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2023 Audubon Assembly | Conservation in a Changing Landscape
Join us for expert-led learning sessions and field trips, a chapter celebration, and so much more!
Date and time
Location
Sheraton Tampa Brandon
10221 Princess Palm Avenue Tampa, FL 33610Refund Policy
About this event
2023 Audubon Assembly | Conservation in a Changing Landscape
We hope you will join us in Tampa for Florida’s premier conservation gathering, where grassroots leaders from around the state join Audubon’s professional staff and partners to grow their knowledge and skills to protect Florida’s precious natural resources.
The agenda for our three-day event includes:
- Thursday: Field trips on your own, wine reception, dinner on your own.
- Friday: Guided field trips*, luncheon, learning sessions.
- Friday evening: Awards banquet with cash bar and keynote presentation, includes dinner.
- Saturday: Chapter celebration, Plenary.
Meals provided include luncheon and awards banquet on Friday; breakfast on Saturday.
*Guided trips are available to Assembly registrants, only.
Assembly participants are responsible for their own accommodations and can enjoy a discounted/group rate at the Tampa Sheraton Brandon Hotel. Scroll down for hotel reservation details.
Are you a student? Your registration is free! Email Olivia Priest at olivia.priest@audubon.org for more information.
Thursday and Friday Field Trips
Hillsborough County and the surrounding area have much to offer and the Tampa Audubon Society is pleased to assist with field trips. If you would like to stop along the way or spend a little extra time in the area checking out that place you have heard so much about, below is a list of some places you can enjoy on your own.
Thursday, October 26 | Enjoy on your own
Distance from hotel: 50-minute drive to Lakeland. See waterbirds, warblers, Purple Gallinules, and more. This site offers a flat walking surface and is very popular with photographers.
Distance from hotel: 40-minute drive. Located north of Plant City, this is the most rural, least developed option in this region. See Northern Bobwhites, nighthawks, fox squirrels, and more. It offers several loop options so walking distance can vary.
Distance from hotel: 25-minute drive. Offers a lovely boardwalk loop along the river with a shady, flat walking surface about one mile in length. The observation tower overlooks the juncture of the lake and river, which when the river is low can have dozens of feeding Roseate Spoonbills, plus herons, egrets, and ibis. This is the location of two guided tours on Friday morning but consider visiting early and wandering other trails in the park.
Distance from hotel: 30-minute drive. Located in Ruskin, winter ducks and shorebirds are possible in addition to other species. This offers a flat, sunny out-and-back trail a little over two miles in length.
Click here for a list of other birding hotspots in the region to explore on your own.
Friday, October 27 | Guided Tours
Host chapter Tampa Audubon assisted with this year’s field trips. An exciting boat tour in Tampa Bay aboard a 72-foot catamaran which, thanks to our host sponsor Publix, costs only $10 and includes breakfast, is SOLD OUT! Instead, explore Lettuce Lake Park via one of two guided tours. Guided tours are only available for Assembly event participants.
Please note the different start times and ADA access.
Please click the orange button to "reserve a spot" to see field trip details and make your selections.
Friday Learning Sessions
Creating Habitat in Unconventional Ways to Maximize Connections for Conservation Lands
People may not think twice about the design of routine infrastructure projects like wastewater facilities and solar fields. At Audubon, we realize each project is an opportunity to enhance our green infrastructure. Projects that would have been barriers to wildlife can be designed to provide important habitat and connect conservation lands across the state.
Perspectives from the Next Generation of Conservationists
The next generation of Florida's environmental leaders is taking action. Five of Audubon Florida’s young leaders join a panel discussion—led by National Audubon Society board member Steffanie Munguia—to explore what brought them to Audubon, what conservation work is resonating with our next-gen leaders, and what they envision for the future of Audubon as we protect birds and the places they need.
From Birding to Conservation: Bringing New Birders into the Conservation Movement
During the pandemic, thousands of people turned their eyes to the skies and discovered a love of birding. Each birder and bird watcher has the opportunity to make a difference in protecting birds and the places they need. This session dives into the details of how to turn this passion for birds into a passion for conservation.
Friday Night Keynote | A Conservation Photography Conversation at 7 p.m.
When does wildlife photography become conservation photography? The best nature photography doesn’t just capture the imagination—the images both educate the viewer and inspire action. Hear from three photographers leading the charge to use nature photography for conservation, harnessing the power of the lens to create change for birds and wildlife: Kirsten Hines, Gabby Salazar, and Preeti Desai. Learn more about the session here.
Saturday Morning Activities
Networking Breakfast and Chapters’ Celebration | 7:30 - 9:45 a.m.
Audubon Chapter members are certainly early-risers. That’s why we will meet bright and early Saturday morning for a robust breakfast and networking hour to share ideas about issues facing chapters. At 8:30 a.m. we will launch into our traditional Chapter awards celebration. Enjoy the appreciation of the heart and soul of the Audubon network and their successes in engaging with both traditional and new partners.
Plenary Session – Meeting the Challenge: Bird Conservation in a Changing Landscape | 10:15 a.m. – noon
Florida’s birdlife faces challenges from an ever-changing environment. Climate change, invasive species, land use changes, and more threaten some of the Sunshine State’s most iconic species. Join us as we explore how Bald Eagles, Burrowing Owls, Roseate Spoonbills, and imperiled shorebirds react to these changes, and how research can inform the management and policy responses needed to safeguard their future.
PANELISTS:
Shawnlei Breeding and Jerry Lorenz, PhD (Audubon Florida) and Raoul Boughton, PhD, (Mosaic.) Audrey DeRose-Wilson (Audubon Florida) will moderate.
Hotel Information
Audubon Assembly takes place at:
10221 Princess Palm Avenue
Tampa, FL 33610
813-246-7119
We have a block of rooms reserved for Assembly participants at a discounted rate.
Start Date: Wednesday, October 25, 2023
End Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
The room rate is $179 USD per night.
To reserve a room, click "reserve your spot" and choose from one- or two-night options.
For questions regarding your registration, please contact Renee Wilson at renee.wilson@audubon.org. Thank you!
Thank you to the generous sponsors of the 2023 Assembly!
Roseate Spoonbill in flight. Photo: Niccole Neeley/Audubon Photography Awards