OBFS

OBFS International Committee Meeting
2027-09-03 11:00 - 12:00, 2027-08-06 11:00 - 12:00, 2027-07-02 11:00 - 12:00, 2027-06-04 11:00 - 12:00, 2027-05-07 11:00 - 12:00, 2027-04-02 11:00 - 12:00, 2027-03-05 11:00 - 12:00, 2027-02-05 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) and 16 more dates | ZOOM, -1
The OBFS International Committee meets every first Friday of the month at 11 a.m. EST
We’re excited to have you on the OBFS International Committee! All welcome.
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Technology tools for Field Stations and Marine Labs // Herramientas tecnológicas para estaciones de campo y laboratorios marinos
2026-01-29 12:00 - 13:00
In recent years, technological innovation and applied research has created a suite of new accessible tools for biodiversity and environmental monitoring that could provide a lot of value to the work that takes place in FSMLs. Come learn more about things like abiotic environmental monitoring, acoustics, animal telemetry, camera traps, machine learning/AI, radio networks, eDNA, and more. Shah Selbe, of FieldKit.org, has spent the last decade working with field stations, protected areas, and marine reserves to identify and deploy appropriate technologies to meet the needs of research and conservation efforts in those places. In this talk he will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of deployment of these sorts of technologies and his work with UCLA’s field station in Cameroon.

En los últimos años, la innovación tecnológica y la investigación aplicada han creado un conjunto de nuevas herramientas accesibles para el monitoreo de la biodiversidad y el medio ambiente, que podrían aportar un gran valor al trabajo que se realiza en las estaciones de campo. Venga a aprender más sobre temas como el monitoreo ambiental abiótico, la acústica, la telemetría animal, las cámaras trampa, el aprendizaje automático/la inteligencia artificial, las redes de radio, el ADN ambiental y mucho más. Shah Selbe, de FieldKit.org, ha dedicado la última década a trabajar con estaciones de campo, áreas protegidas y reservas marinas para identificar e implementar tecnologías adecuadas que satisfagan las necesidades de investigación y conservación en estos lugares. En esta charla, hablará sobre las ventajas y desventajas de la implementación de este tipo de tecnologías y su trabajo con la estación de campo de la UCLA en Camerún.

OBFS Board Meeting
2025-12-11 13:00 - 15:00 | ZOOM, -1
The OBFS Board meets via Zoom every eight weeks through the year. All OBFS members are welcome to attend these meetings! Contact Beth Norman (secretary@obfs.org) for information.
Join the meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86327357115?pwd=[REDACTED]

Virtual Café - The Journey of Ian Billick: From Field Biologist to Elected Official
2025-11-12 13:00 - 14:00
OBFS International Committee Virtual Café is proud to present “The Journey of Ian Billick: From Field Biologist to Elected Official.”
Join us on November 12th at 1:00 PM EST as Ian shares his inspiring path from the world of field science to public service, highlighting how his experiences in research and nature continue to shape his leadership today.
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The Climate Toolkit Symposium!
2025-10-26 18:00 - 2025-10-28 15:00 | Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1 Schenley Drive, Pittsburgh, 15213
The first in-person symposium for members of the Climate Toolkit, presented by Phipps Conservatory and Duke Farms.
Since 2020, The Climate Toolkit has served as a network to gather cultural institutions to share, mentor and learn how to address climate change within their institutions and inspire the communities they serve. This fall, the Toolkit is pleased to announce its inaugural in-person symposium, to be held at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA. At this multi-day event, which kicks off the evening of Sun., Oct. 26 with an opening night soiree and runs through Tuesday afternoon, we seek to convene partner institutions from around the world, strengthen relationships, spark conversations and collaborations, and bond the network of the Climate Toolkit community towards achieving greater efforts in climate-aligned operations and impactful public engagement.

Tickets to the symposium are available now. A $150 ticket includes full symposium admission and all food and beverages.

Opening Evening
SUN., OCT. 26, 6 – 9 P.M.
This welcoming event, held against the backdrop of Phipps’ lush Tropical Forest Panama exhibit and Special Events Hall, features an opening address, refreshments, a buffet dinner, live music and networking.

Day 1: Case Studies in Climate Success
MON., OCT. 27, 9:30 A.M. – 5 P.M., DINNER AND KEYNOTE PRESENTATION 6 – 9 P.M.
The first full day of the symposium will be devoted to panel presentations and workshops focusing on a number of climate-related topics including decarbonization and electrification projects, water conservation, green investments, case studies of climate-aligned operations, engagement, public programs and more.

Sustainability tours held during the day will give conference attendees an intimate look at Phipps’ state-of-the-art living buildings, green infrastructure, native landscaping, water retention and recycling systems, LEED-certified production greenhouse, and east-wing decarbonization.

A poster session will also be held, allowing individual organizations to showcase their work.

Breakfast, lunch, and coffee will be provided; after a brief recess at 5 p.m., attendees will reconvene for a buffet dinner and guest keynote presentation in the evening.

Day 2: A Deep Dive Into the Future
TUES., OCT. 28, 9:30 A.M. – 3 P.M.
On Day 2 of the Climate Toolkit Symposium, institutions come together for a collaborative deep dive into the future of climate action within the cultural sector. This day emphasizes shared learning, strategy development, and innovative approaches to sustainability, as museums, gardens, zoos, field stations, science centers and other cultural organizations explore collective pathways towards amplifying our greatest climate impact possible.

Phipps President and CEO Richard Piacentini and the Climate Toolkit team will lead interactive sessions on Regenerative Thinking that push beyond traditional modes of decision-making and leadership structure. The schedule will include time for breakout groups to work on climate-related projects or to create institutional climate action plans.

Through focused discussions and workshops, participants will envision a resilient, climate-conscious future, grounded in cross-sector collaboration and bold institutional leadership.

Breakfast, lunch, and coffee will be provided.

The Future of Field Work: The Promise and Perils of Research in the Twenty-First Century
2025-10-23 14:00 - 2025-10-24 17:00 | The American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106, United States
Thursday, October 23, 2025 – Friday, October 24, 2025 is the American Philosophical Society’s upcoming conference in Philadelphia, PA (USA) centered around The Future of Field Work. Dr. Jennifer Gee will be representing the Organization of Biological Field Stations to discuss Models of Sustainability with Dr. Nancy Simmons from the American Museum of Natural History who will be speaking about her multidisciplinary, collaborative research team that studies bats in Belize, and Dr. Jill Pruetz from Texas State University who will discuss how her team is sustaining its long-term Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project. This session will be held on Friday, October 24 from 3:15 – 4:30 PM.
Registration is required for the conference sessions and keynote presentation but there is no fee.
Sessions will be live streamed and posted on the APS YouTube channel.
The American Philosophical Society (APS) was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin and is the United States’ oldest learned society, dedicated to advancing useful knowledge. In 2005 the American Philosophical Society launched the Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research. The brainchild of APS President Baruch Blumberg, the fund was created to support exploratory field studies for the collection of specimens and data and to provide the imaginative stimulus that accompanies direct observation. Since its inception, the program has been doggedly interdisciplinary and has supported over 900 projects on all seven continents in a wide-range of fields, such as archaeology, anthropology, biology, ecology, geography, geology, linguistics, paleontology, and population genetics, among others.

Living Data 2025: Unified information driving transformation
2025-10-21 - 2025-10-24 | Bogotá, Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
The conference will explore cutting-edge approaches to biodiversity data, focusing on four key themes: Open Data, Data Integration, Biodiversity Data Application, and Community Engagement and Capacity Building.
