Last week, IBO staff and students presented their research and spent time networking at the annual Raptor Research Foundation conference in Fort Collins, Colorado. We had a fantastic time learning about our colleagues’ research and networking with partners.
Undergraduate students Allyson Bangerter and Eliana Heiser created a poster on Northern Goshawk breeding success based on their work with Rob Miller and “Team Goshawk” this summer. Their poster explored how this season’s extremely wet spring caused a major decrease in goshawk nesting this year.
![a student stands next to her poster which reads "Cumulative precipitation in April, heavy precipitation in spring, and minimum May temperature impact Northern Goshawk breeding"](https://www.boisestate.edu/ibo/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2019/11/Allyson-student-poster-REU-NOGO-goshawk.jpg)
IBO research biologist and statistician, Rob Miller, also presented results from the Project WAfLS Short-eared Owl survey program. He shared his work on the use of multi-scale occupancy modelling and maximum entropy modelling to identify population status, habitat and climate associations. Using data collected by citizen scientists to learn what habitats Short-eared Owls need will hopefully lead to better conservation actions for this species going forward!
![a screens hot of a powerpoint presentation title slide with the Project WAfLS logo and title "Short-eared Owl population dynamics in the western united states"](https://www.boisestate.edu/ibo/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2019/11/rob-project-wafls-presentation.png)