High Plains Snow Goose Festival
February 18-21, 2016
Thursday, February 18
Registration, Hospitality Gathering, 4-8 pm
Unwind after your drive and pick up your registration packet for the weekend’s activities at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel in Lamar. This is the official kick-off for the festival; meet folks, ask questions, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and some music.
Friday, February 19
Birding with Rick Wright, 8-9 am
Lamar’s Willow Creek is renowned for exciting and unusual birds, year round. Join the festival keynote speaker for a tramp through the riparian area looking for these avian gems. Meet at north Trailhead, outdoors behind Lamar Community College, 2401 S. Main St, Lamar. Look for signs off the highway.
South Canyon Tour with Laneha Everett of Canyon Journeys $35.00, 8 am-5 pm
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. Bus, box lunch, snacks and tour guide are provided. Bus and outdoor tour is $35 per person. Meet at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
Bent’s Old Fort & Boggsville with Local Historian Pat Palmer $35.00, 8 am-5 pm
Tour historic Bent’s Old Fort and Boggsville, two of the earliest settlements in Colorado. Bus and outdoor tour costs $35 per person. Lunch will be provided. Meet at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
Birding with Rick Wright, 3-4 pm
Lamar’s Willow Creek is renowned for exciting and unusual birds, year round. Join our Festival Keynote Speaker for a tramp through the riparian area looking for these avian gems. Meet behind the Lamar Community College at the nature area. Look for signs off the highway.
Registration, Hospitality Gathering, 4-7:30 pm
Unwind after your drive and pick up your registration packet for the weekend’s activities at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel, official kick-off for the festival; meet folks, ask questions, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and music. Social mixer with special guests, keynote speaker Rick Wright and Ted Floyd. Photos from the First Annual High Plains Snow Goose Photo Contest will be on display, and winners will be announced.
Saturday, February 20
Nature Arts and Crafts Fair, 8 am-4 pm
Come see artisans displaying their creations, including artworks and crafts. Check out the silent auction and 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, Canyons and Plains, Pueblo Raptor Center, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, and more. At the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel, 1301 N. Main St., Lamar
Silent Auction, 8 am-TBA
This is not your ordinary silent auction. Bid on local items and goods as well as other amazing items from around Colorado. Located in the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
Kids’ Zone, 8 am-4 pm
Visit the Kids’ Zone for hands-on fun activities for kids of all ages. Indoors at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
TOURS
Breakfast Raptor Tour with Rick Wright $40.00, 7:30 am-12 pm
Join this limited tour with Rick Wright, the festival keynote speaker. Enjoy a breakfast at the Cow Palace, tour the grasslands in an area known for several species of raptors and then it’s off to Arkansas River bottom for ducks and passerines. Bus and breakfast included; cost $40. Indoors and outdoors, with minimal walking. Meet the bus at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
Morning Bird Walk with Ted Floyd, LCC, Willow Creek, 8-9 pm
Enjoy a morning walk through the Lamar Community College Woods, one of the sites on the Colorado Birding Trail. Ted Floyd will present “Bare Naked Birding.” Yhere’s so much to see and learn about birds without using fancy optics. Meet at north yrailhead, outdoors behind Lamar Community College, 2401 S. Main St, Lamar.
Healthy Places North Gate Park Adventure, 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Join Healthy Places at the Snow Goose Festival for a free outdoor adventure at North Gateway Park. This family-friendly outing will give the youth a chance to explore Lamar’s newest park with the some of the county’s top birding experts and wildlife gurus from Colorado Parks and Wildlife. They will explore the Arkansas River and the park’s three ponds, bird watch from a horse-drawn wagon, and discover many other treasures in the park. The event will wrap up with a free lunch prepared over the fire in Dutch ovens!
Two Buttes, a.k.a. The Black Hole Birding Tour – Ted Floyd $25.00, 1-5 pm
Join Ted Floyd from the American Birding Association for a ramble below the Two Buttes Reservoir dam at this strange and beautiful birding hotspot on the Baca/Prowers County Line. In 2014, an amazing Pine Grosbeak was spotted. In 2013, a way-out-of-range Golden-crowned Sparrow surprised guests. The only guarantees here are porcupines, beautiful scenery and excellent company. This trip involves a bit of walking on uneven and flood-damaged trails. Travel by bus; cost $ 25. Meet at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace.
PROGRAMS
The Sand Creek Massacre, 9 am
A spokesperson from the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic site will inform the audience on the significance of the history of the site.
Workshop: Birding in the Digital Age with Ted Flyod, 10 am
In this easy-going, user-friendly workshop, Ted Floyd will share a few tips for getting the most out of some very straightforward equipment that you probably already own: smartphone, laptop, spotting scope, and so forth. Audience participating welcome; possibly mandatory. Indoors at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
Birds of Prey, 11 am-12 pm
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 the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
Wagon Rides, 11 am-2 pm
Enjoy a short wagon ride with your family and friends. Bring the kids! Free; weather permitting. Leaving every 20-30 minutes from behind the Cow Palace.
History of Camp Amache, 1-2 pm
A presentation from John Hooper’s Granada High School students detailing the history and displaying artifacts from Camp Amache, a Japanese internment camp during World War II.
Prairie Chickens, Pheasants & Quail, 3-4 pm
A discussion of these birds from Southeast Colorado.
Evening Banquet $25.00, 6:30-11 pm
Flock together for a delicious dinner at the Eagles Lodge. Dinner is $25 for adults; $10 for children ages 6 to 12. Must pre-register. Social hour begins at 6:30 pm at Lamar Elks Lodge
Program by Rick Wright, 7:30 pm
“The Very Worst Bird Names Ever — and Why They Aren’t All That Bad” Have you ever found yourself trying to explain to a new birder why that fancy black and white duck isn’t called “ring-billed” or why that woodpecker with the red head isn’t a red-headed woodpecker? It’s true: Bird names just don’t make that much sense sometimes. They’re all nonsensical in different ways, though.
Join Rick Wright in an exploration of just what went wrong in naming some of our most familiar birds and how tracking down the stories behind the misnomers can make some of them seem not quite so bad after all.
Sunday, February 21
Sunrise Tour, 5:15-10:30 am
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 is $25 per person over age 6; includes breakfast. Outdoor tour by bus. Meet at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Office, 2500 S. Main St, Lamar.
Birding Ramble with Ted, 7 am
Departure Trip: Otero County & Beyond. If you’re heading back on Sunday to points north and east of Lamar, this trip is for you. After breakfast at the Hickory House, guests can visit spots along the I-50 corridor east of Lamar. The itinerary may include John Martin Reservoir, Higbee Canyon, and Crowley Lake. Note: This trip does not return to Lamar.