Sunny Walter's
Nature Weekend Links

• Astronomy Events
• Beach and Water Festivals (Beachcombing, Tidepools, Shellfish, Waterweeks)
• Earth Day Celebrations

• Wildlife Festivals
• Birds 
• Mammals & Wildlife in General
• Salmon

• Flora Festivals (Wildflowers and Mushrooms)
• Trails and Walking Events
  

• Table Mountain Star Party north of Ellensburg, Washington  (July 31, August 1-2, 2008)
  
(first new moon between mid-July and mid-August)
P.O. Box 785, Puyallup, WA 98371
• Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce:  509-925-3137

• Beachcombers’ Fun Fair at Ocean Shores, Washington  (March 1-2, 2008 - first weekend in  March) 
• Beachcombers's Driftwood Show, Grayland  (March 15-16, 2008)    New 2/7/08
• Glass Fishing Floats
• Ocean Shores Chamber of Commerce or 800-76-BEACH (762-3224)

• Shellfish Shindig at Dosewallips State Park  (June 5-6, 2004)
  (guided beach walks, clam digging tips, oyster shucking demonstrations, birds of prey program)

• Low Tide Fest   (July 3, 2004 -- lowest tide Saturday in July)
  Port Townsend, WA 
Sponsored by Port Townsend Marine Science Center, 360-385-5582

• Washington WaterWeeks (first Saturday in September through mid-October)
  This event has been discontinued as an organized festival
  
(it was held along Puget Sound, the coast and the rivers of Washington State)
360-943-3642
• EPA, Seattle Office: 800-424-4372 (Order WaterWeeks Guides)

Individual Waterweeks Event Contacts (vary from year to year):

Northwest Washington:


• Whatcom Conservation District (hatchery tours): 360-354-2035
• Bellingham Park and Recreation (cruise): 360-676-6985
• Padilla Bay Interpretive Center (Kids Day): 360-428-1558
• Dive the Canadian Shipwreck: 800-663-6000
Snohomish County:
• Trout Unlimited (Evergreen Fair): 800-533-0852
• Everett Parks and Recreation (Jetty Island, canoe): 425-257-8300
• Pilchuck Audubon Society (birds): 425-252-0926
• Edmonds Parks and Recreation (beach, fair): 425-771-0227
Seattle and King County:
• Juanita Creek Salmon Habitat Fair: 425-821-8940
• Bellevue Parks Department (canoe): 425-452-2752
• Volksport Club (walk): 425-271-3053 or 425-430-7287
• East Lake WA Audubon Society (bird trips): 425-746-6351 or 425-451-3717
• Fishermen’s Memorial Committee (festival), 425-455-0732
• Sea Scout Ship Yankee Clipper (cruise): 206-932-0971
South Puget Sound:
• Chehalis River Council  (canoe, musical revival) or 360-291-3725
• South Sound Maritime Heritage Association (days): 800-788-TUGS
• Northwest Dive News (scuba festival): 360-240-1874
• Puyallup Fair Hotline:   The Fair  or 253-841-5045
• Citizens for a Healthy Bay (Maritime Fest): 253-383-2429
• Wooden Boat Fair: 253-752-6085
• Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
• Nisqually Watershed Festival  (9/27/03 -- 10am to 5pm)  
• Mason County (Oysterfest): 360-427-9670, ext. 396
• Tahoma Land Conservancy (Naturefest): 253-582-6601
Southwest:
• Vancouver Water Resources Education Center,
Water Center  or 360-696-8478
• Clark County Watershed (festival): 360-397-6118, ext. 4584
• PNW 4-wheel Drive Association (shore patrol): 800-537-7845
• Olympic Park Institute (forest canopy): 800-775-3720
Olympic Peninsula:
• Wild Olympic Salmon (watershed tour): 360-385-9329
• Wooden Boat Foundation (festival):  360-385-4742 or 360-385-3628
• Dungeness River Audubon Center
• Down by the River Day 
  
