Contacts
Bruce Woods (907)-786-3695
Tamara Zeller (907) 786-3517
Celebrate the arrival of spring, and welcome Anchorage’s returning migratory bird species, at International Migratory Bird Day at the Zoo on Sunday, May 17, at the Alaska Zoo. The zoo will open, as usual, at 9:00 a.m., and Bird Day events will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
This year’s celebration, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hosting in partnership with the Alaska Zoo, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Bird TLC, and Audubon Alaska has a lot to offer. The experts from Anchorage Bird Treatment and Learning Center and the Alaska Zoo will have rehabilitated raptors and other birds on hand for close-up observation and education. And the creations of Alaska’s national Junior Duck Stamp artists will be on display.
The theme of this year’s International Migratory Bird Day is “Celebrating Birds in Culture,” This is especially appropriate here in Alaska, where the cultural significance of migratory birds is augmented by our state’s unique subsistence culture. In fact, in many parts of the Alaska subsistence community are intricately connected with, and its practitioners dependent upon, the arrival of spring’s winged migrations! To celebrate this cultural link, drummers will be on hand to help us all cheer the return of migratory birds to Alaska.
Geoffrey Haskett, the Service’s Alaska Regional Director, said, “Migratory birds play a special role in the lives of Alaskans. They are important cultural subsistence resources; are sought by sport hunters every fall; and mark the beginning of spring for people across the state, be they hunters or serious birders or just folks susceptible to the thrill of morning bird song or the flash of a colorful wing.”
Of course, there will be a wide variety of additional activities, including interactive games, the release back into the wild of a rehabilitated boreal owl at 4:30 pm,kids’ activities, and much more!
For more information, visit the Alaska Zoo website (http://www.alaskazoo.org/). And, in recognition of National Endangered Species day, which falls this year on May 15, just two days before the zoo event, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicewill host a display about Alaska's endangered species, with a focus on our listed migratory birds (Steller's and spectacled eiders and short-tailed albatross).
The annual zoo festival won’t be the only International Migratory Bird Day event for southcentral Alaskans this weekend, though. You can also celebrate spring on Saturday May 16th from noon to 4:00 pm at the Potter Marsh Spring Fling. There’ll be activities for all ages; including birding stations, educational birds from Bird Treatment Learning Center and educational animals from the Alaska Zoo, arts and crafts, refreshments, invertebrate sampling, animal tracking, a nature scavenger hunt, and more. Early risers can also enjoy a morning bird walk beginning at 7 a.m. (meet in the Potter Marsh parking lot). There are no entry charges for any of the day’s events. More information is available at: http://www.anchorage.net/events.html?eventid=22676
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov
|
