More than 1,700 experienced waterfowl, birds and other wildlife during the 9th Annual Snow Goose Festival in Chico, California, January 26-27.   

The Snow Goose Festival offered over 60 birding and wildlife field trips and workshops this year.  Refuge staff led three field trips to Sacramento NWR, Sacramento River NWR, and the Llano Seco Unit of the North Central Valley Wetland Management Area.  The Refuges were also featured in many of the other field trips offered for the beginning to serious birder spread out over three different counties.  In addition, refuge staff presented three workshops with topics including snow geese, photographing birds and nature, and the heritage of waterfowl hunting.

Refuge volunteers and staff coordinated over 35 displays and vendors that were featured at the Chico Masonic Family Center throughout the weekend.  The Junior Duck Stamp exhibit featuring all 100 California winners from the nearly 2,000 entries were on display.  Puddles the Blue Goose and Smokey the Bear also visited throughout the weekend. Nature crafts and other special activities including live reptiles, live raptors and a children’s duck calling competition took place.

An Uptown-Downtown Wildlife Art Exhibit was held at two art galleries in Chico with works of art from local artists working in a variety of media.  The Art Reception allowed participants to meet the artists while feasting on hor d’oeuvres featuring locally grown and produced foods and listening to live music.

Without a doubt, the Gathering of Wings Banquet and Silent Auction with featured keynote speaker Kenn Kaufman, was a great success.  Mr. Kaufman spoke on the adventures of his own life and the unknown realms of nature, the potential for discovery, and the power of personal observation to rekindle our sense of wonder.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with The Sacramento River Preservation Trust, Altacal Audubon Society, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and several other conservation organizations to begin the Snow Goose Festival in 1999. 

Jackie Ferrier, Refuge Planner and Steve Emmons, Wildlife Refuge Manager