The 14th Annual Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival will take place the weekend of April 30 through May 6, 2008. Sequoia National Forest personnel coordinate the free exhibit fair in Circle Park, Kernville on Saturday May 3rd, only (contact Wendy Rannals: 760-376-3781 ext. 697 for information about Circle Park only).

Saturday and Sunday, AUDUBON-CALIFORNIA'S Kern River Preserve in Weldon, hosts numerous free events including bird walks led by KERNCREST AUDUBON SOCIETY volunteers, bird banding with the Southern Sierra Research Station, and information booths and exhibits located in the large, shaded front yard of Preserve Headquarters. All day, fee, birding and natural history field trips with expert leaders are offered Wednesday-Tuesday, April 30 - May 6.

Special Guests : Friday evening Keynote Speaker: Bob Steele - nationally renown Bird Photographer, editor/major photo contributor selected National Geographic books; Saturday Keynote Speaker: John Muir Laws, author/illustrator "The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada"; John Schmitt - Internationally renowned Wildlife Artist - 2008 BioFest Artist, Field Trip Leader; Charlotte Goodson, Children's Story Teller

Trip Leaders: Larry Allen, Bob Barnes; field trip coordinator, Bill Bouton, Gary File, Ernie Flores, Joe Fontaine, Mary Freeman, Nick Freeman, Wes Fritz, Fred Heath, Fletcher Linton, Dan Lockshaw, Bruce Lockway (navigator), Michael McQuerrey, Linda Oberholtzer, Gary Potter, Roy Poucher, Mike Prather, Jim Royer, John Schmitt, Alison Sheehey, Steve Sosensky, Bob Steele, Susan Steele, John Sterling, Lee Sutton, Reed Tollefson, John Wilson.

Workshop Leaders: Darrell Barnes, Bill Foster, Birdie Foster, Marya Miller, Matt Reiter, Southern Sierra Research, Reed Tollefson, Carol Wermuth, Chuck White.

PHOTO CONTEST: Enter our 2nd Annual Nature Festival Photo Contest for prestige and a ribbon. See our contest entry page for official rules. Final judging at Friday and Saturday evening's nature festival dinners and programs. Awards on Saturday night.

2008 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

WEDNESDAY, April 30th

View Field Trips in Depth to see which other trips may be offered

THURSDAY, May 1st

View Field Trips in Depth to see which other trips may be offered

TRIP FULL!!! NEW in 2008!!!!! 5:30am-4pm/5pm. Little Lake & Owens Lake Birding w. Mike Prather. Much of the history and geology of the Owens Valley will be shared during the day’s outing. Look forward to observing many birds and experiencing the awesome vertical relief of the Eastern Sierra. All participants will receive an Eastern Sierra Birding Trail map. Leave at 5:30am via carpool from the Audubon’s Sprague Ranch parking lot alongside Fay Ranch Road, 1.6 miles north of Hwy. 178 in Weldon. Bring food & drink to last all day. FEE: $40.

FRIDAY, May 2nd

View Field Trips in Depth to see which other trips may be offered

TRIP FULL!!! NEW in 2008!!!!! 5:30am-4pm/5pm. Little Lake & Owens Lake Birding w. Mike Prather. Much of the history and geology of the Owens Valley will be shared during the day’s outing. Look forward to observing many birds and experiencing the awesome vertical relief of the Eastern Sierra. All participants will receive an Eastern Sierra Birding Trail map. Leave at 5:30am via carpool from the Audubon’s Sprague Ranch parking lot alongside Fay Ranch Road, 1.6 miles north of Hwy. 178 in Weldon. Bring food & drink to last all day. FEE: $40.

5 pm - 6:30 pm. Catered Deep Pit Barbeque Dinner (vegetarian option available upon request). Join us for dinner as we share 2008 Nature Festival experiences and socialize with Festival participants and community guests. Location: South Fork Middle School, 5225 Kelso Valley Road, Weldon (No host gathering 5 - 5:30 pm, food served buffet style at 5:30 pm sharp). Cost: $20: includes dinner, taxes, tip, evening program and door prizes). 

