Welcome to the 22nd Annual Tofino Shorebird Festival!

with guest speaker Dr. Grant Gilchrist, Research Scientist with ECCC

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Middle Beach Lodge Conference Room (400 MacKenzie Beach Road)

$20 per person ($15 for kids) *tickets must be purchased in advance, limited seating

We will kick off the Tofino Shorebird Festival with a social evening to celebrate the migration of the shorebirds, meet other bird enthusiasts, and go over the festival schedule while enjoying food and drink. The meet and greet will be followed by a presentation from Dr. Grant Gilchrist, an ECCC Research Scientist.

Research in a Changing Arctic:  Conservation Biology of Arctic Birds

We often view the Arctic as a pristine wilderness largely free of environmental threats, but times are changing. Climate change can influence species directly by modifying their physical environment, or indirectly by altering interactions among organisms. For example, changes affecting the ecology of top predators are expected to be a particular concern because variation in predator behaviour has the potential to restructure food webs and lead to cascading ecological impacts on prey populations. From egg-eating polar bears to insatiable snow geese, Grant will examine a number of fascinating case studies tracking the response of waterfowl, seabirds and shorebirds to shifts in climate and local conditions on their Arctic breeding grounds.

Space is limited, with tickets available for purchase to the left of this page.

Ticket purchase includes hors d’oeuvres, one drink ticket, and the evening presentation. This event will fill up quick so please get your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!

Dr. Grant Gilchrist is a Research Scientist at the National Wildlife Research Centre in Ottawa (Environment and Climate Change Canada) and currently an adjunct professor at Carleton University, Acadia University, McGill University, and the University of Windsor. Early in his career he was influenced and inspired by several long-term ecological studies led by Jamie Smith (song sparrows, University of British Columbia), Tony Gaston (seabirds, Environment Canada), and Ian Stirling (Polar Bears, Environment Canada). These studies not only quantified environmental change over time, but also the often-complex responses of wildlife to these changes. These rare studies were instrumental when detecting ecological change driven by extreme weather events, diet shifts, the emergence of diseases, and climate change; all issues that might otherwise have gone undetected.

After joining Environment Canada in 1995, Grant worked to emulate these studies when designing his own research program to address Federal priorities to conserve Arctic birds and ecosystems. He now leads multidisciplinary research programs in the field to provide insights into the underlying processes of Arctic bird ecology. These include foraging behaviour, reproduction, migration, winter distribution, and how birds are affected by changing climate and emerging diseases in the north. His studies are very collaborative and multidisciplinary in nature; linking academia, government, industry, and Indigenous organizations. He takes a particular interest in communicating his scientific discoveries to the public and supporting early career scientists.