LONE PINE, Calif., (April 16, 2018) – As thousands of migratory birds visit Owens Lake this spring, Friends of the Inyo and partners Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Inyo County, Eastern Sierra Audubon, Audubon California, Metabolic Studio, and the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, will team up to bring the birding community a weekend filled with ornithological delights.
The festival, to be held April 27-29, will bring people together to enjoy an astounding landscape, experience the wonder of birds travelling between continents, and connect to the natural and cultural history of the lower Owens Valley. The festival is sure to have something to pique all interests, with outing topics ranging from birding, photography, and natural history, to geology, botany, and human and film histories.
The Owens Lake Bird Festival is also proud to share the joy of birding with students at Lone Pine Elementary each year. During the week before the festival, the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, with assistance from Inyo County, will take students on local field trips to experience the birds that migrate through their home firsthand.
“We’re so pleased that the lake and her birds are receiving the recognition that they deserve,” says Owens Lake Bird Festival organizer and Friends of the Inyo Board Member Mike Prather. “It took years of hard work with many organizations, agencies, and individuals, and now the word is out that Owens Lake is a wildlife viewing site at a world class level.”
The amazing restoration progress on Owens Lake owes its success to the years of collaboration and dialogue that took place between a wide variety of stakeholders. In a time period of great political, social, and environmental unrest, especially at the national level, the Owens Lake Bird Festival provides an opportunity for the public to celebrate social and ecological successes in the Owens Valley. It also reminds us that anything worth doing takes patience and time, and when everyone comes into the same room to discuss and collaborate, positive outcomes–for the land, the people, and the wildlife–can occur.
“LADWP is proud to support the Owens Lake Bird Festival,” LADWP Director of Water Operations Anselmo Collins said. “Partnering on this event allows us to showcase the hard work and care Department staff takes each day to protect wildlife habitat on the lakebed and increase visitors to this uniquely beautiful location in the Owens Valley.”
Contact:
Alex Ertaud, Communications & Outreach Manager, (760) 873-6500, alex@friendsoftheinyo.org
Ellen Cheng, Media Relations Manager, LADWP (213) 367-1361, www.ladwpnews.com/media-center
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