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® When this symbol is before an event listing it means you must pre-register for that event on the Festival Registration page. There is no registration fee to register for the Festival. You will have the opportunity to make a donation. © When this symbol is before an event listing it means you must pre-register for that event separately, from the Festival Registration, by visiting that events page on this website. These events, with the exception of the Field Sketching Workshop, require a registration fee. When there is no symbol before an event listing it means no registration is required. Numbers listed before each event is the activity number for that event.
For a Printable Detailed Activities List Click Here For a Printable Brief Activities List Click Here Pre-Festival Activities 1. Saturday June 16, 2007 Western Heritage Days - . Stevensville, Montana. Join the Stevensville Stampede to Western Heritage Days! The Western Heritage Days Open Art Show will take place at the Saint Mary's Family Center with a wonderful mix of Artists and Art. There will be a "People's Choice Award" for the different categories of art. An Artist reception on Friday, June 15th will be held at the Family Center with a Quick Draw and Auction. Saturday, June 16th will begin with the Western Heritage Parade at 11 AM with entries of vintage tractors, autos, teams of horses and wagons, cowboys, cowgirls and more! The St. Mary's Mission will be the location for the BBQ, craft vendors, Historic Wagon Tour Rides, living history demonstrations and participation making rope, ice cream, butter, branding, tours of the Mission Grounds, Cow Pie Bingo, music and more! 2. June 1st - June 22 Bitterroot Birding and Nature Festival Art Show Display sponsored by the Sacajawea Gallery Exhibit on display at the
Sacajawea Gallery, 213 Main St., Stevensville. The show will be open to
the public 3. June 16 - June 22 Montana Junior Duck Stamp Display sponsored by The Friends of the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge On display at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Over 50 pieces of art including the top prize winners and the Best of Show from the 2007 Montana Junior Duck Stamp Contest. The Best of Show will be competing for the National Award. 4. ®Thursday June 21, 6:00 AM- 6:00 PM Bannack Ghost Town Birdwatching Trip sponsored by Bitterroot Audubon Load up on the bus at Lee Metcalf NWR (6 AM) and take a trip to the Bannack Ghost Town for some great Montana Bird Watching. This trip is led by Bob Danley-Outdoor Recreation Planner at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge and avid birder. Target species to be found on this trip will be Sage Sparrow, Grey Flycatcher, and Green Tailed Towhee. Registration Required -limited to 21 participants. Program duration 12 hours.
Enter your kite in the kite building contest. There will be two categories of kites. The Homemade category will include kites made totally from scratch. The Kit category will include pre-made kites that will be hand painted by the contestants. There will be age groups within each category. Click Here to find out more information or to enter the Kite Building Contest. Great for children and adults.
Enter your home made bird feeder in the Bird Feeder Contest. There will be two categories including Adult and Youth. Bird Feeders will be judged during the week prior to the Festival on on display during the Festival. Bird Feeders that are entered into the contest can be sold during the Festival if the participant chooses to put them up for sale. Click Here to find out more information or to enter the Bird Feeder Contest. Great for children and adults. Friday June 22, 2007 7. ®6:00-10:00 AM Early Bird Behind the Scenes Birdwalk at Lee Metcalf NWR sponsored by the Time After Time Bed & Breakfast What’s in a name? Well, this is really a bird walk. Enjoy a recreational hike while concurrently looking for and identifying riparian bird species along the beautiful Bitterroot River. Participants will meander amongst mature Ponderosa Pine and Black Cottonwood forest “behind the signs” into the closed area of the Refuge. Plan on spending the morning recreating the Lewis & Clark experience of 200 hundred years ago. This walk will consist of about 2.5-3.5 miles on fairly easy terrain cross country off the trail. Registration is required and limited to 20 people. 