Beat the "Sunday Scaries" with sunset yoga at the Science Center.

Aviva will be leading shorebird themed yoga in the atrium of our building on May 4th from 7-8pm. Come discover what birds can teach us about resilience and stamina. Don't have a yoga mat? Don't worry. Let us know and we will try to have a few extra on hand.

Enjoy an afternoon of crafting at the Net Loft as you create a framed wool painted shorebird. You will learn the basics of needle felting while illustrating in wool, a male Black Bellied Plover in breeding plumage, a migratory bird that travels to the Copper River Delta region each spring. 

May 4th, 1:30-6 pm upstairs at The Net Loft

Class Instructional Fee ($25), Materials Fee ($75) includes all fibers, felt background, mat, and thick shadowbox frame.  Use of needle felting tools included in class fee.  

(Shorebird Event Participants to receive 5% discount at checkout with code distributed when enrolled in the festival)

Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival Workshop: Needlefelt Black Belli – The Net Loft

8-hour Challenge 1:00 pm-9:00 pm May 4th. Meet at the Reluctant Fisherman restaurant at 9:00pm for tallies and awards.

To join, pick up your Birding Challenge Packet at the Welcome Table!

1. Checklists must be turned in to officials before 9:00 pm on May 4th at Reluctant Fisherman restaurant.

2. Teams that fail to meet the 9:00 pm deadline will forfeit one bird from their official total for every five-minute period that they are late.

3. Make sure that you double-check your checklist to verify that all birds recorded have been checked off. Totals are considered final when submitted. NO ALTERATIONS OR CORRECTIONS MAY BE MADE AFTER CHECKLISTS HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER TO OFFICIALS.

4. In the event of a tie, the place will be shared.

Please return the form and entry fee (fee only applies for non-festival registrants) to the Shorebird Festival Welcome Table. Make checks payable to the CORDOVA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Opening May 4th 10 am - 12pm. Exhibit open until May 31st

Birds in flight are often mesmerizing—their movement feels like art, synchronized and graceful, but the patterns are often too quick for the eye to see. In Flight is a photography exhibit revealing these hidden rhythms, turning fleeting movement into lasting images. Using a stationary aerial camera, this project captures the arcs, ripples, and sweeping paths that waterbirds carve across the sky and along the tides, making the ephemeral visible—and inviting us to look closer, wonder more, and rethink patterns that shape the natural world. 

Meet at Hartney Bay 15 minutes prior and venture out into nature to observe and record your experience through art with expert instruction.

This field trip offers participants the chance to observe shorebirds and other wildlife in their natural habitat with the guidance of seasoned birding experts. Registrants will have the opportunity to enhance their bird identification skills while exploring one of the region’s prime birdwatching locations.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to connect with nature and deepen your birding knowledge!

Guided Birding Field Trip at Hartney Bay
Join expert guides for a unique birding experience during high tide at Hartney Bay. This guided field trip offers participants the chance to observe shorebirds and other wildlife in their natural habitat with the guidance of seasoned birding experts. Registrants will have the opportunity to enhance their bird identification skills while exploring one of the region’s prime birdwatching locations.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to connect with nature and deepen your birding knowledge!

This is your chance to showcase your best bird calls and enjoy a day of laughter, creativity, and community spirit!
Categories:
1. Funniest Call - Bring those laughs!
2. Youth - Shine bright, young birders!
3. Most Accurate - Let’s see your real bird skills!
4. Most Theatrical - Get creative and entertain us!
Prizes await the winners in each category
How to Participate: Show up before the event starts and we’ll add you to the list! Or message us on instagram or Facebook!
Don’t miss out on the fun! Bring your friends and family to cheer you on as we welcome the shorebirds home!

Celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the WHSRN as we honor the Copper River Delta Shorebird Reserve Unit—the first Alaska shorebird habitat to be included in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. This milestone coincides with the 35th Anniversary of the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival, making this a special year for both conservation and the community.

More details to come soon

Join Jenell Larsen Tempel, Ph.D., a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, as she shares her research on Controller Bay—A Critical Stopover Site for Red Knots.

Since 2020, Jenell has been studying these incredible long-distance migrants, uncovering their vital connection to Alaska’s coastline. Her work is helping to shape conservation efforts for shorebirds and other at-risk species across the state.

Learn why Controller Bay is so important for Red Knots and what we can do to protect them.

Monica Iglecia, U.S. Coordinator for Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture. Monica’s career and education have been dedicated to international bird and habitat conservation through applied science and collaborative partnerships from the site-level to the flyway scale. She believes we can do more when we work together and is committed to creating and supporting an environment where birds and people can thrive, in the Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture service area and beyond.

The Pioneer ladies will be hosting a pie social in the Upstairs of the Pioneer as well as selling homemade whole pies in the parking lot outside the Pioneer building on Sat., May 3rd starting at 12:00 PM. 

Hartney Bay to Orca Adventure Lodge Race

This all-ages, family-friendly event offers two options:

• Bike 6.1 miles from Hartney Bay to the City Center, then run/walk 3 miles to Orca Adventure Lodge

• Run the full 9.1 miles from Hartney Bay to Orca Adventure Lodge

The race is not a relay, and the winner is determined by the most average time.

