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, 2009 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 April, 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
