Thursday Feb. 23, 2012

4-8 PM     Registration, Hospitality Gathering

Unwind after your drive and pick up your registration packet for the weekend’s activities at the “Shore Arts Center”, in downtown Lamar.  Official kick off for the festival; meet folks, ask questions, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and enjoy the musical talents of our local “Take Five” Jazz Quintet and local artist’s creations!  Shore Arts Center, 115 S. Main St.

Friday Feb. 24, 2012

8 AM – 5 PM     Amache, Sand Creek and More… Tour

Take a step back in time on this tour to visit sites of historical significance!  Discover Camp Amache, a Japanese Internment camp from World War II.  Tour the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, location of the massacre of hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho.  Visit the Towner Bus Memorial, Wildhorse Creek School and Speer Prairie Ranch, Trail City and Holly.  Buy your own lunch in Holly.  We’ll provide the bus, snacks and tour guide.  Bus and outdoor tour, cost $25 per person.  Meet At Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11^th Street, Lamar.

8 AM – 5 PM     South Canyon Tour

Enjoy a day full of history, scenery and birding in the grasslands and canyon country in the southeast corner of Colorado.  Visit Picture Canyon and Carrizo Canyon in the Comanche National Grasslands.  See petrolgyphs on the canyon walls.  Hear stories of more recent human settlement in the area.  We’ll provide the bus, box lunch, snacks and tour guide.  Bus and outdoor tour, cost $25 per person.  Meet At Lamar High School.

1 - 5 PM     Two Buttes Birding Tour

What a gem, a hidden canyon in the rolling plains of SE Colorado!  Two Buttes Reservoir State Wildlife Area, also known as “The Black Hole” is an oasis, and a must see when birding this corner of the state, especially during spring migration!  Ted Floyd, from ABA will guide this trip.  Will include some easy walking to explore the area.    Travel by bus, cost $ 15.  Meet At Lamar High School.

4-8 PM     Registration, Hospitality Gathering

Unwind after your drive and pick up your registration packet for the weekend’s activities at the “Shore Arts Center”, in downtown Lamar.  Official kick off for the festival; meet folks, ask questions, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and enjoy the musical talents of our “Take Five” Jazz  Quintet and local artist’s creations!  Shore Arts Center, 115 S. Main St.

8 -9 PM     Mastodons in Snowmass? - NEW

On October 14, 2010, a bulldozer operator uncovered a partial mammoth skeleton in the Ziegler Reservoir near Snowmass Village, Colorado. Within two weeks, it was clear that the site also contained the bones of Mastodon and other ice age mammals. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science responded with one of the largest fossil digs in the state’s history, deploying 178 diggers and assembling a team of 38 scientists to analyze the results. The excavation revealed an amazing series of high elevation ice age ecosystems and yielded more than 5000 bones from over 40 species of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds.  Dr. Ian Miller will tell this fascinating story.  This program is FREE and open to the public.  Lamar High School Auditorium, 1900 S. 11^th Street, Lamar

Saturday Feb. 25, 2012

Nature Arts and Crafts Fair

Come see artisans displaying their creations, including artworks, photography, and crafts.  Check out the Silent Auction – place your bids before the banquet!  Visit with staff at the informational booths from Comanche National Grasslands, National Park Service, John Martin Reservoir, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Pueblo Raptor Center, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, and more!  All day Saturday in the Lamar High School Gym.

Silent Auction

Located in the Lamar High School Gym on Saturday.

Birds of Prey – Up Close

Visit the Pueblo Raptor Center booth to see some of their live hawks, eagles or owls up close - all day Saturday in the Lamar High School Gym.  Indoors

Kids’ Zone

Visit the Kids’ Zone for hands-on fun activities for kids of all ages.  All day Saturday in the Lamar High School Gym.  Indoors

7:30 AM – 12 PM     John Martin History Tour - NEW

Tour sites of interest in Bent County beginning with the Star School, a one room school house, followed by Bent’s New Fort, the sequel to Bent’s Old Fort NHS.  Visit John Martin Reservoir to learn about the dinosaurs that roamed there.  Finally, visit Yoga at the Ranch, a unique blend of art, history and modern day.    Travel by bus, cost $ 15.  Meet At Lamar High School.

8 AM – 12 PM     Breakfast and Raptor Tour with Ted Floyd

Join this limited tour with Ted Floyd from the American Birding Association.  Enjoy a wonderful breakfast at Chez DuVall’s restaurant in Granada, tour the grasslands in an area known for several species of raptors and then, Arkansas River bottom for ducks and passerines.  Bus and breakfast included, cost $50.  Indoors and outdoors, minimal walking.  Meet the bus for this limited tour at Lamar High School. 

8-9 AM     Morning Bird Walk

Enjoy a morning walk through Lamar Community College Woods, one of the sites on the Colorado Birding Trail.  Seth Gallagher from Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory will lead and provide assistance in locating and identifying winter birds.  Meet at north Trailhead, outdoors behind Lamar Community College, 2401 S. Main St, Lamar. 

9 AM     Discoveries from Bird Banding - NEW

How far do birds migrate?  Where do they go?  How long do they live?  Kacie Ehrenberger from Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory will tell of the many amazing things we’ve learned from bird banding! It’s the process of capturing, banding and releasing birds, and collecting lots of data that tells who, when and where of migratory birds.  Indoors at Lamar High School Auditorium

10 AM     Wild Turkeys in Colorado - NEW

Wild Turkeys are a favorite to many; they played an important role to people throughout history and still are a prominent site on our landscape today.  Colorado Parks and Wildlife annually transplants turkeys to shift populations, hear more from Wildlife Biologist Jonathan Reitz.  Indoors at Lamar High School classroom.

