High Plains Snow Goose Festival
Feb. 20-22, 2015
Thursday Feb. 19, 2015
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 some music at Shore Arts Center, 115 S. Main St.
Friday Feb. 20, 2015
8 AM – 9 AM
Birding w/ Aldo Leopold w/ Audubon co-leader
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 at north Trailhead, outdoors behind
Lamar Community College, 2401 S. Main St, Lamar. Look for signs off the
highway.
8 AM – 5 PM South Canyon Tour with Laneha Everett of Canyon
Journeys $35.00
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 The Rodeway Inn Cow Palace
Hotel.
8 – 5 PM John Martin Tour with Don Headley and Audubon coleader $35.00
Tour Eastern Colorado's largest body of water for a unique glimpse into the
history along the Arkansas River and the unique bird species and wildlife
that call the State Recreation Area and Wildlife Area home. Bus and outdoor
tour, cost $25 per person. Meet at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
3-4 PM
Birding w/ Aldo Leopold w/ Audubon co-leader
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.
4-7:30 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
music! Get your Aldo Leopold books autographed (A Sand County Almanac
will be for sale) by Jim Pfitzer, our Festival Keynote Speaker. Shore Arts
Center, 115 S. Main St.
5:30 – 7:30 PM
Snow Goose Film Festival – Environmental Movies
Stop by the Lamar Welcome Center for local information and assistance and
then attend our informal Film Festival featuring award winning Nature films
in Shore Arts Center 115 South Main.
7:30 – 9:00 PM
Indian Flute and Guitar - Lex Nichols
Native American Music Award Winner Lex Nichols will fill the building with his
beautiful sounds of native flute and guitar. CDs will be available for sale.
Brew Unto Others at 119 South Main.
Saturday Feb. 21, 2015
8 Am - 4 PM Nature Arts and Crafts Fair
Come see artisans displaying their creations, including artworks, 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 at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel, 1301 N. Main St., Lamar
8 am – TBA
Silent Auction
This is not your ordinary Silent Auction. Bid on local items and goods as well
as awesome items from around Colorado. For 13 years this Silent Auction
has been “rocking“ our participants worlds! Located in the Rodeway Inn
Cow Palace Hotel on Saturday.
8 - 4 PM
Kids’ Zone
Visit the Kids’ Zone for hands-on fun activities for kids of all ages. All day
Saturday indoors at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
Tours:
7:30 AM – 12 PM Breakfast Raptor Tour - with Aldo Leopold $50.00
Join this limited tour with Jim Pfitzer our Festival Keynote Speaker. Enjoy a
wonderful breakfast at Chez W. 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, with minimal walking. Meet the
bus for this limited tour at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
8 - 9 AM Morning Bird Walk - with Ted Floyd LCC Willow Creek
Enjoy a morning walk through Lamar Community College Woods, one of the
sites on the Colorado Birding Trail. Ted Floyd will present “Bare Naked
Birding” – there’s so much to see and learn about birds without using fancy
optics! Meet at north Trailhead, outdoors behind Lamar Community College,
2401 S. Main St, Lamar.
9am, 10am and 11am
(includes lunch)
Dutch Oven Cooking Demonstrations $30.00
Get ready to learn the art and science of cooking with a dutch oven.
Historically meals were cooked over campfires and open hearths using these
efficient cookers. So join us for this unique event that will give you the info
and experience you need to begin cooking in a dutch oven at home. Lunch
provided – Shore Arts Center
12p to 1p
Dutch Oven Cooked Lunch
Come down to the Shore Arts Center to taste some dutch oven cooked treats
prepared by the Santa Fe Trail Cookers and participants.
1 - 5 PM Two Buttes, a.k.a. The Black Hole Birding Tour – Ted Floyd
$25.00
Join Ted Floyd from the American Birding Association and friends for a
ramble below the dam at this strange and beautiful birding hotspot on the
Baca/Prowers County Line. In 2014, we found an amazing Pine Grosbeak. In
2013, we were surprised by a way-out-of-range Golden-crowned Sparrow.
