The 2022 Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON) meeting will be the first ever gathering of scientists, Indigenous groups, land managers, and local observers to discuss the arrival of beavers in the Arctic and implications for the natural resources of the affected Arctic regions.
The meeting was planned to be in person March 15-18 in Fairbanks, Alaska, but due to COVID-19 regulations the meeting has been shifted to a virtual platform.
The keynote speaker will be acclaimed Alaskan author Seth Kantner (Ordinary Wolves, Shopping for Porcupine, new book! A Thousand Trails Home), who will share his 60 years of observations related to climate change and beavers.
The meeting agenda will include presentations on the observed impacts of beavers in the tundra, on research methods for monitoring beaver population expansion, and on approaches to co-producing knowledge with academic researchers and Indigenous groups. Presentations will be followed by break-out groups to align priorities, share ideas, and collaborate more effectively on projects.
The meeting is supported by the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs and the International Arctic Science Committee.