Arizona Strip District
| Contacts: | Rachel Tueller | , Public Affairs Officer | , 435-865-3032 or E-mail: Rachel_Tueller@blm.gov |
Birders Celebrate Profusion of Color at Tenth Annual Winter Bird Festival in St. George, Utah
St. George, Utah For many, January means shoveling sidewalks or bracing against the bitter cold, but for birders, the month isn’t marked just for setting resolutions—it’s prime birding time. Turns out, winters’ chill, which forces shrubs and trees to shed their leaves, creates an idyllic environment to finally catch glimpses of otherwise elusive and beautifully brilliant species of birds.
What: St. George Winter Bird Festival
When: January 24-26, 2013
Where: Tonaquint Park 1851 South Dixie Drive St. George, UT
Cost: $5 General Admission; Youth 17 years and younger are free
For more information call 435-627-4560 or to register to www.activityreg.com
From January 24-26, 2013, the public can enjoy a wide variety of fun and exciting educational events to learn more about the region’s vast species of birds during the three-day “2013 St. George Winter Bird Festival”. In its’ tenth year, the festival will host a Birder’s Social, a Junior Birder Program for youth including a youth art contest and a special workshop just for kids, Educational Presentations by renowned birding experts, and field trips to regional birding hot spots such as Zion National Park, Quail Creek, Sand Hollow and Hurricane fields, and the Lytle Ranch, among a host of others. Daily festival lecture topics include species identification, banding, predators, and photography. The majority of festival events will begin at the Tonaquint Nature Center at Tonaquint Park in St. George, at 1851 South Dixie Drive.
Renowned nature photographer Christopher Balmer’s evening presentation on photography techniques provides a wonderful finale to the festival at the Best Western Abbey Inn in St. George from 6-8pm on January 26, 2013. A silent auction to benefit the St. George Winter Bird Festival will also be held during Balmer’s presentation on the evening of January 26, 2013.
For more information regarding registration, activities, field trips, and lectures included in the 2013 St. George Winter Bird Festival call 435-627-4560. The cost for the event is $5 general admission for adults; those 17 years and younger are free. Registration for the event can be mailed, faxed or completed online at www.activityreg.com.
Event sponsors include: the St. George Chapter of the Red Cliffs Audubon Society, Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Strip District and St. George Field Offices, the City of St. George, the Dixie Arizona Strip Interpretive Association (D/ASIA), Utah Division of Natural Resources, Courtyard by Marriott, Hawk International, Home Depot, Click Elite, Super 8 Motel, and the Zion Natural History Association.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
Arizona Strip District 345 Riverside Drive St. George, UT 84790