American Oystercatcher Working Group Meeting – 25th Anniversary Edition

Earlier this month, the 25th annual American Oystercatcher Working Group meeting was held in New Jersey at the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center. Staff from CWF, The Wetlands Institute, and NJDEP Fish and Wildlife, formed the local organizing committee that helped plan, host, and stage the meeting. Nearly 125 Working Group members attended the meeting either in-person or virtually over the course of two days.

As is the case every year, meeting presentations and discussions touched on a wide variety of topics featuring conservation work and breeding results along the entire Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Several presentations also highlighted work in Central and South America, and there was even a presentation about shorebird management and habitat restoration in England (think Eurasian oystercatcher). Important themes included habitat restoration, regulatory protections of important breeding bird islands, and recent species research. For a full list of the agenda and other meeting information, check out this link.

A large segment of the 25th meeting was focused on and dedicated to Shiloh Schulte, the Manomet biologist who had led the group for nearly two decades, and who tragically passed away “in the line of duty” this past June in a helicopter crash while conducting shorebird research in Alaska. In addition to a memorial session during the meeting, several special events were held in his honor, including a 5K run/walk (Shiloh was an avid runner) to kick off the meeting and a closing bonfire. CWF joins other Working Group members and partnering organizations in recognizing the important contributions Shiloh made to shorebird conservation, especially for American oystercatchers. It was recently announced that according to periodic range wide winter aerial surveys, a nearly 40% increase in the oystercatcher population has occurred over the past two decades, a tribute to the coordinated conservation efforts made across the range by all Working Group members/organizations and through Shiloh’s dedicated leadership.

Species-focused working groups or organizations are a critical element of successful conservation efforts. Meetings such as the one in New Jersey this month are an important way that individuals and organizations share information and help develop more strategic approaches to species management and research. With the annual meeting now completed, it is time to incorporate newly learned ideas as we start planning for next year’s breeding season.