Honoring magnificent wildlife – the Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway

By Jennifer Patten, Festival Coordinator

Stretching from the Bering Strait off the coast of Alaska to the steppes of Patagonia in South America, the Pacific Flyway ranks as one of the greatest migratory pathways in the entire world. Millions of birds representing hundreds of species use this great avian highway each year. Nowhere is this abundance of wildlife more accessible than right here in the Northern Sacramento Valley. With an ideal combination of mild winter weather, abundant food and rich quantities of water, the area attracts a huge wintering population of waterfowl and raptors. A local favorite among these is the majestic Snow Goose. With the estimated overall population of Snow Geese exceeding 5 million, as many as one and a half million use the Pacific Flyway. Tens of thousands of these will winter right here in our own backyard, many in rice fields and adjacent wetland areas. So it is with these things in mind that we once again invite you to come and rediscover this magnificent spectacle of nature at the 12th Annual Snow Goose Festival, held in Chico January 27 through 30.

This year the variety of experiences to choose from is as varied as the tastes of the many people involved. If your interest lies in the outdoors, select one or more of the over 50 birding and wildlife field trips visiting every important region of the area. Serious birders will take note of our Marathon Big Day Birding on Thursday and Valley Wetlands and Wintering Waterbirds on Saturday. If indoor wildlife presentations, activities and workshops are more your style, we have two full days of events to choose from. Along with many free Junior Naturalist Activities there will be over 30 displays and vendors at the Chico Masonic Family Center. For those with a taste for the arts, our Uptown-Downtown Pacific Flyway Wildlife Art Exhibit, extended this year and running from January 21 to February 19, will more than satisfy. Without a doubt, everyone will want to attend the “Gathering of Wings” Banquet and Silent Auction with featured keynote speaker John “Jack” Muir Laws, naturalist, author, illustrator, and educator.

It is our mission that unites and energizes all of the many volunteers, artists, trip leaders, workshop presenters, educators, community members and sponsors involved with the Snow Goose Festival. We strive to increase public awareness, understanding, appreciation and conservation of the incredible wildlife and related habitats of the Northern Sacramento Valley. So come join with us and let’s make the 12th Annual Snow Goose Festival the best and most successful festival ever.

Find out more at www.snowgoosefestival.org.