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Kern Valley Spring Nature Festival
2007 Spring Nature Activities at a Glance
Activities and Trips
2007 All Day Trip Descriptions
Spring Nature Bird List
NatureFest Workshops Events
only at KRP NatureFest 5K/10K
Run
NatureFest
Photo Contest River
Cleanup
Youth Essay Contest
Accommodations
Travel Information and Maps
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Welcome to the 13th Annual Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival
and Earth Day Celebration.
On Saturday and Sunday
find many events at AUDUBON-CALIFORNIA’S Kern River Preserve,
18747 Hwy 178, Weldon, bird walks led by Kerncrest Audubon Society
volunteers, bird banding by the Southern
Sierra Research Station.
2007 SCHEDULE
OF EVENTS
Kern River Preserve Trip
& Workshop Schedule At A Glance
Saturday, April 28
-
Bird Banding Demonstration at Kern
River Preserve
-
Basic Bird Photography Workshop (FEE)
Pre-registration required
-
Kern River Preserve Beginning
Birdwatching
-
Habitat enhancements and stewardship at the Kern River
Preserve
-
Kern River Preserve Festival
Headquarters
Sunday, April 29
-
Bird Banding Demonstration at Kern River Preserve
-
Beginning Mammal Tracking Workshop
-
Kern River Preserve Beginning Birdwatching
-
Reptile ID workshop
-
Children’s Activities at the Kern River Preserve
-
Rescuing Wild Birds
-
Gardening with Native Plants
-
Leave No Trace - a workshop in outdoor ethics
-
Working with Tree-free Paper and Other Environmentally Friendly
Products
-
Mammal Track Interpretation
-
Feeding and Caring for Baby Birds
-
Fundraising Musical Event (DONATION)
WHERE TO MEET: Kern River Preserve Headquarters
- 18747 Highway 178, Weldon.
WHAT TO BRING: No food is available at the
preserve. Bring food and water to last all day. Bring comfortable
walking shoes and layered clothing for weather that may range from
cloudless to rainy and cold to hot.
Click this link for maps and travel
information.
Click here for Hotel and Camping Information.
The Kernville Chamber of Commerce also can provide lodging information
call (760) 376-2629.
FRIDAY April 27th
FESTIVAL BOOTH open sporadically throughout the
day ... until around 4 p.m.
SATURDAY, April 28th
7 am - Noon. Bird Banding Demonstration at Kern
River Preserve. Join the Southern Sierra Research Station
to learn how banding is used to conserve birds, listen to the
heartbeat of a bird and otherwise observe birds up close & personal.
Observers may release birds after they are banded but otherwise this is
a show and tell event not a hands on workshop.
FREE
7 am -
10 am. Basic Bird Photography Workshop with
Bob Steele. Learn how to set-up natural
habitat shots to photograph birds in a semi-controlled setting. Get tips
and techniques for using your camera more effectively.
Minimum equipment requirements: Digital or Film SLR camera, 300mm lens,
teleconverters, tripod, flash (not required, but suggested).
See Bob Steele's website.
FEE
9 am -
11 am. Kern River Preserve Beginning
Birdwatching.
A Kerncrest Audubon Society volunteer will lead this walk and bird
banding demonstration through a portion of California’s largest Fremont
cottonwood and red willow riparian forest; a Globally Important Bird
Area. Meet at the Information table at the Kern River Preserve
Headquarters in Weldon. FREE
9 am -
11 am. Habitat enhancements and stewardship at the Kern River
Preserve. Join Preserve manager Reed Tollefson on a hike around the
restoration sites of the Kern River Preserve. Learn about the ongoing
efforts of habitat improvements and exotic plant removal that has
contributed to greater numbers of nesting species of birds. Meet at the
Kern River Preserve. FREE
10 am - 4 pm. Kern River Preserve Festival
Headquarters. Kern River Preserve, Weldon: Children’s activities,
Information, Educational & Interactive Exhibits, Field Trip Departures,
Live animals, and more. FREE (Donations welcome).
Kern River Preserve Vendors:
Friends of the Kern River Preserve, FACT, Herp-Ecology,
Kern River Valley Birding, Nevada Birding: Wildly Unexpected, Spring
Wings Bird Festival (Fallon, Nevada), Western Field Ornithologists
10 am - 4 pm. Children’s Activities at the Kern
River Preserve. Charlotte Goodson Nature crafts, storytelling, live
snakes & frogs. FREE
10 am - 4 pm. Live Native Amphibians & Reptiles,
Educational presentations throughout the day by Herp-Ecology.
On display will be a wide variety of California reptiles and amphibians. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE
SUNDAY, April 29th
7 am - Noon. Bird Banding Demonstration at Kern
River Preserve. Join the Southern Sierra Research Station
to learn how banding is used to conserve birds, listen to the
heartbeat of a bird and otherwise observe birds up close & personal.
