We've all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel, the ways that they navigate, etc. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this eventually became the basis for her book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird

Migration. In her talk, she'll share some surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding migration is so crucial for bird conservation.Rebecca Heisman is an award-winning science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and has worked with organizations including the Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Ornithological Society. Flight Paths is her first book.

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The Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CT NERR), a center within the University of Connecticut, was designated in January 2022, as the newest of 30 such sites across the country that focus on coastal research, education, and stewardship.Kevin  O’Brien, manager of the CT NERR, oversees a staff responsible for a variety of projects that target collaborative, place-based approaches to delivering environmental monitoring, science, education/training, and stewardship that address issues of habitat sustainability, climate impacts, and water quality in southeastern Connecticut.

This presentation will provide attendees with a background of what the National Estuarine Research Reserve System is and brief history of how the CT NERR came to be. It will also provide details on some of the current and future efforts designed to provide locally relevant and nationally significant programs, information, and resources to help create a resilient, healthy Long Island Sound estuary and watershed where human and natural communities thrive.

Kevin has a Bachelor’s Degree from Lafayette College and a Master’s Degree from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. He was a NOAA Coastal Services Center Coastal Management Fellow from 1999-2001, and prior to joining the CT NERR, he spent over 20 years within the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s Land and Water Resource Division, working on state and regional programs focused on coastal resource management. One of the projects he managed was the CT NERR designation.

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Details coAudubon's Bird-Friendly Maple Program recognizes maple producers and sugarbush managers who commit to managing their forest for bird habitat value alongside sap production. Through this work, these land managers help improve habitat for many species of birds who depend on our forests for breeding and migratory stopover habitat, and whose populations have been declining. The Bird-Friendly Maple Program began in Vermont, has been steadily expanding into more states, and currently includes 8 sugarbushes across nearly 100 acres of forest in Connecticut. In this webinar, we will cover the basics of Bird-Friendly Maple, what ideal sugarbush habitat looks like, and how this program contributes to Audubon's overall forest work.

Rosa Goldman (she/her) is a Forest Program Senior Associate with Audubon Connecticut and New York, a regional office of the National Audubon Society. As part of Audubon's Healthy Forests team, she works with private landowners, land trusts, and state and conservation partners to advance habitat management for forest birds across Connecticut, as well as in New York's Hudson Valley. Rosa manages Audubon's Bird-Friendly Maple and Forester Training & Endorsement programs in Connecticut. She is a licensed forester in Connecticut and holds a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of the Environment.ming soon.

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