9th Annual

Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival

October 12 through 14, 2007

The 9th Annual Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival is scheduled for October 12th through 14th, 2007 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.

Friday October 12th

An opening event will be held the Marathon Garden Club, with dinner, a silent auction, our keynote speaker, and a concert by Grant Livingstone. Admission is $10 in addition to the $15 festival registration fee, and the Saturday field trips (some may require additional fee).

Our keynote speaker is Marc C. Minno, PhD, Senior Regulatory Scientist for the St. Johns River Water Management District in Palatka. Dr. Minno received a Bachelor's degree in entomology from Purdue University, a Master's in entomology from the University of California at Davis, and a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Florida.

He has written or co-authored many scientific and popular articles on butterflies and moths as well as the following books of local interest, Butterflies of the Florida Keys (Scientific Publishers, 1993), Florida Butterfly Gardening (University Press of Florida, 1999), Butterflies through Binoculars: Florida (Oxford University Press, 2001), and Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants (University Press of Florida, 2005).

Field Trips

Several field trips will be available on Friday before the official opening of the Festival.

Time	Additional Fee	Sponsor/Presenter	Description
8 AM - 5 PM	donation accepted	Florida Wild Bird Center	Self guided tour avalable all day
8:30A/12:30P	$50	Florida Bay Outfitters	Three hour kayak trip in Key Largo
9 AM/1 PM	$50	Big Pine Kayak Adventures	Kayak tour from Big Pine
10A/1P/4P	$15	Turtle Hospital	Behind the scenes tour
10A	included	Roland Fisch	Crane Point Hammock tour
1 PM	$15	Dolphin Research Cemter	Special opening presentation, followed by open-ended exploration of the Dolphin Research Center

Saturday October 13

Field Trips

Time	Additional Fee	Sponsor/Presenter	Description
8 AM	included	Phillip Hughes & Stephen Hodges	Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden tour
8 AM - 5 PM	donation accepted	Florida Wild Bird Center	Self guided tour avalable all day
8:30A/12:30P	$50	Florida Bay Outfitters	Three hour kayak trip in Key Largo
8:30 AM	$50	Marathon Kayak	A three hour guided tour along the rarely seen bay side of Curry Hammock State Park
9:00 AM	included	Janice Duquesnel	Join the Curry Hammock State Park biologist for a walk through the hardwood hammock
9 AM/1 PM	$50	Big Pine Kayak Adventures	Kayak tour in Big Pine Key
9 AM	$30	Larry Manfredi	Birding walk through Crane Point Hammock
10A/1P/4P	$15	Turtle Hospital	Behind the scenes tour
10A and 2P	included	Windley Key	Ranger-led hammock tour
1 PM	$15	Dolphin Research Cemter	Special opening presentation, followed by open-ended exploration of the Dolphin Research Center
2 PM	included	Dennis Olle	Butterfly walk at Bahia Honda State Park

Offsite Programs

A series of illustrated lectures will be hosted at the Marathon Public Library. Festival registration is required to attend.

Time	Presenter	Description
12 PM	Dennis Olle	Butterflies of the Keys
1 PM	Brian Mealey	Effects of mercury on bald eagles and osprey
2 PM	Bob Showler	Flamingos
3 PM	Sony Bass	Birds of the Dry Tortugas

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. Admission is free.

Evening Program

Saturday evening Curry Hammock State Park will be open past the usual close of sunset for a concert by Grant Livingston, an astronomy program, and a marshmallow roast for the kids.

Sunday October 14

Special Sunday Field Trip!

On Sunday, join National Park Service biologist Sonny Bass for an all-day birding excursion to Dry Tortugas National Park. This trip boards at 7:30 AM in Key West and returns around 5 PM. Cost is $150, and includes continental breakfast and lunch. Reservations are required. A special rate of $100 is available to Florida Keys residents with valid photo ID.

Field Trips

Check back for details and additonal offerings as they become available.

Time	Additional Fee	Sponsor/Presenter	Description
7:30 AM	$150	Sony Bass	Birding in the Dry Tortugas, details above
8 AM - 5 PM	donation accepted	Florida Wild Bird Center	Self guided tour avalable all day
8:30A/12:30P	$50	Florida Bay Outfitters	Three hour kayak trip in Key Largo
9 AM	included	Mark Whitesides	Birding at Boot Key
9 AM/1 PM	$50	Big Pine Kayak Adventures	Kayak tour from Big Pine
10A/1P/4P	$15	Turtle Hospital	Behind the scenes tour
1 PM	$15	Dolphin Research Cemter	Special opening presentation, followed by open-ended exploration of the Dolphin Research Center

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. Admission is free. The following programs are some of what will be offered during Children's Day. A final schedule will be given on entrance to the park:

Time	Sponsor/Presenter	Description
All Day		Visit the birdhouse! Explore inside the kid-sized birdhouse
All Day		Bird migration - earn prises for following a migration route around the park
All Day		Introduction to birdwatching - walk along a bird discovery trail, and learn to recognize common local birds
TBA		Shoreline walks - learn about the beach ecosystem
11 AM - ?	Home Depot	While supplies last, build a birdhouse.
11 AM and 1 PM	Bahia Honda State Park	A puppet show about seagrass.
noon		Food for the Brood - a family relay race, be the first to feed your family.
12;30 and 2:30 PM	Project Wild
1:30 PM	Switlik Children's Choris	Music