• 6:30 pm-7:45 pm - Evening Program. $10 at the door if only attending the program.

• Highlights of the 2008 Nature Festival

• Drawings for prizes.

• PROGRAM: Warblers of the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada by Bob Steele

Bob Steele, a resident of Kern County, works as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Navy. Bob has been involved in birding and bird photography for over 20 years. He has traveled around the country and to Costa Rica and Australia to photograph the few species not available in this area. He is one of the country's best nature photographers and an accomplished author as well.

He has photographed over 500 species of birds, many location and habitat photos, and images of local flowers, butterflies, and dragonflies. Bob's equipment has grown from great film cameras to the latest digital cameras. In addition to Friday nights program, Bob will be giving two workshops on Saturday on bird photography.

His numerous credits include: photo researcher and major contributor for National Geographic "Birding Essentials", "Find it Here" feature article April 2003 Birding magazine, Birding, Birder's World Magazine, North American Birds, Audubon Watch List, Kern River Courier, New York Times, WildBird Magazine, National Geographic Books, Studies in Avian Biology, Western Birds, and many others.

SATURDAY, May 3rd

View Field Trips at a Glance to see which other trips may be offered

7 am-10 am+. Basic Bird Photography Workshop with Bob Steele. Learn how to set-up natural habitat shots to photograph birds in a semi-controlled setting. Get tips and techniques for using your camera more effectively. Minimum equipment requirements: Digital or Film SLR camera, 300mm lens, teleconverter. Meet at Kern River Preserve Headquarters in Weldon. See Bob Steele's website. FEE: $30.

7 am - Noon. Bird Banding Demonstration at Kern River Preserve. Join the Southern Sierra Research Station to learn how banding is used to conserve birds, listen to the heartbeat of a bird and otherwise observe birds up close & personal. Observers may release birds after they are banded but otherwise this is a show and tell event not a hands on workshop. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

8 am - 10 am. Spring Nature Run 10K/ 5K. Start from Whiskey Flat Trailhead, Burlando Road, Kernville. This event takes walkers and runners along the historic Whiskey Flat trail 10K runners will cross two log bridges on the Whiskey Flat Trail. A fundraiser to help Run-4-A-Way, a local non-profit organization, Kernville.

8 am - 1:30 pm. Southern Sierra Geology. Geologist Joe Fontaine returns to conduct his immensely popular geology field trip. This geological transect will interpret millions of years of the Sierra Nevada. See metasedimentary rocks, granite batholith, and limestone dikes along several stops along Sierra Way from the Kern Canyon north of Kernville to the South Fork Valley near Weldon. Joe will reveal the story told by the exposed soils and rocks at each stop. Leave from Riverside Park, across from Riverside One Stop (Shell gas station) in Kernville. Bring food & drink to last until 1:30pm. Trip Limit. FEE: $30 (includes detailed booklet).

8 am - 2 pm. Rare Plants of the Kern River Watershed. The southern Sierra Nevada is a floristic melting pot between the Central Valley and the Mojave Desert and also between the High Sierra and the Southern California Mountains. This confluence of diverse floras creates a high density of rare endemic plants and many interesting plant communities. Fletcher Linton, Sequoia National Forest Botanist will lead a trip on a trip to rare plant locations. Possible flowers in bloom include: Shirley Meadows Star Tulip, Piute Mountain. Jewelflower, Kern Canyon Clarkia, Kern Canyon Larkspur, Alkali Mariposa Lily, and  Pygmy Poppy. There will be a discussion of the ecology of the Piute Mtn Cypress while in Sequoia National Forest's Piute Cypress botanical area. Meet at Riverside Park across from Riverside One Stop (Shell gas station), Kernville. Carpool. FEE: $20.

