Northern Forest Birds Working Group
Bird conservation in the northern forests of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin has received increasing attention in the last decade. Since 2013, the Northern Forest Birds Working Group has made steady progress towards identifying a shared vision, translating that vision into clear goals, engaging a robust network of partners, and expanding its focus from coordinating monitoring and data management to also integrating science-based needs of forest birds in management activities across the landscape. In addition to expanding our focus, the Working Group has also transitioned from operating within the Midwest Coordinated Bird Monitoring Partnership to serving as a working group within the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture community.
Golden-winged Warbler ©Ryan Brady
In light of these transitions, the Working Group Steering Committee organized a workshop to achieve the following objectives: 1) re-engage and provide updates to the broader Working Group community, 2) kick-start several projects, and 3) provide training on the Midwest Avian Data Center. Over 50 participants representing 20 organizations attended the event in Ashland, Wisconsin, on 17-18 April 2018. Individual presentations and a comprehensive summary of this workshop are linked below. Questions and comments relative to the workshop or working group should be directed to Katie Koch (katie_koch@fws.gov, 906-226-1249) or Erin Giese (giesee@uwgb.edu, 615-403-6000).
COMPREHENSIVE WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS (PDF, 4.2MB)
AGENDA WITH LINKS TO PRESENTATION SLIDES (see below)
DAY ONE:
10:00 am – 10:15 am: Check-in + Registration
10:15 am – 10:30 am: Welcome + Introductions
10:30 am – 12:00 pm: Plenary Session
- History, Overview, and Update on BCR 12 Working Group – Erin Giese and Katie Koch
- Mission of and Integration with the UMRGLR Joint Venture – Andrew Forbes
- Avian Conservation Assessment Database (ACAD): A Tool for Bird Conservation and Highlighting Needs for Collaborative Investigation – Randy Dettmers
12:00 pm – 12:15 pm: Break – Distribution of Lunches
12:15 pm – 12:45 pm: Collaborative Study of Boreal Birds Throughout BCR 12 – Erin Giese
12:45 pm – 1:15 pm: Identifying Sensitive Species in BCR 12 – Bob Howe
1:15 pm – 4:30 pm: Integrating Active Forest Management and Bird Conservation – Craig Thompson
- Status and Trends in Forest Habitat Types of the Boreal Hardwood Transition – Mark Nelson
- Common Silvicultural Practices in the Boreal Hardwood Transition – Greg Edge
- Forest Structure and Bird Assemblages in Old-Growth and Managed Hemlock-Hardwood Forests – Mike Mossman
- Northwest Barrens Management: Applied Tools for Forestry & Birds – Colleen Matula
- Barnes Barrens Management Area of the Bayfield County Forest – Andrew O’Krueg
- Wisconsin’s Young Forest Initiative: Diverse, Healthy Forests to Benefit the Greatest Diversity of Bird Species – Callie Bertsch
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm: BREAK
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Evening Social + Poster Session
Evening: DINNER on your own
DAY TWO:
8:00 am – Noon: Putting Data to Work for Forest Bird Conservation
- How to Use Large Bird Data Sets – Alexis Grinde, Nick Walton, and Nick Anich
- Midwest Avian Data Center (MWADC) Interactive Workshop – Katie Koch
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: LUNCH
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Where to From Here? — Ryan Brady and Ted Gostomski
2:30 pm: Adjourn
©Ryan Brady