Rusty Blackbird Workshop
Workshops
Understanding the decline of the rusty blackbird: a workshop April 12-13, 2007.
Sponsored by the International Rusty Blackbird Technical Group
Why?
The rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) population has declined precipitously over the past few decades. This decline had gone largely unnoticed until the past few years. The exact reasons for the decline remain a mystery, although climate change, habitat destruction, and environmental contamination have all been implicated.
The USDA Forest Service hosted this workshop on behalf of the International Rusty Blackbird Technical Group, founded in February 2005. The workshop brought together experts on rusty blackbirds and their boreal and bottomland hardwood ecosystems to assess what we know, what we need to know, and how we are going to find out what we need to know through future research.
What?
The workshop consisted of two phases:
- Phase 1 (April 12) information sharing through formal and informal presentations and panel and group discussions;
- Phase 2 (April 13) round-table discussions to hammer out concrete approaches to future research and management.
- View the workshop program - the talks can be downloaded from the program as pdf files.
Where?
The workshop was held at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Mississippi (B.F. Smith Building, 82 Stoneville Rd. Stoneville, MS 38776). Stoneville is located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta region along the legendary blues highway Rt. 61.
