TWS 2025: ‘Wings of Survival’ kicks off Edmonton conference

Leanna Carriere woke up one morning to the realization that she wanted to migrate. Not the kind of migration a human might normally do—she didn’t want to move south to spend the winter in Florida, for example. Carriere meant to do something a little more epic for humans—follow the massive flyways that birds fly every year on their journeys to and from their nesting grounds by bike, raft and foot.

“Birds don’t have any borders,” Carriere said while giving the keynote speech at the 32^nd Annual TWS Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, about her Wings of Survival project. “They just go from one healthy ecosystem to the next. It’s really amazing what they do.”

Such a massive journey may win her a Guinness World Record. But regardless of the accolade, Carriere is more interested in the message that such a journey might entail for the future conservation of the lands that birds rely on to make their yearly odysseys. And what better way than to promote the United Nation’s plan to protect 30% of the Earth’s land and water by 2030, known as the 30 by 30 goal?

Carriere’s 30,000-kilometer journey will take her from Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay to Tierra del Fuego in the southern tip of Argentina and Chile—the Pacific Flyway used by hundreds of species, from the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) and Townsend’s warbler (Setophaga townsendi).

Along the way, Carriere and her partner, Timm Dobert, a global change ecologist, will work with a host of local nongovernmental organizations, both small-scale local conservation groups and larger international outfits.

“A big part of this is community engagement,” Carriere said.

The message is much larger. Carriere deeply regrets that some of the same ecosystems that she enjoyed growing up have begun to disappear due to a variety of ecological problems like invasive species, increased wildfires, wildlife disease and climate change.

“I get frustrated when I can’t show [my daughter] the same thing I saw when growing up,” Carriere said. “The best thing I can do is provide her with knowledge.”

In anticipation of the journey, which is scheduled to begin in June 2026, Carriere and Dobert have been training on rafts and bikes in places like Alaska and the Andean mountains of Colombia.

On the way, filmmaker Justin Brunelle with Moving Artistry Productions will be documenting the journey and the conservation partnerships Carriere and Dobert make on their Wings for Survival journey. The plan is to make Tierra del Fuego in nine months. But if the journey takes longer, it will have to take longer, Carriere said.

Presidential gavel pass

In his welcome speech, outgoing TWS president Art Rodgers thanked attendees for making the journey to Edmonton. He acknowledged the challenges many wildlife professionals are facing, especially those employed—or formerly employed—by the U.S. government, and reiterated TWS’ pledge to support people affected by layoffs and funding cuts.

“I want to acknowledge and thank all of you, especially those who have made the voyage across the border,” Rodgers said.

Incoming TWS president Fidel Hernandez thanked Rodgers for his work as he passed him a gavel plaque commemorating his work. Hernandez also thanked Rodgers for the inspiration he provided in his leadership over the past year.

To wrap up the speeches, TWS CEO Ed Arnett introduced Jason Cooke, the president of Chariot Creative, the design company leading the redesign of TWS’ new website. Cooke began by introducing the new TWS logo, an amalgamation of decades of TWS tradition. The new owl logo really isn’t new at all—it’s a reimagination and highlight of a hieroglyphic that has been a part of TWS’ logo since the beginning.

“The hieroglyphic owl symbol draws inspiration both from The Wildlife Society’s historic roots and legacy elements of TWS branding,” Cooke said. “It elicits feelings of wisdom, and its face turned toward the viewer engages and connects with audiences.”