Presented in partnership with the Chicago Ornithological Society and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum this special series features four unique speakers with very different backgrounds and experiences in the birding community. From the impact of forest management to birding "big years," this series offers something for everyone.

Laurie Goodrich

Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association

Laurie Goodrich, Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, will share experience and knowledge gleaned from years of monitoring and analyzing raptor migration.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was founded in 1934 as the first sanctuary in the world to be set aside for raptor conservation. In the early days it began the first scientific migration count of hawks and led efforts to win legal protection for raptors. Its effort succeeded in part through public engagement focused on the spectacle of migration. Today it is a leading center for raptor conservation science, education, monitoring, and stewardship and continues to engage people locally as well as globally. Its celebrated international trainee program has trained more than 400 young conservationists in raptor biology and education, many who continue to work in their home countries to conserve raptors. In this talk, Laurie will share Hawk Mountain’s unique history and current programs. She will highlight the current trends in raptor numbers continent wide, which species are in trouble, and explore some of Hawk Mountain’s exciting satellite tracking data that is expanding our knowledge of migratory raptors in the Americas and around the world.

Cost: Free