pickup and the ride-share signup sheet, please see here: FLL Monday free shuttle.pdf To find others arriving or departing at other airports, other days and other times go to: Rideshare Signup
6. We are in need of items for the Silent Auction! Gather together all the lovely bird stuff that no longer brings you joy, pack it in your luggage, and donate it to the silent auction, where it will bring joy to a new person who will pay a handsome price to benefit students. We welcome non-bird-y stuff too! Household items, books, field gear, experiences - get creative! Questions? Contact Liz Craig ecc79@cornell.edu and Patty Szczys patty@waterbirds.org Please email patty@waterbirds.org if you can help out with the auction on-site.
Conference Apparel and Merchandise
T-shirts, tanks tops, hoodies, caps, mugs and more can be purchased online under the "Merchandise" tab.
Workshops
ALL WORKSHOPS ARE AT THE SAME TIME AND DATE so you can only sign up for one. If you signed up for more than one, please choose one and cancel the other(s). Keep checking the website and the workshop tab for updates and more information for each workshop. Participants will also be emailed with more information. Note that some workshops are already full, and others are close to full so don’t hesitate if you have an interest in one of them. All workshops are included with registration.
Field Trips
You can register for the field trips under Registration once you have created an account. For more information, visit the "Field trips" tab. Instructions will be emailed to you directly soon.
1) Stormwater Treatment Area 2 Birding Tour
2) Everglades Ecosystem Airboat Tour - THIS FIELD TRIP IS FULL BUT FOR AN ALTERNATIVE AIRBOAT TRIP PLEASE GO TO THE FIELD TRIP TAB.
For details on parking, please see the "Hotel" tab.
Schedule
Check back often for updates!
For any questions contact ricardo.zambrano@waterbirds.org
Statement in Support of Human Rights Ahead of the 2023 Waterbird Society Meeting
The Waterbird Society celebrates the diversity of its members and works hard to cultivate a pluralistic and welcoming community through equitable and inclusive values and practices. It is Society policy to “ensure that the Waterbird Society is inclusive of all waterbird biologists, policy-makers, and community members regardless of their sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, economic status, age, national origin, religion, (dis)ability status, language, political perspective, education, etc. (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee [DEI; mission statement]).”
The 2023 meeting of the Waterbird Society will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Florida is home to a robust community of birders, wildlife biologists, and avian conservationists, and the Society is eager to learn from and offer support to these members and their affiliates. The Waterbird Society also understands that Florida’s recent actions to curtail the rights of transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and Black, indigenous, people of color impact the ability of members to feel safe and welcome at our 2023 meeting. Therefore the Waterbird Society is undertaking actions to best ensure that our meeting is as safe a space as possible for such individuals, along with members belonging to all other marginalized groups.
First, the Waterbird Society ensures that any acts of hate, violence, or intolerance at the 2023 meeting will be addressed with appropriate action, both internally through our Code of Conduct and externally through relevant legal channels. Second, alongside scientific programming and waterbird-centered activities, the DEI Committee is planning several actions that support and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, including 1) working with the City of Fort Lauderdale LGBTQ Community Liaison and the conference venue to ensure that all meeting spaces and conference activities are safe and inclusive; 2) planning an LGBTQ+ social event geared toward celebrating and supporting trans rights; 3) developing a poster (for presentation at the poster session) to raise awareness of barriers faced by transgender biologists and other at-risk groups in conservation and waterbird research. With any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns please reach out to the DEI committee co-chairs (Aliya Caldwell, Marisa Takada Martinez, and Juliet Lamb) before, during, or after the 2023 meeting.