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:
9 AM
Bluebirds – Deb Ackley
Everything you ever wanted to know about Bluebirds but were afraid to ask
will be covered in this outstanding presentation. Learn how to become
involved in Bluebird conservation and monitoring, too. Indoors at The
Rodeway Inn Cow Palace
10 AM
Workshop: Birding in the Digital Age with Ted Flyod
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--maybe even mandatory! Indoors at the
Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
11 AM – 12 PM
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 The
Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
11 AM – 2 PM
WAGONRIDES
Enjoy a short wagon ride with your family and friends! Bring the kids!
FREE, weather permitting. Leaving every 20 or 30 minutes from in front of
The Cow Palace
1 -2 PM
Colorado Agritourism Association
Did you know that tourism provides more than $14 Billion to the Colorado
Economy each year? Everyone knows that skiing, sightseeing, resort
vacations and visiting the Front Range are big for tourists, but tourism on
Farms and Ranches in rural Colorado is growing by leaps and bounds. Meet
Kelli Helpler from the Colorado Agritourism Association as she gives us the
latest news in Colorado Tourism and gives you everything you need to get
your farm or ranch ready for an influx of tours and tourists. For landowners
and interested tourists, alike. Indoors at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace.
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 located at 2500 S. Main St., Lamar
2 - 3 PM
Bent’s Old Fort - The Night The Stars Fell – Greg Holt
Greg Holt, Lead Interpreter from Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site will
shed some light on the story of a unique celestial event that took place on
November 13th of 1833. This captivating astronomical display changed lives
and signaled the beginning of the end of the wild frontier. Over a 3 night
span people across America witnessed a “most spectacular phenomenon in
the heavens”. Hundreds of thousands of “falling stars”, some bursting in
mid-air, gave the night the appearance of a dawning day. Along the
Arkansas River, local tribes believed it to be a "good sign" for the coming of
the new fort. Indoors at the Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
2 – 5 PM
Snow Goose Film Festival – Environmental Movies
Stop by the Lamar Welcome Center for local information and assistance and
then attend our informal Film Festival featuring award winning Nature films
at the Shore Arts Center 115 South Main.
3:30 -4:30 PM
Piping Plovers and Least Terns
Join research biologist Duane Nelson to learn more about Southeast
Colorado's rarest visitors to the shores of John Martin Reservoir and other
highplains lakes and reservoirs. And with Duane's guidance you can plan
your return trip to view these fascinating birds in the spring. indoors at the
Rodeway Inn Cow Palace Hotel.
6:30 - 11 PM
Evening Banquet $25.00
Flock together with us for a delicious dinner at the Lamar Elks Lodge just
south of town on Highway 287. Dinner $ 25.00 for adults, $10.00 for
children 6-12. Must pre-register. Social hour begins at 6:30 PM - Lamar
Elks Lodge
7:45 PM
Canyons and Plains Intro and Video
Join Rick Manzanares, Executive Director of the Canyons and Plains of
Southeast Colorado for a rare viewing of the award-winning PSA Videos
developed for Southeastern Colorado Tourism and Marketing. You'll be glad
you got a chance to see these. - Lamar Elks Lodge
8 PM
A Standard of Change - An Evening with Aldo Leopold
Set in one evening in and around the famous Wisconsin Shack that inspired
much of his writing, A Standard of Change explores the influences and
challenges that led Aldo Leopold to penning some of the most important
essays in his book A Sand County Almanac. As performed by Jim Pfitzer Lamar Elks Lodge
9-11 PM
Country Music – The Saddle Sores
Unwind after a day of travel, learning and birding with Pritchett Colorado's
Outstanding Country Band, at the Lamar Elks Lodge
Sunday Feb. 22, 2015
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: $25.00 per person over 6, includes breakfast.
Outdoor tour by bus, meet at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Office, 2500 S.
Main St, Lamar.
7:00 AM
Birding Ramble with Ted
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, we'll visit spots along the I-50 corridor east of Lamar.
The itinerary may include John Martin Reservoir, Higbee Canyon, and
Crowley Lake. We'll figure it out as we go. Note: This trip does not return to
Lamar.