2023 AOS Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Awards to Lisa Sorenson and Stanley Senner

Lisa Sorenson Stanley Senner The American Ornithological Society (AOS) Schreiber Award honors extraordinary conservation-related scientific contributions by an individual or small team. Contributions from throughout the world and over any time period are eligible for this award, including applied research, restoration, and educational actions that conserve birds or preserve significant bird habitats; scientific examination of the principles of avian conservation and application of new insights into species restoration; and scientific evaluation, guidance, creation, and oversight of avian recovery programs or habitat reserve and restoration programs. The award is named for Ralph Schreiber, a prominent figure in American ornithology known for his enthusiasm, energy, and dedication to research and conservation, particularly of seabirds. The AOS is awarding two Ralph W. Schreiber Awards in 2023, one to Lisa Sorenson and one to Stanley Senner. Lisa Sorenson is the executive director of BirdsCaribbean and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Boston University, Massachusetts. Dr. Sorenson has increased awareness, appreciation, and conservation of the Caribbean region’s unique avifauna through research, conservation, and public engagement programs for Caribbean island residents and beyond. Building from her PhD research on the behavioral ecology of White-cheeked Pintails in the Bahamas, Dr. Sorenson’s efforts over 35 years include capacity building; outreach and education; fostering an active network of Caribbean conservationists; and conveyance of conservation methods, community and youth education, and science to Caribbean audiences. Her leadership while vice president (VP) and president of the Society for Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (now BirdsCaribbean) from 2005 to 2012, and more recently as its executive director (2012–present), has inspired, motivated, and energized island residents and others to contribute to island conservation efforts. Dr. Sorenson has tremendous skill in bringing people together from different island cultures, obtaining funding (>$3 million since 1997), and encouraging and mentoring many to become involved in bird conservation. Historically, much of the research on island birds was conducted by visitors from North America, often with little local involvement, thus limiting the opportunity for growth of indigenous conservation and capacity. Dr. Sorenson’s leadership has helped to overcome challenges in the region by addressing the need to train Caribbean nationals and empower local partners, teachers, and communities to carry out their own science, education, monitoring, and conservation. Since 1997, she has facilitated the delivery of more than 150 international and local training workshops, reaching more than 5,000 people. Dr. Sorenson has been a champion of increasing appreciation of the region’s endemic and migratory birds and the value of nature through the joy and fun of birding and bird education programs. This has, in turn, resulted in greater community engagement in actions to monitor, restore, and conserve threatened species and habitats, and it has yielded more young people pursuing careers in conservation. Dr. Sorenson has received 5 awards for her work in the region, including a Partners in Flight Leadership Award. She has also authored or coauthored numerous bird education resources, including school curricula and monitoring manuals for the region, as well as publications in peer-reviewed journals. The diverse Caribbean conservation initiatives, programs, and activities initiated, inspired, and facilitated by Dr. Sorenson’s leadership include the West Indian Whistling-Duck and Wetlands Conservation Project, BirdSleuth Caribbean, Caribbean Waterbird Census, Caribbean Birding Trail, Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, Caribbean Seabird Conservation, and Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Network. Dr. Sorenson has been an AOS Elective Member since 1998 and an AOS Fellow since 2011. She helped organize the 2022 joint American Ornithological Society and BirdsCaribbean Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, serving on numerous committees. Stanley Senner is the VP for bird conservation (retired) at the National Audubon Society, Washington, D.C. For the past 45 years, Senner has contributed his considerable expertise in avian ecology, environmental policy, and strategic conservation by leading flyway-wide initiatives to protect migratory bird populations. As the National Audubon Society’s VP for bird conservation, Senner was tasked with working collaboratively with hundreds of conservationists, wildlife and land managers, and policy experts and has achieved notable conservation successes for migratory birds in several global flyways. He brings a unique perspective and diverse skill set to avian conservation gained from years of being at the forefront of conservation issues in the United States and internationally. Senner’s career has led him around the country as a leader for many other prominent conservation and governmental organizations, including as director of conservation sciences for Ocean Conservancy, VP and executive director of Audubon Alaska, science coordinator for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, restoration program manager for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, executive director of the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, professional staff member for the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Alaska representative for The Wilderness Society. His work has focused on science and public policy related to energy development and its impacts on wildlife and ecosystems, in particular migratory birds. Over the past decade, in his position as VP for conservation with National Audubon and after retiring from Audubon in June 2021, Senner has worked tirelessly to develop and advance the Pacific Shorebird Conservation Initiative and to bring attention to the importance and critical status of the saline wetlands and birds that inhabit the Great Basin. Through major efforts by Senner and others, these often-ignored ecosystems have recently come to the attention of Senate leaders Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah), resulting in the first major conservation funding efforts for these habitats, efforts that should fortify migratory connectivity across the Pacific Flyway. Careful and discreet negotiations among stakeholders, agencies, and policymakers have been the signature approach to complex avian conservation issues that have made Senner so successful in achieving the major conservation goals he has tackled throughout his life. Senner graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a MS in biology in 1977, and he has been a member of the AOS since then. He was elected as an Elective Member in 1990 and an AOS Fellow in 2020 and currently serves on the AOS Conservation Committee. In 1993, he received the Pete Isleib Award for Contributions to Alaska Bird Conservation from the Alaska Bird Conference and, in 2019, the Allan Baker Lifetime Achievement Award in Shorebird Conservation from the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group. The American Ornithological Society is honored to bestow the 2023 AOS Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Awards, one to Lisa Sorenson and one to Stanley Senner.

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