9 am - 11 am. Kern River Preserve Bird Walk. A Kerncrest Audubon Society volunteer will lead this walk through a portion of California’s largest Fremont cottonwood and red willow riparian forest; a Globally Important Bird Area. Kern River Preserve Headquarters is the best place to study hummingbirds as they visit feeders in the yard. This trip will include a visit to the bird banding station. Meet at the Festival Information table at Kern River Preserve Headquarters in Weldon. Beginners welcome! FREE

9 am - 11 am. Habitat enhancements and stewardship at the Kern River Preserve. Join Preserve manager Reed Tollefson on a hike around the restoration sites of the Kern River Preserve. Learn about the ongoing efforts of habitat improvements and exotic plant removal that has contributed to greater numbers of nesting species of birds. Meet at the Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE

9 am - 3 pm. An Introduction to Kern River Valley Spring Butterflies. The Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada is such a great area for butterflies that the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) will hold their 8th Biennial National Meeting here June 26-29, 2008, the first time this meeting has been held in California. Get a head start at this year's Spring Nature Festival by joining butterfly experts Bill Bouton and Fred Heath on visits to South Fork Valley and Erskine Creek hotspots to look for some of the Kern River Valley's most beautiful and rare butterflies. Butterfly species which have been known to fly in late April include the Western Tiger Swallowtail, Western Pygmy-Blue (the world's smallest butterfly), and California Sister (Erskine Creek). The San Emigdio Blue and Alkali Skipper may be flying, butterflies which are rare enough that people from around the world come to the Kern River Valley to see them. Although this field trip is especially designed to introduce participants to butterflies, anyone is welcome, from beginner through expert. Leave at 9am via carpool from the Audubon’s Sprague Ranch parking lot alongside Fay Ranch Road, 1.6 miles north of Hwy. 178 in Weldon. Binoculars are helpful. Bring food & drink to last until 3pm. FEE: $20.

9 am - 5 pm. Kern River Preserve Festival Headquarters. Kern River Preserve, Weldon: Children’s activities, Information, Educational & Interactive Exhibits, Field Trip Departures, Live animals, and more. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE (Donations welcome).

Vendors: Audubon California, Bureau of Land Management - Ridgecrest, CNPS Kern County Chapter, Children's Activities, Friends of the Kern River Preserve, HerpEcology, Kern Audubon Society, Kern River Parkway Foundation, Kern River Valley Birding, Kerncrest Audubon Society, Nevada Birding: Wildly Unexpected, Sequoia Forest Keepers, Southern Sierra Research Station, Spring Wings Bird Festival (Fallon, Nevada)

9:30 am - Noon. Musical Entertainment "Mama's Mid-Life Crisis" Circle Park, Kernville - Bakersfield's premiere all-woman, mostly Irish quartet, play with originality and a dash of attitude. (And why shouldn't they? They all still have their day jobs.) Members are: Nancy Sharp on mandolin, fiddle, and high and low whistles; Jill Egland on flute, high and low whistles, accordion, and bodhran; Georgann Greene on fiddle; and Teresa McFarland on 6-string guitar. They take traditional Celtic tunes, add a dash of jazz and rock, find the sweet spot between the old and new, then stir it all up with playfulness and an exquisite sense of musicality. FREE (Donations welcome).

10 am - 10:30 am. Southwestern Pond Turtle Demonstration. Learn about the Kern River Preserve's preservation efforts for this rare species. Darrell Barnes will talk about turtle biology and share photos and videos of the project. Question and answer session to follow. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE (Donations welcome).

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Archie Logsdon. LIVE MUSIC with Archie Logsdon, folksinger and environmental activist. Bring your folding chair or blanket and sit down and enjoy. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE.