8. ®6:00-10:00 AM Lolo Pass Birding Tour sponsored by the Good Food Store This is a high elevation field trip targeting: the thrush family; two species of jay; flycatcher family (olive-sided, dusky and Hammond’s); three chickadee species; MacGillivray’s, Townsend’s and orange-crowned warblers; and a host of other colorful breeding species. Factoid: John Kirk Townsend became a physician and surgeon while pursuing an avocation of naturalist. He associated with John J. Audubon during the preparation of "American Ornithology," in which many of the descriptions are from Townsend’s pen. Registration is required and limited to 21 people, transportation is provided. 9. ®7:00-11:00 AM Bird Banding Station sponsored by Mountain West Coop-Cenex in Stevensville Experience songbirds up close and personal at the Lee Metcalf NWR's active banding station. The station is part of the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivability (MAPS) program which is collects neotropical bird data. The station has been located at Lee Metcalf NWR since 1993 and typically records 66 different species and collects data on 400-800 birds per year. In a typical day there are approximately 16 species with about 60 birds on which data is collected. Participants will be required to take a 1 mile roundtrip walk on easy terrain. Led by Deborah Goslin, Biological Science Technician at Lee Metcalf NWR. Registration is required and limited to 15 people. 10. ®7:00-11:00 AM Birding at Smurfit-Stone sponsored by Five Valleys Audubon Smurfit-Stone is a large pulp & paper mill that has large shallow wastewater ponds that attract a variety of waterfowl and shorebirds. The property consists of 3000 acres that includes 5 miles of cottonwood bottomlands along the Clark Fork River. The mill has recently protected over 400 acres of riparian habitat for birds and other wildlife. The field trip will consist of driving the dike roads in a car convoy with periodic stops to view the birds. Very little walking will be involved. Target birds include Lewis’ woodpecker, Calliope hummingbird, peregrine falcon, American avocet, and bald eagles on the nest. This tour will be led by Larry Weeks a retired employee from Smurfit-Stone with over 20 years of birding experience. He is currently restoring habitat at the mill as a volunteer. He is active with the Five Valleys Audubon Society and has been organizing and leading field trips for the Chapter for the past 8 years. Registration required-limited to 30 participants. 11. ®11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Flycatcher Workshop sponsored by the Teller Wildlife Refuge This workshop will be a review of 10 flycatcher species found in the Bitterroot Valley. This presentation will be multimedia in format emphasizing songs and calls. Information will be integrated with the habitats/microhabitats that the Saturday field trip will visit. Registration required-limited to 30 participants.
A guided tour of the Saint Mary's Mission Grounds by staff of the Mission just for Bird Festival participants. St. Mary’s Mission was founded because of the determination of several Native American tribes seeking “blackrobes” as their teachers. Fr. Anthony Ravalli, S.J. was recruited from Italy. He designed and helped build the log chapel that stands today. The interior of the chapel has been restored to the original colors of the 1880 era. Its furnishings are the handiwork of Fr. Ravalli, Montana’s first medical doctor. The attached study and dining room, as well as Fr. Ravalli’s house/pharmacy, are completely restored and furnished with items made by him. Chief Victor’s cabin houses a Salish museum. An outdoor diorama features three significant figures in the founding of Historic St. Mary’s Mission. The wooden sculptures were carved by local artists and represent Chief Big Face, Fr. DeSmet, and Chief Victor. Fr. Ravalli rests with the Salish Indians in St. Mary’s Cemetery. The handicapped-accessible Visitors Center includes a gift shop, museum, art gallery, research library, and public rest rooms. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, St. Mary’s Mission is a cultural and historical icon of the early days of the American West. The Mission speaks to guests of a time when life was much different. Visitors can feel the past meld with the present. They are transformed by visiting the chapel and Fr. Ravalli’s cabin and pharmacy. They experience a reverent silence when stepping into the Salish lodge. By strolling the grounds visitors allow the valley and all of its splendor to encompass them. St. Mary’s Mission is a treasure, not just to Stevensville, Ravalli County and to Montana, but to our nation as well. It represents the first permanent settlement in the state as well as the first church in the Northwest. It truly is “Where