XXI CONGRESS OF THE MESOAMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION AND VI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF PARTNERS IN FLIGHT

November 6, 2017 Thank you for PIF VI, Costa Rica Oct 30 to Nov 3 We have just finished a very successful sixth international meeting of Partners in Flight in San Jose, Costa Rica. This meeting would not have been possible without the help of multitudes. Below I will try to thank all those who made major contributions. In addition to those listed, many people made valuable scientific contributions to the meeting, so please check the schedule to find those. I can share abstracts of presentations that people are particularly interested in. Nine excellent plenaries contributed to the overall program. I want to particularly thank Pablo Elizondo of Costa Rica Bird Observatories who led the PIF local committee for the meeting and Sue Bonfield of Environment for the Americas who handled the U.S.-based financial arrangements. John Hannan helped us set up a funding mechanism for individuals at Razoo that produced about $5,000 towards travel scholarships for Mesoamerican participants, primarily from PIF members, especially the Western Working Group when the members challenged each other to contribute. Thank you all! Your financial support allowed us to provide scholarships to 30 students and biologists from 9 different countries, including Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and most of the Central American countries. Zaida Piedra led the local committee for the Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation (SMBC), handled all the hotel arrangements, and coordinated the PIF program with the SMBC program. Thanks to Zaida and the SMBC meeting committee for making sure that everything ran smoothly and for making all the PIF participants feel welcome. Here are others who made a big difference to the PIF portion of the meeting: Sponsors and Funders: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Costa Rica Bird Observatories Environment for the Americas Hummingbird Monitoring Network John Hannan Bird Conservancy of the Rockies American Bird Conservancy Western Working Group, Partners in Flight Rio Grande Joint Venture Redstarts and Ravens (Janet Ruth and Dave Krueper) Chuck Hunter Canadian Wildlife Service Pronatura Noreste Piccaro Family Trust Arizona Game and Fish Department University of Costa Rica Mapache Rent a Car Rainforest Adventures Jody Enck, Cayuga Bird Club C. John Ralph Mary Whitfield Steve Dryden Sarah Otterstrom Carol Beardmore Carol Beidleman Jennie Duberstein Jane Fitzgerald Thomas Albright David Younkman Lynne Mecum Geoff Guepel Daphne Gemmill Lisa Sorenson Sue Bonfield Greg Butcher Edwin Juarez Monica Iglecia Rodney Siegel Sarah Harris Steven Albert Jesus Franco Leaders of PIF VI Symposia, Workshops, and Contributed Papers: Evaluación del estado de Conservación de las aves de Centroamérica / Conservation Assessment for the Birds of Central America – Alianza Centroamericana para la Conservación de las Aves (ACCA): Luis Sandoval, Universidad de Costa Rica; Viviana Ruiz, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Arvind Panjabi, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Engaging Communities in Conservation – Susan Bonfield, Environment for the Americas Taller de capacitación en eBird – Viviana Ruiz, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Detectives de Aves-Internacional – Lily Briggs, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Supporting conservation implementation: integrating single species and ecosystem conservation initiatives – Alaine Camfield, Environment and Climate Change Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service; Ruth Bennett, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Randy Dettmers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bird Conservation in Mexico – Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza, Universidad Veracruzana; Efraín Castillejos Castellanos, Pronatura Sur; Claudia M. Macías Caballero, Pronatura Sur Contributed Papers: Waterbirds, Shorebirds, and Nicaraguan Grackle – Kacy Ray, American Bird Conservancy Las Colecciones Ornitologicas: Una Herramienta Para el Estudio de las Aves / Ornithological Collections as a Tool for Bird Studies – Ghisselle M. Alvarado Quesada, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica Thirteen years of collaboration to preserve the Golden-cheeked Warbler and Mesoamerican Pine-Oak Forest – Claudia Macías Caballero, Pronatura Sur and Mesoamerican Pine-Oak Alliance Expanding and Enhancing Conservation Efforts of Reddish Egret into Mesoamerica – Reddish Egret International Working Group: Kelli Stone, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Alfredo Álvarez, Pronatura Noreste; Clay Green, Texas State University; Jesús Franco, Rio Grande Joint Venture/American Bird Conservancy International collaboration and capacity building to conserve our shared birds – Jaime L Stephens, Klamath Bird Observatory Herramientas Web para Investigacion y Educacion en Ornitologia / On-line Tools for Research and Education in Ornithology - Silvia E. Bolaños-Redondo, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica Migration Stopover in the Neotropics: Filling a Black Hole in Full Annual Cycle Conservation – Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Nicholas J. Bayly, SELVA: Investigación para la Conservación en el Neotropico Del Conocimiento a la Ciencia para el Estudio y Conservacion de la Avifauna / Scientific Knowledge for the Study and Conservation of Birds – Oscar Ramírez-Alán, Escuela Universidad Nacional / Asociación Ornitológica de Costa Rica Bird Conservation Through Green Investments - Creating Effective Birdscapes for Migratory Birds – Andrew Rothman, EJ Williams, and Mike Parr, American Bird Conservancy Colibríes en un Mundo Cambiante: ¿Por qué su Conservación Importa? / Hummingbirds in a Changing World: Why Hummingbird Conservation Matters! – Susan Wethington, Hummingbird Monitoring Network (HMN); Maria del Coro Arizmendi, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Ecotourism as a tool for bird conservation – Nathalie Carballo, National Chamber of Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism of Costa Rica (CANAECO) Tropical Deciduous Forest/Mangrove Conservation Investment Strategy - Partners in Flight, Western Working Group; Carol J. Beardmore, Sonoran Joint Venture; Edwin A. Juarez, Arizona Game and Fish Department; and Sarah M. Otterstrom, Paso Pacifico State of Rufous Hummingbird conservation and science – John D Alexander, Klamath Bird Observatory, and Sarahy Contreras Martinez, Universidad de Guadalajara-CUCSUR Priorities for shorebird conservation in Mesoamerica – Isadora Angarita-Martínez, BirdLife Americas, and Rob Clay, WHSRN Executive Office Sister Bird Club Network – Linking Birders through Neotropical Migratory Birds – Jody Enck, Ithaca, NY and Oliver Komar, Zamorano University, Honduras Contributed Papers: Biology of Nearctic-Neotropical Migratory Birds – David King, US Forest Service Multi-National Monitoring Programs for Waterbirds in Central America – Building a regional baseline for conservation action – Rob Clay, WHSRN Executive Office; Diana Eusse, Asociación Calidris; Matt Reiter, Point Blue Conservation Science La Diversidad Ornitologica en Ecosistemas Tropicales: Estudios a Largo Plazo / Ornithological Diversity in Tropical Ecosystems: Long-term Studies – Ghisselle M. Alvarado Quesada. Museo Nacional de Costa Rica Developing projects and project proposals within a conservation planning framework – John Alexander, Klamath Bird Observatory; Claudia Macias Caballero, Pronatura Sur; Sarahy Contreras Martinez, Universidad de Guadalajara-CUCSUR; David Younkman, American Bird Conservancy Contributed Papers: Bird Habitats and Communities - Pablo Muñoz, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica