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404 1st St
Cordova, AK, 99574
United States
907-424-7260
We invite you to join the mass migration of Pacific shorebirds, raptors, waterfowl and songbirds. Their shoreside respite is framed against the pristine backdrop of coastal glaciers and mountains, the breathtaking vista that we call home. Come armed with your binoculars, spotting scopes, cameras, sketch books and pencils and leave with a heart full of memories.
The 2026 Shorebird Festival is taking flight!
Click here to view the festival schedule in grid format.
Click here to get your event listed on the Shorebird Schedule.
Beat the “Sunday Scaries” with Sunset Yoga at the Science Center.
Join PWSSC for a Shorebird themed yoga session in the atrium of our building on May 10th from 7:00pm - 8:00pm. Come discover what birds can teach us about resilience and stamina. Don’t have a yoga mat? Let us know and we will try to have a few extra on hand.
Register: Arctic Tern Needle Felt Workshop – The Net Loft
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 10th 1:00pm - 5:00pm at The Net Loft
Class Instructional Fee $25, includes use of needle felting tools
Materials Fee $75, includes all fibers, felt background, mat, and thick shadowbox frame
*Shorebird Event Participants receive 5% discount with code distributed when enrolled in the festival
Shorebirds that nest in Alaska migrate to New Zealand, South America, and beyond. Shorebirds are part of the diet and culture of Yup’ik people of western Alaska. A dance mask from the early 1900s highlights connections of Yup’ik people with their culture and homeland as well as the importance of including Indigenous peoples in bird and shorebird conservation.
Lili has over two decades of life and work experience in Alaska dedicated to bird conservation, research, and management. She has worked in collaboration with state, federal, Indigenous, nonprofit, and other partners. Lili’s work has blended natural and social sciences, focusing on bird ecology, harvest assessment, Indigenous knowledge, co-management, outreach and education, and place- and culture-based conservation actions. She is a recipient of the Alaska Bird Conference Isleib Award for outstanding contributions to bird conservation. Lili serves as the Director of Conservation for the Alaska Program of the National Audubon Society. Lili earned a BS in Oceanography and MS in Biological Oceanography from the Federal University of Rio Grande (Brazil) and a PhD in Biodiversity from the Sorbonne-Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France).
Brooke Mallory is a member of the Native Village of Eyak (NVE) and grew up commercial fishing with her family out of Cordova, Alaska. She has been involved with NVE for 16 years, serving both as staff and on the Tribal Council, 2 years as the Chair, and currently serves as their Interim Executive Director. She served on The Eyak Corporation Board of Directors for 6 years, 3 of them as the Chair. Brooke has vast experience working with Alaskan Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and Tribal nonprofits, where she works to educate and partner with outside organizations, educating others on how diverse Alaska is. Brooke works to blend traditional knowledge with the scientific world to provide tribally led conservation practices. Brooke earned a BS in Education from Linfield College, with an emphasis on science, math, and art.
Northstar Theater
Fold, sip, and celebrate Shorebird Festival with a hands-on origami crane workshop at Copper River Brewing Co—paper provided, creativity encouraged.
Included with your Shorebird ticket.
Register: Watercolor Study | Feathers & Eggs Shadow Box – The Net Loft
in the Education Room at the City Center
Before you bird, come nature journal at Hartney Bay!
Alaskan Fine Yarn, Gift, Needlework, & Handcraft Supply Store – The Net Loft
Meet at Hartney Bay at 6:45am and venture out into nature to observe and record your experience through art with expert instruction.
Keynote Speaker Rob Clay will be presenting the 2026 Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival’s main presentation in the Northstar Theater within the Cordova City Center. This event will immediately follow The Copper River Delta, an Introduction.
Susan Oehlers grew up in Minnesota, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota and a Master's Degree in wildlife biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Susan has worked with a wide variety of animals and birds, including wolves, moose, brown bears, small mammals, spotted owls, songbirds, Canada geese, and terns. Susan is currently the wildlife biologist for the Yakutat Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest. As co-chair of the Pacific Seabird Group Aleutian Tern Technical Committee, she is involved in the Yakutat-based Aleutian tern research. Susan also plays a key role in the Yakutat Tern Festival.
Anne grew up in South Dakota and has spent the past 12 years living and working in Alaska. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from South Dakota State University and a Master of Science in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. Anne is currently a researcher at the Prince William Sound Science Center in Cordova, Alaska, where her primarily focuses on seabirds and shorebirds in Prince William Sound and on the Copper River Delta.
Included in Paid Festival Registration.
About the Presenter: Erin Cooper, a Wildlife Biologist for the Forest Service, has lived and worked in Cordova for 23 years. Her work has ranged from shorebirds and waterfowl to mountain goats and moose with a focus on ecosystems of the Copper River Delta. Since 2001 she has been a core member of the Copper River International Migratory Bird Initiative, promoting international conservation for migratory birds and their habitats throughout the Pacific Flyway.
