By Jeremy Schwartz
More Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival news!
Jeff and I will be hosting a discussion panel as part of the main event festivities on March 16! The topic: how to get more people into this crazy hobby we call birding.
I’ll serve as emcee for an all-star panel of bird nerds during The Bird is the Word: Spreading the Word About Birding panel from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Blaine Performing Arts center in beautiful Blaine, Washington. With help from the lead festival organizer, we’ve wrangled the following participants:
Pam Borso
Pam is the current Education chair and is immediate past president of the North Cascades Audubon Society. She also just completed and attained certification as a Washington Native Plant Society Plant Steward. The North Cascades Audubon Society is one of the sponsors of the Wings Over Water festival.
Hannah Buschert
Hannah has worked in restoration and habitat management in Washington state, as a park ranger in Oregon and Texas, and a statewide birding and wildlife trail coordinator in Florida. She’s also co-host of the birding podcast Hannah and Erik Go Birding (a favorite at Backyard Birding HQ), with her husband, Erik.
Holly Roger
Holly is program coordinator and a mentor at Wild Whatcom, an outdoor experience and mentorship organization dedicated to connecting children to nature. Holly has worked in outdoor education for more than 20 years as a camp counselor, director, and coordinator for children’s nature camps across Washington state.
These three will join Backyard Birding’s own Jeff Morgenroth discussing the following questions:
How does birding enrich your life?
What are the best ways to spread the word about birding?
How can we get younger people into birding?
Why is birding important?
What impact does it have (and can it have) on the world as a whole?
There will also be time for audience discussion and questions at the end. If you’re planning to attend the Wings Over Water festival (and really, why wouldn’t you be if you’re reading this), be sure not to miss this panel!