2022 Plenary Speakers:

We loved having multiple plenary speakers so much last year, we’re doing it again! Rather than one main speaker, we will have multiple plenary speakers by prominent ornithologists!

Dr. John Marzluff:

John Marzluff is James W. Ridgeway Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington.  His graduate (Northern Arizona University) and initial post-doctoral (University of Vermont) research focused on the social behavior and ecology of jays and ravens.  He continues this theme investigating the intriguing behavior of crows, ravens, and jays.  His current research focuses on the interactions of ravens and wolves in Yellowstone. He teaches Ornithology, Governance and Conservation of Rare Species, Field Research in Yellowstone, and Natural and Cultural History of Costa Rica.

Professor Marzluff has written six books and edited several others. His Welcome to Subirdia (2014 Yale) discovers that moderately settled lands host a splendid array of biological diversity and suggests ways in which people can steward these riches to benefit birds and themselves.  His most recent In Search of Meadowlarks (2020 Yale) connects our agriculture and diets to the conservation of birds and other wildlife.

Dr. Marzluff has mentored over 40 graduate students and authored over 140 scientific papers on various aspects of bird behavior and wildlife management. He is a member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery Team for the critically endangered Mariana Crow, a former member of the Washington Biodiversity Council, a Fellow of the American Ornithologist’s Union, and a National Geographic Explorer.

Dr. Liba Pejchar

Liba Pejchar is a Professor and Conservation Scientist in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University. Before joining CSU, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, and earned a BA from Middlebury College and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services in the places where people live and work. Among other projects, she and her terrific students study the loss and recovery of birds on invasion-prone pacific islands, bison reintroduction in western North America, and innovative ways to sustain nature and human well-being in agroecosystems and areas undergoing residential and energy development. 

Sara Wolman

Sara Wolman is an award-winning graphic artist and conservationist. Her art reflects the relationship she has established with the environment and serves as a reminder of the inherent connection we all have with the natural world. She strives for her art to be used primarily for education and engagement, and to allow audiences to form their own relationships with nature.

Originally from New York, she now calls Fairbanks, Alaska home. Her work can be found at National Wildlife Refuges, National Park Service sites, and museums across the country. She has created artwork for conservation non-profits and NGOs worldwide such as The National Parks Conservation Association, Explore.org (A project of the Annenberg Foundation), Environment for the Americas, and The United Nations Environmental Program. She is the lead designer/filmmaker responsible behind the international sensation Fat Bear Week, and is 2021’s World Migratory Bird Day artist. When she is not working on conservation related art, she is often found rafting rivers, climbing mountains, and gaining inspiration from the beautiful world we live in.

Previous keynote speakers include:

Click here for archived speaker profiles and scientific programs.