DRAFT AGENDA: 8 July 2005
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Lodge at Crooked Lake, Siren, Wisconsin
10 – 12 August 2005
Workshop Objectives:
1. Increase awareness of Golden-winged Warbler conservation status throughout its range.
2. Examine the evidence for possible causes for Golden-wing declines and explore some of the
issues related to reversing those declines.
3. Identify gaps in knowledge and develop priorities for coordinated Golden-wing Warbler research.
4. Explore management opportunities for reversing Golden-winged Warbler declines in the context
of regional all-bird conservation.
5. Develop a conservation plan for Golden-winged Warblers that includes research, management
strategies, regional coordination, and monitoring.
6. Develop a coordination plan for information sharing and conservation action follow-through.
TENTATIVE AGENDA
Wednesday, 10 August
The purpose of the first day of the workshop is to provide a common baseline of information for all
participants. We do not anticipate a traditional, presentation-oriented symposium, but rather a series of
brief overviews and discussions. Details of each presentation will be available in the form of expanded
abstracts in participant notebooks distributed at the workshop. Nor do we expect to resolve difficult
questions on this first day. Rather, we aim to provide the background and depth necessary for the tasks
of subsequent days: continued development of important themes, a draft conservation plan, and a
consensus on priorities for research and conservation actions for Golden-winged Warblers.
6:00 – 9:00
BREAKFAST — Continental breakfast for Lodge guests, or on your own
REGISTRATION — Lodge at Crooked Lake Lobby
Introduction to the Workshop (Gandy Dancer)
9:00 – 9:20
Welcome, logistics, and early registration drawing — Amber Roth, Sigurd Olson
Environmental Institute
Overview, goals, and workshop objectives — Amber Roth
Conservation Status of Golden-winged Warblers on the Breeding Grounds
9:20 – 10:00
Golden-winged Warbler life history and population changes — David Buehler, University
of Tennessee
 includes highlights of Golden-wing biology and ecology, historic shifts in range, BBS
trends in the U.S. and Canada, population estimates from Partners in Flight and the
Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), and local efforts at
1160935447-8.doc
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estimating population size (Univ. Minnesota Natural Resource Research Institute &
University of Wisconsin)
Status of Golden-winged Warblers on the Non-breeding Grounds
10:00 – 10:30
Distribution, abundance, and status of Golden-winged Warblers in Latin America
— Salvadora Morales, Nicaragua, MoSI MesoAmerican Coordinator; Alejandro Solano,
Costa Rica
10:30 – 10:50
BREAK
Local and Regional Golden-winged Warbler Habitat Associations
At this point, we review the complexity and regional variation of Golden-wing habitat relationships, but not
issues surrounding changes in these habitats or strategies for managing habitat for Golden-wings. We
will cover these issues in the afternoon and on the management field trip Thursday morning.
10:50 – 11:00
A Broad-scale Overview of Habitat Associations derived from the Golden-winged Warbler
Atlas Project — Sara Barker, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
11:00 – 11:10
New England and New York — John Confer, Ithaca College
11:10 – 11:20
Mid-Atlantic — Jake Kubel, Penn State University; Sharon DeFalco, New Jersey Division
of Fish & Wildlife
11:20 – 11:30
Southern Appalachians — Lesley Bulluck, University of Tennessee; Ron Canterbury,
College; Curtis Smalling, North Carolina Audubon
11:30 – 11:40
Upper Midwest — Andy Paulios, Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative, Jim Lind, Univ.
Minnesota Natural Resources Research Institute; Karl Martin, Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources; Amber Roth
11:40 – 11:50
Canada – Kevin Fraser, Queen’s University
11:50 – 12:00
Central and South America — Salvadora Morales & Alejandro Solano
12:00 – 1:00 LUNCH — Outdoor Barbeque (Outside Patio or Bear Den)
Causes of Continental Declines and Local Extirpation of Golden-winged Warblers
The purpose of this section of the workshop is to explore hypotheses for the population declines and
range changes of Golden-winged Warblers so that we can better assess where we need to focus
attention when we consider priorities for research and action on subsequent days.