10 am - 4 pm. Children’s Activities at the Kern River Preserve. Charlotte Goodson Nature crafts, storytelling, live snakes & frogs. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

10 am - 4 pm. Kern Valley Museum. Visit the excellent museum run by the Kern Valley Historical Society and learn about the Valley’s fascinating history: Native Americans, gold mining, farming & ranching, lumbering, and western movies (John Wayne, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Humphrey Bogart). Art gallery and gift shop. Located at 49 Big Blue Road (1 short block from Circle Park). FREE (Donations welcome).

10 am - 4 pm. Live Native Amphibians & Reptiles. Educational presentations throughout the day by Herp-Ecology. On display will be a wide variety of California reptiles and amphibians. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE

10 am - 4 pm. Paiute Nuui Cunni Cultural Center (Native American) French Gulch, Wofford Heights. Meaning "our house" in Piute/Shoshone, the Nuui Cunni Cultural Center is a place of renewal and gathering for local Native peoples. Language, crafts and many tribal programs take place here. Open to the public are exhibits of Native American art, a reference library and a friendly staff that can help explain the history and living traditions of the Kern Valley's original People. Gift Shop. Located south of Kernville in the French Gulch Campground. For more information, call (760) 549-0800. FREE (Donations welcome).

10 am - 4 pm. Official United States Postal Service Kern Valley Spring Nature Festival Postal Station, Kern River Preserve, Weldon. Steve Kenton, Weldon Postmaster, has once again arranged to set up an official USPS postal station at the Kern River Preserve offering Special Festival Cancellation, stamped envelopes. These stamped envelopes are the "real deal" and may be purchased for the price of a first class stamp. They may be used for first class mailings over the following month or added to collectors' stamp collections. Collectors from all over the world have contacted Steve to order Kern Valley Festival special cancellations from past years' festivals. You may also order and purchase envelopes with this year's Spring Nature Festival cancellation from Steve during regular hours at the Weldon Post Office. Contact Steve for the exact time period for picking up your order. Kern River Preserve Headquarters

10 am - 4 pm. CIRCLE PARK FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS, Circle Park, Kernville: Information, Educational & Interactive Exhibits. Informational displays, live animals, music, and more. Non-profit organizations, agencies, artists, and photographers will be among those with booths set up throughout the town’s Circle Park. Check at the information booth for any additions. FREE.

Circle Park Vendors: Al Robbins Herpetological Society, Avian and Wilderness Art, Buena Vista Group Sierra Club, Bureau of Land Management, Children's Activities, Fire Defensible Space, Kern County Waste Management, Kerncrest Audubon Society, Mama's Mid-life Crisis, Optics for Birding, Rainey Day Studios, Sequoia Forest Keepers, Sequoia National Forest, Suzanne Rannals face-painting, Wandering Tattler, Winged Escape

11 am - noon. Native Plant Gardening Workshop. Marya Miller, local gardening columnist and native plant expert will talk about how to use native plants in your garden. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Out of the Blue. LIVE MUSIC from Pat Seamount, Mike Gallagher and Terry Harris with “Out of the Blue” Kern Valley favorites will play acoustic folk, Irish, and traditional songs to delight the crowds. Bring your folding chair or blanket and sit down to enjoy this talented trio. Although this concert is FREE, Pat, Mike, and Terry intend that this is a fundraiser on behalf of the Kern River Preserve and the Nature Festival so donations are heartily welcome. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE.

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm. GPS Workshop with Matt Reiter. Do you have a GPS unit that you don't know how to work? Join the Kern River Preserve's Land Steward and Doctoral Candidate in a lesson on using GPS, creating waypoints and mapping with the unit. Several temporary GEO-CACHES will be placed around the preserve, in a find and seek exercise. Plan on a little hiking after the lecture portion. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Robbie the Piper and the Out of Kilters. Robbie McRobinson and his local cohorts, Georgie and Bob Bergeron, and Jackie Smith have been entertaining at the Preserve for several years. They will be remembered from the Vulture Festival in 2003 where they introduced the Band “Rob the Piper with Carrion Luggage”. The Band features an eclectic mix of singing, recorder, mandolin, guitar and drum playing to accompany Irish, folk, and blues tunes. This year, Robbie in full Scotch regalia will be joined by the same gang in traditional garb. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm. Nature Walk. Learn about the plants, trees, birds and animals that are all part of the Kern River Preserve. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - LIVE MUSIC Jam with various local artists. Open Jam w/Jay Barush, Paul Webb, Jason O’Donnell, Lottie Angelsea, Pat Seamount, Terry Harris, other drop in artists and the remains of Carrion Luggage. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE.

