Alaska Bird Conference - 2019 Program March 4-8 Fairbanks, Alaska www.alaskabirdconference.org
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Welcome to the Alaska Bird Conference! The first Alaska Bird Conference was held in 1985 in Anchorage. It grew from the often- expressed need for exchange of information among those in government, universities, non- government organizations, and the private sector who are working with Alaska’s diverse and abundant birds. The conference has been held on an approximately biennial basis ever since. This year marks the 18th Alaska Bird Conference. The conference regularly attracts between 150 and 200 participants reporting on their findings and new initiatives. By design, the conference retains a familiar and friendly atmosphere, welcoming new students and ornithologists into the field, and providing a much-anticipated gathering for those who work with and care for Alaska’s birds. This year’s conference is hosted by the Alaska Songbird Institute with significant contributions from a local organizing committee. The Alaska Songbird Institute is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to research, education and conservation of Alaska’s boreal birds. Based at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks they manage two long-term projects: the Creamer’s Field Migration Station (1992–present) and the Swallow Ecology Project (1994–present). These projects have archived decades of data on the migration, timing and productivity of Alaska’s boreal songbirds, while educating tens of thousands of people about ecology, research, and conservation. Learn more about ASI and how to support our work at www.aksongbird.org. *Cover image by Pam Seiser. 2
2019 Isleib Award We are proud to announce Dr. Colleen Marie Handel is the winner of the 2019 E. “Pete” Isleib Award for Avian Conservation. We recognize her substantial contribution to Alaska ornithology and lifetime achievement in advancing the conservation of Alaska’s non-game birds. Colleen began her career in Alaska as a technician in 1975. Today she works as a Research Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center. Colleen has long been one of the “big thinkers” of Alaska ornithology, authoring more than 80 scientific papers that chronicle her extensive research on the ecology of poorly studied shorebirds and landbirds in Alaska. Among her many contributions, she highlighted the global importance of Alaska’s coastal habitats to shorebirds, pioneered the use of satellite telemetry to track the migrations of Alaska’s shorebirds, documented and then unraveled the elusive mystery of the world’s largest concentration of avian beak deformities, and designed and analyzed surveys to inventory or monitor birds across Alaska’s vast federal lands. She now leads research under the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative to forecast the effects of climate change on Alaskan birds and their habitats. Throughout her career she has stayed at the forefront of ornithology by applying the latest techniques in biometry, wildlife movement, genetics, disease research, toxicology, landscape ecology, and climate science. Colleen has also demonstrated great commitment and service to the greater ornithological community. She is a founding member of both Boreal Partners in Flight and the Alaska Shorebird Group. She was an Associate Editor for The Auk, is a current Editor for The Condor: Ornithological Applications, and was made a fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union in 2013. Through these and many more contributions to conservation and research, Colleen has tirelessly offered her time and expertise to agencies, researchers, conservationists and students. Through her lifetime contributions to Alaska ornithology, Colleen has been responsible in large part for putting the ecology and conservation of non-game birds into the lexicon of resource managers, government agencies, and the public across Alaska. She has directly influenced more than one generation of ornithologists through her research and leadership and has forged a legacy that will continue to shape the conservation of Alaska birds for generations to come. 3
