· Great Backyard Bird Count - Count for Fun, Count for the Future!
· Deadline Approaching Fast for Fort Sisseton Festival Vendor Applicants
Great Backyard Bird Count - Count for Fun, Count for the Future!
PIERRE, S.D.--The Great Backyard Bird Count returns this weekend. Millions of novice and accomplished bird watchers can make their love of nature add up for science and for the future during the 11th annual count, led by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
During Presidents Day weekend, anyone can count birds wherever they are and enter their count at www.birdcount.org. These reports create a real-time picture of where birds are across the continent and contribute valuable information for science and conservation.
Participants from 46 South Dakota communities plus the Black Hills National Forest participated in the 2007 count, reporting a total of 96 species. The most commonly reported bird species were the house sparrow, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, American goldfinch and black-capped chickadee. The most numerous birds reported by South Dakota counters were the Canada goose, American goldfinch, horned lark, mallard and house sparrow.
Everyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to seasoned experts. During the count, bird watchers tally up birds for as little as 15 minutes, or for as long as they like, keeping track of the highest number of each bird species they see together at one time.
People are encouraged to report birds from public lands and local parks, as well as from their backyards. Participants enter their numbers online at www.birdcount.org and can explore sightings maps, lists, and charts as the count progresses. There is no fee to participate as you Count for Fun, Count for the Future.
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PIERRE, S.D. - Vendors interested in having a booth at the 2008 Fort Sisseton Historical Festival have until April 1 to submit an application. Applications are available for arts and crafts vendors, food vendors and rendezvous vendors. The 31st annual festival is scheduled for June 6, 7, and 8, 2008.
Arts and crafts vendors are encouraged to demonstrate the skills that go into making their items. Food vendors are given the option of a full-menu major food booth or a one-menu item specialty food booth. All arts and crafts and food booths are outdoor spaces.
For those who sell and make authentic historical items, the V. M. Starr Rendezvous at the Fort Sisseton Festival provides a unique marketplace for their goods. Vendors in the rendezvous camp are required to keep the historical theme by limiting merchandise sold and displayed to only historically appropriate items. Other items, such as clothing, lodges, display racks and cooking fires must also be period correct, reminiscent of a 1840s Plains rendezvous.
While some booths are open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., many others open earlier and remain open well into the evening.
For more information on the Fort Sisseton Historical Festival or for a vendor application, please contact Fort Sisseton Historic Park at (605) 448-5474. For additional information on South Dakota state parks and recreation areas, visit the state parks Web site at www.SDparks.info.
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