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PSG 2024 Annual Meeting

By Anna Vallery

The countdown to our favorite conference is on! We are only three months away from the 51st Annual Meeting of the Pacific Seabird Group (PSG) in Seattle, Washington! This year’s meeting is shaping up to be another excellent event with plenty of exciting workshops, symposiums, presentations, and more. We’re thrilled to give you a summary of meeting details and events that you can look forward to at the PSG Annual Meeting from February 21–23, 2024.

This year’s Annual Meeting is taking place in Seattle, Washington, not far from Issaquah, where the first official Annual Meeting of the Pacific Seabird Group was held in December 1974 (attended by more than 100 individuals!). The 51st Annual Meeting will be held at the Grand Hyatt Seattle, located within walking distance of Seattle’s Pike Place Market, Paramount Theater, Space Needle, and a vibrant waterfront. The Local Committee is taking advantage of all Seattle has to offer and has planned many events, including a kick-off social at Flatstick on South Lake Union. They also have some incredible field trips options planned, from behind-the-scenes tours of the Seattle Aquarium and the Burke Museum, as well as an opportunity to get out on the Puget Sound for some birding by boat!

The theme for the 51st Annual Meeting will shine a spotlight on the humans of PSG—Faces  of Seabird Conservation—and we need your help celebrating! Do you have a favorite established or aspiring seabird scientist you’d like everyone to know more about? How about a dedicated volunteer, logistics coordinator, or local community member who goes the extra mile for seabirds but has never attended a PSG Annual Meeting? Grab a camera, ask them a few questions, and send us a Faces of Seabird Conservation profile telling us who they are! Not sure where to start? Check out some profiles from Humans of New York.

The Scientific Program is packed with a variety of presentations and workshops. Of note, there will be a symposium focused on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and workshops on falconry abatement, seabird habitat creation, and myths and misconceptions about bird banding. The Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (EID) committee is also planning a workshop on inclusive hiring practices. Plenary talks by Sarah Converse of the University of Washington, Natalie Ban of the University of British Colombia, and Gemma Clucas of Cornell University (presenting the EARS Plenary) will examine seabird conservation and its human dimensions from the Seattle area to remote Pacific Islands, to the Antarctic, and beyond.

This year’s Annual Meeting will also feature an art exhibit featuring Faces of Seabird Conservation profiles and local seabird-related art, notably a nine-foot mural of bottle caps in the shape of an albatross created by residents of Pacific County, Washington to raise awareness about marine plastic pollution. 

Finally, you’ll be able to participate in some of our favorite Annual Meeting events! The mentoring session is always a popular and memorable event for our students and early career scientists. If you haven’t already signed up to be a mentor or mentee, be sure to do that when you register (or email us to be added to this event)! The Silent AUKtion is also back this year, raising money for Student Travel Awards. This year’s AUKtion will be back to in-person bidding only. If you have an item to donate, please email the Local Committee at locochair@pacificseabirdgroup.org. We already have an eight-pound block of Beecher’s Flagship cheese (a Seattle favorite), donated and ready to go home to the highest bidder!

The Local Committee is so excited to welcome everyone to Seattle and continue PSG’s tradition of hosting excellent and informative meetings! As we near the Annual Meeting, be sure to mark your calendar with these important dates:

November 28, 2023

  • Abstract submission closes. Find more information about abstract submissions here.
  • Travel award applications are due. To find more information or submit your travel award application, click here.

January 5, 2024

  • Early Bird registration closes; register here.

January 6–12, 2024

  • Late registration opens. Make sure to register here before the 12th!

January 26, 2024

  • Last day to reserve a room in the PSG room block at the Grand Hyatt Seattle. Limited rooms are available, so be sure to reserve your room soon here.

February 20, 2024

  • PSG Committee meeting day in Seattle, WA.

February 21–23, 2024

  • 51st Annual Meeting of the Pacific Seabird Group in Seattle, WA. Check out the draft agenda here.

February 24, 2024

  • Field trips—more details to come!