Monday, March 4 Tuesday, March 5 Westmark Yukon Room Westmark Gold Room 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 8:15–8:30 a.m. Boreal Partners in Flight & Alaska Raptor Group Introduction and welcome joint annual meeting 8:30–9:30 a.m. 1:30–4:30 p.m. Invited speaker: Uma Bhatt Alaska Shorebird Group annual meeting Consequence of sea-ice decline for the earth system 5:00–8:00 p.m Uma Bhatt, University of Alaska Celebrating Alaska’s Birds art show Fairbanks, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences. Uma’s research focuses Well St. Art Gallery on climate variability and links Transportation between Westmark and gallery among components of the provided approx. every 30 min. by Northern Alaska climate system. Her work includes Tour Company. Meet at Gold Room outdoor entrance. seasonal forecasting of Arctic sea ice and drivers of Arctic tundra vegetation change. Field trips Owl ski (or snowshoe) 9:30–10:00 a.m. Tuesday March 5, 7–9 p.m. Coffee break Enjoy a Fairbanks winter night with a guided owl tour and possible aurora viewing. We will Conservation & management listen and search for local pre-nesting owls along Chair: Philip Martin Fairbanks trails. This is an off-trail event and you need to provide your own skis (or snowshoes) and 10:00 a.m. headlamp (a few will be available upon request). Audubon Alaska’s watchlist of declining or vulnerable Yummy hot beverages encouraged! You need to Alaska birds provide transport, but we’ll organize carpooling as Nils Warnock & Max Goldman best we can. Meet at Poster Session or trailhead 10:15 a.m. (TBA). Max people: 20. Free. Using the Alaska species ranking system to identify species of conservation concern Behind the scenes tour of UAF museum Amanda Droghini, Rachel Kelty, & Paul Schuette Wednesday March 6, 5:30–6:30 p.m. 10:30 a.m. Get an inside tour of the UAF Museum with Jack Eiders and sea ice: Spectacled Eider winter surveys past, Withrow and their collection of birds. This is a present and future special tour that only Alaska Bird Conference Daniel Rizzolo, Kate Martin, Neesha Stellrecht, Bryan attendees get to enjoy. You need to provide Daniels, William Larned, David Safine, & Julian Fischer transport, but we’ll organize carpooling as best we can. Max people: 10. Free. 10:45 a.m. Marine protected areas (MPAs) for wintering Aleutian Terns? Surveys, assessments and conclusions from coastal China, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Falk Huettmann 11:00 a.m. The benefit of birds: ecological value and vulnerability in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas Max Goldman, Erika Knight, Brianne Mecum, Ben Sullender, Molly Zaleski, Melanie Smith, & Jon Warrenchuk 4
11:15 a.m. 2:30 p.m. Shorebird subsistence harvest and Indigenous Implementation of Arctic PRISM surveys in western knowledge in Alaska Alaska: What we learned about shorebird distributions Liliana C. Naves, Jacqueline M. Keating, T. Lee Tibbitts, & on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Daniel R. Ruthrauff Kristine M. Sowl, Stephen C. Brown, James E. Lyons, Richard B. Lanctot, Brad Winn, Sarah T. Saalfeld, James A. Johnson, 11:30 a.m. Brian J. McCaffery, & Brad A. Andres Sandhill Crane roosting behavior on the Delta River and Delta Creek, Fort Wainwright, Alaska 2:45 p.m. Kim Jochum & Justin Smith Marine-associated bird and mammal habitat use in the Five Finger Light 11:45 a.m. Lori Beraha* The state bird collection and the University of Alaska 3:00 p.m. Museum: research and directions Modeling the winter habitat use and mortality risks of Kevin Winker Cassin’s Auklets and Pigeon Guillemots in the North Pacific 12:00–1:30 p.m. Michael E. Johns*, Pete Warzybok, Jaime Jahncke, Mark Lunch Lindberg, & Greg Breed Conservation & management cont. 3:15–3:45 p.m. Chair: Dan Rizzolo Coffee break 1:30 p.m. Birds of a feather flock together... or do they? Regional 3:45–4:15 p.m. and temporal patterns of community composition and Invited speaker: Rick Thoman abundance in