High Plains Snow Goose and Heritage History Festival Announces Keynote Author and Lecturer!

Rick Wright – Courtesy Photo

The Lamar Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Kiowa County Economic Development and Canyons and Plains are excited to announce Rick Wright as this year’s keynote and guest speaker for the 14th Annual High Plains Snow Goose & Heritage History Festival that will be held February 18-21, 2016 in Lamar, Colorado.

Rick Wright will delight us with his interesting topic “The Very Worst Bird Names Ever – and Why They Aren’t All That Bad”. A widely published writer, a popular lecturer at birding events, and an enthusiastic tour leader in Europe and the Americas, Rick is the author of the new ABA Guide to New Jersey Birds, the ABA Guide to Arizona Birds, and the forthcoming Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows. Rick leads Birds and Art tours for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours; his time afield with his wife, Alison Beringer, and their chocolate lab, Gellert, is documented in his blog (http://birdaz.com/blog/), Birding New Jersey and the World. Rick served as the editor of Winging It and as a department editor at Birding magazine from 2004 to 2008; he is currently the review editor for that same publication.

Join avid birders and historians for this three-day festival that offers a variety of programs, field trips, and seminars that celebrate birding, watchable wildlife and historical heritage in Southeastern Colorado. Participants can watch approximately 30,000 geese take off from local reservoirs and fly to their feeding grounds. Flocks numbering in the tens of thousands make for an impressive sight. Hundreds of bird species migrate through Southeastern Colorado each year, but the migration of snow geese is by far the most spectacular.

“We are adding a new event to our festival this year, the 1^st Annual Snow Goose Festival Photo Contest. Adult and Youth participants can enter images in the following categories: Wildlife, Landscape, Birds and Historical. The photos will be displayed throughout the festival and we encourage everyone to pick up your camera and showcase Southeast Colorado”, said Vincent Gearhart, local photographer and Chair of the festival. For registration information and contest details, please visit our website at: www.highplainssnowgoose.com.

Event registration is free, however field trips range from $10 to $50, depending on the length of the program and if meals are provided. Numerous programs are also offered at no charge.

Stay up to date by visiting our Facebook page. Just search for High Plains Snow Goose Festival. For more information about the High Plains Snow Goose & Heritage History Festival go to  www.highplainssnowgoose.com.