About the Talk: Learn about the landscape and ecology of the Copper River Delta in this introductory presentation. Erin will present a brief overview of the Delta, the species that use it, and its connection to the Pacific Flyway.
Alaskan Fine Yarn, Gift, Needlework, & Handcraft Supply Store – The Net Loft
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.
Join us at the Education Room to learn how to watercolor birds, featuring Emily Lex’s book!
Register: Introduction to Watercolors featuring Emily Lex's Birds Book – The Net Loft
This comprehensive introduction to the region’s Shorebirds will offer expert insights and identification tips to enhance your skills and enrich your experience before heading out on your first guided field trip!
This class will take place in the Cordova Center Com Rm A.
Class is included with your Festival Ticket.
The Ilanka Cultural Center will be offering a beaded earring class April 30, May 2, and May 3 from 5:30-8:30pm. (This is the Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday before Shorebird Festival.) All classes will be held in the Tribal Family Services building. Please attend all classes. You will not be able to complete the project without attending all classes.
Limited seats available. To sign up, contact janalie.howard@eyak-nsn.gov
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.
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, the Western Sandpiper in breeding plumage, a migratory bird that travels to the Copper River Delta region each spring.
There are three separate outdoor field sessions. We will likely be visiting Hartney Bay, Three Mile Bay, and Alaganik Slough. Outdoor Sessions are subject to weather conditions and will meet in a classroom at the Cordova Center if weather is too harsh to meet outdoors.
Each session will include 30 minutes with a guide, 2 hours with Kim, and 30 minutes for outdoor post class wind down, before heading back to town. Outdoor sessions require a class material packet. If registering for more than one outdoor session, only one packet is required. ($35.00 packet fee includes required class booklet and Kim's streamline set of art tools she will be using in her outdoor sessions)
OUTDOOR SESSION SCHEDULE
Friday May 3, Outdoor Session 9-12 noon. $45
Saturday May 4, Outdoor Session 9-12 noon. $45
Sunday May 5, Outdoor Session 8-11 am $45
*Personally motivated 10-15 year old nature journalists may accompany a fully paid parent at a reduced rate for Saturday Sessions, with one discounted youth per fully paid registration. Accompanied Youth Scholarship Rate $24 ($22.80 after festival discount) There is a limited number of these youth spaces available. They will need to speak with Dotty first and purchase their own packet of supplies.
Come join us following the speakers on Saturday evening for a casual shorebird sharing and journal show and tell. Gather with other birders to share your viewing experiences, as well as your shorebird drawings and nature journaling from the festival weekend. Bring any journals you may have to share with the group and inspire one another. Dessert and tea will be served.
Facilitated by The Net Loft. Saturday May 4, 7:00-8:00 pm. Library fireplace.
Please preregister to help us coordinate our set up for this gathering.
ALL WELCOME to this get together, whether or not you have a journal to share. We will be discussing also our favorite nature journaling authors, books, and online instructors, so come prepared to share your sources for skill development and inspiration. SPACE IS LIMITED SO PLEASE REGISTER BELOW!
Join us for a night of painting at the Moose Lodge on Saturday, May 4th at 6 pm.
Get in on this awesome experience led by the incredible Jessicca Morningstar Jones.
To book this class simply call Jessicca at (907) 429-7997.
All materials included. Cost is $45 for festival registrants, $50 for non-registered guests.
Indoor Sessions include 2 hour instructional classes followed by 1 hour Open Studio in classroom space for those who want to continue working on projects. Hot teas and snacks will be provided.
Indoor Classes will meet at Cordova Community Center, Education Room
Quick and Easy Landscape Sketching. Learn beginner-friendly strategies for sketching landscapes and coastal habitats with Kim McNett. A small sketch goes a long way in documenting a sense of place and habitat in your field journal.
*Personally motivated 10-15 year old nature journalists may accompany a fully paid parent at a reduced rate for Saturday Sessions, with one discounted youth per fully paid registration. Accompanied Youth Scholarship Rate $24 ($22.80 after festival discount) There is a limited number of these youth spaces available. They will need to speak with Dotty first and purchase their own packet of supplies.
There are three separate outdoor field sessions. We will likely be visiting Hartney Bay, Three Mile Bay, and Alaganik Slough. Outdoor Sessions are subject to weather conditions and will meet in a classroom at the Cordova Center if weather is too harsh to meet outdoors.
Each session will include 30 minutes with a guide, 2 hours with Kim, and 30 minutes for outdoor post class wind down, before heading back to town. Outdoor sessions require a class material packet. If registering for more than one outdoor session, only one packet is required. ($35.00 packet fee includes required class booklet and Kim's streamline set of art tools she will be using in her outdoor sessions)
OUTDOOR SESSION SCHEDULE
Friday May 3, Outdoor Session 9-12 noon. $45
Saturday May 4, Outdoor Session 9-12 noon. $45
Sunday May 5, Outdoor Session 8-11 am $45
*Personally motivated 10-15 year old nature journalists may accompany a fully paid parent at a reduced rate for Saturday Sessions, with one discounted youth per fully paid registration. Accompanied Youth Scholarship Rate $24 ($22.80 after festival discount) There is a limited number of these youth spaces available. They will need to speak with Dotty first and purchase their own packet of supplies.
