The Boise State University Raptor Research Center collaborated with the Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Army National Guard, Birds of Prey NCA Partnership, and Idaho Association of Environmental Professionals to host the fifth assembly of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area Symposium (NCA Symposium) November 7-8, 2024, in the Boise State Student Union Building.
The inaugural NCA Symposium was held in 2016. As Charlie Baun (Idaho Army National Guard planner) said, the now-biennial event continues to be an opportunity for “land use agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations, and the public continue to find ways to better communicate and coordinate with each other to utilize resources more efficiently…and make data/information available for the collective betterment of the resources we hold so dear.” Many agencies and organizations come together to share and discuss their research in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area near Boise, which is home to the greatest concentration of nesting birds of prey (raptors) in North America as well as many other species of animals and plants.
Many people associated with the Raptor Research Center presented their research at the 2024 NCA Symposium including Master of Science in Raptor Biology students Kevin Myers and Zoe Bonerbo, employee Brooklyn Dormer, and faculty members Jen Cruz and Jay Carlisle. Master of Science alumni Justin Welty (Raptor Biology, ’08), Steve Alsup (Raptor Biology, ’12), and Ashley Santiago (Raptor Biology, ’24) were presenters as well.
The full agenda with abstracts from the 2024 NCA Symposium can be found on the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area Symposium website. The 2026 event will likely be announced on this website during the preceding summer.