Protecting North America’s Bird Nursery

Name: Protecting North America’s Bird Nursery
Start: 2025-09-12T18:30:00-04:00
End: 2025-09-12T21:00:00-04:00
Location: Peabody Essex Museum

Schedule

Fri Sep 12 2025 at 06:30 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Peabody Essex Museum | Salem, MA

Friday, September 12, 2025 from 6:30—9 pm
In-person event
Location: Morse Auditorium
Free
Reserve your spot here: pem.org/events/protecting-north-americas-bird-nursery?date=2025-09-12&time=06:30
Over half of North America’s migratory birds nest in the boreal forest, including birds from the North Shore and across New England. Delve into the boreal forest as a vital biome for birds and other wildlife with Jeff Wells, Vice President for Boreal Conservation at the National Audubon Society. Few people know that some of the largest land conservation actions currently underway to protect birds and their habitats are taking place in the boreal forest. Learn about some of these innovative Indigenous-led projects, which Audubon’s Boreal Conservation Program is partnering with to help protect one of the only remaining vast intact forest regions in the world.
6:30-7:30 pm | Exhibition viewing of Knowing Nature: Stories of the Boreal Forest (for program registrants)
7:30-7:45 pm | ECOC Members Meeting in Morse (open to all)
7:45-9 pm | ECOC Lecture in Morse (open to all)
About the collaborators:
Jeff Wells, PhD, is the Vice President for Boreal Conservation at the National Audubon Society. He leads Audubon’s efforts on using applied science and strategic communications to leverage public support for Indigenous-led conservation in Canada, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and Indigenous Guardians programs. Through this work, some of the largest new land protections in modern history are taking place across this globally important biome that supports billions of nesting birds. Previously, Wells served as Audubon’s National Bird Conservation Director and the Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon New York. For nearly 20 years, he led science and policy for the Boreal Songbird Initiative and the International Boreal Conservation Campaign. He has also served as the Senior Conservation Scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He has authored and co-authored numerous books, articles, papers and reports, including Birder’s Conservation Handbook; Boreal Birds of North America; Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao; and most recently, Birds of Maine , among others. An avid birder, he participated in winning teams from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on the World Series of Birding in 2001 and 2002.