nearshore marine birds across the Gulf of Alaska Taking flight: accelerating climate Heather Coletti, Robert Suryan, Dan Esler, Robert Kaler, changes in the seas around Alaska Tuula Hollmen, Mayumi Arimitsu, James Bodkin, Thomas Rick Thoman, University of Alaska Dean, Kimberly Kloecker, Kathy Kuletz, John Piatt, Brian Fairbanks, International Arctic Robinson, & Benjamin Weitzman Research Center. Rick is an Alaska climate specialist who focuses on Habitat use translating climate change data. 1:45 p.m. 4:15–5:00 p.m. Raptor studies for a proposed hydroelectric project in Alaska: Application of innovative techniques Invited speaker: Coastal Observation and Seabird John E. Shook & Joseph H. Welch Survey Team (COASST) 2:00 p.m. Seabird Mortality Events in the Persistence of bird concentration areas on Alaska’s North Pacific 2013–2018 Arctic Coastal Plain COASST is a citizen science Benjamin K. Sullender & Melanie A. Smith group that tracks seabird 2:15 p.m. populations and die-offs. They Spoon-billed Sandpiper model-predictions with open train coastal residents, including access data and machine learning: Why, how and what those in rural Alaska, to conduct we know regular surveys of their beaches. Falk Huettmann *Indicates a student presentation 5
Poster session Contaminants research takes flight: emerging concerns 5:30–8:00 p.m. for Yellow-billed Loons in northern Alaska Westmark Gold Room, appetizers and cash bar Patrick Knavel, Will Caldwell*, Sarah Swanson, Delaney Vinson, Briana Kremer, Jenna DiFalco, Angela Matz, Debbie Breeding biology Nigro & Melanie Flamme Small-scale breeding site fidelity of Dusky Canada Geese Tasha DiMarzio, Michael Petrula & Jason Schamber Sex and adrenal steroid hormones in alcid feathers Alexis Will, Ruokun Zhou, Katherine Wynne-Edwards, & Remote monitoring of waterbird nests: an examination Alexander Kitaysky of effectiveness, predators, and applicability Sarah Hoepfner*, Chris Latty & Shiloh Schulte Migration & movements Model-prediction of Great Gray Owl distribution in Downy dust to better inform nest fate assignments Alaska with ‘cloud computing’ tools for assessment of Laura Makielski, Christopher Latty & Tuula Hollmén habitat Phillip Andrews* & Falk Huettmann Status and nest survival of Aleutian and Arctic Terns breeding in the Kodiak Archipelago, 2016–2018 Using stable isotopes to infer migration routes of Jill E.Tengeres, Robin M. Corcoran & Donald E. Lyons Crested Auklets Carl Burnside*, Alexis Will & Alexander Kitaysky Conservation & management Hypereumelanistic Horned Grebe observed in Resolving the annual pelagic distribution of Tufted eastern interior Alaska Puffins in the Gulf of Alaska: preliminary isotopic Mark Bertram & Adam Grimm correlates of winter and summer marine habitat use Kristen B. Gorman, Mary Anne Bishop & Anne L. Schaefer Wintering assemblage of Arctic-type warblers in the Philippines Migratory dynamics of Beringian Dunlin along the East Kyle K. Campbell, Aurora Hoefferle, Bennett Wong & Asian-Australasian Flyway Kevin Winker Benjamin Lagassé*, Richard Lanctot, Stephen Yezerinac, Stephen Brown, Alexei Dondua, Chris Latty, Joe Liebezeit, Alaska Shorebird Conservation Plan, Version III Alexander Matsyna, Ekaterina Matsyna, Rebecca McGuire, Christopher M. Harwood, H. River Gates, James A. Martin Robards, Jon Slaght, Diana Solovyeva, Pavel Johnson, Richard B. Lanctot & Daniel R. Ruthrauff Tomkovich, Olga Valchuk & Michael Wunder Ruddy Duck breeding range expansion in Alaska Outreach & citizen science Bryce Lake Sitka winter bird observation project Increases in numbers of brood-rearing and molting Gwen Baluss, Kitty LaBounty & Matt Goff Brant and Snow Geese on the western Beaufort Sea Mt. Everest downhill: a watershed analysis during coast of Alaska, 1994–2017 climate change using waterbird counts from a 30-year Robert M. Burgess, Tim Obritschkewitsch, Brian T. Person citizen science survey in Koshi River, Nepal & Robert J. Ritchie Falk Huettmann When the freezer breaks: will climate warming impact Arctic Refuge Virtual Bird Festival: 2018, an inaugural the persistence of resident birds