The 2026 annual conference of the Washington Ornithological Society will be held May 14-17, 2026 in Lewiston, Idaho, where the Clearwater River joins the Snake River as the Snake makes a turn west and heads for the Mighty Columbia. This will be WOS’s first conference in the far southeast corner of our state.
Registration closed on April 30, 2026.
Half-day and full-day field trips have been lined up in three states: Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, including the Hells Gate State Park, gateway to the amazing Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. You can expect great birds and spectacular geology!
And don’t forget our annual tradition, the Friday night “Stump the Experts,” bird identification quiz and the Saturday evening banquet, which this year will feature a keynote address on the White-tailed Ptarmigan.
The conference hotel will be the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston. WOS has secured a contract for rooms at the discounted price of $147/night. You can book your room at the hotel starting immediately. Participants must book their own rooms. Room blocks not booked by late April will not get the conference rates. WOS has also secured a small block of rooms at the Quality Inn in Lewiston at conference rates. See the Hotel section below for more information.
Check back here regularly as more details develop on this year’s exciting conference!
Hells Gate Conference Shirts Now Available
For this year’s gathering, WOS has chosen to spotlight the Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus, iconic to the dry, shrubby habitats of Hells Canyon. And so wonderfully depicted in a new painting created especially for the Conference by Jack DeLap.
Whether you’ll be making your way to “the Hells Gate Conference” or not, you can order Conference t-shirts, sweatshirts and more starting now, through Bonfire via this link:
https://bonfire.com/wos-2026-hells-gate-conference
Production times and shipping suggest that delivery can be expected 2 weeks after order: that’s a good interval before the Conference, but don’t delay!
Continue scrolling down this page for more information about costs, hotels, schedule, meals, field trips, programs, registration and student scholarships.
Introduction and Welcome
WOS’s new president, Thomas Bancroft, introduces this year’s conference and the planning team and welcomes conference attendees.
Conference Costs
$65 – Registration for members
$90 – Registration for non-members
$35 – Registration for students
$45 – Buffet Friday Night before Stump the Experts
$55 – Buffet dinner at Saturday’s Banquet
$10 – Per Field Trip
$10 – Per breakfast at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel
Hotels
The conference hotel will be the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel at 621 21st Street, Lewiston, ID 83501.
WOS has secured a contract for rooms at the discounted price of $147/night. You can book your room at the hotel right now by calling 208-799-1000 and asking for Washington Ornithological Society Conference or by using this link https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/PQ90G0 Participants must book their own rooms. Room blocks not booked by late April will not get the conference rates.
WOS events and meals will take place in the Warrior Ballroom of the conference hotel. (See the Meals section below for more information on the breakfasts.)
WOS has also reserved a small block of rooms at the Quality Inn in Lewiston, which is close to the conference headquarters. Mention the Washington Ornithological Society to get the conference rates. Call (208) 262-4856 or make your reservations at https://www.choicehotels.com/idaho/lewiston/quality-inn-hotels/id606
Other hotels in the area:
Hampton Inn
(208) 743-9004
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/lwsnjhx-hampton-lewiston/
Inn America Lewiston (close to conference headquarters)
(208) 423-3773
https://innamericalewiston.com/
Motel 6 (located in Clarkston, WA)
(509) 213-8895
https://www.motel6.com/property/motel-clarkston-washington-us-293707/
Super 8
(208) 717-4294
https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/lewiston-idaho/super-8-by-wyndham-lewiston/overview
Conference Schedule
View the conference schedule on our web page. Or you can download a .pdf of the schedule that you can print out and take with you or carry on your phone.
Field Trips
Birding at the 2026 WOS Hells Gate Annual Conference this May promises to be outstanding: the conference master bird list includes more than 200 species.
Beyond the birds, the setting is spectacular, with towering canyon walls, rushing rivers, basalt palisades, and rolling hills. You’ll have opportunities to bird in Washington, Idaho, or Oregon—or all three if you choose.
You can download or view in your browser a PDF of the conference master bird list, as well as a PDF listing all field trips, their leaders, and related details (use the links below).
The master bird list is unlikely to change, but the field‑trip information will be updated as new trips or details are added or plans are adjusted, so please check back periodically for the latest details.
Download or view the conference master bird list.
Download or view the list of field trips (updated April 26, 2026).
Reimburse your driver
It is the responsibility of the field trip participants to reimburse their driver. Remind the driver to set the odometer before departure. WOS recommends that drivers be reimbursed by a rate of 0.25 per mile divided by the number of passengers in the car (not including the driver). For example if a trip is 100 miles in length and three passengers are in the car, each person would contribute $8.33 for mileage reimbursement to the driver.
Meals
All WOS programs and meals, including breakfasts, the Friday evening heavy appetizers buffet and Saturday night buffet dinner, will take place in the Warrior Ballroom at the conference hotel. Meal tickets for breakfasts and the Friday and Saturday evening buffets are available only by ordering them through your WOS conference online registration.
For meal costs, see the “Conference Costs” section above.
Meal tickets for breakfast at the conference hotel are available through WOS online registration to all conference attendees, even if they’re not staying at the conference hotel. The conference hotel does not offer free breakfasts, so those staying there who want to have breakfast should also order it through WOS conference online registration. All meals will include vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food.
Conference Programs
The 2026 “Hells Gate” WOS Annual Conference will present two programs, one on Friday evening and one Saturday evening, both in the conference hotel’s Warrior Ballroom. Check out this Programs page for details.
Scholarships for Students
Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) is pleased to offer scholarship opportunities for
students (ages 12 – early 20s) to attend WOS’s Annual Conference held May 14 – 17,
2026, in Clarkston, WA/Lewiston, ID. Thanks to generous donors to WOS’s Patrick
Sullivan Young Birders Fund, these scholarships allow students to connect with
other birders, participate in field trips, and network with fellow students.
Scholarships include up to four nights lodging at a designated conference hotel, conference
registration and activities, and lifetime WOS membership.
The annual WOS conference is a multi-day event that includes field trips, scientific
presentations, photo identification events, and social activities. Although all applications
will be reviewed, preference is given to applicants who are not prior WOS student
scholarship recipients. Applicants must be residents of Washington State or students attending
school in Washington State.
The application deadline is March 30, 2026. Notification of award will be after April 15, 2026.
TO SUBMIT the YOUNG BIRDER SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION: Print the application, complete the questions, scan and email to psybf@wos.org OR copy the application into Word, complete the questions and email as attachment to psybf@wos.org. Contact psybf.wos.org with any questions.
For more information and the application form, view or download this three-page PDF.