For Immediate Release
Date: 4/14/2011
Contact: Susan Sawyer, Visitor Services Manager
Phone: (775) 423-5128
Fax: (775) 423-0416
Email: susan_sawyer@fws.gov
www.friendsofstillwaternwr@gmail.com
Spring Wings Festival Prepares to Fly Over Fallon, Nev.
Outdoor Festival Scheduled for May 13-15
FALLON, Nev. -- Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of Stillwater NWR will be hosting the 14th annual Spring Wings Birding and Outdoor Festival on May 13, 14, 15, at the Oats Park Complex, located in Fallon, Nevada.
‘Raptor Rapture!’ opens the Festival weekend Friday night, May 13, at the Barkley Theatre. HawkWatch International explores the amazing world of eagles, falcons, hawks and owls from many perspectives, through stunning visuals, original music and live birds of prey. Doors open at 5:30, with the show beginning at 6:30pm. Tickets are available for adults and youth at www.springwings.org, with limited seating for this one-of-a-kind family show.
Expertly guided tours are offered throughout the weekend at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, Carson Lake & Pasture, Pyramid Lake, and several other ‘hot spots’ within the Lahontan Valley Wetlands. Tour tickets can be purchased online at: www.springwings.org. Festival brochures and registration forms are also available at the Refuge office, 1000 Auction Road in Fallon, or you can call 775/423-5128 to have one mailed.
Friday afternoon featured tours are Birding Hot Spots, Carson Lake/Pasture, Tule Trail Trek (the new trail at Stillwater refuge), and Heavy Metal Birds – a behind the scenes visit to NAS-Fallon ‘Top Gun’ flight line and control tower.
There will be a Free Festival Fun Day on Saturday, May 14 in Oats Park, from 10am to 5pm. Free talks on Falconry, Cabela’s Optics, local Audubon programs, and Birds of Prey are scheduled throughout the day along with many interactive, fun and educational displays and workshops. Children’s craft activities include making bird nests, feeders and sculptures. Food, craft and other vendors will have items for sale, and the Spring Wings Store will have Festival shirts, mugs, art, jewelry and more. Raffles include a refuge airboat tour, a Pyramid Lake tour, a Tahoe kayak tour, and a Basic Birder kit of binoculars, bird book, backpack, bird feeder.
On Saturday morning, May 14, ‘Wild for the Woodies’ offers a chance to help with Wood duck nest box research along the Carson River in Fallon. Learn how and why biologists trap, band and mark adult and hatchling ducks. Or, if you prefer to capture wildlife on camera, take the ‘Wild Images’ nature photography workshop with local wildlife photographer Bob Goodman, as he teaches the best tips and tricks for outdoor photos in a ½ day course suitable for anyone and any camera.
‘Pelicans, Paiutes and a Pyramid’ is an easy driving tour around Pyramid Lake, with several stops for wildlife viewing, most notably of Anaho Island to see thousands of nesting American white pelicans. Marble Bluff Fish Hatchery and the Pyramid Lake Paiute museum are included on this Saturday tour.
Birding Hot Spots tours are scheduled for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, and are suitable for anyone interested in learning about the diverse wildlife sites within Churchill County. Sunday morning the Festival concludes with ‘Singing on the Wing’, a migratory songbird tour, and a ‘Wet and Wild’ tour of Stillwater refuge with biologist Bill Henry.
A special workshop and tour for ‘Beginning Birders’ is scheduled Sunday morning, May 15. University of Nevada Ornithology Professor Emeritus, Dr. Alan Gubanich, offers a fun, basic ‘how to’ workshop, followed by a visit to local wetlands to practice new birding skills. Seats are limited on this tour, binoculars and field guides are provided. Cost is $10/person.
Spring Wings is an annual fundraising event for Friends of Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Proceeds help support outreach, conservation education and onsite refuge projects which benefit wildlife and the community. For more information on the Spring Wings Festival and the Friends of Stillwater NWR, visit www.friendsofstillwaternwr.org.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov; for Stillwater Refuge, visit www.fws.gov/stillwater.
-- FWS --
