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© David Jadhon

For more than 25 years, Audubon has successfully brought to bear the knowledge and insights of science for the benefit of conservation in Alaska. Through its Science and Stewardship program, Audubon Alaska interprets and applies scientific knowledge in order to identify and understand conservation problems and to address them through public policy initiatives and through partnerships with government agencies, Alaska Native organizations, universities, conservation groups, communities, resource industries, and others. The Science and Stewardship program emphasizes the proactive application of science for conservation, interaction with colleagues throughout the scientific community, and partnerships with agencies and organizations that share Audubon's interest in conservation.

Ongoing projects include:

• Sustain partnerships with resource agencies and local communities implementing the Kenai Peninsula Brown Bear Conservation Strategy
• Update the Alaska WatchList and use it to promote the conservation of vulnerable and declining bird populations
• Participate in the Pacific Coast Joint Venture and related programs that promote science-based partnerships for habitat conservation

© John Schoen

New projects include:

• Complete a statewide Important Bird Area (IBA) project and develop conservation plans for IBAs already identified in the Cook Inlet watershed and in the Bering Sea ecoregion, both in Alaska and in the Russian Far East.
• Identify priorities areas for conservation, emphasizing roadless watersheds in southeastern Alaska and develop a science-based conservation strategy for the Tongass National Forest.

Note: Early in 2003, Audubon's Science and Stewardship program developed a "Western Arctic Conservation Strategy," including a synthesis of resources in western Arctic Alaska and conservation recommendations for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the western Arctic more broadly. For more information on this project and products, see the Issues and Actions page on this web site.