Observers may release birds after they are banded but otherwise this is
a show and tell event not a hands on workshop.
FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!!
9 am - 10 am. Beginning Mammal Tracking Workshop.
Jim Lowery of EarthSkills.com will hold this beginning tracking
workshop at the Kern River Preserve. Learn mammal track identification
through field practice: how do you distinguish among coyote, dog and
gray fox for example? Instructor Jim Lowery of Earth Skills has taught
tracking for twenty years, including special workshops in tracking
badger, bear, mountain lion and bighorn sheep. FREE
9 am -
11 am. Kern River Preserve Beginning Birdwatching.
A Kerncrest Audubon Society volunteer will lead this walk and bird
banding demonstration through a portion of California’s largest Fremont
cottonwood and red willow riparian forest; a Globally Important Bird
Area. Meet at the Information table at the Kern River Preserve
Headquarters in Weldon. FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!! 10
am - 10:30 am. Reptile ID workshop
at the Kern River Preserve with Buz Lunsford.
This workshop by the founder of Herp-Ecology will
help those in attendance to identify the more common reptiles found in
the Kern River Valley. FREE
10 am - 4 pm. Kern River Preserve Headquarters.
Kern River Preserve, Weldon: Children’s activities, Information,
Educational & Interactive Exhibits, Field Trip Departures, Live animals,
and more. FREE (Donations welcome).
Vendors:
Buena Vista Sierra Club, BLM, CNPS Kern County Chapter, Children's
Activities, FACT, Friends of the
Kern River Preserve, HerpEcology, Izzy Solar
Air Heat, Kern
Audubon Society, Kern River Parkway Foundation, Kern River Valley
Birding, Kerncrest Audubon Society, Leave No Trace, Maturango
Museum, Nevada Birding: Wildly Unexpected, Optics for Birding, Peter Knapp Nature Photography, Sequoia
Forest Keepers, Sequoia National Forest, Spring Wings Bird Festival
(Fallon, Nevada), Western Field Ornithologists
10 am - 4 pm. Children’s Activities at the Kern
River Preserve. Nature crafts, storytelling, live snakes & frogs.
FREE
10 am - 4 pm. Live Native Amphibians & Reptiles.
Kern River Preserve. Educational presentations throughout the day by
Herp-Ecology. On display will be a wide variety of California reptiles
and amphibians. FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!! 10:30 am - 11 am.
Rescuing Wild Birds.
Marlene Benton, coordinator of FACT (Facility for Animal Care &
Treatment), will give a lesson in when an animal needs rescuing, when to
leave it alone, and how to safely capture and transport the animal to
the proper wildlife care facility. FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!! 11
am - noon. Gardening with Native Plants
at the Kern River Preserve. Marya Miller,
local native plant columnist will introduce visitors to the idea of
gardening with local natives. FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!!
Noon - 1 pm. Leave No
Trace - a workshop in outdoor ethics. Amy
& Dusty Allison of Leave No Trace will conduct a workshop on how to keep
the wild WILD so that it can be enjoyed by all who follow. Leave No Trace
Principles and Workshops held throughout the day
include: Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces,
Dispose of Waste Properly, Leave What You Find,
Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife,
Be Considerate of Other Visitors. FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!! 1 pm
- 1:30 pm. Working with
Tree-free Paper and Other Environmentally Friendly Products.
Sheri Spiegal,
Audubon California Annual Fund Manager, will share information on how to
produce tree-free events, from newsletter production, paper cups, and
plastic free disposal silverware. FREE
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Nature Walk. Learn about
the plants, trees, birds and animals that are all part of the Kern River
Preserve. FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!!
2 pm - 3 pm. Mammal Track Interpretation.
Jim Lowery of EarthSkills.com will hold this mammal tracking
workshop at the Kern River Preserve. Beyond track ID, learn how tracks
are windows to an animal's body language and biology through
experimentation and field exploration. Instructor Jim Lowery is the
author of The Tracker's Field Guide (Globe Pequot Press, 2006). FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!!
3 pm - 3:30 pm.
Feeding and Caring for Baby Birds.
Marlene Benton, coordinator of FACT (Facility for Animal Care &
Treatment), will give a lesson in when a baby bird needs rescuing, when
to leave it alone, and what to feed them until they are ready for
release. FREE
NEW in
2007!!!!!
4 pm - 8 pm.
Fundraising Musical Event.
Join "Jill Egland and Friends" with Brenda Hunter, David Nigel
Lloyd. Jill is the talented multi-instrumentalist of the bands: "Mama's
Mid-Life Crisis", "Banshee in the Kitchen", and "A Far Cry", "Dave Ogden
and Friends": Dave owns the recording company Clear Creek Recording, and
"Out of the Blue": with the ever popular Michael Gallagher and Pat
Seamount, for a fundraiser to kick off the new Audubon Kern
River Preserve Community Center and Natural History Museum building fund.
