Tennessee’s second annual Biodiversity Summit is set for October 21, 2026, at Middle Tennessee State University, and organizers say tickets are selling fast for a gathering that has already outgrown its debut year. The event will bring together conservationists, researchers, wildlife professionals and enthusiasts from across the state, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s announcement on Facebook.
This year’s summit carries the theme “Moving the Needle, Wins in Conservation,” with eight main speakers scheduled to present on statewide wildlife conservation successes, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Organizers have capped attendance at 900 participants this year, a jump prompted by strong public interest following the inaugural gathering. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s own announcement, shared via Facebook, confirms the summit will be held at Middle Tennessee State University for a second straight year, with tickets moving quickly ahead of the October date.
The inaugural Tennessee Biodiversity Summit, held on October 22, 2025, at the same campus, drew nearly 650 registered attendees from across Tennessee, per the agency’s account. That turnout appears to be driving this year’s expanded 900-person cap, as demand for the young event continues to build heading into its second run.
National eBird Director Headlines the Program
Chris Wood, program director at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and director of eBird, has been named keynote speaker for the 2026 summit. Wood is expected to present on how community science and artificial intelligence are transforming conservation data, a subtopic the agency highlighted when announcing his selection. His appearance gives the summit a nationally recognized voice on the growing role of citizen-collected wildlife data in state-level conservation planning…