in Alaska? year Emily Williams & Laura Phillips Allyssa Morris, Chris Latty, Brett Parks, Sara Boario, Rose Capitalizing on a mass mortality event: archiving Primmer, Rebecca Sentner, Michelle LeBeau, Susan Culliney, seabird genetic samples, skins, and skeletons from the Max Goldman, Ben Sullender, Kassandra Smith & Shiloh M/V Selendang Ayu oil spill Schulte Jack Withrow & Kevin Winker Revised principles for conducting research in the Arctic Diet & physiology Sara Bowden, Chris Campbell, Renee Crain, Roberto Short-term concentration of triiodothyronine increases Delgado, Martin Jeffries, Igor Kupnik, Meredith LaValley, as a result of cooling early in the life of Siala sialis chicks Cynthia McOliver, Candace Nachman, John Pearce, Cheryl Nathan Cagwin*, Sharon E. Lynn, Michael D. Kern & Rosa & Amina Schartup Alexander Kitaysky 6
Wednesday, March 6 11:15 a.m. Is geographical prevalence of beak deformities related Westmark Gold Room to patterns of genetic diversity in Northwestern Crows in Alaska? 8:15–8:30 a.m. Lisa Pajot Welcome and announcements 11:30 a.m. Patterns in breeding population of Steller’s Eiders at 8:30–9:30 a.m. Utqiaġvik, Alaska, over a 28-year period Invited speaker: Torre Jorgenson Nathan Graff, Micah Miller, & Neesha Stellrecht Past and projected trends in Alaska 11:45 a.m. habitats stressed by rapid climate Reproduction of Peregrine Falcons along the Colville change River, Alaska Torre Jorgenson, Alaska Ted Swem Ecoscience. For over thirty years, Torre has worked on ecology 12:00–1:30 p.m and geomorphology studies throughout Alaska, focusing Lunch on vegetation-soil-permafrost interactions and ecological Breeding biology cont. impacts of human activities. Chair: Dan Rizzolo 1:30 p.m. 9:30–10:00 a.m. Evaluating methods for determining nest predators of Coffee break Common Eiders Wilhelm L.Wiese, Christopher J. Latty, & Tuula Hollmén Breeding biology 1:45 p.m. Chair: Chris Harwood Nesting study of Greater White-fronted Geese at a 10:00 a.m. new drill site in NPR-A Not too hot, not too cold: How adaptable are Kristen Rozell, Rick Johnson, & Adrian Gall shorebirds to variable breeding conditions? Rebecca McGuire, Richard Lanctot, Sarah Saalfeld, Dan Migration and movements Ruthrauff, Chris Latty, and Stephen Brown 2:00 p.m. 10:15 a.m. Movement patterns of Arctic-breeding shorebirds Timing, breedingg propensity and chick growth of shorebirds during post-breeding and southbound migration at an Arctic site in Alaska: Does interannual variability in Richard B. Lanctot, Sarah Saalfeld, Stephen Brown, Kyle environmental conditions override potential mismatches? Elliot, Jean-Francois Lamarre, Christopher Latty, Rebecca Dan Ruthrauff & Aaron Gottesman McGuire, & Daniel Ruthrauff 10:30 a.m. 2:15 p.m. Influence of weather on reproductive timing and Linear features affect migratory movements of Golden reproductive success in two Arctic-breeding passerines Eagles Helen Chmura, Natalie Boelman, Laura Gough, & John Wingfield Joseph M. Eisaguirre*, Travis L. Booms, Christopher P. Barger, Stephen B. Lewis, Carol L. McIntyre, & Greg A. Breed 10:45 a.m. Mew Gull nesting: spatial distribution and survival in an 2:30 p.m. urban environment on Fort Wainwright, Alasak Movements of younger cohorts of pre-breeding Golden Garrett Savory & Emily Richmond Eagles during the breeding season in Alaska Carol McIntyre & Stephen B. Lewis 11:00 a.m. Spectacled Eiders on the Colville Delta, Kuparuk oilfield 2:45 p.m. and NPR-A Movement strategies among Bald Eagles in an Rick Johnson, Julie Parrett, Lauren Attanas, Pam Seiser, John anadromous fish system Shook, & Bob Burgess Rachel E. Wheat & Stephen B. Lewis 7
