12:30 – 1:30 pm OIT College Union Room TBA

Christine Elder gives a fresh spin to the ‘birding big day’ concept by also sketching the over 100 birds she observed while traveling in the Neotropics. You’ll be treated to plenty of eye candy of the colorful tropical birds she encountered, along with examples of her pencil and watercolor sketches of such iconic tropical birds as hummingbirds, tanagers, parrots, and quetzals. Christine will describe her art materials and the  techniques she employs to quickly and accurately capture the likenesses of birds in her sketchbooks.(For a video of Christine’s Costa Rica big day see: A Birding Big Day 

Fee: $10

2:15 – 3:15 pm, OIT College Union Room TBA

Join John Vradenburg for this eye opening overview of landscape and Klamath Basin level threats Pacific Flyway water birds are facing. He will cover both historical and current wetland habitat impacts and give you a sense of what the future may hold for  basin refuges and wetlands and the birds that rely upon them.

Fee: FREE but registration required.

P3 Build It and They Will Come – an Overview [New]

3:30 – 4:15 pm, OIT College Union Room TBA

Wildlife conservationists and farmers can find common ground, especially if some of that ground is wetland. Come hear a presentation on a wetland restoration and farm enhancement project that provides critical habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife while ensuring agricultural success. Lakeside Farms is currently sustaining thousands of migratory waterfowl in this critical drought year. One of the farm owners, Karl Wenner, will explain the benefits to both wildlife and farming brought about by a multiparty collaborative project that included wetland restoration.
Fee: $7

4:30 – 5:30 pm, OIT College Room TBA

Mark Hennelly will present a talk about the historical, critical importance of the Lower Klamath and Tulelake refuges to waterfowl for staging, breeding and molting. He will give details about water shortages since 2001,  and how they have negatively affected the refuges and waterfowl .He will conclude with a discussion  about how  water transfers/acquisition of water rights are part of  the long-term solutions for getting water deliveries to those refuges.

Fee:$10

9:30 – 10:30 am, OIT College Union room TBA

Since the early 1900s, photographers have used their images to motivate citizens and public officials to set aside land for the conservation of natural resources from Yellowstone to Alaska, including Crater Lake and Lower Klamath. They continue to help folks connect with nature on America’s public lands. Join Stephen Rooker for this fascinating presentation.

FREE but registration required

11:00 am – Noon, OIT College Union Room TBA

The Upper Klamath Basin is an ecologically significant watershed that supports millions of migratory waterbirds along the Pacific Flyway,as well as an agricultural economy and a tribal fishery. Once an area of vast wetlands, current extreme drought conditions coupled with more than a century of human-led landscape modifications have reduced the Klamath wetlands to less than 20 percent of their former acreage and contributed to the listing of two endangered fish species. In this presentation Jami Dennis will take you on a visual journey back  to the early 1900s when millions of birds flocked to the Klamath Basin. Then, using maps, photographs, and data visualization, we’ll explore how the landscape has evolved, how water curtailment is impacting waterbird habitat, what is being done to restore ecosystem functionality, and prospects for the future.

Fee: $10

3:15 – 4:15 pm,  OIT College Union Room TBA

The American Kestrel is North America’s smallest, most colorful, and most widespread falcon. But it is also one of the most enigmatic. Since the 1960s, the population of these pint-sized predators has fallen by over 50%, and despite intensive research no apparent cause has yet emerged. Matthew Danihel will look at the current state of research into kestrel decline, examining—and eliminating—many previous theories, as well as exploring new findings and ongoing research. Lastly, attendees can learn how they can contribute to the ongoing search for answers by becoming community scientists in the American Kestrel Partnership.

Fee: $10

4:30 – 5:30 pm, OIT College Union Room TBA

Izzy Edwards will take you along on her journey of the past four years from remote dirt roads in the mountain foothills looking for Pygmy Owls, to slot canyons in the southwest for chance encounters with Mexican Spotted Owls to braving winter snows in Alberta to find Northern Hawk Owls. With an  immense dedication for finding and observing these elusive birds, she set a goal to encounter all 19 of America’s owl species in one calendar year. At the age of 17 she managed to do just that with her Big Owl Year of 2020!

Fee: $15