The Nature Conservancy Jump Starts Earth Day 2008 with Public Tours at Great Salt Lake
Free, Guided Tours Promise Fun for All Ages at Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — April 17, 2008 — This Saturday, April 19, The Nature Conservancy is asking Utahns to start celebrating Earth Day 2008 early with a guided walk through our state’s world-class wetlands. The event kicks off a series of spring, summer and fall public tours at the Conservancy’s Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve and award-winning visitor center.
“Each year, Earth Day reminds us to reconnect with and appreciate the wonders of nature,” said Heidi Nedreberg, the Conservancy’s Utah Community Outreach Coordinator. “We’re offering a way for Utahns to start celebrating a few days early with a special public tour that highlights how conservation at the Great Salt Lake is contributing to the overall health of our planet.”
Visitors on the April 19 tour will be led by birding and conservation experts through the heart of the Conservancy’s Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve—a wildlife haven encompassing more than 4,000 acres of wetland and upland habitat for migratory birds and shorebirds on the Lake’s eastern shore.
“So many people still haven’t experienced the wonders of the Lake’s wetlands,” said Nedreberg, “These tours are a way of sharing this special place with the public, from the globally significant birdlife to the spectacular scenery and unique habitats.”
After the April 19 tour, the Conservancy will continue to offer free Preserve tours throughout the summer and fall, ending in October. Each tour in the series will be led by trained guides, and will focus on a different theme, such as “BirdWatching 101,” “Back to School Family Fun” and even a “Story Telling Night Walk,” in October where professional story tellers will add some Halloween fun to a hands-on outdoor adventure. Tour participants will explore the Lake's wetland and upland habitats, view and identify seasonal birds and other wildlife, and learn about the unique Great Salt Lake ecosystem. (Tour dates and times are listed below.)
The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is a unique system of salt and fresh water marshes and is a rich feeding ground for tens of thousands of migrating birds, which use the Great Salt Lake as a resting point on their journeys from Canada to points in Central and South America. In fact, some of the largest gatherings of wildlife ever recorded on the Great Salt Lake have been observed at the Preserve.
“The Great Salt Lake is one of the world’s most important migratory bird habitats, and it’s right here in our own backyard,” said Nedreberg. “The Preserve and visitor center are only a 35-minute drive from downtown Salt Lake City—it’s so easy for people to experience this natural treasure.”
The Conservancy’s award-winning visitor center has made access to the Preserve even easier. With a one-mile boardwalk trail, a 30-foot-viewing tower and a suite of educational exhibits, the visitor center allows Utahns of all ages to enter the heart of the wetlands while keeping their feet dry.
TOUR DATES AND TIMES:
All tours begin at the Conservancy’s Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve Visitor Center.
April 19, 9:00 AM – Earth Day Celebration Tour
May 17, 18, 19 – Great Salt Lake Bird Festival Tours: visit www.greatsaltlakebirdfest.com for tour times and registration.
June 14, 8:00 AM – Birding tour and book signing with expert Bill Fenimore
June 28, 8:00 AM – Birding 101 Walk
July 19, 8:00 PM – Dusk to Full Moon Tour
August 23, 9:00 AM – “Back to School” Family Fun Tour
September 20, 9:00 AM – Fall Migration Celebration Tour
October 25, 8:00 PM – Sounds of the Wetlands Night Walk and Storytelling
Space is limited and advance sign-up is required. For more information, call Heidi Nedreberg at (801) 531-0999 or visit www.nature.org/utah.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
|
Join The Nature Conservancy on
Facebook
Flickr
Twitter