3:00–3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7 Coffee break Westmark Gold Room Diet & physiology 8:15–8:30 a.m. Chair: Brandt Meixell Welcome and announcements 3:30 p.m. Gyrfalcon dietary plasticity in a changing tundra 8:30–9:30 a.m. ecosystem Devin Johnson*, Michael Henderson, David L. Anderson, Invited speaker: Chris Arp Travis Booms, Bryce Robinson, & Cory T. Williams A story of the cold: do migratory birds care? 3:45 p.m. Diet and reproductive success of the Great Horned Chris Arp, University of Owl at its northern breeding limit Alaska Fairbanks, Water and Madison McConnell* & Knut Kielland Environmental Research Center. Chris’ research on ice and water 4:00 p.m. balance dynamics of shallow Characterizing Arctic shorebird chick diets with DNA lakes and surface-water interactions with permafrost has metabarcoding documented important changes to lakes in Alaska’s Arctic. Danielle Gerik, Richard B. Lanctot, Kirsty E. Gurney, Sarah T. Saalfeld, & J. Andrés López 9:30–10:00 a.m. 4:15 p.m. Coffee break The interactive effects of temperature and organic contaminants on embryo development in shorebirds Special session– Loon ecology & conservation Ella Lunny*, Kirsty Gurney, Dan Ruthrauff, & Christy Chair: Mel Flamme Morrissey 10:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Genetic diversity among four loon species nesting in How will climate change affect the nutrient Arctic Alaska dynamics of goose forage in the Arctic? Barbara J. Pierson, George K. Sage, Meg C. Gravley, Jolene R. Brandt W. Meixell & Paul L. Flint Rearick, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Melanie Flamme, Angela Matz, Debbie Nigro, Dave Evers, & Sandra L. Talbot 4:45 p.m. Modeling wind exposure: implications for Common 10:15 A.M. Eiders nesting along the Arctic coastal plain Population genetics analysis of Yellow-billed Loons nesting Elyssa Watford*, Christopher Latty, & Tuula Hollmén in western Arctic North America Sandra L.Talbot, George K. Sage, Barbara J. Pierson, Meg C. Gravley, Brian Uher-Koch, Joel Schmutz, Angela Matz, Debora Public lecture: Cole Nigro, & Melanie Flamme Sartore 7:00–9:00 p.m. 10:30 A.M. UAF Murie Auditorium eDNA metabarcoding analyses of loon (gavia) distribution and diet Building the National Damian Menning, Melanie Flamme, Trey Simmons, Brian Geographic Photo Ark Uher-Koch, Joel Schmutz, & Sandra Talbot Creating portraits of an estimated 12,000 species of 10:45 A.M. birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, Similar, but different: use of marine resources by amphibians and invertebrates from around the globe sympatrically breeding Red-throated and Pacific Loons before they disappear– get people to care while Daniel Rizzolo & Joel Schmutz there’s still time. 11:00 A.M. This free public lecture is brought to you by Alaska Territory retention of Pacific and Yellow-billed Loons Bird Conference 2019 & Arctic Audubon Society. breeding in northern Alaska 8 Brian D. Uher-Koch, Kenneth G. Wright, & Joel A. Schmutz
11:15 A.M. 2:45 P.M. Occupancy and habitat use of loon populations in Arctic Connecting people throughout the East Asian- and western Arctic Alaska Australasian Flyway with coordinated outreach Jeremy Mizel, Melanie Flamme, Debbie Nigro, Cindy Hamfler, Casey T. Burns Angela Matz, Tamara Zeller, Nikki Guldager, Josh Schmidt, Stacia Backensto, Sarah Swanson, & Jared Hugey 3:00–3:30 P.M. 11:30 A.M. Coffee break Yellow-billed Loon occupancy of breeding territories near new oil development Special session– Boreal wetland birds Rick Johnson, Ann Wildman, Alex Prichard, Julie Parrett, & Chair: Katie Christie Caryn Rea 3:30 P.M. 11:45 A.M. Recent trends in boreal wetland-associated birds Seasonal survival of Yellow-billed Loons breeding in Alaska and beyond Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey S. Fair, Kenneth G. Wright, Christopher Colleen M. Handel, Katie Christie, & John R. Sauer R. DeSorbo, Daniel M. Mulcahy, Daniel J. Rizzolo, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Barbara J. Pierson, and David C. Douglas 3:45 P.M. Influence of wetland context on the distribution and abundance of boreal birds 12:00–1:30 p.m Sabre Hill* & Audrey Taylor Lunch 4:00 P.M. Migratory connectivity of a declining shorebird: 1:30–2:00 p.m. tracking technologies reveal migratory pathways, Invited speaker: Nancy Fresco primary stopovers, and wintering locations of adult Publicly available data tools to track Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) climate change Laura McDuffie*, Katie Christie, Jim Johnson, & Audrey Taylor Nancy Fresco, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Scenarios Network for 4:15 P.M. Alaska + Arctic Planning. Nancy’s Neotropical migrant bird habitat assessment, Fort focuses are on developing effective Wainwright, Alaska collaborations, linking SNAP data Justin Smith, Garrett Savory, & Kim Jochum to the needs of stakeholders, and interpreting the results of complex modeling efforts. 