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. 

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. 

8-hour Challenge 1:00 pm-9:00 pm May 5th.

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 9th 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.

Check out the upper & lower atrium of the Cordova Center on both May 4th & 5th to see the beautiful wares being sold by a few of Cordova’s own Artists & makers!

Their beautiful wares will be the perfect souvenir to bring home to remember your time in Alaska’s hidden treasure, Cordova Alaska.

Part of Cordova’s Regenerative Tourism Strategy is to give our visitors the opportunity to support local businesses through their purchases! This market will give you the chance to not only find an incredible one-of-a-kind item to bring home with you but also allow you to invest in our locally-owned businesses! We can’t wait to see you there!

In-Person. Included in Paid Festival Registration.

Meet at the Cordova Center then drive or find a carpool out to Alaganik Slough to meet up with local guides and see shorebirds and waterfowl out on the Copper River Delta.  The Slough is accessible with boardwalks and viewing platforms. Dress for weather.

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.

The beautiful wildlife and bird photography of Milo Burcham will be on display at The HeART Wall of the Reluctant Fisherman all during the Shorebird Festival.

Coordinator of the Sipacate chapter at the Foundation for EcoDevelopment and Conservation FUNDAECO and Researcher at the Eastern Regional Centre from the National Public University (Centro regional de Zacapa de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, CUNZAC)
Biologist; thirteen years of experience in management and monitoring birds; researcher for several local NGO´s and governmental institutions like San Carlos University, the National Secretary of Science and Technology Development; Consultant for many natural private reserves and development of environmental impact assessment including hydroelectric and wind energy projects; since 2018 working on marine-coastal issues specifically with shorebirds; associate researcher in projects such as Telemetry Study with Quetzal, birdlife inventories in Dry Forest, pollinators in melon crops and National Quetzal Conservation Strategy; experience un in hydroelectric, wind farms and oil palm biodiversity monitoring projects.

Amy and Kim present their community project from the Coast Salish territories of the Fraser River, "walk quietly: ts’ekw’unshun kws qututhun (walk quietly with respect and care along the shore),” a curated guided walk situated at Hwlhits'um (Brunswick Point in Delta, British Columbia)—a key shorebird stopover site along the Pacific Flyway and feeding ground of the Western Sandpiper. The project shares diverse perspectives of this magical place, told by scientists, artists, and Hwlistsum and Cowichan knowledge holders. It brings attention to the threat to the Western Sandpiper due to the approved expansion of a shipping terminal at the site.  https://walkquietly.ca

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 4th starting at 1:00 PM. 

Hey Cordova Shorebird Festival goers,

We are so excited to present you with an amazing array of our family's locally caught Copper River Salmon to taste. During this food tour you will meet us at a local eatery, Kayak Cafe, for an insightful presentation about our families fishery, and a tasting of our incredible salmon. You'll get to meet the fishermen and ask questions about Cordova, fishing, and much more!

Don't miss out on this hyper local experience and alaskan wild salmon tasting from the Copper River! From our boat to your table.

 Each person will need their own separate tasting party ticket to this event.

The tasting will be located at:

Kayak Cafe, 524 2nd St. Cordova Alaska 99574

This is a 3 minute walk from the Festival location at the Cordova Center.

If you are a registered Shorebird Festival Attendee, you can use your discount code provided in your registration email to get a discount to this event!

Check out the upper & lower atrium of the Cordova Center on both May 4th & 5th to see the beautiful wares being sold by a few of Cordova’s own Artists & makers!

Their beautiful wares will be the perfect souvenir to bring home to remember your time in Alaska’s hidden treasure, Cordova Alaska.

Part of Cordova’s Regenerative Tourism Strategy is to give our visitors the opportunity to support local businesses through their purchases! This market will give you the chance to not only find an incredible one-of-a-kind item to bring home with you but also allow you to invest in our locally-owned businesses! We can’t wait to see you there!

In-Person. Included in Paid Festival Registration.

Meet at the Cordova Center then drive yourself or arrange a carpool to the Hartney Bay Mudflats during the incoming high tide.  

In-Person. Included in Paid Festival Registration.

Meet at the Cordova Center then drive or find a carpool out to Alaganik Slough to meet up with local guides and see shorebirds and waterfowl out on the Copper River Delta.  The Slough is accessible with boardwalks and viewing platforms. Dress for weather.

Included in Paid Festival Registration.

This Year's Keynote Speaker!

Subhankar Banerjee is a photographer, writer, curator and conservationist. He is a professor of Art & Ecology and director of the Center for Environmental Arts and Humanities at the University of New Mexico. Since 2002, he has been working closely with Indigenous Gwich’in and Iñupiat elders (who are among his most important teachers), scientists and conservationists in Alaska. He is the author of Seasons of Life and Land: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the editor of Arctic Voices: Resistance at the Tipping Point.

His photographs have been exhibited in more than fifty museums around the world, including the 18th Biennale of Sydney, the Anchorage Museum, and the University of Alaska Museum of the North. He most recently served as the director and cocurator (with Dr. Jennifer Garcia Peacock) of “a Library, a Classroom, and the World,” a project for the 2022 Venice Biennale art exhibition Personal Structures organized by the European Cultural Centre in Venice, Italy. He has received a number of conservation awards for his contribution to conservation of Alaska’s Arctic and Indigenous rights, including an inaugural Greenleaf Artist Award from the United Nations Environment Programme; a National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation and a Special Achievement Award from the Sierra Club; a Housberg Award from the Alaska Conservation Foundation; and was named an Arctic Hero by the Alaska Wilderness League. Subhankar is currently working on a book on the global history of shorebirds.

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.

Meet at the Cordova Center for coffee and tea, then take a casual walk to birding hotspots near downtown. Bring your binoculars or a camera to practice your photography skills, a sketchpad to document it through art, or just enjoy the view.

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.

In-Person. Included in Paid Festival Registration.

Drive yourself or arrange a carpool to the Hartney Bay Mudflats during the incoming high tide.  Meet local shorebird guides in brightly colored vests on the mudflats or explore on your own.

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.

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

Free and open to all

Audubon Alaska and the local Prince William Sound Audubon chapter will host a fun-filled event featuring local experts and international shorebird biologists.  Grab a late-night snack, dessert, and a beverage, and try your luck with other festival attendees.

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. 

Framed Whimbrel Needlefelt Workshop

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!!