Montana Began.” Great for children and adults. Registration Required. Limited to 50 participants. A fee of $4 per participant will be collected at the beginning of the tour. 13. ©1:00-5:00 PM Tee Off With A Birdie Golf Tournament at Whitetail Golf Course sponsored by The Friends of the Lee Metcalf NWR Registration Required -limited to 72 participants. To Register for the Golf Tournament Click Here! 14. ®4:00-6:00 PM Wildflowers Walk sponsored by Handwalk Therepies Enjoy and learn about the wildflowers of the Bitterroot Valley with a wildflower walk on the Lee Metcalf NWR. This program will be led by Linda Pieterinen, Botanist with the Bitterroot National Forest. This will require some walking on easy terrain. Registration is required and limited to 20 participants. 15. ®4:30-5:30 PM Ducks Unlimited-Conservation Efforts Benefiting Birds sponsored by Bitterroot Rafting Adventures This workshop will present a discussion of recent conservation projects that have been accomplished and are being carried out by Ducks Unlimited. It will highlight how these conservation efforts are benefiting birds of a wide variety from waterfowl and shorebirds to passerines and raptors. Presented by Bob Sanders, Ducks Unlimited Manager of Conservation Programs for Montana. Registration is required and limited to 30 participants. 16. 6:00 PM Birding Festival Social & Golf Tournament Awards sponsored by The Bitterroot Resort Come enjoy this kickoff get together with live music, food, ice cream, and the Golf Tournament Awards Ceremony. Then sit back and enjoy one of the Festival's Keynote programs (Sam Ting @ 7 PM) at the Lee Metcalf NWR Amphitheater
The delightful Norwegian humor of "Sam Ting" captures the attention of all audiences as Sam teaches natural resource conservation awareness through the story of the weasel family. Dressed in his best overalls, white shoes and finest hat, Sam's presentation is complete with lots of "You bets" and "Uff-da's." Great for children and adults.
18. ®8:30-10:00 PM Evening Birdwalk at Lee Metcalf NWR-Waterfowl Ponds sponsored by the Ravalli County Bank This walking tour will traverse along the 5 ponds south of the refuge headquarters. Target species: Cinnamon teal, 3 species of swift, 6 species of swallow, nesting Sandhill Crane, Sora and Virginia rail, American Bittern and Marsh wren. Registration is required and limited to 20 participants. 19. ®8:30-10:00 PM Evening Birdwalk at Lee Metcalf NWR-Wildlife Viewing Area sponsored by Haus Rustika Bed & Breakfast This is walk along 2.5 miles of trail that crosses groves of mature cottonwood and pine. The river forms the western boundary of this area and adds to the aesthetics. Initial target species include: black-headed grosbeak, Vaux’s swift, Lewis woodpecker, black-chinned hummingbird, western wood pewee, and three species of nuthatch. Registration is required and limited to 20 participants. 20. ®8:30-10:00 PM Evening Birdwalk at Lee Metcalf NWR-Kenai Nature Trail sponsored by the Bitterroot Resort Walk the snaky, gravel trail paralleling several wetlands into the closed area of the Refuge. The Trail affords excellent lookdowns on the wetland habitat. Target species includes: Calliope hummingbird, Great Blue heron rookery, Bald Eagle nest, bank swallow colony, nesting osprey and cacophonous yellow-headed blackbird, Cinnamon teal, 3 species of swift, 6 species of swallow, nesting Sandhill Crane, Sora and Virginia rail, American Bittern and Marsh wren. Registration is required and limited to 20 participants.
21. ®10:00-11:30 PM Bats of the Bitterroot sponsored by the Yumedona Alpacas This program will involve a discussion of bats of Montana, bat ecology, and research. There will also be mist nets set up to see what species of bats can be caught.. Bat detectors will also be on hand to detect bats flying around even if we are unable to catch any. Learn all about these amazing but often misunderstood creatures of the night. We might even find some night birds. The program will be lead by Kristi Dubois, a non-game biologist for the MT Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Registration is required and limited to 30 participants. Saturday June 23, 2007 22. ®6:00-9:00 AM Montana Woodpeckers Tour sponsored by Sam Spade Garden Tools & Wares This field trip will visit higher elevations, both burned and unburned areas, seeking the western specialties. Target species are: black-backed, 3-toed, Williamson’s sapsucker, and Lewis’ woodpeckers. A discussion about fire ecology will also be part of this adventure. Registration is required and limited to 21 participants. Transportation provided.