4:30 P.M. Shorebird abundance estimates on military lands in interior Alaska Outreach & citizen science Ellen Martin, Kim Jochum, Calvin Bagley, & Paul F. 2:00 p.m. Doherty, Jr. The Alaska Swallow Monitoring Network: “dispersing” across the state Tricia Blake, Melissa Cady, Audrey Taylor, April Harding Scurr, Banquet & awards & Alex Rose 6:30–9:00 p.m. 2:15 P.M. Westmark Gold Room Piloting community science: monitoring murre Keynote speaker: Cole Sartore has been assisting reproductive success in Savoonga, Alaska his father, photographer Joel Sartore, build the Jennifer Curl, Punguk Shoogukwruk, & Alexis Will Photoark for 12 years. The Sartores hope to capture a brief moment within each species life, 2:30 P.M. to tell its story, and to inspire awareness and care The Denali Avian Youth Mentoring Program: fostering life-long connections with Alaska’s National Parklands for the incredible beauty in Earth’s biodiversity. through place-based science learning The PhotoArk team has already traveled to 40 Emily Williams, Carol McIntyre, & Laura Phillips countries and predict it will take 25 years to complete their mission. *Indicates a student presentation 9
Friday, March 8 Westmark Yukon Room Workshop: Unmanned aerial systems in wildlife research & conservation 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. • What are the capabilities of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS, aka drones)? • What types of data can a UAS provide? • What regulations apply to the operation of a UAS in Alaska? • How have UAS been used in ornithological research? • How are the images obtained by a UAS turned into data? The answers to these questions and more will be covered during this one-day workshop. Offered in collaboration with the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI), topics covered will include current platforms and payloads, as well as approaches to data processing. Applications to research on wildlife and wildlife habitats, with a focus on bird studies, will be presented by researchers with extensive experience with UAS technology. ACUASI is a world-class research center for unmanned aircraft systems that provides integration of unique payloads and support for mission within government and science communities, with a special emphasis on the Arctic and sub-Arctic. Registration is $50 and participation is limited. Featuring speaker: David Bird David Bird is an Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Biology at McGill University and Director of the Avian Science and Conservation Centre In addition to his extensive background in ornithology, he is also an expert in the application of UAVs to wildlife research and conservation. He is also the Founding Editor of a newly launched peer-reviewed publication, the Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems and sits on the board of Unmanned Systems Canada, an organization dedicated to the use of unmanned vehicles. 10
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Alaska Bird Conference Sponsors Thank you for your support! USGS- Alaska Science Center, US Fish & Wildlife Service, BLM-Arctic District Office, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, ConocoPhillips Alaska, National Park Service-Arctic Network Inventory & Monitoring Program In memory of Susan J.Watson BLM-Alaska State Office, City of Fairbanks Hotel-Motel Discretionary Fund, Arctic Audubon Society, Audubon Alaska, Delcourt Aviation, Alaska Airlines, Zeiss, In memory of Susan J. Watson Institute of Arctic Biology, ABR, Inc., Ducks Unlimited Alaska, Kinross/Ft. Knox,Wildlife Conservations Society, Northern Alaska Tour Company 12
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