4:00 pm Wednesday to Thursday mid-morning, self-drive to and from Winema Lodge, 5215 Hill Rd, Tulelake, CA
You will experience the motto of the Winema Lodge (see www.winemalodge.com), “Enter as Strangers, Leave as Friends” with our new overnight experience based out of this historic locale. Arrive by car by 4 pm on Wednesday, meet your Lodge host Verna Herman, and get settled into your room. Enjoy your pre-ordered dinner and BYO drinks. Dan Skalos will present a talk on a unique visitor to the Klamath Basin, the Tule Goose. Before dawn, fill up on your pre-ordered breakfast and you will be picked up by expert duck callers Jim Szemenyei and Phil Brown of Wild Times Outfitters. They will take you by van to blinds where they will call in hundreds of ducks and geese. Take photos and video, or simply enjoy the spectacle, as birds fly by at arms-length. Limited to 8. Once you are registered you will receive information on how to make your room and meal reservations at the Winema Lodge.

8:00 – 11:00 am, Meet at the Running Y Ranch Resort lobby (carpool field trip)
Join Darrel Samuels and Tom Essex to look for the Running Y Ranch Resort’s winter bird visitors. You’ll visit several feeder locations via carpool and walking. Be on the lookout for forest woodpeckers such as the elusive White-headed Woodpecker (our 2018 Festival featured bird), nuthatches, pine siskins, and chickadees that frequent the area. Bird feeding and nest boxes will also be covered. Optional lunch on your own at Running Y’s Ruddy Duck, a Blue Zones designated restaurant.

8:00 am- 1:00 pm, OIT College Union Mt. Bailey Room
What the heck is a Tule Goose?? Join Dan Skalos for a fascinating talk about this rare subspecies of the Greater White-fronted Goose that is known to occur in the Klamath Basin during migration. He will tell you about their ongoing telemetry research, demonstrate how they track radio-collared Tule Geese and, hopefully, find some birds in the field for you to identify and compare with their more common companions. Includes lunch.

9:00 am – Noon, OIT College Union Sunset Room (carpool field trip)
If you enjoy seeing birds in your backyard and want to learn how to identify them, or if you’ve been looking for a new nature-oriented hobby, this is the class for you. Karl Wenner will begin with a presentation that introduces the major groups of birds and explains how to use field marks to identify common birds of the Klamath Basin. Then you’ll carpool to nearby hotspots to put your new skills to work. A fun and informative session for the novice birder.

9:00 am – 1:30 pm, Meet at the OIT Dow Center entrance
During this tour participants will learn about Japanese Americans who were at Tule Lake and how the events from 1941-1946 forever changed them. Angela Sutton will meet you at the Tulelake – Butte Valley Fairgrounds Museum which features local history of the Tule Lake Basin, the Modocs, the Tule Lake Refuge, the Tule Lake Segregation Center, and Camp Tulelake. Angela will lead a tour around parts of the Tule Lake Segregation Center, including the jail, and share stories of those who were at the center. Includes lunch.

4:00 pm Thursday to Friday mid-morning, self-drive to and from Winema Lodge, 5215 Hill Rd, Tulelake, CA
You will experience the motto of the Winema Lodge (see www.winemalodge.com), “Enter as Strangers, Leave as Friends” with our new overnight experience based out of this historic locale. Arrive by car by 4 pm on Thursday, meet your Lodge host Verna Herman, and get settled into your room. Enjoy your pre-ordered dinner and BYO drinks. Then there will be an informal conversation on the role of hunters in conservation with Kent Barnes, Wildlife Biologist with the Yurok Tribe. Before dawn, fill up on your pre-ordered breakfast and you will be picked up by expert duck callers Jim Szemenyei and Phil Brown of Wild Times Outfitters. They will drive you by van to blinds where they will call in hundreds of ducks and geese. Take photos and video, or simply enjoy the spectacle, as birds fly by at arms-length. Limited to 8. Once you are registered you will receive information on how to make your room and meal reservations at the Winema Lodge.

7:00 am – 2:00 pm, Meet at OIT Dow Center entrance
Join our keynoter Stephen Shunk for an exclusive birding trip throughout the Klamath Basin. He will ensure that you get to visit local hotspots with a diversity of species, including raptors, waterfowl, and other winter specialties that will hopefully include the elusive White-headed Woodpecker. Includes a special lunch. Limited to 12.

8:00 – 11:00 am, Meet at the Running Y Ranch Resort lobby (carpool field trip)
Join Darrel Samuels and Tom Essex to look for the Running Y Ranch Resort’s winter bird visitors. You’ll visit several feeder locations via carpool and walking. Be on the lookout for forest woodpeckers such as the elusive White-headed Woodpecker (our 2018 Festival featured bird), nuthatches, pine siskins, and chickadees that frequent the area. Bird feeding and nest boxes will also be covered. Optional lunch on your own at Running Y’s Ruddy Duck, a Blue Zones designated restaurant.

8:00 am-1:00 pm, Meet at the OIT Dow Center entrance
John Vradenburg takes you on a USFWS Refuge-sponsored tour through Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge to learn about the ecology of the region and how the refuge manages water and habitat to benefit wildlife. Experience some of the most spectacular winter birding on the Pacific Flyway, see large concentrations of ducks, geese, swans and cranes while eagles hunt and feed on the seemingly endless supply of waterfowl. This trip includes visits to areas usually closed to the public. Lunch available to purchase.