3 pm-5 pm+, Advanced Bird Photography Workshop with Bob Steele. Learn how to photograph birds in flight. This workshop will take place along the shore of Isabella reservoir. Gulls will be the target species. Minimum equipment requirements: Digital or Film SLR camera, 300mm lens, teleconverters, flash (not required, but suggested). Meet at Kissack Cove in Mountain Mesa just inside the westernmost entrance (where the speed limit changes). See Bob Steele's website. FEE: $30.

5 pm - 6:30 pm Catered Barbecue Chicken Dinner (vegetarian option available upon request). Join us for dinner as we share 2008 Nature Festival experiences and socialize with Festival participants and community guests. Location: South Fork Middle School, 5225 Kelso Valley Road, Weldon (No host gathering 5 - 5:30 pm, food served buffet style at 5:30 pm sharp). Cost: $20: includes dinner, taxes, tip, evening program and door prizes). 

• NEW IN 2008!!! 6:30 pm-7:45pm - John Muir Laws - An Evening Exploring the Natural World of the Sierra Nevada from this amazing artist and author's eyes. Evening Program. $10 at the door if only attending the program.

• Highlights of the 2008 Nature Festival

• Drawings for prizes

• PROGRAM: Exploring the Natural World of the Sierra Nevada

Naturalist, educator and artist John (Jack) Muir Laws delights in exploring the natural world and sharing this love with others. He has worked as an environmental educator for over 25 years in California, Wyoming, and Alaska. He is trained as a wildlife biologist and is an associate of the California Academy of Sciences. His illustrations capture the feeling of the living plant or animal, while also including details critical for identification.

His most recent book, The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada, is an illustrated field guide to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals and is beautifully illustrated with 2,710 original watercolor paintings. This comprehensive and easy to use guide allows botanists to identify the insects that come to their flowers, birders to identify the trees in which the birds perch, or hikers to identify the stars overhead at night. Jack will present an illustrated lecture about the natural history of the Sierra Nevada, and the process of creating a field guide.

He will also bring original illustrations that have been painted in the field. In the summer of 2004, Laws published Sierra Birds: a Hiker's Guide. He is also a regular contributor to Bay Nature magazine with his "Naturalists Notebook" column. He is currently coordinating efforts to create a curriculum to tie the field guide to the State of California education standards and secure funding to donate sets of field guides to every elementary and high school in the Sierra Nevada and teaching field sketching and natural history classes throughout the state.
http://www.johnmuirlaws.com/

TRIP FULL!!! NEW in 2008!!!!! 6pm-Conclusion. All Night Owling on Breckenridge Mountain. Try for Flammulated, Western Screech, Northern Pygmy, Spotted, and Northern Saw-whet Owls. Look to hear or see as many of the nesting owl species found in the Kern River watershed in early May as time and energy permits. Unless the weather is disastrous this trip gives a “best chance” of seeing and/or hearing many species. Meet at the Lake Isabella Park-and-Ride located just northwest of the junction of CA State Hwy. 155 and CA State Hwy. 178 in Lake Isabella at 5:45pm. Return will be as late as Sunday morning. FEE: $60.