About the Presenter: Erin Cooper, a Wildlife Biologist for the Forest Service, has lived and worked in Cordova for 24 years. Her work has ranged from shorebirds and waterfowl to mountain goats and moose with a focus on ecosystems of the Copper River Delta. Since 2001 she has been a core member of the Copper River International Migratory Bird Initiative, promoting international conservation for migratory birds and their habitats throughout the Pacific Flyway.
This is a kids activity:
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. Open to kids of all ages and their caregivers.
Indoor Sessions include 2 hour instructional classes followed by 1 hour Open Studio in classroom space for those who want to continue working on projects. Hot teas and snacks will be provided.
Indoor Classes will meet at Cordova Community Center, Education Room
Quick and Easy Landscape Sketching. Learn beginner-friendly strategies for sketching landscapes and coastal habitats with Kim McNett. A small sketch goes a long way in documenting a sense of place and habitat in your field journal.
*Personally motivated 10-15 year old nature journalists may accompany a fully paid parent at a reduced rate for Saturday Sessions, with one discounted youth per fully paid registration. Accompanied Youth Scholarship Rate $24 ($22.80 after festival discount) There is a limited number of these youth spaces available. They will need to speak with Dotty first and purchase their own packet of supplies.
There are three separate outdoor field sessions. We will likely be visiting Hartney Bay, Three Mile Bay, and Alaganik Slough. Outdoor Sessions are subject to weather conditions and will meet in a classroom at the Cordova Center if weather is too harsh to meet outdoors.
Each session will include 30 minutes with a guide, 2 hours with Kim, and 30 minutes for outdoor post class wind down, before heading back to town. Outdoor sessions require a class material packet. If registering for more than one outdoor session, only one packet is required. ($35.00 packet fee includes required class booklet and Kim's streamline set of art tools she will be using in her outdoor sessions)
OUTDOOR SESSION SCHEDULE
Friday May 3, Outdoor Session 9-12 noon. $45
Saturday May 4, Outdoor Session 9-12 noon. $45
Sunday May 5, Outdoor Session 8-11 am $45
*Personally motivated 10-15 year old nature journalists may accompany a fully paid parent at a reduced rate for Saturday Sessions, with one discounted youth per fully paid registration. Accompanied Youth Scholarship Rate $24 ($22.80 after festival discount) There is a limited number of these youth spaces available. They will need to speak with Dotty first and purchase their own packet of supplies.
Included with your Festival Ticket.
Join Erin Cooper as she delves into identifying shorebirds in an easy to digest 101 style class, that is conveniently timed before our first birding field trip of the festival.
This class will take place in the Cordova Center Com Rm A.
New Harbor/South Fill
Sunday May 7
Grab your bikes (or your walking shoes) for a bird tour of the harbor. Tour-De-Peeps starts at the Fishermans Memorial and then journeys around the harbor where you can visit all three of the Science Center's activity stations. Learn about bird adaptations, look for birds, and make bird-themed crafts.
May 7, Sunday 2-6 pm
Create a framed wool-painted shorebird, as you learn the basics of needle felting. Our subject will be the Whimbrel, a migratory bird that travels to the Copper River Delta region each spring.
The class Instructional Fee $10, Materials Fee ($65) including all fibers, felt background, mat, and frame. Use of needle felting tools included in class fee. TOTAL $75
Brought to you in part by Cordova Arts and Pageants. Thank you!!
Nature Journaling at Alaganik- Field Session
Alaganik Slough: Sunday, May 7, 8-10 am -Meet in front of the Cordova Center 30 minutes prior to class starting time if needing a ride, or meet at location at time indicated.
Class fee $45 (42.75 after festival discount) Ages 14 and up
Join John Muir Laws in the field for an opportunity to participate in a guided field sketching experience. We will first spend time with the guide at each field location, and then branch off and begin our session with Jack.
Dress appropriately. Be prepared for cold temperatures and inclement weather. Transportation is not provided. We can carpool however, so if transportation needed, we can help you get there.
Parents of interested nature journalists, ages 8-14 may bring along 1 child per registration, and the registration fee for that child will be reduced,
$24 ($22.80 after festival discount) Please register for children at the shop
Brought to you in part by Cordova Arts and Pageants. Thank you!!
Saturday, May 6, 7:30-8:30 pm. Library fireplace.
Come join us following the speakers on Saturday evening for a shorebird sharing and journal show and tell. Gather with other birders to share your viewing experiences, as well as your shorebird drawings and nature journaling from the festival weekend. Preregistration required. Dessert will be served.
Facilitated by The Net Loft. Aaron Bowman will be helping moderate our discussion.
Session is not specifically children’s classes, but interested children are welcome to participate with a paid parent space. Children attending will need to get registered at The Net Loft in person for a discounted price; One child space per paid parent space.
SPACE IS LIMITED SO PLEASE REGISTER BELOW!