1:00 – 1:20
Effects of global climate change on Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers
— Jeff Price, California State University at Chico
1:20 – 1:40
Genetic introgression and competition with Blue-winged Warblers — Rachel Fraser,
Queen’s University—summarizing her work and that of Frank Gill, Leo Shapiro, John
Confer, Tom Will, and others
1:40 – 2:00
Regional patterns of habitat change and impacts of changes in land use
— Tom Will, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, moderating
Northeast — John Confer & Sara Barker
Mid-Atlantic — Jake Kubel & Sharon DeFalco
Southern Appalachians — Ron Canterbury, David Buehler
Upper Midwest — Andy Paulios; Dan Dessecker, Ruffed Grouse Society; Al Williamson,
Chippewa National Forest; Jim Lind
Central and South America — Salvadora Morales & Alejandro Solano
2:00 – 3:00
Panel Discussion: What is the primary cause of Golden-winged Warbler declines?
(Jeff Price, Rachel Fraser, John Confer, Ron Canterbury, David Buehler)
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3:00 – 3:20
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BREAK
Golden-winged Warbler Challenges and Conservation Opportunities
At this point, we explore some of the broad-scale issues, challenges, and opportunities for Golden-winged
Warbler conservation. Many—but not all—of these opportunities will be related to habitat. The local
Golden-wing habitat associations that we explored in the morning and the patterns of land use change
that we discussed after lunch as potential causes for declines will suggest particular challenges and
opportunities for reversing trends rangewide. When we visit Wisconsin and Minnesota Golden-wing
habitats tomorrow morning, we will discuss specific management protocols and techniques in detail. The
focus of the current discussion will be to investigate a broad range of potential conservation options that
might be used in drafting action recommendations tomorrow afternoon.
3:20 – 3:30
Golden-winged Warbler conservation in the context of regional all-bird planning:
continental population goals and regional stewardship — Andy Paulios & Tom Will
3:30 – 3:40
Golden-winged Warbler planning, forest trends, and management opportunities in our
National Forests — Al Williamson, Chippewa National Forest
3:40 – 3:50
Private lands: habitat changes, threats, and conservation opportunities — Dan
Dessecker, Ruffed Grouse Society
3:50 – 4:00
Changes in spatial patterns in northern Minnesota forests — Jim Manolis, Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources
4:00 – 4:10
Northern wetlands and lowland shrub communities: threatened or stable? — Jim Lind
4:10 – 4:20
Rights-of-way conservation opportunities in New England — John Confer
4:20 – 4:30
Migratory stopover habitat and Golden-winged Warblers — Dave Ewert, The Nature
Conservancy Great Lakes Program
4:30 – 4:40
Linking breeding and wintering grounds using stable isotopes — Kevin Fraser
4:40 – 4:50
The coffee connection — Salvadora Morales & Alejandro Solano
The Role of Modeling in Golden-winged Warbler Conservation
4:50 – 5:00
The Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project — Sara Barker
5:00 – 5:10
Predicting Golden-winged Warbler landscapes in Wisconsin — Karl Martin, Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
5:10 – 5:20
Empirical and predictive modeling of Golden-winged Warbler occurrence and abundance
— Wayne Thogmartin, USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
Recapitulation, Wrap-up, and Preparation for Thursday Management Field Trip
5:20 – 5:40
Where are we, and where do we go from here? — Rachel Fraser
Preparation for tomorrow’s field trip — Amber Roth
6:00 – 9:30
DINNER SOCIAL — Fish Boil with Cash Bar and Bonfire
(Outside Patio or Bear Den)
Dedication of Wisconsin IBAs of Importance to Golden-winged Warblers
7:30 – 8:00
— Andy Paulios, Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Coordinator
— Yoyi Steele, Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative IBA Coordinator
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Thursday, 11 August
6:00 – 7:30
BREAKFAST — Continental breakfast for Lodge guests, or on your own
REGISTRATION — Lodge at Crooked Lake Lobby
Tour of GWWA Breeding Habitats and Management Strategies in the Upper Midwest
Field Trip — Meet in the Bear Den, bring binoculars, and dress for the weather
Having considered the major hypothesis for Golden-winged Warbler declines as well as a range of
conservation options in yesterday’s presentations and discussions, the focus of this morning will be on
specific techniques for habitat management that might benefit Golden-wings. Rather than watch
presentations indoors, we will actually visit a range of Golden-wing habitats in northwestern Wisconsin
and eastern Minnesota and discuss habitat management in situ. This should be an extraordinary
opportunity to share expertise and discuss the intricacies of Golden-wing habitat associations!
