Come celebrate Spring in
the Kern River Valley
The 15th Annual Kern River Valley Spring Nature
Festival exhibits and activities will take place the weekend of May 2-3, 2009.
Bob Barnes' Kern River Valley Birding will again handle the
field trips from April 29th through May 5th.
Keynote Speakers: On Friday
evening: Dr. Jason Saleeby and Dr. Zorka Foster Saleeby of CalTech will give an interesting presentation on
the "Geology in Your Backyard - the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada", on Saturday evening:
Bob Barnes will give a presentation on
"Birding the Kern River Valley & Southern Sierra Nevada". Both presentations should be fun and
exceptionally
informative.
Our Dinners are catered and
served using tree-free paper and petroleum free dinnerware and garbage bags.
Saturday and Sunday, AUDUBON-CALIFORNIA'S Kern River
Preserve in Weldon, hosts numerous free events including bird walks led by
KERNCREST AUDUBON SOCIETY volunteers, bird banding with the Southern Sierra
Research Station, and information booths and exhibits located in the large,
shaded front yard of Preserve Headquarters.
The Kern
Valley Spring Nature Festival is a celebration of our natural and
recreational diversity at the height of spring abundance.
Within our intimate wild mix of habitat
types and floristic provinces (distinct major regions of life) may be found
plants and animals of the Great Basin, Mojave
Desert, and Californian Floristic Provinces. This grand mix is unparalleled anywhere else
in the United States and Canada.
The Kern River Valley is one of nature’s most
diverse homes: 350 bird species (c. 233
species per Nature Fest and over 200 nesting
species!), Spring bird migration creates an exciting time for birders visiting
the Kern Valley Spring Nature Festival. The last five festivals have averaged
233 bird species! The region centered on the Kern River Valley hosts 138
butterfly species (68%+ of California’s lepidoptera), 2,000+ species of
plants (a third of California’s flora), and the highest mammal diversity
in the United States (115 species)!
The Kern River Valley has been recognized as
the #1 Outdoor Recreation Area in the United States: bicycling, boating,
camping, catch-and-release fishing, cross-country skiing, downhill
skiing, golfing, hiking, horseback riding, hot springs soaking,
kayaking, lake fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, river fishing,
sailing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, spelunking, whitewater rafting, wild
trout fishing, and wind surfing are among the myriad of outdoor
recreational opportunities found here; many of them widely known as
world-class.
Our stunningly beautiful Kern Valley is a highlight in itself: 6000’-8000’ southern Sierra
Nevada peaks, the National Wild & Scenic North Fork Kern River,
Audubon
California’s Globally Important 2,894-acre Kern
River Preserve, Sequoia National Forest’s 1,200-acre South Fork Wildlife
Area, California Department of Fish & Game’s 7,800-acre
Canebrake Ecological Reserve,
and the Giant Sequoia National Monument.
Thank you for joining us in celebrating the
natural and recreational diversity of “Valley Wild,” the Kern River
Valley!
WHY
THIS FESTIVAL, YOU ASK? READ WHAT YOU CAN ENCOUNTER IN THIS
MAGICAL PLACE!
The clean, sharp smell of Great Basin Sage
in the wind...a Scott's Oriole perched atop a Kern Joshua tree...mixed
flocks of warblers foraging in a huge cottonwood...the call of a Wrentit
bouncing over a dense stand of chaparral...the deep blue skies and
towering pines of the Sierra Nevada...
It is not unusual to encounter these things as you travel around
California. It is unusual, however, to come across all of them within a
few miles of one another - but - that's exactly what you can do in the
Kern Valley.
Located at the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada, the Kern Valley is a
unique place. Six major
California ecological regions merge in the
region around the valley:
Great Basin Desert,
Mojave Desert,
Chaparral,
Sierran Forest,
and Great Valley Grassland;
including the largest remaining contiguous riparian forest in the state.
The Kern Valley Spring Nature Festival is a celebration of the miracle of
nature at its best. Wildlife and wildflowers, and spectacular vistas of
unique geological wonders make this a vacation paradise.
Added to all the of above is the fact that the Kern Valley
Spring Nature Festival takes place in a simply stunning setting... a hanging valley at
2600' surrounded by 6000' to 8000' high peaks on the Sequoia National
Forest and less than one hour from the new Sequoia National Monument.
Situated below these Sierran peaks are the National Wild & Scenic North
Fork and South Fork of the Kern River and Audubon California's
2894-acre
Kern River Preserve...part of the Globally Important Bird Area located
along the South Fork of the Kern River.
Field trips are limited to between five and twenty people to insure the
highest quality and most enjoyable birding and natural history
experience possible. The Festival offers a variety of trips and
activities for all interests and age levels. The Kern River Valley
abounds with additional recreational opportunities. The Kern River Fish
Hatchery and the Kern Valley Historical Museum are open on
every weekend.
We invite you to our fifteenth annual festival.
Join us in celebrating the rich biodiversity and scenic beauty of the
Kern River Valley!
THIS FESTIVAL HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Within a 15 mile radius the highest
diversity of flora and fauna found anywhere in California
350 species of
birds - Over 200 nesting
138 species of
butterflies - Highest in California
2000+ species of plants - Highest in California
105 species of
mammals - Highest in U.S. & Canada
Biological diversity at its best
Spring Nature Festival Bird Count - ± 230 species
Spectacular Wildflowers
Diversity of Habitats in the Kern River Valley
Chaparral
|
Great Valley Grassland
|
Great Basin Desert
|
Mojave Desert |
Sierran Forest
JOIN US FOR FUN IN THE CALIFORNIA SUN
A big thank you to all of the 2009 Festival Sponsors:
 (Kern River Preserve),
Bob Barnes & Associates,
Friends of the Kern River Preserve,
Kerncrest Audubon Society,
Kern River Valley Revitalization, Inc.,
Southern Sierra Research Center,
USDA- Forest Service – Sequoia National
Forest,
and
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