Port Townsend, WA
360-683-7395 or 260-681-4076
San Juans and Island County:
• Fall Beach Clean-up: 360-678-4100
Kitsap County:
• Navy Undersea Museum: 360-396-4148, ext. 201
• Clear Creek Task Force (walks), 360-895-1708
Central and Eastern Washington:
• McNary NWR (safari): 509-543-8322
• Cle Elum Ranger District (walk): 509-674-4411
• CHREHST (PowWow): 509-943-0999
• Tapteal Greenway (Yakima River Float Trip): 509-627-2181
• Kettle Range Conservation Group (Hanford Reach Float Trip)
  
509-582-5849 or 509-775-2667 (msg)

January

• Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival   (February 4-5, 2006)
  Rockport, WA on Hwy 20 (North Cascades Highway)
  
360-853-7009

• Swans and Snow Geese Visit the Skagit Valley
  (a two-month "festival" -- see the Bird Viewing page for articles)

• Grand Coulee "Balde" Eagle Festival   (Feb 17-19, 2006)
  
Grand Coulee     

• Birdsource Great Backyard Bird Count   (Feb 13-16, 2004)
  
or National Audubon Society page for individual Audubon chapter contacts


• Port Susan Snow Goose and Birding Festival   (Feb 23-24-25, 2008)
  Stanwood and Camano Island
  (tours of Port Susan Preserve, snow geese and trumpeter swan tours, other area birding tours, speakers, art show, kid's activities, raptor and other displays, live music
• Camano Island/Stanwood Bird Locator 
• Point Susan Preserve     New 2/7/08
  

• Sandhill Crane Festival   (March 24-26, 2006)
  Othello, WA on SR 26  (south of Moses Lake)
  Contact:  Othello Sandhil Crane Festival
  449 E. Cedar, Othello, WA 99344
  509-488-2802, ext. 100 or 1-866-726-3445

• Olympic Birdfest 2008   (April 4-6, 2008)  
  North Olympic Peninsula, WA  ( Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society)
• Visit the rainshadow of the Olympic Peninsula to discover the birds of the coastal Pacific. Explore the Dungeness River Audubon Center, Sequim and Dungeness Bays and the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge.
• Birds of the coastal Pacific are our highlights -- Marbled Murrelets, Rhinoceros Auklets, Harlequin Ducks, Dippers, Black Oystercatchers, Long-tailed Ducks, and more.
• Guided local field trips, a boat cruise to see the birds of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and a salmon banquet with our partner, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.
• optional three-day, two night birding cruise of t ehSan Juan Islands.
• Optional three-day, two-night birding cruise of the San Juan Islands
• Sponsored by the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, Dungeness River Audubon Center, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Audubon WA, North Olympic Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau, and others.
• Contact: 360-681-4076 or  info@olympicbirdfest.org

• Blaine Chamber of Commerce   (April 18, 2008)     New date & URL
  Wings Over Water Northwest  Birding Festival (site under redevelopment)
  Blaine Marine Park & Downtown Blaine
  Each spring thousands of Brant Geese and other water birds stage here on their annual migration.
• Brant viewing stations, tours, wildlife cruise, speakers, kids activities,
  migratory maze 
  (For info & tickets, contact Blaine IVC,  1-800-624-3555 or info@blainechamber.com)

• Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival   (May 2-4, 2008)
  Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, Bowerman Basin near Hoquiam, Washington
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge:  360-753-9467
• Grays Harbor Audubon Society:  360-495-3289  or  800-321-1924
• Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce:  800-321-1924

• National Audubon BirdAThon
• Individual Audubon Chapters

• International Migratory Bird Day (Saturday closest to May 9)
• What Is International Migratory Bird Day? -- American Birding Association
  

IMBD Events Around Washington State

• Puget Sound Bird Fest  (May 18-19, 2007)    New URL 2/7/08
  Edmonds - birding and nature walks, ongoing bird viewing stations, nature slide shows, hawk demonstrations, indoor exhibitsk, children's activities, educationao workshops.
  

