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20th Annual Snow Goose Festival: January 23-27, 2019
Overview

The Wild and Winged Wonders at the 2019 Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway in Chico, CA, was another success, although some unforeseen challenges occurred along the way

With exceptional sunny winter days all during the festival, attendees viewed and got up close and personal with the geese, ducks, cranes, herons, egrets, ibis, swans, songbirds, and raptors in all their natural splendor.

Birding memories were made that will last a lifetime. People got outside and connected with birds and met other birders. Families and youth experienced time together with the greater natural world and the wonders of birds. They found a new passion like no other, Birds & Birding!

Here are some highlights of the 2019 Snow Goose Festival:

  • 163 bird species sighted or heard
  • Record sightings of Bald Eagles
  • Live raptors from The Center for Reconnecting with Nature and West Coast Falconry
  • Special exhibits and displays including “Skins & Skulls” and “Live Bats”
  • A free showing of a film by a local photographer and videographer, “Birds in Sacramento Valley’s Winter Wetlands”
  • An exhibition at the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology, CSUC, called “Remarkable Lives: The Intertwined Worlds of Birds and Humans,” which continues until September 2019
  • The spectacular Snow Goose Festival Wildlife Art Exhibition at the Museum of Northern California Art (monca) with juried art selections and a special showing of 12 award-winning National Audubon Society photos of 2018
  • A superb silent auction at our “Gathering of Wings” banquet
  • The lively keynote presentation by David Wimpfheimer, who introduced all who attended the banquet to the richness and diverse habitats of Point Reyes and the Farallon Islands, a true mecca for birds and birders

During the planning of the 20th Snow Goose Festival, the destructive Camp Fire started on November 8, 2018, and destroyed the town of Paradise along with parts of Magalia, Concow, and Butte Creek Canyon, forever changing many lives. Several from the Snow Goose family of volunteers, leaders, friends, and groups were affected, and some lost everything.

Many asked us if the festival was going to be canceled. That thought was considered, but not for long. We decided that people would look forward to something normal that brings the community together, something fun and positive. So off we soared and made this 20th year of the Snow Goose Festival magical.


A special story also needs to be told here

Artist Stephanie Korschun of Sasquatch Designs, who sold her remarkable T-shirts at past Snow Goose Festivals, left this world in 2014 due to cancer. Her partner, Don, had boxes of unsold T-shirts and heard about the Camp Fire near Chico. His wish—and he knew it would be hers, too—was to donate all her inventory to the Snow Goose Festival and have the money from the sales go to help fire victims. Laura and Mike Fisher, who knew her, gladly sold her shirts during the festival, and the funds went to SafeSpace, which helped provide winter shelter for victims.

Artist Stephanie Korschun, Sasquatch Designs