REPORT OF THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
The Cooper Ornithological Society held its 78th annual meeting in conjunction with the American Ornithologists' Union and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists, in Portland, Oregon, 4–9 August 2008. The Steering Committee was chaired by Susan Haig. Steering Committee Members were Douglas Robinson, Katie O'Reilly, Bruce Dugger, Michael Webster, Michael Murphy, Eric Forsman, Joan Hagar, Jon Janosik, Laura Nagy, Katie Dugger, Andrea Pomeroy, and Ellen Paul. Douglas Robinson chaired the Scientific Program Committee.
There were 1012 registrants. The program included four plenary presentations, 131 papers in 23 symposia, 652 contributed papers, 229 posters, and two workshops.
The Society's award for lifetime achievement in ornithological research, the Miller Award, was presented to Peter Marler. The full citation is published in this edition of The Condor.
Blair Wolf and Fritz L. Knopf were recognized with Honorary Membership to the Cooper Ornithological Society for their service to the society. Dr. Wolf's past service to the society includes being a board member (2002–2005), chair of the Publications Committee in 1999, and student paper judge. Dr. Wolf has been the principal driver of SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archives) since 2000. Dr. Knopf's service includes membership on the Conservation Committee (1985–1986), chairing the Publications Committee (1995–1999), and developing the society's website (1996–1997). He has served as a board member since 2006 and has chaired the Nominating Committee and Painton Awards Committee since 2007.
Mewaldt-King Student Research Awards were presented to Jason Townsend, from the State University of New York, for "Mercury accumulation and food web biomagnification in two forest-dwelling songbirds of New York's upland forests," Nicole Michel, of Tulane University, for "Mechanisms of avian understory insectivore population decline in a tropical rainforest reserve: evidence for trophic cascades?," Heather Major, Simon Fraser University, for "Recovery of nocturnal burrow-nesting seabirds after the eradication of introduced predators," and Bridget Sousa (Honorable Mention), from the University of Kentucky, for "The Effects of Grassland Restoration on Avian Mating Patterns." James Tucker, Shallin Busch, Jessica Eberhard, Melissa Hughes, and Sarah Latshaw assisted Paul Nolan, the Mewaldt-King Award committee chairperson, with the selections this year.
Grinnell Student Research Awards were presented to Michael Butler, of Arizona State University, for "The effect of early-life challenges and carotenoids intake on adult immune function and coloration in mallards," Nancy Chen, Cornell University, for "MHC and Florida Scrub-Jays: mechanisms maintaining adaptive genetic variation in natural populations," and Christopher Tonra, University of Maine, for "The physiological underpinnings of seasonal interactions: does winter habitat limit breeding readiness in a Neotropical migrant songbird?"
The Cooper Ornithological Society presented four awards for outstanding student papers. The A. Brazier Howell Award was given to Clinton Francis, from the University of Colorado, for "Effects of gas well compressor noise on nest site selection and bird community composition in piñon-juniper woodlands of northwest New Mexico," and the Frances F. Roberts Award was presented to Daniel Barton, of the University of Montana, for "Does food limitation, nest predation, or adult mortality explain variation among species in within-species reaction norms of provisioning rates to brood size?" The Board of Directors Awards were given to Alison Boyer, University of New Mexico, for "Consistent ecological selectivity through time in Pacific Island avian extinctions," and to Juan Pablo Gomez, of Universidad de los Andes, for "Phylogenetic structure of typical antbird (Thamnophilidae) communities."
Through the annual balloting by all members of the Society, Steve Beissinger, Frank Moore, and Patricia Kennedy were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Directors.
In the Board of Directors' meetings, the following were elected to, or to continue in, office: Thomas E. Martin, President; Mercedes Foster, President-elect; Abby Powell, Secretary; Beth Hahn, Assistant Secretary; Katie Dugger, Treasurer; Kimberly A. Sullivan, Assistant Treasurer; Michael Patten, Editor of The Condor, and Carl D. Marti, Editor of Studies in Avian Biology.
The next annual meeting of the Cooper Ornithological Society will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Tucson, Arizona. Scientific sessions will occur on Friday and Saturday, 17–18 April, and the Board of Directors will meet 15–16 April 2009. Joseph Fontaine is chair of the Local Committee, and Vicki Saab is chair of the Scientific Program Committee.
