2007 Migratory Bird Day at the Zoo Scheduled for May 13th

This year's celebration of International Migratory Bird Day will be held at the Anchorage Zoo on May 13^th from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m.

As always, the event is designed to provide a full day of entertaining and educational family activities, all focused on the migratory bird species that are, even now, winging their way back into our lives for another wonderful northern summer. As usual, as well, the Zoo is rolling back prices for this one-day event. In honor of Mother's Day, all moms will get in for free, and everyone else will be admitted at reduced ?education? rates of $7 for adults and $5 for children. Wheelchairs and signing interpreters will be available to make the event accessible to all.

The day's activities open at 10:30 with a special 'surprise? presentation by a new partner, U-Haul. (Hint: it will have an Alaska bird theme, and sooner or later you?ll probably need it!) The good people of Bird Treatment and Learning Center will have a number of live birds on hand to charm and inform young and old alike. These birds (once injured but now healed, though unable to be released into the wild) are always a hit; they?re real avian troupers, always ready to perform for enthusiastic audiences. Alaska Audubon will also be on hand, with its members leading Bird Walks on Zoo grounds at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. There?ll be games and prizes for kids offered throughout the day, and the wild bird release (always a must-see) is scheduled to take place at 4:30 p.m. near the Zoo coffee shop.

The organizing theme of this year's International Migratory Bird Day events is "Birds in a Changing Climate.? In keeping with this focus, Deborah Williams of Alaska Conservation Solutions will offer a presentation on climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change at 2:30 p.m.

So whether your goal is to gather information or enjoy an inexpensive day with your family at the Alaska Zoo to celebrate the arrival of another spring, mark your calendars. Anchorage has been enjoying this annual event for years (more than 2,000 of you attended last year!), and the 2007 Migratory Bird Day celebration looks to be the best yet.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 542 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices, and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.