OUTDOOR BRIEF

SECOND ANNUAL EVENT

Wings and Wildlife Festival coming to Laughlin

After a successful inaugural event in 2009, the Wings and Wildlife Festival is coming back to Southern Nevada for a second go-round and will take place March 11-15 along the riverfront in Laughlin. Here, birders and wildlife enthusiasts will have an opportunity to see multiple species.

Educational seminar topics will include falconry, bats, bighorn sheep, attracting hummingbirds, wildlife uses of plants and binocular use. New this year are seminars on subjects such as dragonflies, wetland habitats and live reptiles. March 13 will include a new special event for kids, titled "Birding 101," preceded by a Rotary Club pancake breakfast fundraiser.

Scheduled field trips will take bird and wildlife enthusiasts to such sites as Big Bend of the Colorado River State Recreation Area, Colorado River Heritage Greenway Trail, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Hualapai Mountains, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Wee Thump Joshua Tree Forest.

Kayak trips will allow bird and wildlife viewing along the Colorado River, including Black Canyon and Topock Gorge. With more than 400 species of birds and a couple of hundred other species of wildlife present in the area, viewing should be spectacular. Average March temperatures in Laughlin are in the 70s. Transportation for field trips will be provided.

A wine and cheese gathering is planned for March 12, with local photographer and artist Sharon Schafer displaying her work with a presentation titled "Land of Little Rain: Images from the Mojave Desert." An evening banquet and presentation by Ted Floyd, editor of Birding Magazine, the flagship publication of the American Birding Association, is planned for March 13.

On March 12 and 13, participants will have the opportunity to visit informational displays provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Red Rock Audubon Society and others. Exhibitors will have information on birding and wildlife watching. A bird taxidermist will also be on hand.

The registration fee is $30 and includes entry to educational seminars, guided nature walks and the wine and art event on March 12. Additional fees are required for a scheduled banquet and field trips. Pre-registration is required and may be completed online or on-site. The online registration process, as well as more information on the festival, can be accessed through the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnership Web site (www.snbwtp.org/). Online registration will be available until the start of the festival. Festival-goers who register at the door will pay a late fee and may not be able to attend field trips because of availability.

Festival check-in will begin at 9 a.m. March 11 at the Riverside Hotel and Casino, 1650 S. Casino Drive.

The Wings and Wildlife festival is sponsored by the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnership.

The partnership was formed in 2006 and consists of municipalities, land management agencies and wildlife enthusiasts. The partnership provides important travel information about the U.S. Highway 93 and 95 corridors, from Laughlin to Ely and Las Vegas to Tonopah.