The 8th Annual Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival is scheduled for Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 2006 and will be anchored at Curry Hammock State Park, MM 56.2, Marathon, FL. Additional information is available by calling the Key Deer Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 305-872-0774 or Curry Hammock State Park at 305-289-2690. *Some activities below have limited space and require reservations, these may be made by calling 305-852-4486. Participation in most field trips requires registration.

The schedule of events is still evolving, more events are being added, so check back frequently for updates.

Friday September 29

An opening event will be held at the Marathon Garden Club, with hors d'oeuvres at 6:00 PM, followed at 7:00 PM by our keynote speaker. Admission included in the $15 registration fee, which also includes a goodie bag and a Festival T-shirt, and the Saturday field trips (some may require additional fee).

	Our keynote speaker is Kenneth D. Meyer, PhD, Executive Director of nonprofit Avian Research and Conservation Institute in Gainesville, Florida. He has directed research in Florida, Georgia, Mexico, Belize, and Brazil on the nesting and wintering ecology, habitat selection, demography, migration, and conservation biology of several
species of birds, including Swallow-tailed Kites, Short-tailed Hawks, White-crowned Pigeons, Wood Storks, Jabiru Storks, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, and the birds of south Florida's pineland communities. Dr. Meyer's talk is entitled "Ecology of Short-tailed Hawks and White-crowned Pigeons in southern Florida: Challenges for protecting two species of critical conservation concern".

Saturday September 30

Field Trips

Time	Additional Fee	Sponsor/Presenter	Description
All Day	Free	Florida Keys Wild Bird Center	Tour the Wild Bird Center in Tavernier. No reservations needed.
8 AM	$125	Bill Keogh	4 hour backcountry tour in a 24 foot skiff, Big Pine Key. Reservations*
8:30 AM	$15	Marathon Kayak	2 1/2 hour backcountry tour of Curry Hammock State Park. Reservations*.
9 AM	$50	Bill Keogh	3 hour backcountry kayak tour, Big Pine Key. Reservations*
9 AM	Included	Florida Park Service	Join the Curry Hammock State Park Biologist for an informative walk through the hammock, with emphasis on how birds use the native flora. Reservations*.
9 AM	$7	Key West Botanical Garden	A tour through the only frost-free botanical gardens in the continental US. Reservations*.
9AM	Included	Dr. Mark Whiteside	Birding walk on Boot Key. Reservations*.
9 AM	Included	Mote Marine Lab	Marine Ecology Program at Winley Key Fossil Reef Geologic State Park. Reservations*.
9:30 AM	Included	Marine Resources Development Foundation	Interactive Coral Reef Ecology Program at Winley Key Fossil Reef Geologic State Park. Reservations*.
10 AM	Included	Steve Klett	Key Largo's Endangered Species Program at Winley Key Fossil Reef Geologic State Park. Reservations*.
10 AM	$15	The Turtle Hospital	A behind-the-scenes look at a sea turtle rehabilitation facility. Reservations*.
Noon	Included	Crocodile Lakes National Wildlife Refuge	Walk withSteve Klett through the refuge. Reservations*.
1 PM	$50	Bill Keogh	3 hour backcountry kayak tour, Big Pine Key. Reservations*.
2 PM	donations suggested	Marine Resources Development Council	3 hour guided snorkle trip. Reservations*.
TBA	Included	Roland Fisch	Bahia State Park birding and botanizing. Reservations*.

* Some activities have limited space and require reservations, these may be made by calling 305-852-4486.

Environmental Fair

Curry Hammock will be the site of an Environmental Fair from 10 AM until 4 PM. There will be booths manned by many local environmental groups and agencies, as well as vendor booths. Contact the Park Office at 305-289-2690 for admission information. The following programs are some of what will be offered during the fair:

Time	Sponsor/Presenter	Description
all day	Hawkwatch International	Visit with observers from Hawkwatch as they continue their two month long census of migrating raptors passing Curry Hammock State Park on their way south.
all day	Southern Cross Astonomical Society	Safe solar observing.
11 AM - 3 PM	Friends of Islamorada Area State Parks	Food anddrinks available for a nominal fee.
11 AM	Jim Bell	Endangered Species
11:30 AM	Kim Gabel	What's Bugging My Plants?
noon	Florida Park Service	Landscaping with native plants to benefit the environment.
12:30	Dee Lloyd	Cavity Box
1 PM	Dennis Olle	South Florida Butterflies
1:30 PM	Kim Gabel	What's Bugging My Plants?
2 PM	Kelly Grinter	Wild Bird Rescue
on the hour	Joy Tatgenhorst	Shoreline walks

Evening Program

Saturday evening Curry Hammock State Park will be open past the usual close of sunset. There will be astronomical viewing by the Southern Cross Astronomical Society, songs by Grant Livingston at 6:30 and 8:30PM, and a marshmallow roast for the kids.

Sunday October 1

Children's Day Curry Hammock will be the site of a Children's Environmental Fair from 10 AM until 4 PM. There will be booths manned by many local environmental groups and agencies, as well as vendor booths. Contact the Park Office at 305-289-2690 for admission information. The following programs are some of what will be offered during Children's Day:

Time	Sponsor/Presenter	Description
all day	Florida Park Service	Landscaping with native plants to benefit the environment.
all day	Dee Lloyd	Cavity Box
all day	Joy Tatgenhorst	Shoreline walks
10 AM	Project WILD	Oh Deer!
10 and 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM	Project Hope	The puppet show "Tippy's Flight", a story of animals, kids, and hurricanes.
10 AM - 3 PM continuous		Visit the birdhouse
10AM to 3PM, every 30 minutes		Beginning Birding Trail
11AM, 12:30, 2, and 3 PM	Orienteering	Kids earn a prize for following a migration path around the park.
11 AM until supplies run out	Home Depot	Kids get to build their own birdhouse
11 AM	Alison Higgens	Invasive Exotics
11:30 AM	Grant Livingston	A family-oriented musical performance
noon		Food for the Brood Race
1 PM	Dolphin Research Center	Dolphin Show and Tell