Join Alaska Geographic Staff and a variety of speakers in the Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) throughout the summer for fascinating educational talks about the science taking place in Denali National Park and Preserve. Free of charge and open to the public!

Speaker Steven Matsuoka will present on Denali’s exceptional nursery for declining songbirds. Steven M Matsuoka is a Research Wildlife Biologist at the Alaska Science Center. His research identifies 1) the terrestrial birds in Alaska that are most at-risk to environmental change and 2) the key habitats and resources these at-risk species require across their annual cycles and ranges to adapt to change.

Steven M Matsuoka: I research the ecology and population dynamics of terrestrial birds (landbirds) in arctic and boreal ecosystems of Alaska and Canada. This large, yet poorly studied group of Federal Trust Species includes 142 breeding bird species in Alaska alone. My research produces information on status, trends, resource use, and limiting factors to identify 1) the landbird species most at risk to environmental change and 2) the key habitats and resources these species require to adapt to change. This information is used by resource managers in Alaska and Canada to prioritize limited resources for the species and habitats most in need of conservation. Many of my studies address bird populations at large spatial scales such ashe state of Alaska, the western boreal forest biome, or entire species’ migratory ranges. These studies require considerable coordination among U.S. and Canadian collaborators to collect the data and often involve new approaches to analyze data compiled across multiple studies.