USFWS Office

• IMBD Site
• Future IMBD Events
• Past IMBD Events in Washington State
• Cheney: Turnbull NWR -- Riparian Restoration Day
• Colville: Little Pend Oreille NWR -- Bird Walk
  
(see Washington Nature Weekends book for more info)
• Colville NF: Big Meadow Lake Walk, Elk Creek Trail Hike
• Dungeness NWR: Bird Walk
• Edmonds and Everett - Pilchuck Audubon Events
• Ellensburg - Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe Weekend
  Contact Kittitas Environmental Education Network for 2004 dates
  509-933-4842  or  keen@KittitasEE.net
  
• Seattle, Discovery Park
  
• Seattle: Seward Park -- Family Bird Walks (Seattle Audubon)
  
• Seattle: The Seattle Aquarium -- Bird Migration Activities
• Spokane: Fishtrap Management Area -- Birding Event
• Trout Lake Marsh: Bird Walk and Nest Box Discussion
• Trout Lake Marsh Bird List
• Spokane River Centennial Trail -- Bird Walk (WDFW)
..
IMBD Around the World
• American Birding
• Partners in Flight
• IMBD
• USFWS Office
• Migratory Bird Management
• IMBD Information

• Backyard Wildlife Fair, Tukwila   (May 12, 2007)
  (Workshops on gardening and landscaping for wildlife, wildlife garden tours, community-wide wildlife habitat efforts, kids' activities, arts and crafts booths, food, music)
  206-285-8707, ext. 109

• Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest   (May 16-18, 2008)
  Leavenworth, WA -  birding, geology, wildflowers, and conservation
  (for registration, call the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce, 509-548-5807)

• Kettle River Songbird Festival   (May 20-22, 2005)
  Republic, WA on Hwy 20 between Tonasket and Kettle Falls
  (Birding, lectures, field tours, nature walks)
  For preregistration, call 509-775-0441
  This festival was not held in 2006 and 2006
  

• Washington State Audubon Campout at Wenas Creek  (Memorial Day Weekend)

• Backyard Bird and Plant Fair   (June 4-5, 2005)
• 8403 W. Burroughs Rd,  Deer Park, WA  12 miles north of Spokane)
  509-456-4082 (WDFW, Spokane Office)
  (featuring WDFW Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Program and
  WSU / Spokane County Master Gardeners Program)

• National Wildlife Refuge System Week (second week in October)
  USFWS
• NWR Week 2003
• NWR Week 2004 
• NWR Week 2005

• Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
  
  • BirdFest  (October 13-14, 2007)
    Enjoy presentations and slide programs, raptors shows, guided field trips, water excursions, plus special Sandhill Crane fly-in and archaeology trips
    
    • Sponsored by Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge  
      URL Fixed 2/7/08
      (or contact Eric Anderson at (360) 887-4106)
      

• Fall Festival of Foliage and Feathers
  This festival has been discontinued
  Walla Walla, WA
  Downtown Walla Walla Foundation
  509-529-8755

• Audubon Christmas Bird Count  (December 14 through January 5 every year)
• Washington Ornithological Society:  WA CBC Contacts and Count Dates
• National Christmas Bird Count Results:  Birdsource CBC     New URL 2/7/08

• American Birding Association Directory of Birding Festivals     New URL 2/7/08

• Earth Day Sites on the Internet

• King County Park System
• Earth Legacy

• Leavenworth
• Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival  (March 18-21, 2004)

• Richland
  
Tri-Cities Earth Day Celebration  or gailb@ci.richland.wa.us
Richland Chamber of Commerce: 509-735-8486 or 800-254-5824

• Student Conservation Association Northwest  (SCA)