2026 Programs

Programs are presented at AAS Chapter Meetings (monthly on 3rd Thursday evening from 6:30 to 9:30)

Meeting location: Christ Presbyterian Church

421 Deerfield Road

Camp Hill, PA 17011

Park in the lot at the far end of the church.

Thursday, February 19, 2026 (Virtual)

Continental Conservation of the Evening Grosbeak

Speaker: David Yeany II, Avian Ecologist, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program at Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. This Program will be a virtual online presentation.

Register in advance for February’s meeting Here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The Evening Grosbeak has had a 90% population loss since 1970 across North America. Scientists from the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (PNHP-WPC), Powdermill Avian Research Center at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (PARC-CMNH), and Finch Research Network (FiRN) have formed an Evening Grosbeak Working Group to address the species’ conservation needs while collaborating on full annual cycle research. This international working group includes partners from across the continent working to fill knowledge gaps in the species’ ecology and seeking answers to the reasons for the decline by studying the species’ full annual cycle ecology, habitat use, and migratory connectivity. Using cutting edge tracking technology, we are following grosbeaks from wintering sites across five continental target regions to their breeding areas. Since 2021, we have tracked wintering birds from eight states, including Pennsylvania, showing linkages to breeding areas both near wintering sites but also into the Canadian boreal forest and western montane forest. We are learning more and more about the grosbeak’s connectivity across the landscape as well as working with partners to hone in on factors influencing decline. But this long-term effort requires more data to determine limiting factors and look at not just regional populations but the species across its range. We intend to continue this movement research while working group partners continue to work toward priority conservation needs related to direct mortalities from collisions, cats, disease, diet, and habitat.

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Cerulean Warbler Habitat in the Kittatinny Ridge

Speaker: Jennifer Sliko, PhD, PhD, External Lead for the Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Landscape, Audubon Mid-Atlantic

Cerulean Warblers, once widespread in the eastern U.S., are now a near-threatened species, with populations declining by about 70% since 1966 due largely to habitat degradation. The Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Landscape (KRCL) provides critical breeding and foraging habitat for this and other forest-deelling bird species. As a designated climate refugia, the ridge helps buffer biodiversity from the impacts of climate change. Key conservation challenges include forest fragmentation, invasive species, fire suppression, and excessive deer browsing. Effective forest management strategies--such as shelterwood harvests, canopy gap creation, and crop tree release--can improve structural diversity and restore essential habitat. Community actions like bird-friendly landscaping, conservation easements, and climate-conscious living also play an important role in protecting these vital ecosystems.

Thursday, April 16, 2026

Eggs & Nests

Join Scott Bills (former PA Game Commission employee), for an up-close look and hands-on presentation of eggs, feathers, and nests