We are excited to introduce FOMA’s webinar program — a new way to stay connected with Kuaihelani. This page will serve as an archive of past webinars, giving you the opportunity to watch and revisit presentations anytime, from anywhere.
The Drone Project on Kuaihelani
On April 26, 2026, we at Friends of Midway Atoll hosted our first-ever live webinar presentation: The Drone Project on Kuaihelani. Our guest speaker, biologist & licensed drone pilot, Anna Vallery, explored how cutting-edge drone technology is helping researchers study one of the world’s largest seabird colonies. Anna shared a behind-the-scenes look at the innovative drone research project supporting Midway’s annual albatross census, including how drones are helping scientists collect high-resolution data across the atoll’s vast nesting colonies.
Since 1991, biologists and volunteers have walked the entire 1,500-acre Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge each year to count albatross nests—creating one of the most comprehensive seabird monitoring datasets in the world. As conservation programs face growing challenges such as limited funding and staffing, new tools like drone technology may help ensure that this critical long-term monitoring continues.
During this webinar, Anna discussed: The challenges and opportunities of working with seabirds in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands How drones are being used to support monitoring efforts How imagery from drones can be analyzed to count birds, distinguish between breeding and non-breeding albatross …and more! Anna shared photos and insights from two weeks of fieldwork on Midway Atoll, where she and fellow drone operator Dan Link surveyed multiple areas across the refuge. After the presentation we had a live Q&A session, with a surprise appearance by Dan Link. We'd love your feedback on the webinar & your topics of interest by filling out our form.
Mahalo to everyone who registered for the event and to all of you watching this today. Your interest and support allows FOMA to continue presentations like these.