23. ®6:00-9:00 AM Flycatcher Tour sponsored by Ravalli County Bank This field trip will challenge the skills of the most able birder; several microhabitats in various elevational settings will be the destination for 10 flycatcher species. Primary targets are the resident empidonax. Factoid: Hammond’s flycatcher was named after Dr. W.A. Hammond, army surgeon who collected birds for Spencer Baird of the Smithsonian, and eventually went on to become Surgeon General of the U.S. Registration is required and limited to 21 participants. Transportation is not provided as the trip location is close to the refuge. Participants will have the opportunity to carpool from the refuge.
24. ®7:00 AM - 12:00 PM Peregrine Falcon Tour sponsored by the Bitterroot Fly Company Join Jay Sumner of the renowned Montana Peregrine Institute (http://www.montanaperegrine.org/index.html) on a trip to see a rocky eyrie belonging to this magnificent raptor. There are about 10 active nest sites annually in the Bitterroot Valley which account for about 20% of known sites in the state. Registration is required and limited to 21 participants. Transportation provided.
A timed team event navigating
the back country of the
26. ®9:00-10:30 AM Landscaping for Wildlife Workshop sponsored by the Stevensville Main Street Association Learn all about landscaping your yard to benefit birds, butterflies and other wildlife. This workshop will discuss plants and design techniques that are easy, simple and affordable to accomplish. Registration is required and limited to 30 participants.
Come take a walk with Julie Schreck, Environmental Educator for the Bitterroot National Forest and learn about the wonders of nature at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. Learn to identify some of the common trees and plants on the Refuge and learn how to find interesting clues about wildlife of the area. This walk is aimed at older youth and adults. Must be able to walk cross country through possibly wet terrain, hike will probably be 1/2 to 1 mile long and will last approximately 2 hours. This program is for children only. Registration Required -limited to 25 participants.
Explore the world of owls. Children will learn how owls survive and get the opportunity to dissect an owl pellet to see what the owls diet consist of and how these creatures survive in our world. Presented by Kurt Cunningham, Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks Education Specialist. This program is for children only. Registration is required and limited to 25 children. 29. ®10:30-11:30 AM Avian Influenza Workshop sponsored by the US Fish & Wildlife Service Learn the latest information about the impact of Avian Influenza on bird populations around the world and its potential impacts to North American Birds. There are lots of rumors circulating about Avian Influenza, this is your chance to get the facts. Presented by Lee Jones ,US Fish & Wildlife Service Avian Influenza Specialist for Montana. Registration Required -limited to 35 participants.
Includes educational booths, wagon rides, children's games, food, live radio remote, and may other activities. Great activities for children and adults. More info coming. 31. ®11:00 AM - 1:30 PM Rare and not-so-rare mammals of the Lee Metcalf NWR sponsored by Yumedono Alpacas Learn about the mammals that call the Bitterroot Valley home. This will include a workshop followed by an outdoors trek through the Lee Metcalf NWR in search of a radio collared porcupine. The workshop will be presented by Dr. Kerry Forsman, Professor of Biology and Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana. Click Here to learn more about the workshop leader. Registration required- limited to 20 participants. 32. ©12:00- 5:00 PM Bitterroot Birding & Nature Festival Artist's Reception and Art Auction sponsored by the Sacajawea Art Gallery Art auction at the Chantilly Theater on Main Street in Stevensville. Tickets are required for the Reception and Auction and can be purchased on the Art Show page or by calling the Chantilly Theater at 406-777-2722. Visit the Art Show page to learn more about the show, submit artwork, purchase a ticket, or purchase a Art Show Program. The Reception is from 12:00 - 2:00 with the Art Auction beginning at 2:00.
A slide presentation by Marty Essen visiting the seven continents of the world in search of cool and unusual creatures . Following the slide presentation meet Marty's live Rainbow Boas! Marty Essen is the author of the award-winning book "Cool Creatures, Hot Planet". Great for children and adults. Registration Required -limited to 50 participants.