SUNDAY, May 4th

View Field Trips in Depth to see which other trips may be offered

7 am - Noon. Bird Banding Demonstration at Kern River Preserve. Join the Southern Sierra Research Station to learn how banding is used to conserve birds, listen to the heartbeat of a bird and otherwise observe birds up close & personal. Observers may release birds after they are banded but otherwise this is a show and tell event not a hands on workshop. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

9 am - 10 am. Falconry Workshop. Bill Foster, KRP volunteer and expert hawk handler will demonstrate the ancient art of falconry. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

9am - 11am. Kern River Preserve Bird Walk. A Kerncrest Audubon Society volunteer will lead this walk through a portion of California’s largest Fremont cottonwood and red willow riparian forest; a Globally Important Bird Area. Kern River Preserve Headquarters is the best place to study hummingbirds as they visit feeders in the yard. This trip will include a visit to the bird banding station. Meet at the Festival Information table at Kern River Preserve Headquarters in Weldon. Beginners welcome! FREE

9am-3pm. An Introduction to Kern River Valley Spring Butterflies. The Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada is such a great area for butterflies that the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) will hold their 8th Biennial National Meeting here June 26-29, 2008, the first time this meeting has been held in California. Get a head start at this year's Spring Nature Festival by joining butterfly experts Bill Bouton and Fred Heath on visits to South Fork Valley and Erskine Creek hotspots to look for some of the Kern River Valley's most beautiful and rare butterflies. Butterfly species which have been known to fly in late April include the Western Tiger Swallowtail, Western Pygmy-Blue (the world's smallest butterfly), and California Sister (Erskine Creek). The San Emigdio Blue and Alkali Skipper may be flying, butterflies which are rare enough that people from around the world come to the Kern River Valley to see them. Although this field trip is especially designed to introduce participants to butterflies, anyone is welcome, from beginner through expert. Leave at 9am via carpool from the Audubon’s Sprague Ranch parking lot alongside Fay Ranch Road, 1.6 miles north of Hwy. 178 in Weldon. Binoculars are helpful. Bring food & drink to last until 3pm. FEE: $20.

9 am - 5 pm. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. Kern River Preserve, Weldon: Children’s activities, Information, Educational & Interactive Exhibits, Field Trip Departures, Live animals, and more. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE (Donations welcome).

Vendors: Audubon California, Buena Vista Group Sierra Club, Bureau of Land Management, CNPS Kern County Chapter, Children's Activities, FACT, Friends of the Kern River Preserve, HerpEcology, Kern River Parkway Foundation, Kern River Valley Birding, Kerncrest Audubon Society, Nevada Birding: Wildly Unexpected, Optics for Birding, Sequoia Forest Keepers, Southern Sierra Research Station, Spring Wings Bird Festival (Fallon, Nevada), Tule Elk Reserve, Windwolves Preserve

10 am - 10:30 am. Southwestern Pond Turtle Demonstration. Learn about the Kern River Preserve's preservation efforts for this rare species. Darrell Barnes will talk about turtle biology and share photos and videos of the project. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE (Donations welcome).

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Archie Logsdon. LIVE MUSIC with Archie Logsdon, folksinger and environmental activist. Bring your folding chair or blanket and sit down and enjoy. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE.

10 am - 2 pm. Wildflowers in Bloom Workshop. The Kern Valley is centered in the area of highest plant diversity found in California. Join Fletcher Linton - Sequoia National Forest botanist to learn about the ecology and names of wildflowers at some of the areas best wildflower displays. Meet at Riverside Park across from Riverside One Stop (Shell gas station), Kernville. Carpool. FEE: $10.

10 am - 4 pm. Children’s Activities at the Kern River Preserve. Nature crafts, storytelling, live snakes & frogs. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

10 am - 4 pm. Kern Valley Museum. Visit the excellent museum run by the Kern Valley Historical Society and learn about the Valley’s fascinating history: Native Americans, gold mining, farming & ranching, lumbering, and western movies (John Wayne, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Humphrey Bogart). Art gallery and gift shop. Located at 49 Big Blue Road (1 short block from Circle Park). FREE (Donations welcome).

