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2022 State of the Science Workshop

Building on Existing Knowledge and Emerging Collaborations 

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Registration

State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy

July 26-28, 2022

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Register for the State of the Science Workshop here

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In-person registration has closed. Virtual registration will remain open until July 26th, 2022.

For information about booking accommodations for the Workshop, please look here.

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Registration Fees

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  • Regular in-person attendance - $95 USD

  • Student in-person attendance - $25 USD 

    • Registration fees will be waived for those giving oral presentations.

    • The registration fee covers attendance and lunches on both Wednesday and Thursday of the Workshop (July 27-28 2022), and attendance at the evening poster session on Wednesday.

    • If the registration fee is a hardship to you, please contact eleanor.eckel@briwildlife.org.

  • Virtual attendance - free

    • Workshop events will not be livestreamed. This remote participation option provides access to recordings of workshop presentations after they have been completed, as well as access to a fully virtual workshop session on September 21, 2022. 

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Time: 1-2:30 pm

Organizer: The Atlantic Marine Bird Cooperative Marine Spatial Planning Working Group

Audience: Meeting is free of charge with registration​ by July 11th.

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This open discussion-based meeting will brainstorm and begin outlining a proactive and strategic approach to compensatory mitigation related to impacts of offshore wind development on birds that can not be addressed through avoidance and minimization. The agenda will include:

  • Review & discuss current considerations for compensatory mitigation, including examples of mitigation from other industries, and regulatory agency policy R

  • Review & discuss Marine Spatial Planning Working Group efforts to develop a list of relevant mitigation actions

  • Identify potential partners roles, and mechanisms (e.g., AMBC, RWSC, regulatory agencies, developers)

  • Talk about interest and next steps

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Time: 3:00-5:00 pm

Organizer: Pam Loring (Division of Migratory Birds, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) and Erik Carlson (Department of Physics, University of Rhode Island)

Audience: Workshop is free of charge with registration​ by July 11th, and open to all who are interested in learning more about applied, technical aspects of managing offshore Motus stations. 

   

The workshop will provide hands-on demonstrations and discussions on some of the key technical aspects of operating, maintaining, and calibrating automated radio telemetry stations on offshore buoys and wind turbines in coordination with the Motus Wildlife Tracking SystemThe agenda will include:

  • Calibration methods and protocols to estimate detection range and coverage of offshore Motus stations

  • Demonstration of an online calibration tool for survey design and data analysis

  • Workflows and tips for operating, managing, and troubleshooting receivers at offshore Motus

  • stations

Time: 1:00-5:00 pm

Organizer: Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA)

Audience: Workshop is free of charge with prior registration​, though meeting size is limited.

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Assessment of wildlife and fishery resources with proposed and permitted wind energy areas is an expected requirement for offshore wind development. Common techniques for assessing presence and abundance of fishery resources include many forms of extractive techniques, such as gillnets, otter trawls, and ventless traps. These techniques may expose protected species in wind lease areas to risk of takes or other interactions. Consequently, the application process for sampling permits may be extended and even lead to reduced sampling prior to construction activities.


Researchers tasked with measuring resource abundance have in some cases modified sampling strategies to focus on non-extractive techniques with lower risk to protected species. Often, these techniques employ advanced or less-familiar techniques. This workshop aims to identify and to share the state of the art in non-extractive advanced sampling techniques for fisheries resources in wind energy areas.


The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance is proposing a series of talks on different techniques currently in use, as well as panels to promote discussions of adaptation of existing strategies. Question-and-answer periods will also be held for audience participation, which will include remote attendance.

Photo credits: Banner offshore wind farm © Nicholas Doherty; 

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