Participants can sign up at Bidarki, online through the City of Cordova Parks & Recreation, or on race day at Hartney Bay. A $5 donation is requested as the registration fee.

For more information, contact the City of Cordova Parks & Rec.

Support the CHS Robotics Team at the Birder’s Breakfast Fundraiser!
Swing by Mt. Eccles Elementary School on Saturday from 8 AM to 1 PM for a delicious breakfast in support of a great cause. Enjoy pancakes, crispy potatoes, sausage, and eggs, plus breakfast sandwiches to go, tasty falafel plates, and more

Meet at Hartney Bay 15 minutes prior and venture out into nature to observe and record your experience through art with expert instruction.

Guided Birding Field Trip at Hartney Bay
Join expert guides for a unique birding experience during high tide at Hartney Bay. This guided field trip offers participants the chance to observe shorebirds and other wildlife in their natural habitat with the guidance of seasoned birding experts. Registrants will have the opportunity to enhance their bird identification skills while exploring one of the region’s prime birdwatching locations.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to connect with nature and deepen your birding knowledge!

Shorebird conservation through capacity building at the flyway scale: five years of the Coastal Solutions Fellows Program

The Coastal Solutions Fellows Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology was developed in 2018, with the goal of improving resiliency along the Pacific Flyway of Latin America to help recover shorebird populations and support a regenerative development in the region. The program is based on capacity building to cultivate a collaborative network of emerging conservation leaders, and the implementation of effective conservation projects with measurable impacts. In 2023 we launched our fifth cohort, with which there are now 30 fellows working in 37 sites in nine countries. The fellows have created a network of over 120 mentors and collaborators and 200 partner organizations that are participating in shorebird conservation through science, engineering, public policies, landscape design, engagement of the private sector, and community participation. Some of the common elements for success in these initiatives include the cultivation of leadership, planning, governance, conflict resolution, and strategic communication, as well as the implementation of science-based innovative projects with cross-sectoral collaborations, ranging from the real estate sector and shrimp producers to indigenous communities and social justice groups. The program has catalyzed outcomes that include the creation of new natural protected areas and the establishment of conservation easements, as well as the development of federal regulations for the protection of urban wetlands and the creation of local ordinances to reduce human disturbance, with an estimated conservation impact on 115,000 hectares and benefits to at least 28 shorebird species, including priority species such as Snowy Plovers, American Oystercatchers, Red Knots, and Hudsonian Godwits.

Visit our Speakers page to read more about Osvel and the Coastal Solutions Fellows!

Following the Shorebird Identification 101 class, join Dotty Widmann for a talk on the basics of keeping a nature journal. Dotty will guide you through simple yet effective techniques to record your outdoor observations, helping you capture the beauty of nature in a personal and meaningful way. This talk is a great way to build on your shorebird knowledge and enhance your field experience.

The Prince William Sound Science Center will be at Eyak Corporation's upper camping area at Hartney Bay, exploring shorebirds and their adaptations through hands-on learning and play. Bring your beginning birders so they can get their feet wet in the wild world of birding. There will be a craft, games, scavenger hunt, and a chance to learn how to use binoculars and spotting scopes. Open to kids of all ages and their caregivers.

Join Erin Cooper, Forest Service Program Manager for Wildlife, Ecology, and Vegetation Management, for a comprehensive introduction to the region's shorebirds. This informative class will offer expert insights and identification tips to enhance your skills and enrich your experience before heading out on your first guided field trip.

Brush up on your birding skills and go head-to-head with other bird nerds at the Reluctant Fisherman Bar & Restaurant

Art Show Opening at the Reluctant Fisherman’s HeART Wall with artwork by Erin Cooper

Buy local art + Support a local community project

50/50 Proceeds benefit the Cordova Covered Spaces Project + Local Artist

Then stay for Birder’s Trivia with Audubon Alaska!

Join us for a celebration of migration through art!

The gallery will be open throughout the weekend, with the opening on Thursday evening alongside the Birds by Hand display. This annual bird-inspired art exhibition highlights the beauty of migration through works by local and Alaskan artists. Experience the intersection of art and nature in this captivating showcase.

All Ages and Family Friendly From Hartney Bay to Orca Adventure Lodge

Bike 6.1 miles, then run/walk 3 miles

OR

Run 9.1 Miles

May 5th at 7pm

 Intended audience: Adults

Relax after a day of bird watching with nature yoga at the Science Center. Aviva will lead bird-themed yoga in the atrium of the Science Center on May 5th at 7pm. Discover what birds can teach us about stamina and resilience. Don’t have a yoga mat? Don’t worry. Let us know, and we will try to have a few extras on hand. 

Join Tribal artist, Jessicca Jones, for a shorebird-centric paint night experience. Paint a 6” x 12” canvas with personal instruction in a fun, social environment. Shorebird Festival registrants and Ilanka Cultural Center members are eligible for $5 discount, but the class sign-up is open to everyone.

Sunday, May 5th

5:30-7:30pm

Masonic Temple

$45 per person (includes materials)

Class Capacity: 20 people

To ask questions or sign up, email hannah.rodolph@eyak-nsn.gov or call Ilanka Cultural Center at 907-424-7903 (open Tues-Fri 10am-4pm)