"Gathering of Wings" Banquet & Silent Auction
Saturday, January 28, 2023
5:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Bell Memorial Union Auditorium
CSU, Chico
Corner of 2nd Street and Chestnut Street, Chico, CA
Cost per person: $40 Adult, $30 Youth (17 years and younger) and students with ID
Beer & Wine (no host)
Don’t miss the biggest event of the Snow Goose Festival, our “Gathering of Wings” Banquet. This treasured evening is a mix of great food, great company, and great entertainment and is anticipated by many as the one chance per year they have to visit and catch up with fellow birders and friends in the community. Join field trip leaders, and all our hard-working committee members and volunteers in celebrating this special evening.
Featured Keynote Speaker: Julie Rentner, President, River Partners
Julie Rentner is President of the statewide restoration nonprofit River Partners, where she has secured millions of dollars in state and federal funding to acquire conservation properties and implement multi-benefit floodplain restoration along major California rivers statewide. Julie has developed and led stakeholder processes supporting the integration of flood control and ecosystem enhancement at the regional level, resulting in the development of several on-the-ground multi-benefit projects as well as the creation of the Mid San Joaquin River Regional Flood Management Plan. She joined River Partners in 2008 as a Restoration Ecologist based in the San Joaquin Valley. She completed the California Agricultural Leadership Program in 2015 and serves as President of Reclamation District 2092. She received her BS in Forestry at the University of California, Berkeley and an MS from the University of Hawaii, Manoa in Natural Resources and Environmental Management.
Keynote Address: “Our Decade of Restoration—the Power of Collaboration in Creating a Thriving Future for California’s Environment, Communities”
Mega droughts and wildfires, Katrina-level floods, deadly heat waves, depleted groundwater, sinking farmland, and wildlife extinction. The scale of these and other challenges mean California has a lot of work to do, and right away, to keep the state vibrant. This work must be done together. California, the nation, and the world have reached a tipping point requiring an unprecedented, “all hands-on deck” approach to building a thriving future for all. Together, we’ve created the pressing challenges before us—such as accelerating climate change—and, together, we’ll have to fix them. The good news is that over the last 25 years, River Partners and its diverse allies have proven time and time again the power of collaborative conservation in bringing life back to California’s vital riverways, crucial migratory corridors for birds, and communities. Ms. Rentner will share some of the many hopeful examples from across the state of how government, private-sector, nonprofit, scientific, and other interests are coming together under the banner of collaboration to build a resilient future for California, its unparalleled ecosystems, and people.
Silent Auction
Silent auction begins at 5:30 pm
The Silent Auction tables will accompany us while we dine at the BMU and will include a variety of exquisite items including works of art, wine, and services. Your financial participation directly affects our ability to ensure that the Snow Goose Festival remains the North State's premier birding event, so enjoy the evening bidding for an event or item that you love. You won't be disappointed!