7:30
Tour departs
Habitat Management Issues
Overview: Habitats, vegetation structure, and the role of natural disturbance — Amber Roth
Response to silviculture and forest management — Karl Martin & Amber Roth
 Comparisons of Golden-wing density and abundance in different habitats and seral stages
 Landscape- and stand-scale models and management
 The adaptive management approach
Burning — Matt Berg, Grantsburg High School
Right-of-way management — John Confer
Lowland shrub communities — Jim Lind
Sites We Will Be Visiting
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Dry oak–aspen clearcut (structurally similar to oak barrens)
Transmission right-of-way (with much alder and open grass/sedge)
Aspen forest managed by burning
Alder thicket with patches of ash swamp
Tamarack bog and ash–alder wetland
Mesic aspen clearcut (for comparison with the first site)
Tornado blow-down (regenerating since 2001 as a mix of aspen, oak, and open grass/sedge)
— optional, time permitting
Questions to Consider at Each Site
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What makes these habitat types and sites attractive (or unattractive) to GWWAs? Are these
qualities a result of management, other human activity, or natural processes?
What prescriptions might be used to maintain, create, or improve each habitat?
What role do natural processes play in changing these habitats over time?
What threatens these habitats, and what strategies might be used to curtail these threats?
How do the above considerations relate to your personal and work-related decisions?
… enroute
LUNCH — Box Lunch (provided with registration)
12:30-1:00
Tour returns
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What Do We Need to Do to Keep Golden-winged Warblers on the Landscape?
Facilitated Working Groups — Formulation of Prioritized Strategies
The breakout group discussions of this afternoon and tomorrow morning comprise the core of the
workshop and the major contribution of participants to the conservation of Golden-winged Warblers.
Using the knowledge we have gained from the presentations, discussions, and field trip, we will draft a set
of prioritized strategies for research, management, regional coordination, and monitoring for the species.
1:00 – 1:30
Overview, formation, and charge to work groups (Gandy Dancer) —David Buehler
1:30 – 4:30
Meeting of work groups
► Research, surveys, inventory, and monitoring in the breeding season
(Pow Wow Room)
► Breeding season management and conservation actions
(Gandy Dancer)
► Non-breeding season research, monitoring, and conservation actions
(Board Room)
A trained facilitator will help each work group to:
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List and prioritize needed projects and/or actions
Develop a clear set of strategies for the next five years (including planning for funding and
implementation)
Complete a resource inventory for each group and/or agency represented
Capture the discussion to provide the basis for a summary document for the workshop
proceedings
Organize the discussion highlights and outcomes for a report to whole group
Recapitulation, Wrap-up, and Preparation for Friday
4:30 – 5:30
Plenary — David Buehler
► Working group presentations
► Whole group endorsement of top priority actions
► Identification of tasks and task groups needed to translate plans into actions
6:00 – 9:30
DINNER and continued discussions — On our own!
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Friday, 12 August
6:00 – 8:30
BREAKFAST — Continental breakfast for Lodge guests, or on your own
Commitments for Continued Collaboration and Action (Gandy Dancer):
How Do we Coordinate and Continue our Efforts on Behalf of Golden-wings?
On this last morning of the workshop, we will build on the decisions of the previous afternoon and craft a
strategy for transforming Thursday’s breakout groups into committees with commitments to coordinate
priority research and implement priority conservation actions. Part of this strategy will likely involve
reinvigorating a formal Golden-winged Warbler Working Group.
8:30 – 9:30
Structuring a Golden-winged Warbler Working Group — Rachel Fraser
► Proposed standing committees (for discussion):
o
o
o
o
Breeding Season Research and Monitoring
Breeding Season Management and Conservation Action
Non-breeding Season Research, Monitoring, and Conservation
Synthesis Working Group (ad hoc) — to compile committee reports and produce a journal
article or proceedings document?
► Coordinating Council or Steering Committee?
► Formal structure, relationships with other conservation action groups
9:30 – 11:30
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Meetings of standing committees
Translate priorities into 5-year action or implementation plan
Focus action plan on range-wide coordination and integration
Propose permanent committee and nominate committee leader
Propose strategy for continuation and follow-through
11:30 – 12:00
Plenary discussion of standing committee decisions
12:00 – 1:00 LUNCH — on-site options available
Recapitulation, Workshop Wrap-up, and Plans for Follow-through
1:00 – 2:30
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Where do we go from here — David Buehler, Rachel Fraser, & Amber Roth
Working committee reports on action plans (continued)
Formulation and charge to Coordinating Committee
Gathering of materials for Workshop Summary Document
Opportunity for committees to establish communication links and conference call dates
Workshop concludes — departures, conversations, or plans for recreation
2:30
Departures