The theme of this year's Wildlife Festival at the Montezuma Audubon Center is “Making Smart Choices Today Will Benefit Wildlife Tomorrow.” There will be several different presentations and demonstrations offered during the day that will give attendees a glimpse into the importance of the world around us.
Paul and Anne Schnell of the Institute for Environmental Learning will introduce Liberty, a bald eagle, and other raptors, which can not be returned to the wild, to provide a close up look at how predators adapt and fit into the environment. Janet Allen will share how all can provide for habitat for wildlife and make one's yard more enjoyable for people too. Allen is cofounder and president of Habitat Gardening of Central New York.
Also, staff from the Montezuma Audubon Center and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will help residents get started as a Citizen Scientist. Volunteer scientists help provide data on local animals, from amphibians to birds. This panel will focus on Frog Watch and Marsh monitoring but will provide information on a range of other citizen science programs.
To spend a Saturday enjoying nature, there will be wildflower hikes with Linda Potter, canoe and kayak trips with Mike Morgan, bird hikes with Frank Morlock, NYSDEC wildlife biologist and retriever demonstrations with Jim Beverly.
For children, there will be blue bird houses to build, a monkey bridge to cross with the Boy Scout Troop No. 152 and all sorts of nature crafts to make with the help of students from the SUNY-Environmental School of Forestry in Syracuse.
Attendees can even have their picture taken with Liberty.
While all of these presentations and activities are taking place, Maddy Walsh and Mike Suave will be entertaining with their music from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with the Muckland Crooners taking the stage from 1 to 3:30 p.m. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Giant Bird Puppets with the Open Hand Theatre will be catching the attention of the young and young at heart as 12-foot stilted bird puppets try to shake visitors' hands.
Visitors may stop in the nature store; look for that new pair of binoculars, hiking gear or kayaks, canoes and boats. There will also be some local vendors with nature plants and artistic photography and creations to buy. There will be hot dogs and hamburgers as well as a chicken barbecue and pulled pork sandwiches for lunch and homemade pies highlighting the fruits of Wayne County.
The Wildlife Weekend received sponsorship from National Grid, Bass Pro Shops, Secor Lumber, Seneca Meadows Landfill, The Friends of Montezuma, Terry, Savannah Bank, NA, ITT Goulds Pumps, Nixon Peabody LLC and Clough, Harbor and Associates. The Montezuma Audubon center is the result of the partnerships of U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Montezuma Wildlife Refuge System, Friends of the Montezuma Wetland complex, SUNY Environmental School of Forestry, Department of Environmental Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever and Duck Unlimited.
The Wildlife Weekend is the kick-off to another great season for the Montezuma Audubon Center, which offers unique habitat-based education programs that link people with nature through hands-on experiences in nature.
Carol Spellman proudly lives and writes from her home in Savannah. You can reach her at spellmanjc@tds.net
If you go
What: Second annual Wildlife Festival
When: From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 3
Where: Montezuma Audubon Center, Route 89 north, Savannah
Also, staff from the Montezuma Audubon Center and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will help residents get started as a Citizen Scientist. Volunteer scientists help provide data on local animals, from amphibians to birds. This panel will focus on Frog Watch and Marsh monitoring but will provide information on a range of other citizen science programs.
To spend a Saturday enjoying nature, there will be wildflower hikes with Linda Potter, canoe and kayak trips with Mike Morgan, bird hikes with Frank Morlock, NYSDEC wildlife biologist and retriever demonstrations with Jim Beverly.
For children, there will be blue bird houses to build, a monkey bridge to cross with the Boy Scout Troop No. 152 and all sorts of nature crafts to make with the help of students from the SUNY-Environmental School of Forestry in Syracuse.
Attendees can even have their picture taken with Liberty.
While all of these presentations and activities are taking place, Maddy Walsh and Mike Suave will be entertaining with their music from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with the Muckland Crooners taking the stage from 1 to 3:30 p.m. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Giant Bird Puppets with the Open Hand Theatre will be catching the attention of the young and young at heart as 12-foot stilted bird puppets try to shake visitors' hands.
Visitors may stop in the nature store; look for that new pair of binoculars, hiking gear or kayaks, canoes and boats. There will also be some local vendors with nature plants and artistic photography and creations to buy. There will be hot dogs and hamburgers as well as a chicken barbecue and pulled pork sandwiches for lunch and homemade pies highlighting the fruits of Wayne County.
The Wildlife Weekend received sponsorship from National Grid, Bass Pro Shops, Secor Lumber, Seneca Meadows Landfill, The Friends of Montezuma, Terry, Savannah Bank, NA, ITT Goulds Pumps, Nixon Peabody LLC and Clough, Harbor and Associates. The Montezuma Audubon center is the result of the partnerships of U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Montezuma Wildlife Refuge System, Friends of the Montezuma Wetland complex, SUNY Environmental School of Forestry, Department of Environmental Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever and Duck Unlimited.
The Wildlife Weekend is the kick-off to another great season for the Montezuma Audubon Center, which offers unique habitat-based education programs that link people with nature through hands-on experiences in nature.
Carol Spellman proudly lives and writes from her home in Savannah. You can reach her at spellmanjc@tds.net
If you go
What: Second annual Wildlife Festival
When: From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 3
Where: Montezuma Audubon Center, Route 89 north, Savannah
The Citizens' Say
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