Each year the Refuge celebrates WMBD to encourage support for migratory bird conservation. The theme for this year’s installment of the annual celebration is “Protect Insects, Protect birds”. Join us for a few hours or for the whole celebration! This is an event for the whole family!
Elmaro Vineyard
May 9th | 6:30 pm
Join us as Scott Lee, a 33-year Trempealeau Elementary teacher, 8-year UW LaCrosse Environmental Studies teacher, and 50+ year volunteer here at the refuge, gives a program on Bird Adaptations. He will have around 100 bird study skins available for some hands on learning and talk about some unique adaptations birds have for survival in the upper Midwest. Bring your bird field guides along if you want to test your skills in identifying the many bird mounts!
*This event is sponsored by the Friends of Trempealeau Refuge. No registration is required for this event.
Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge
May 10th | 7:00 am to 12:30 pm
· Guided Early Bird Hikes | 7:00 am and 9:00 am | Pre-registered guided bird hikes at Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. Take an early morning walk with an experienced birder to see who’s flitting around early in the morning! Duration: approximately 1.5 hours
· Bird Banding Demonstrations | 8:00 - 11:00 am | Watch how wild birds are banded and recorded for research purposes. | Near the Woods Trail
· Guided Photography Hike | 10:30 am | Calling all photography enthusiasts! Join a refuge volunteer on a photography nature hike! Explore the beauty of nature through your lens! The hike is open to all levels, from beginners to experienced photographers, and is a great opportunity to practice your skills and capture stunning images. Duration: approximately 1 hour
At the Observation Deck Area
· Kids Craft Station | 9:00 - 11:00 am | Join a refuge volunteer for a fun and easy craft. This activity is for the whole family.
· Macroinvertebrates | 9:00 - 11:00 am | Join Nora and Delaney from Happy Dancing Turtle to learn about common freshwater macroinvertebrates.
· Informational Booths | 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | Connect with local organizations as they share information about the amazing work they are doing along the River. Village of Trempealeau/Wisconsin Bird City, Driftless Birds, Audubon Upper Mississippi River, Trempealeau Public Library, and Friends of Trempealeau NWR. There will be book giveaways, a native plants garden raffle, and more!
At the Outdoor Wonders Learning Center
· Best of Refuge Photo Contest Exhibition | 8:00 - 9:00 am
· River Valley Raptors Inc. Booth | 9:00 - 11:00 am | Abbey Krumrie will have live raptors that she has rehabilitated and answer questions about these amazing birds. | The booth will be located outside of the building
· Birds and Windows | 9:00 - 10:00 am | More than a billion birds collide with glass in the U.S. Join Wildlife Biologist, Andrew Forbes with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Migratory Birds Program, and learn more about the problem of bird/glass collisions, and efforts underway to address the problem.
· Dark Skies | 10:00 - 11:00 am | Join Scott Lind from the Kickapoo Valley Dark Sky Initiative for a talk about implementing LED outdoor lighting. Light pollution is rapidly degrading the night experience for all of us even many miles from small cities. Learn how implementing smarter LED outdoor lighting can benefit wildlife, save energy, reduce glare, prevent light pollution & preserve our night skies.
· River Valley Raptors Presentation | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Learn what a raptor is and see them up close! Join Abbey Krumrie, from River Valley Raptors Inc. for a fun and informative raptor program.
These events are FREE and open to the public!