Thousands flock to Snow Goose Festival

Birders, hikers and nature enthusiasts need to be on the alert for the 12th annual Snow Goose Festival at the end of January.

The event offers field trips into Glenn, Colusa and Tehama counties along with Butte County from Jan. 27 to 30.

It also features a weekend of family fun at the Chico Family Masonic Center on Jan. 29 to 30 with a variety of classes, workshops and exhibits.

The festival's focus is on celebrating the arrival of thousands of waterfowl in the North State, including snow geese, tundra swans, sandhill cranes, pintail ducks and more in the wildlife refuges and rice fields in the area.

Registration deadline for field trips and other activities is 5 p.m. Jan. 26, according to Festival coordinator Jennifer Patten.

Fees for these trips and classes range from $5 to $42 and they are filling up fast, she said on Monday.

In Glenn County, field trips include bird watching tours at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge south of Willows on Jan. 28 and Jan. 30 in the afternoons and a birding hike at Black Butte Lake at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 28.

A trip to the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge is also set for 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 28 and people may visit the Gray Lodge Wildlife Refuge near Gridley at 9 a.m.

Other outings include visits to Llano Seco, the Vina plains, Lake Red Bluff, the Thermalito Afterbay in Oroville and Butte College's wildlife area between Oroville and Paradise. Tours of the Sutter-Buttes also are planned in Sutter County.

A snowshoe hike at Lassen Park also is set for the 9 a.m. on Jan. 29. A ranger will guide the group.

Admission to the Masonic Lodge site is free and includes viewing some exhibits such as live reptiles, the junior duck stamp display, a raptor booth and a seminar on bats, she said.

Booths from state and federal agencies also will be there along with nonprofits and vendors selling crafts items and more.

There will be a duck calling class for children on the Sunday along with a competition and junior naturalist activities for them as well.

Some of these workshops have fees, Patten said, so visitors should check for the charges for materials and associated costs.

Besides the festivities at the Masonic Center, an art tour reception is planned for 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 28 between the Avenue 9 Gallery and Artistry at All Fired Up in Chico as part of the Pacific Flyway Reception.

Visitors to the galleries may have hors'd'ourves and look at wildlife themed artwork in oils, water colors, acrylics and mixed media along with sculptures and photographs. The fee is $10 for pre-registered guests and $15 at the door.

The festival hosts its Gathering of Wings Banquet and Silent Auction from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Jan. 29 in the Bell Memorial Union on the CSU Chico campus.

The keynote speaker is Bay area artist John Muir Laws who also is conducting art classes at the festival.

The buffet dinner is $38 for adults and $20 for those 17 and under, Patten said. Proceeds benefit the festival.

A silent auction features art glass sculptures of birds and other wildlife themed items along with certificates for assistance in planting a wildlife friendly garden, she said.

"There is a wonderful array of items brought by the local business community," she said.

PBS TV host Huell Howser filmed the 2010 Snow Goose Festival for his "California Gold" series and will reair it on KXIE Channel 9 in Redding and KVIE Channel 6 in Sacramento the week of the festival. Check your TV listings of the Snow Goose Website for times and days.

For information, call 345-1865 or go online to www.snowgoosefestival.org.

CONTACT Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.