Come explore the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge with Julie Schreck-Environmental Educator for the Bitterroot National Forest. Take an adventurous hike and see the amazing plants and critters that live on the Refuge. Play fun games along the way and discover the amazing natural world! This walk is aimed at youth 7-12 years of age. No registration is required. Meet at the Lee Metcalf NWR Visitor Center Back Entrance. This program is for children only. Registration is required and limited to 25 children.
The participants of the Kite Building Contest will have an opportunity to fly their kites, weather permitting. Kites are designed to look like birds or other animals and will be available for viewing on Friday and Saturday morning. Great for children and adults.
Kate Davis will do an educational program that showcases live birds of prey. Kate currently takes care of 17 birds that, in many cases, are not releasable back into the wild. The non-profit mission of Raptors of the Rockies is:
Great for children and adults.
Lean all about wetlands and the creatures that call wetlands home. Children will dig through the muck and the mud to find the small things that make a wetland work the way it does. Be prepared to get wet and dirty. This program is for children only. Registration is required and limited to 25 children. 38. ®4:30 - 6:30 PM Bird Photography Workshop sponsored by Farmers State Bank This workshop will be presented by Steve Sherman a resident wildlife photographer. Steve presents photography classes in Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks on a regular basis through the University of Montana Western. This workshop will focus on techniques and equipment necessary to take quality wild bird photographs. This workshop will include 1 hour of class time and 1hour of field time. Bring your favorite camera and tripod. Registration Required -limited to 25 participants. 39. 5:00 -6:15 PM Junior Duck Stamp Awards Ceremony sponsored by the Bitterroot Resort The 100 students achieving first, second, third place or honorable mention status in the Montana Junior Duck Stamp Contest will receive their awards during this ceremony. The Montana Best of Show winner has twice gone on to win the National Contest during the Contest’s 15 year history. About 500 entries are submitted annually to the Montana Junior Duck Stamp Contest making judging especially tough and very competitive for student’s entries. Please attend this program to show your support for these young artist and the Junior Duck Stamp Program.
Using the dress and voice of an early fur trader and trapper, Gibson portrays Pierre Bottineau, one of the founders of a settlement on the Red River near the Canadian/North Dakota border. He explores Bottineau's relationship to nature and the balance on which the fragile environment rests including life history of various fur bearer; beaver, muskrat, mink, weasel, skunk, lynx, coyote, and wolf. Great for children and adults.
41. ®8:00-9:30 PM Evening Birdwalk at Lee Metcalf NWR-Waterfowl Ponds sponsored by Handwalk Therepies This walking tour will traverse along the 5 ponds south of the refuge headquarters. Target species: Cinnamon teal, 3 species of swift, 6 species of swallow, nesting Sandhill Crane, Sora and Virginia rail, American Bittern and Marsh wren. Registration is required and limited to 20 participants.
42. ®8:00-9:30 PM Evening Birdwalk at Lee Metcalf NWR-Wildlife Viewing Area sponsored by The Friends of the Lee Metcalf NWR This is walk along 2.5 miles of trail that crosses groves of mature cottonwood and pine. The river forms the western boundary of this area and adds to the aesthetics. Initial target species include: black-headed grosbeak, Vaux’s swift, Lewis woodpecker, black-chinned hummingbird, western wood pewee, and three species of nuthatch. Registration is required and limited to 20 participants. Program duration is 1.5 hours. 43. ®8:00-9:30 PM Evening Birdwalk at Lee Metcalf NWR-Kenai Nature Trail sponsored by the US Forest Service Walk the snaky, gravel trail paralleling several wetlands into the closed area of the Refuge. The Trail affords excellent lookdowns on the wetland habitat. Target species includes: Calliope hummingbird, Great Blue heron rookery, Bald Eagle nest, bank swallow colony, nesting osprey and cacophonous yellow-headed blackbird, Cinnamon teal, 3 species of swift, 6 species of swallow, nesting Sandhill Crane, Sora and Virginia rail, American Bittern and Marsh wren. 44. ®10:30 PM -2:30 AM Astronomy Program at The Blue Mountain Observatory sponsored by the Bitterroot Resort Spend a beautiful evening exploring the "Big Sky" at the University of Montana's Blue Mountain Observatory. Located at an elevation of 6300 feet on a mountain top just west of Missoula, Blue Mountain's telescope provides breathtaking, dark sky views of planets, nebulae, star clusters, and distant galaxies. Constellation talks familiarize you with what's up in the current sky, the sky lore of different cultures, and how to find interesting objects with your naked eye or ordinary binoculars. Transportation will be provided. A bus will pick you up and return you to the Lee Metcalf NWR. If you do not want to take the bus you are welcome to follow along in your car (The Blue Mountain Road to the observatory is passable to even low clearance cars, but tends to develop some serious washboard by the end of summer.) Registration Required -limited to 35 participants. Program duration is 4.5 hours. Sunday June 24, 2007
This is walk along 2.5 miles of trail that crosses groves of mature cottonwood and pine. The river forms the western boundary of this area and adds to the aesthetics. This bird walk is for beginning bird watchers with limited birding skills. The walk will be led by Samantha O'Byrne. Great for children and adults. Registration is required and limited to 25 participants.
