UTQIAĠVIK, Alaska—The fourth annual Utqiaġvik Migratory Bird Festival shall be held on the Fred Ipalook Elementary College and birding hotspots all through the neighborhood from June 12 to 14, 2026. The competition, a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Directorate Fellows Program initiative, is a collaboration between Audubon Alaska and different organizations to carry attendees a enjoyable and academic migratory and shorebird-centered expertise. Registration is now open.
For 2026, organizers plan to carry again the trivia evening, drawing workshops, science talks, and naturally, birding excursions—amongst different actions. All occasions are free and open to the neighborhood. Nonetheless, there’s alternative to buy merchandise with the 2026 logo that includes the King Eider (Qinalik) designed by Utqiaġvik-based artist Alaina Bankston.
This yr’s competition organizer, Max Nootbaar, says local people members and guests alike are inspired to attend the competition and be taught concerning the unimaginable array of migratory birds nesting within the North Slope of Alaska. “Our competition primarily goals to spotlight the worth of, and threats confronted by, migratory birds nesting within the excessive Arctic and rejoice Inupiat custom and connection to the pure sources of the area,” he says.
The Utqiaġvik Migratory Chook Competition can also be the inspiration behind the Utqiaġvik Birding Trail—a collaboration between USFWS, the Alaska Division of Fish and Sport, Ilisaġvik Faculty, Iñupiat Heritage Heart, North Slope Borough Division of Wildlife Administration, UIC Science, Tuzzy Consortium Library, and Audubon Alaska. Many thanks go to enter from earlier competition organizers Lindsay Hermanns and Aaron Yappert, in addition to Iñupiat language sources like Iñupiatun Uqaluit Taniktun Sivuniŋit, the official web site of the North Slope Borough, and Indigenous Data Liaison Robin Monġoyak.
The path particulars 10 websites all through city, together with the Stevenson Road Beachfront, Freshwater Lake on the finish of Imaiqsaun Highway, and Nunavaaq Gravel Pit. Web site descriptions include driving instructions, particular journey notes, and doable chook species sightings for chook vacationers and native residents. Utqiaġvik is the financial, transportation, and administrative heart of the North Slope Borough. The Utqiaġvik Birding Path was created as a neighborhood asset to develop Alaska’s economy through bird tourism and for academic functions.
Imagery could be discovered here. Please see file names for photograph credit score.
Media contact: Lauren Cusimano, Audubon Alaska Communications Supervisor, lauren.cusimano@audubon.org, 907-433-5300
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