10 am - 4 pm. Live Native Amphibians & Reptiles. Kern River Preserve. Educational presentations throughout the day by Herp-Ecology. On display will be a wide variety of California reptiles and amphibians. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

10 am - 4 pm. Paiute Nuui Cunni Cultural Center (Native American) French Gulch, Wofford Heights. Meaning "our house" in Piute/Shoshone, the Nuui Cunni Cultural Center is a place of renewal and gathering for local Native peoples. Language, crafts and many tribal programs take place here. Open to the public are exhibits of Native American art, a reference library and a friendly staff that can help explain the history and living traditions of the Kern Valley's original People. Gift Shop. Located south of Kernville in the French Gulch Campground. For more information, call (760) 549-0800. FREE (Donations welcome).

11 am - noon. Gardening with Native Plants at the Kern River Preserve. Marya Miller, local native plant columnist will introduce visitors to the idea of gardening with local natives. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Out of the Blue. LIVE MUSIC from Pat Seamount, Mike Gallagher and Terry Harris with “Out of the Blue” Kern Valley favorites will play acoustic folk, Irish, and traditional songs to delight the crowds. Bring your folding chair or blanket and sit down to enjoy this talented trio. Although this concert is FREE, Pat, Mike, and Terry intend that this is a fundraiser on behalf of the Kern River Preserve and the Nature Festival so donations are heartily welcome. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE.

Noon - 1 pm. Propagating native riparian plants with Matt Reiter. Learn how to grow native trees and other riparian plants through various propagation techniques. FREE

1 pm - 2 pm. Native American use of Native Plants. Carol Wermuth, Native American expert will talk about traditional uses of native plants. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Robbie the Piper and the Out of Kilters. Robbie McRobinson and his local cohorts, Georgie and Bob Bergeron, and Jackie Smith have been entertaining at the Preserve for several years. They will be remembered from the Vulture Festival in 2003 where they introduced the Band “Rob the Piper with Carrion Luggage”. The Band features an eclectic mix of singing, recorder, mandolin, guitar and drum playing to accompany Irish, folk, and blues tunes. This year, Robbie in full Scotch regalia will be joined by the same gang in traditional garb. Kern River Preserve Headquarters. FREE

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm, Nature Walk. Learn about the plants, trees, birds and animals that are all part of the Kern River Preserve. FREE

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - LIVE MUSIC Jam with various local artists. Open Jam w/Jay Barush, Paul Webb, Jason O’Donnell, Lottie Angelsea, Pat Seamount, Terry Harris, other drop in artists and the remains of Carrion Luggage. Kern River Preserve Headquarters FREE.

6:30am-3pm/5pm. San Joaquin Valley/Tulare Lake Basin via the Kern River Canyon. This trip will proceed down Hwy. 178 through the Lower Kern River Canyon to Hart Park and Beale Park in Bakersfield. Then it is on to the 11,000 acre Kern National Wildlife Refuge (See TRIP U description). From the Kern NWR this trip will stop at Kings County wetland areas in the search for late migrant shorebirds and waterbirds. Leave at 6:30am from the Lake Isabella Park-and-Ride located just northwest of the junction of CA State Hwy. 155 and CA State Hwy. 178 in Lake Isabella. Bring food & drink to last all day, or as long as you plan to stay with the trip. This is an excellent trip for those of you who want to “bird your way” out of the Kern River Valley after NatureFest weekend.

NOTE: If hot coffee or a quick snack is desired to start the day, there is a restaurant and a mini-mart located on opposite corners of the nearby traffic light in Lake Isabella. Both businesses open at 6am. FEE: $40.

7 am - 5 pm. Natural History of the Kern River Watershed with Nature Ali. This trip covers the whole enchilada of geology, botany, birding, other wildlife, Indigenous cultures, and recent history of the Kern River Watershed. Bring water, food, sunscreen, bug spray, hat, field guides, notebook, and dress in layers anticipating any type of weather from hot to freezing. Meet at 6:50am at Kern River Preserve Headquarters for carpooling. FEE $40.