- This event has passed.
Natural History and Status of Hawai‘i’s Seabirds
October 15, 2020
Join the leaders of Pacific Rim Conservation as they provide an update on the status of seabirds in the main Hawaiian islands.
Pacific Rim Conservation was founded in 2006 as they saw a need for research-based management on native species, particularly birds, throughout Hawaii and the Pacific. Island species, particularly those in Hawaii, are some of the most imperiled on earth and with so few individuals of some species, research was sorely needed to inform management actions.
Pacific Rim Conservation works together with local communities, government agencies, and other conservation organizations to achieve their goals. They create ‘islands’ within islands where predators have either been removed and excluded through fencing or are controlled on a long term basis, then work to restore the habitat in these areas, and in some cases, bring bird species back that are no longer found there through translocation and social attraction. Throughout all of their work, they actively conduct research to understand avian biology, and the ecosystem changes and benefits to inform future conservation actions. To date, we have published more than 110 peer-reviewed papers in high-profile scientific journals and have had our work featured in media outlets such as the New York Times, National Geographic and the BBC.
You can learn more about their work, team, and how to support their mission on their website, pacificrimconservation.org.
About the Presenters
Dr. Lindsay Young
Executive Director, Pacific Rim Conservation
Lindsay Young earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Science from the University of Hawai`i. In 2009, she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Hawai`i where her research focused on the population genetics, at sea foraging ecology, and conservation needs of Laysan Albatross.
Lindsay has worked on numerous conservation projects in Hawai`i and the Pacific region since 2003 with a variety of state, federal, and private partners.
Lindsay has authored several dozen scientific papers, served as the treasurer for the Pacific Seabird Group, the chair of the North Pacific Albatross Working Group, is the former North Pacific correspondent for ACAP (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels), and as a reviewer for multiple refereed journals. Lindsay was one of the 2011 recipients of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards for her work on the Nihoa Millerbird Translocation, and in 2016 she was awarded a special achievement award from the Pacific Seabird Group for her work with Hawaiian seabirds. She currently serves as an affiliate graduate faculty member at the University of Hawai`i Natural Resources and Environmental Management Department and was a faculty member on the Fall 2018 voyage of Semester at Sea through Colorado State University
Dr. Eric VanderWerf
Director of Science, Pacific Rim Conservation
Eric VanderWerf earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1988 and Master of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1992. In 1999, he completed a Ph.D. at the University of Hawai`i, where his research focused on plumage variation and effects of habitat disturbance and diseases on population biology of the Hawaii Elepaio.
He has worked on a variety of conservation and ornithological projects in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific since 1991 during stints with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife. He has continued and expanded upon that work since founding Pacific Rim Conservation in 2007.
Eric has authored over 100 scientific papers, book chapters, government documents, and technical reports, serves as the leader of the Hawaiian Forest Bird Recovery Team for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on the Endangered Species Recovery Committee for State of Hawaii, as an associate editor for the Condor, and as an associate editor of the Birds of North America.
Eric was also one of the 2011 recipients of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards for his work on the Nihoa Millerbird Translocation.
