Subject: [Tweeters] Chelan Ridge Hawk Migration Festival
Date: Aug 11 08:04:46 2010
From: Teri J Pieper - tjpieper at gmail.com


Where Raptors Soar: Chelan Ridge Hawk Migration Festival



Join the Methow Valley Ranger District, North Central Washington Audubon
Society, and HawkWatch International for a free family event to learn about
and celebrate raptors as they journey to winter territories. Shop vendors,
see live birds, and take a field trip to the spectacular Chelan Ridge Raptor
Migration Site. This amazing, interactive raptor event will take place at
Memorial Park in Pateros, Washington on September 25, 2010 from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m.



The festival will have art projects for kids, hands on activities, and
raptor exhibits. Attendees can also go on birding field trips with experts
to identify waterfowl and migrating songbirds while exploring along the
Columbia River. During the day, shuttles will run from Pateros to Chelan
Ridge where families, bird lovers, and learners of all ages will be able to
see raptors like Sharp-shinned Hawks up close before they are banded and
released. This is an amazing experience with environmental education and
interpretation conducted by an on-site educator, Forest Service personnel,
and other volunteers.



On Sunday, continuing the celebration of Hawk Migration, the North Cascades
Basecamp, a festival sponsor, will be hosting a pancake breakfast with an
expert speaker and then providing a guide for a field trip to Harts Pass,
another excellent place to view migrating raptors. Call 509-996-2334 or see
their website www.NorthCascadesBasecamp.com for more information or see
their booth at the festival in Pateros.



This festival is scheduled to coincide with the peak of southbound migration
of raptors at Chelan Ridge-the best place in Washington to view fall
migrating raptors. All three partners have a mission to provide education to
our communities and this hands-on event is a great opportunity. This
educational effort is focused on raptors and the ecosystems upon which we
all rely. According to Kent Woodruff, a biologist for the Okanogan and
Wenatchee National Forests, "The Chelan Ridge project is good news for
hawks, which in some cases still face challenges for survival. It's also
great for nature enthusiasts who like to see animals in the wild doing what
comes naturally and see scientists at work trying to learn more about the
raptors as they migrate south to spend the winter."



To pre-register for the field trips leaving from Pateros and to reserve a
space in the shuttle to Chelan Ridge, please call 509-731-4790.



For more information about this free festival, please visit
www.ncwaudubon.org/ or email festival at ncwaudubon.org.



North Central Washington Audubon Society works to conserve and restore
natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and their habitats, for the benefit of
people and the biological diversity of North Central Washington.



HawkWatch International (HWI) is a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit
organization dedicated to conserving the environment through education,
long-term monitoring, and scientific research on raptors as indicators of
ecosystem health.



Methow Valley Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service celebrates 100 Years of
Caring for the Land and Serving People.