The public is invited to attend the eleventh annual Bald
Eagle Awareness Days shows on February 20 at the Game, Fish and Parks Outdoor
Campus Theater in Sioux Falls and
February 21 and 22 in Pierre.
On Thursday, February 20 a birds of prey program will be
held at the Outdoor Campus Theatre in Sioux
Falls (4500
S. Oxbow Ave) beginning at 7:00
pm. On Friday, February 21, the Pierre Mall will
host a birds of prey program beginning at 6:30
p.m. in the Mall
Center Court. Additional
programs will be held on Saturday, February 22 at the Pierre Ramkota Inn-Best
Western in Theatre II, in conjunction with the KCCR Farm, Home and Sport Show.
Saturday’s shows begin at 10:30
a.m., 12:30
p.m., and 2
p.m. All Bald Eagle Awareness Days shows
are free to the public.
The programs will feature several live birds of prey and
will be conducted by The Raptor Center, located at the University of Minnesota.
People attending will learn how these birds became injured and can observe the
unique traits of raptors. Special activities will be available for younger
children during the Saturday programs.
There will also be an opportunity to attend an eagle
viewing tour near the Oahe Dam along Campgrounds #1 and #2. State vans will
leave the Ramkota Inn at 3:30
p.m. to travel along an eagle-viewing route
established below Oahe Dam. Reservations are requested, and participants must
sign a waiver form. People who would like to reserve a seat on one of the
eagle-viewing vans should contact Doug Backlund at 605-773-4345 or email
doug.backlund@state.sd.us by
February 14. Volunteers will be on hand to provide spotting scopes to assist
with eagle and other raptor viewing.
Bald Eagle Awareness Days activities will also include
presentations on Friday, February 21 for students from Kennebec Middle
School and Lower Brule Elementary
School. A presentation at
the SD Discovery Center & Aquarium will also be held Friday afternoon.
Bald Eagle Awareness Days celebrates its eleventh year of
entertainment and education emphasizing the need for conservation and
appreciation of bald eagles and other birds of prey. These annual events are a
joint effort by local organizations, merchants and conservation agencies to
increase public involvement and awareness about bald eagles and other birds of
prey. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
For more information about Bald Eagle Awareness Days,
visit our internet site at:
http://www.state.sd.us/doa/das/bead/beadmenu.htm or contact Alison Squires
with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture at 605-773-4432 or
1-800-228-5254.