46. ®1:00-3:00 PM Sunday Afternoon Butterfly Walk sponsored by the National Audubon Society
Explore meadows and woodlands near Stevensville in search of Butterflies - precious pollinators and jewels to behold! Join Dr. Bob Petty of National Audubon to discover what's fluttering around. Easy to moderate hike, 3 hours. Registration is required and limited to 25 participants.
Winged Migration on the Big Screen at the Lee Metcalf NWR Okefenokee Room This is a must see with big screen projection and surround sound. Come join the fun. Popcorn and snacks will be available. Great for children and adults. Registration is required and limited to 25 people.
48. ©4:00-6:00 PM Field Sketching & Nature Journaling sponsored by Towle House Realty Learn to observe the details of nature through Field Sketching and nature journaling. Registration is required. To register and get more information regarding this program Click Here.
Enjoy an entertaining Chautauqua style program about the history of the National Wildlife Refuge System and Conservation in general. This program will feature living history skits including a conversation between Harriet Hemmingway & Minna Hall about starting the Audubon Society, a confrontation between a market bird hunter and Paul Kroegel on Pelican Island, and a visit by Frank Chapman with President Teddy Roosevelt discussing the possibility of setting Pelican Island aside as a bird preserve. The skits are kicked off with a little conservation humor entwined with cowboy poetry. The program is intertwined with sing along songs in which the audience is encouraged to participate. The Chautauqua is conducted in partnership between the Lee Metcalf NWR & the Chantilly Theater in Stevensville, Montana. Click here to view photos of last years Chautauqua. Great for children and adults. For a Printable PDF Detailed Activities List Click Here For a Printable PDF Brief Activities List Click Here |
The Bitterroot Birding and Nature Festival is funded through sponsorships and donations. Please support the Festival with your donation today.
Festival Sponsors
Please patronize our sponsors when participating in the Festival. Without their generous contributions the Bitterroot Birding and Nature Festival would not be possible. Click on each sponsor to visit their website.
Festival Sponsor:
Event Sponsors
Active Care Family Chiropractic**Bitterroot Audubon Chapter**Bitterroot Fly Company**Bitterroot Rafting Adventures**Bitterroot Resort**Cenex Mountain West Coop**Charbonneau's Chocolate Company**Farmers State Bank**Feed & Farm**Five Valleys Audubon**Friends of the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge**Good Food Store**Handwalk Therapies**Haus Rustika Bed & Breakfast**Majestic Mountains Gifts & Gallery**Raptors of the Rockies**Ravalli County Bank**Sacajawea Gallery**Sam's Spade Garden Tools & Wares**Stevensville Hotel**Stevensville Community Foundation**Teller Wildlife Refuge**Time after Time Bed & Breakfast**Towle House Realty**Valley Drug & Variety**Yumedono Alpacas
Supporting Sponsors
Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce**Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge**Stevensville Main Street Association**Bitterroot National Forest
Bitterroot Birding and Nature Festival
(406) 777-5552 ext 205 or (406) 363-2400
This symbol is listed by all programs specific for
children and/or programs that are kid friendly. Read the
description for details.
