The 2013 Audubon Assembly is a celebration of the people who put their "boots on the ground" for conservation. Get inspired and get involved in citizen science, habitat stewardship, and grassroots advocacy. Audubon is proud to announce that JayWatch co-founder Dr. Reed Bowman, of Archbold Biological Station, will deliver a special keynote presentation during the Friday evening banquet celebration!
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The 2013 Audubon Assembly is designed to inspire you to get your boots on the ground. Our signature conservation event brings together representatives of Audubon’s 35,000 members and 44 chapters with conservation leaders, scientists, educators and policy makers. Through nature-inspired walking workshops, inspiring speakers and thought-provoking learning sessions, Audubon plans to join together people of all ages and backgrounds in our common interest of protecting Florida's remarkable natural resources.
Assembly 2013 Schedule: http://fl.audubon.org/audubon-assembly-2013-schedule
Information on keynote speakers, special presentations, and more will be revealed in coming weeks. For the very latest, see the official Audubon Assembly website: http://fl.audubon.org/audubon-assembly-2013-boots-ground. Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Friday
Banquet
The evening banquet at the Audubon Assembly is always the can't-miss event of the weekend. This year will be no different. Audubon is proud to announce that Dr. Reed Bowman, Director of the Avian Ecology Program at Florida's celebrated Archbold Biological Station, will be the keynote speaker! Reserve your tickets right now to ensure you don't miss this wonderful opportunity to be part of Dr. Bowman's presentation, "Citizen Science, JayWatch, and the Pursuit of Successful Conservation Strategies."
Beforehand, enjoy our cash bar cocktail hour to meet with friends old and new and network with conservation leaders from around Florida.
Field Trips
This year's field trips will take you to some of the most beautiful places in Pinellas County: Honeymoon Island, Brooker Creek Preserve, Anclote Gulf Park, Wall Springs Park - and much, much more! For the full list of field trips and descriptions, please visit: http://fl.audubon.org/field-trips-2.
Learning Sessions
This year's Audubon Assembly is focusing on the network of grassroots conservationists who are out in the field making a difference for Florida's environment. After our kick-off lunch on Friday, you will have the opportunity to participate in three different breakout sessions. Each session will run twice, so you will have an opportunity to experience two in its entirety. Our Citizen Science leaders are working hard to put together programs that will engage and inspire you. Each session will feature cutting-edge scientists, biologists, conservationists, and leaders from across Florida. Stay tuned for the latest information as it becomes available.
- Boots on the Ground for Advocacy: Time spent in Florida’s special places and volunteer bird stewardship instills participants with a personal experience of the vital need for conservation. And when people speak from a place of personal experience with Florida’s lands, water, and wildlife they are powerful conservation advocates at multiple levels of government policy-making. In this session, learn how to cultivate leadership in your advocacy efforts.
- Boots on the Ground for Citizen Science: Whether it’s Florida Scrub-Jays, beach-nesting birds, sea turtles, or wading bird rookeries, data collected by trained citizen scientists provides information vital to habitat management. Join us for a discussion of the components of a successful citizen science program, volunteer recruitment and retention, and the ways in which these programs support conservation in Florida.
- Boots on the Ground for Habitat Stewardship: When it comes to habitat stewardship, there is no substitute for a team of engaged, passionate and knowledgeable individuals willing to pull on their boots and apply themselves to a conservation challenge. Stewardship takes many forms; from tackling invasive species to applying prescribed fire, or even working to re-establish native species. These essential tasks are performed routinely throughout our state by committed staff and volunteer from a host of different entities all working toward the common cause of conservation. This session will showcase a handful of these important and effective habitat stewardship strategies.
Saturday Learning Sessions:
Enjoy morning field trips with staff and friends.
- The Lost Bird Project Film Viewing - The Lost Bird Project is a documentary about the stories of five birds driven to extinction in modern times and sculptor Todd McGrain's project to memorialize them. The film follows the road-trip thatMcGrain and his brother-in-law, Andy, take as they search for the locations where the birds were last seen in the wild and negotiate for permission to installMcGrain's large bronze sculptures there.
- Making GIS work for Florida's Citizen Scientists/Special Places - Lead by National Audubon’s GIS coordinator Doreen Whitley, this workshop will discuss the benefits of incorporating online GIS applications into citizen science work in Florida. Data from Audubon’s EagleWatch program will be used to demonstrate how ArcGIS Online can be used to expand the capabilities of citizen science efforts across the state, and aid the conservation of Florida’s Special Places. As one of Audubon Florida’s signature citizen science programs, EagleWatch has been contributing to the conservation of Bald Eagles in Florida for more than twenty years. With a dedicated corps of volunteers, this program monitors 250+ active eagle nests in 43 Florida counties. Volunteers and staff work closely with local, state and federal governments to address eagle conservation issues, and collect data that is used to influence management decisions to better serve this iconic species.
- Make Me Care: Storytelling for Conservation - Your conservation story is your most valuable asset. Stories are the magnets that draw in volunteers, drive home a tough advocacy message in front of a group of decision-makers, and touch the hearts of donors. Audubon staff will help break down the differences between storytelling and just sharing information. If you want to become a more effective communicator for your conservation organization, you won’t want to miss this session.
- And much, much more, including our annual Conservation Priorities Session!
This year's Assembly will be held in Palm Harbor at the beautiful Innisbrook hotel, only minutes from some very exciting options for our not-to-be-missed morning excursions! (more information will be available as we get closer to the event date). The hotel is located about a half hour from downtown Tampa.
Assembly officially begins Friday morning, October 25, and runs until 2 pm on Saturday, October 26.
YOU MUST BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM SEPERATELY: Call 1-800-492-6899 (mention you are with Audubon Florida) and book by October 3 to reserve your group rate room! Group rate is $129 a night.
Check this page often for the latest on what is sure to be the best Assembly yet!
Sponsored by: Disney, Florida Power & Light, Plum Creek, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater
