Christmas Bird Count 4 Kids at Olander and Woodlawn
Christmas Bird Count 4 Kids, an extension of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, is an opportunity for families to learn about and document birds. This two day event for children 8 to 16 starts with bird counts on Saturday, January 12th at Olander Park from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and Sunday, January 13th at Woodlawn Cemetery from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The event concludes with the Christmas Bird Count 4 Kids Finale Festival in the Nederhouser Community Hall at Olander Park from 5:00 to 7:30 pm on Sunday, January 13th.
Families can come to one or both bird counts where they will learn from expert birders and become part of a national citizen science program. Each event begins with a binocular and bird identification boot camp before participants take off in teams for 90 minutes of birding. Each team, lead by expert bird guides, will walk a short loop and document the birds they see and hear. Afterwards, the teams will head back inside, grab a hot drink, and share their results with fellow birders and families. After Saturday’s count, Nature’s Nursery will join us in the Hall at 11:30 am with a conservation education program featuring live birds.
The Finale Festival, in the Nederhouser Community Hall, is an evening for families to share stories about their birding experience. Learn our weekend totals as well as the national Christmas Bird Count totals. Hands-on activities, refreshments, and backyard bird feeding displays from Wild Birds Unlimited will be offered at the Finale. Featured speaker Greg Links presents "Birding in NW Ohio" at 6:00 pm. Families will learn how to be a part of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Volunteers will help kids enter their weekend counts onto eBird, a website that collects bird count data from citizen scientists.
CBC 4 Kids was established in Sonoma Valley, CA in 2007, as a way to involve kids and their parents in the 113-year-old citizen science event, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Each citizen scientist who annually braves snow, wind, or rain to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation action.
In 2006, the organizers of the “traditional” Audubon CBC in Sonoma turned away fourteen kids and their discouraged parents. But they made a promise that the next winter they would create an annual, sustainable community birding event focusing on kids ages 8 to16. The program received extensive national coverage, and now CBC 4 Kids is budding up across the U.S., Canada and beyond.
With shared missions to provide the resources, support and education necessary for preservation, The Olander Park System and Woodlawn Cemetery are partnering to bring the CBC4K to our community. We are excited to help local families and kids join others across the country in this national conservation effort.
Historic Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum is a National Historic Site. With more than 160 acres of scenic and rolling hills, Woodlawn, a private, non-profit cemetery, has over 40 acres of burial space available. A public mausoleum, crematory, cremation niches as well as traditional burial plots are open to people of all spiritual beliefs and ethnicities. Public programs, tours and field trips continue the rural cemetery origin mission to share the beauty, natural beauty, and architectural significance of Woodlawn.
The Olander Park System strives to preserve and enhance the educational, historical, natural and recreational benefits of the Sylvania region through parklands, family and community events. Using conservation, preservation , environmentally-friendly practices and energy-efficient techniques to ensure a high quality of life for all area residents.
For more information and to register for these free events please call 419-472-2186, email: [email protected] or visit www.historic-woodlawn.com and www.olanderpark.com
Press Release Contact Name: Patty Toneff
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Press Release Contact Phone: 419-472-2186
Organization Name: Woodlawn Cemetery
Website or Link: historic-woodlawn.com
Organization Address: 1502 West Central Ave., Toledo, OH, 43606