11 AM – 2 PM      HAYRIDE!

Enjoy a short hayride with your family and friends!  Bring the kids!  FREE, weather permitting.  Leaving every 20 or 30 minutes from in front of Lamar High School.

11 AM     Birds of Prey – LIVE!

Hawks, eagles and owls are birds of prey – big predators in the bird world!  See live birds from the Pueblo Raptor Center.  Diana Miller will tell of their efforts to rehabilitate injured and orphaned raptors.  Indoors at Lamar High School Auditorium

12 PM     Bird ID Basics - NEW

Just getting started in birding, or overwhelmed by finding your feathered guest in your field guide?  John Koshak has some tips for you to start to make some sense out of the birds that fly by.  Indoors at Lamar High School classroom.

12 PM     Black-footed Ferrets – an Endangered Species – LIVE! - NEW

See a live ferret and hear about their importance on the prairie.  Visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo booth between 12 – 1 PM then followed by a program at 1 PM to hear about the struggle of this rare mammal and the captive breeding efforts to save them from extinction.  Indoors in the Lamar High School Gym 

1 PM     Colorado’s Wonderful Wildlife

A photographic exploration of the amazing wildlife found in Colorado by photographer Ron Drummond.  Indoors at Lamar High School classroom.

1 PM     Wild About BFF’s… Black-footed Ferrets! – NEW

Black-footed Ferrets were thought to be extinct until a small population was discovered in 1981 in Wyoming.  Since then wildlife agencies and partners have made great progress in captive breeding and reintroducing them into the wild.  Hear their story from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo staff that run a breeding facility and will bring a live ferret along as their ambassador!  Indoors at Lamar High School Auditorium

1-4 PM     Waterfowl Hunting Seminar

Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Rick Gardner will present information about hunting waterfowl on the eastern plains of Colorado.  Topics will range from the basics for beginners, to tips and techniques for the seasoned hunter.  Indoors at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife classroom. 

2 PM     Bent’s New Fort

Did you know that the Bent brothers built a NEW fort after the abandonment of Bent’s Old Fort in 1849 just a few miles down the Arkansas River?  Hear the story of this lesser known adventure from National Park Staff about trading with the plains Indians and trappers.  Indoors at Lamar High School Auditorium

2 PM     Falconry Demonstration

The Art of Falconry – hunting with real birds of prey!  A live demonstration with presenters Cathy and Bob Tintinger.  Travel just south of town, outdoors, minimal walking. Meet bus at Lamar High School. 

Outdoors, weather permitting. 

3 PM     Wildlife Photography

Join Steve Goodman to learn more about wildlife photography, tips, tricks, and how to get that great photo with moving subjects and changing conditions!  Steve has travelled far and wide and has amazing photos and experiences to share.  Indoors at Lamar High School Auditorium

3:30 PM     Bird Walk in LCC Woods

Guided stroll through the riparian area behind the college to look for winter birds before they settle in for the night.  Meet at north Trailhead, outdoors behind Lamar Community College, 2401 S. Main St, Lamar.  

3:30-6:30 PM       John Martin Sunset Tour - NEW

John Martin Reservoir and surrounding habitat brings in many birds and other wildlife.  Winters with open water can attract bald eagles, snow geese, waterfowl as well as resident deer, bobcat, coyote.   Join this guided tour to see winter residents, watch the sunset, and flocks coming to roost on the water.  Bus and outdoor tour, cost $10 per person.  Meet At Lamar High School.

4 PM     Southeast Colorado Heritage and the Santa Fe Trail - NEW

Discover the rich history of this area – Native Americans, pioneers, bison, fur traders, explorers, wagon trains, settlers  and much more!  Indoors at Lamar High School classroom.

7:00 PM     Evening Banquet - Social hour begins at 6:30 PM

Join us for a delicious banquet, must pre-register.  Festival Grand Prizes will be awarded here, must be present to win!  Adults $ 20, Children 6-12 yrs $ 10.  At the Elks Lodge, 28157 US Hwy 287, Lamar, 1.9 miles south of the stoplight at Savage Ave. and Main St.

8 PM     The Ten Greatest Places on Earth - NEW

 Ted Floyd is the Editor of Birding, the flagship publication of the American Birding Association.  He is also the author of three bird books, and he has published more than 100 articles on birds and other aspects of nature.  Ted is a frequent guest at bird festivals and other birding events, both in his home state of Colorado and across the globe.  He has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including Colorado Field Ornithologists.  Ted is interested in anything to do with birds and birding, especially these topics: nocturnal flight calls, molt migration, "green" birding, the sociology of birding, and, most of all, birding with children.

Ted Floyd's banquet presentation will be titled "The 10 Greatest Places on Earth."  Some of these places you will have heard of.  Some of them you probably will not have.  In any event, Ted's special perspective on these 10 great places will surely surprise you! 

At the Elks Lodge, 28157 US Hwy 287, Lamar, 1.9 miles south of the stoplight at Savage Ave. and Main St.

Sunday Feb. 26, 2012 

5:15-10:30 AM     Sunrise Tour

Watch the snow geese wake up and fly off to their feeding grounds.  Tour State Wildlife Areas and farm fields to see a variety of waterfowl including bald eagles, sandhill cranes, ducks and shorebirds.  Warm up with a hearty breakfast and good company indoors at the Eads Community Center before the trip back to Lamar.  Cost: $15.00 per person over 6, includes breakfast.  Outdoor tour by bus, meet at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Office, 2500 S. Main St, Lamar.

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Refund Policy – No refunds after February 10, 2012

Registration Fee – Register early to get a discount!  $10 before Feb. 10, 2012.  After Feb. 10 - $15 per adult.  A drawing for several GRAND PRIZEs will be awarded at the Banquet Saturday night.  You must be present to win!

 
For a printable schedule click here