President's Welcome
I have always been an enthusiastic member of the Cooper
Ornithological Society because it is a down-to-earth society with a
strong commitment to avian conservation and science of the highest
international caliber. I encourage you to join me at our relaxed annual
meetings and become actively involved in the society.
This is an exciting time to be involved as the Cooper Ornithological
Society goes through a number of changes. The Cooper Ornithological
Society will begin a new publishing partnership in 2008 with University
of California Press to allow enhanced online presence, including early
online article publishing, among other benefits. In addition, a new
editorial structure for The Condor will be implemented in mid-2008 using a board of reviewing editors. These
reviewing editors will provide reviews of most of the submitted
manuscripts to rival the very top journals of the world for speed of
decisions and publication. We also are actively working to integrate
students and young professionals (post-doctoral scholars) into these
activities, and will even include traineeships in the editorial
process. Finally, beginning in 2008, we will hold joint meetings with
the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) in alternate years. If you
wish to be involved in any aspect of the society, please contact me or
any officer or member of the board of directors.
The Cooper Ornithological Society seeks to advance the scientific study
of birds and their habitats through its meetings, its sponsorship of
symposia and workshops, and its publications.
The Condor is one of the premier ornithological journals in the world, and
Studies in Avian Biology serves as an outlet for both major monographic works and proceedings of
symposia of broad interest to avian biologists.
Recent issues of these publications are available to members of the society, libraries that
subscribe to the publications, and for purchase. Recent issues of The Condor
are also available in electronic format to all members, as well as through libraries/institutions that subscribe to BioOne and to University of California Press beginning in 2008. Archives of
The Condor, Studies in Avian Biology, and Pacific Coast Avifauna (the precursor to
Studies in Avian Biology) that were published before 2001 are available free of charge through
SORA, the Searchable Ornithological Research Archive, that is hosted by to the University of
New Mexico Library. Financial support for the archive project was
authorized by the board of directors of the Cooper Society as a way of
providing open access to scientific information about birds to
ornithologists and others around the world.
Our annual meetings are fun and a productive time to share ideas and
meet other ornithologists. Our next annual meeting will be held as a
joint meeting with the AOU and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists
from 6-9 August, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. This will be a large, active
and exciting meeting! I encourage everyone to attend. Tentatively, the
Cooper Ornithological Society will hold its 2009 meeting in Tucson,
Arizona in March, 2009, and the following joint meeting with the AOU in
March, 2010 in San Diego. The Cooper Ornithological Society actively
supports student involvement by providing student travel awards, as well as
awards for best presentations. The board of directors has recently
increased travel funds to support more students (including Latin
American students), at annual meetings. To further foster interaction
with students, the Cooper Ornithological Society also supports student
committees that organize events at annual meetings of interest to
students. Students are encouraged to apply for these awards and to
participate in the meetings.
If you are not already a member of the society, I encourage you to
join today. Membership offers a number of benefits. These include receipt of
The Condor (online and/or print versions) and the Ornithological Newsletter
published by Ornithological Societies of North America (OSNA), as well as access to the
society's exchange library where members can obtain copies of articles from a wide
variety of hard-to-locate state, regional, and foreign ornithological
journals. Membership also makes you eligible for: reduced registration
fees at annual meetings, student presentation awards, annual meeting
travel support for students, and candidacy for positions as an officer,
a member of the board of directors, or a member of one of our many
committees.
The need for active involvement in ornithology and production of strong
science as a basis for the conservation of birds and their habitats is
more critical today than ever before. I encourage you to become actively
involved in the Cooper Ornithological Society to make your work on
behalf of birds as effective as possible.
If you have any questions concerning the society and its activities,
please send me an e-mail:
tom.martin@umontana.edu or give me a call (406-243-5372).
Thomas E. Martin, President