At the Kern River Preserve - Sprague Ranch House - 7901 Fay Ranch Road,
Weldon. DONATION
Five Ecological
Habitats Converge in the Kern River Valley
Chaparral |
Great Valley Grassland |
Great Basin Desert |
Mojave Desert |
Sierran Forest
Click this link for
maps and travel information.
Hotel information may be found via this link
Accommodations. The Kernville Chamber of
Commerce also can provide lodging information
call (760) 376-2629.
Special Guests
: Charlotte Goodson, Children's Story Teller
Trip Leaders: Kerncrest Audubon
Society members, Lee Sutton, and Reed
Tollefson.
Workshop Leaders: Marlene Hensley-Benton (FACT),
Amy & Dusty Allison (Leave No Trace), Jim Lowery (EarthSkills.com), Buz Lunsford (HerpEcology), Marya
Miller (CNPS), Mountain Lion Foundation,
Southern Sierra Research Station,
Sheri Spiegal (Audubon), Bob Steele (BobSteelePhoto.com)
and Reed Tollefson (Kern River Preserve).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Weather: Weather in the Kern Valley in late April is usually
spectacular (sunny, 65-80° F daytime highs), but it can be variable. On
mountain trips prepare for very cool to freezing weather. For your
comfort, we suggest bringing water, snacks, a hat, sunscreen, insect
repellent, jacket for cool weather, and sturdy shoes (waterproof boots
may be handy in riparian areas).
Fees/Registration: There is no general entrance fee to attend the
Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival. All fee activities are limited
to twenty or less participants... usually ten to fifteen. Mail your
registration form ASAP and be sure to list alternate field trip
requests. All fees go to support the Festival and are not refundable.
Vendor fees are waved at Circle Park but are 10% of net or $100
whichever is lower for booths selling merchandise at the Kern River
Preserve.
Schedule of Events: Additional events may be added between now
and the Spring Nature Festival weekend.
NatureFest FIELD
TRIPS
This year's SPRING NATURE FESTIVAL will feature Friday through Monday
Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada birding and natural history
field trips. Destinations will include the GLOBALLY IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS
of the Kern River Preserve, Sequoia National Forest, and South Fork
Valley. The NATIONALLY IMPORTANT BIRD AREA of Butterbredt Spring will
also be a destination. Let experts lead you to experience the region's
"among the best in the west" bird migration and natural history
phenomena. There is no better time to capture this experience than the
end of April. Visit SPRING NATURE FESTIVAL web pages periodically as new
field trips will likely be added between now and SPRING NATURE FESTIVAL
weekend itself.
PRE-REGISTRATION is REQUIRED by e-mail:
krpfriends@lightspeed.net, or telephone: 760-378-3044 (24 hours answering machine). Spaces
for trip selection will be filled on a first come first serve basis. NO
SHOWS do happen. STANDYBYS will be taken at the start of each field trip
no a space available basis.
PAYMENT by cash or check.
LODGINGS become very crowded in the Kern River Valley by late
April. Be sure to make your reservations sooner rather than later so you
have a comfortable place to stay each night during the Nature Festival.
Click here for local inns.
Volunteer
NatureFest Steering Committee: Steve Kenton, Bill
& Birdie Foster, Reed Tollefson, Jeff King, Ellen Schafhauser, Ron
Gillentine, Sandra Wieser, Darrell and Marya Barnes, Ron Wermuth, Bob
Barnes, Chuck White, Wendy Rannals, John and Rhonda Stallone, Jennie
Cox, Gordon & Chris Hancock, Judy Hyatt, Kernville Chamber, Steve
Anderson, Bob Lowe, Buz Lunsford, Brenda Burnett, Dave Ogden, Justin
Schuetz, Nancy Ivey, Charlotte Goodson, Sheri Spiegel, Scott Yoo,
Valerie Cassity, Dolly Ogawa, Marsha Smith, Lee Sutton, Alison Sheehey
A big thank you to all of the 2007 Festival Sponsors:
Audubon-California (Kern River Preserve),
EK Schafhauser Photography,
Friends of the Kern River Preserve,
Herp-Ecology,
Kern River Courier, KernCrest Audubon Society,
Kern River Valley Revitalization, Inc.,
Kern
Valley Sun, Mountain & River Adventures, Nature Alley,
Rossback & Sons, Sequoia Studios,
Southern Sierra Research Center,
USDA- Forest Service – Sequoia National
Forest,
TLH (Turn-left Here), Valley Wild
JOIN US FOR FUN IN THE CALIFORNIA SUN
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Visit the Kern River Preserve in Weldon, California. Open every day of the year from
dawn to dusk.
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