COVID-19 Statement
28 March 2020
The joint conference between the Raptor Research Foundation and the Neotropical Raptor Network originally scheduled for October 2020 is now postponed to October 2021. RRF and our co-hosts at The Peregrine Fund carefully considered the health, financial, and logistical challenges of organizing and hosting a conference during the coronavirus pandemic. While October 2020 seems like a long time away, the planning for this meeting had a tight timeline to ensure we could host a large number of registrants from outside the United States.
Many factors went into this decision including the unknown health risk for travelers this October, the ability for registrants to obtain visas while many U.S. embassies are closed, cancellation fees for venues and hotels, and concern over financial hardships that both domestic and international attendees would incur should we make the decision to cancel at a later date. Postponing the Boise conference also means we unfortunately will also cancel RRF’s participation in the Asian Raptor Research Conservation Network meeting in Malaysia in 2021. The RRF Board is examining other opportunities to meet jointly with ARRCN in the future.
We have suspended conference registration and abstract submission along with conference-related awards and grants. The Local Conference Committee will soon be updating the RRF website to reflect the new 2021 conference schedule. Those who have already registered will receive a full refund in the coming weeks. Applicants for the Wings to Fly Travel Award will be contacted separately with additional information. Questions about the Boise conference can be sent to [email protected].
The RRF Board is also considering ways to offer other professional development opportunities to RRF members in 2020 in-lieu of a physical conference. If you have ideas for the planning committee please email [email protected].
We appreciate your support in making this difficult decision for our raptor community. Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you in Boise next year!
Sincerely,
Raptor Research Foundation & The Peregrine Fund
10 March 2020
RRF and The Peregrine Fund are carefully monitoring the potential impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic could have on travel plans to attend the RRF 2020 conference in Boise, Idaho. We are reviewing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization regarding travel to help our decision-making process. We will continue to update this page and will email registrants with new information as it becomes available. We have suspended abstract submission and conference registration while we monitor the situation.
Please email your questions to [email protected].