The Waterfowl Conservation Workshop was created in 2016 by Sylvan Heights Bird Park and the International Wild Waterfowl Association. The objectives of this event are to establish a network of professionals dedicated to the future of waterfowl conservation, address current concerns across the industry, bridge gaps in communication among international organizations and communities, and provide a resource from which aviculturists can draw knowledge and information about waterfowl husbandry.
The 2018 Waterfowl Conservation Workshop consisted of two days of presentations and discussion, and one day of practical, hands-on workshops at Sylvan Heights Bird Park. WCW 2018 coincided with the 2018 International Wild Waterfowl Association Conference, which was also held in eastern North Carolina.
WCW 2020 was held in the Netherlands, at the campus of Aeres MBO Barneveld and at Ouwehands Zoo. WCW 2020 included speaker sessions and hands-on workshops in Barneveld and a tour at Ouwehands Zoo. A post-conference wild goose safari was offered to participants following the classroom sessions.
WCW 2023
October 26-27, 2023
100 participants maximum
Optional pre-workshop: October 25, 2023
Optional post-workshop: October 28-29, 2023
Registration for WCW 2023
Registration for the 2023 Waterfowl Conservation Workshop in Seattle is now closed! Thank you to those who have bought tickets from the pre, post and main workshop. We look forward to hosting you this fall at the 2023 Waterfowl Conservation Workshop!
Please remember that accommodation is not included in your conference registration. For information on accommodations, please see below. Most meals are included in conference registration, and breakfast is included for those staying at the host hotel.
Location 2023
Speaker sessions and hands-on workshops will be in Seattle, Washington, USA at:
Woodland Park Zoo
5500 Phinney Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
United States
October 25 pre-workshop will be hosted in Seattle and schedule of events will be announced shortly.
October 28-29 post-workshop will be a tour of two premier private waterfowl collections of the Pacific Northwest, Maynard Axelson’s and Arnold Schouten’s. Travel will be included and one night accommodation will be required.
Travel & Accommodations info
The nearest international airport to the workshop is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). You can also fly into Everett, WA for closer access to the hotel although it has less frequent service than Sea-Tac.
Group rates have been arranged at the event host hotel:
Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle North Lynnwood
20610 44th Ave W
Lynnwood, WA 98036
United States
Phone: 425-775-2500
Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle North Lynnwood is just a 20 min drive from our host venue, Woodland Park Zoo, as well as 40 min drive from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Click here to learn more about the hotel and book your room!
Guests can also call in their reservations at (425) 775-2500 and reserving their rooms under the group
IWWA Conference 2023.
The room rate and block is accessible until Wednesday, September 27, 2023.
Group rates are as follows (rates do not include taxes and fees):
- 2 Room Suite-1 King Bed-nonsmoking – $149.00
- 2 Room Suite-2 Queen Beds-nonsmoking – $159.00
Booking Instructions
- Pre-conference tour – please plan to arrive at the hotel by 8 am on October 25, 2023, or the night of October 24, 2023.
- Main conference – welcome events will begin at 5 pm on October 25, 2023 at the host hotel, and we will be hosting events at the same venue in the evenings on October 26 & 27, 2023.
- Post conference – we will be checking out of the host hotel in the morning of October 28, 2023 and will be staying that evening in a hotel in Port Angeles that night, returning to the host hotel for return trips home on October 29, 2023.
- Guests wishing to stay in Seattle before the pre-conference tour or following the main conference have access to our preferred rates at this venue for a number of days prior and following the event. Please phone the hotel to access these preferred rates and book your stay beyond the main conference!
For specific questions related to your hotel stay, please contact the hotel directly.
Post-Workshop Accommodations
For those joining on the tour out to Port Angeles on October 28 & 29, 2023, we will be spending the night in Port Angeles. The post-workshop tour will include two private collections and wildlife viewing (weather permitting) on the trip out to Port Angeles from Seattle on our coach bus.
Guests intending to come on the post-workshop must book their hotel directly. The Red Lion Inn Port Angeles is our host venue for lodging and is the location for dinner on the 28th and breakfast on the 29th before we check out and depart for our tour stop.
To book, please contact the Red Lion at:
221 North Lincoln St.
Port Angeles WA 98632
Ph: 360-452-9215
You can book your room online using this link: Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles Harbor – Reservations – Room Availability (synxis.com)
Prices with the group booking are:
Premium (Harbor View) 2 bed – $129.99 plus taxes
Standard 2 bed – $119.99 plus taxes
The room block is available until September 25, 2023 so please make sure you have secured your reservation prior to this date or you will be subject to availability and at regular seasonal prices.
Ticket Contest!
Thanks to a generous donor, we have 3 tickets available to the main conference at no charge to the winning submitters. To encourage those new to aviculture who wish to join the event, or those who may not normally have the privilege to attend, this contest is being offered to distribute these tickets to those who might need it most, with a particular focus on young people interested in aviculture, waterfowl, and wetland conservation.
To enter, complete the questions below and submit them by September 28, 2023. Winners will be selected and announced after October 1, 2023. Please note that proof of travel will be required before the winners’ free registration is confirmed. For those who may not require travel, proof of address or accommodation will suffice. In the event that proof of travel or residency is not provided, the next eligible submission will be selected. This offer is not valid for anything other than a main workshop ticket, and cannot be used to refund a ticket already purchased. Travel to and from the host hotel, accommodation, and any additional workshop options are the responsibility of the conference delegate.
Submission of your entry implies your acceptance that IWWA has full permission to use your submission content in future social media and print publications. Credit will be provided to the author.
Submissions will be evaluated and ranked by the Waterfowl Conservation Workshop organizing committee for original thought, relevance to IWWA’s mission statement, the Waterfowl Conservation Workshop, and learning related to waterfowl, aviculture, wetlands and wetland conservation. Everyone is welcome to provide a submission, but preference will be given to those 30 years old and younger as of the start of the Workshop (October 25, 2023).
The contest is now closed