9:00 am – 1:00 pm, OIT College Union Sunset Room (carpool field trip)
Wildlife in the Klamath Basin has been significantly affected by human activities, especially since the arrival of European-Americans in the 1800s. Todd Kepple will provide an overview of how people have altered the environment of the Klamath Basin, and what efforts have been made over the past century to mitigate the impacts. Then the group will carpool to several key locations in the Project, including diversion dams, irrigation facilities, and restoration projects. Lunch not included.

9:30 am – 3:30 pm, Meet at OIT Dow Center entrance
Not ready to leave at the crack of dawn? Bird with Marshal Moser from a bus that leisurely loops through the Basin. You’ll have an opportunity to stop along the way and view the famous Bald Eagles of the Basin, winter waterfowl, and numerous raptors. Birders of all skill levels are welcome to learn about Basin birds and their habitats. Includes lunch.

11:00 am – 3:45 pm, Meet at OIT Dow Center entrance
You’ll have a chance to put what you’ve learned in the W2 Raptor ID workshop to the test in this field trip. Dr. Kevin McGowan will use the variety of Klamath Basin hawks, eagles, and falcons to reinforce the importance of shape and behavior in identifying raptors. Recommended for beginners. Includes lunch.

7:00 am – 4:30 pm, Meet at OIT Dow Center entrance
Kevin Spencer will lead you to a variety of habitats, including one or more of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges and a number of other hotspots in the Klamath Basin. The pace will be quick; if you want to take photos, this is not the trip for you. For advanced level birders, listers, or intense intermediates. Limited to 12 participants. Includes lunch.

8:30 am – 2:00 pm, OIT College Union Mt. Thielsen Room
Waterfowl are not only one of the most attractive groups of birds, but they are also one of the most diverse. Unique adaptations allow them to take advantage of a wide range of habitats and understanding these adaptations will increase your birdwatching or wildlife photography experience. Join refuge biologist John Vradenburg for a waterfowl ecology workshop and field trip to some of the Klamath Basin’s waterfowl hotspots. Lunch available to purchase.
FREE but registration required

8:30 am – 3:15 pm, Meet at Olympic Inn, 2627 South 6th Street, Klamath Falls (carpool field trip)
The Saturday companion field outing to W6 will continue the teaching/learning experience in a mobile field classroom setting. The goal is for you to be able to identify 90% of the hawks you’ll encounter during our day together and have fun doing it! Carpooling is mandatory so we can access some special spots in the Basin. Includes lunch.

9:00 am – Noon, OIT College Union Sunset Room (carpool field trip)
If you enjoy seeing birds in your backyard and want to learn how to identify them, or if you’ve been looking for a new nature-oriented hobby, this is the class for you. Karl Wenner will begin with a presentation that introduces the major groups of birds and explains how to use field marks to identify common birds of the Klamath Basin. Then you’ll carpool to nearby hotspots to put your new skills to work. A fun and informative session for the novice birder.

9:00 am – 2:30 pm, Meet at OIT Dow Center entrance
Expert Oregon birder Russ Namitz will take you to some of the best birding spots closer to town including the Running Y Ranch. Birders of all skill levels are welcome to learn about Basin birds and their diverse habitats. Includes lunch.

10:00 am – 12:30 pm, Meet at the Favell Museum parking lot, 125 West Main St., Klamath Falls at 9:45 am to board bus to take you to the opposite end of the Link River Trail
Klamath Falls and the surrounding area has been chosen to lead Oregon in a new community health initiative, the state’s first Blue Zones Project. What’s a Blue Zone you ask? The Project’s goal is to help their residents live longer, better lives. Come see how much fun (and good exercise!) winter birding can be. We will meet at the Favell Museum and take a shuttle to the opposite end of the Link River Trail. You will walk back birding along the riparian pathway passing “the falls”. Dave Hewitt will be your expert guide on this winter time birding adventure.

7:45 am – 4:00 pm, Meet at OIT Dow Center entrance
The Klamath Basin is a funnel through which many of the birds that migrate along the Pacific Flyway pass, and the north end is often overlooked by birders in the winter. Take a tour with Marshal Moser of the diverse habitats and many of the top birding locations along and around Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes. Expect lots of winter raptors. There will only be a small amount of walking and much will likely be large open areas, but we also plan to stop at springs and wooded areas at the base of the surrounding mountains. Where we go will depend on our famously unpredictable Klamath Basin weather. Includes lunch.

8:00 – Noon, Meet at the OIT Dow Center entrance
We will head out into the field with Dr. Kevin McGowan to visit local areas with large concentrations of waterfowl. We’ll focus on shape and patterns of white as we put a name to the diversity of species that overwinter in the Klamath Basin. Bring your pre-purchased Waterfowl ID guide.

8:00 am-1:00 pm, Meet at the OIT Dow Center entrance
John Vradenburg takes you on a USFWS Refuge-sponsored tour through Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge to learn about the ecology of the region and how the refuge manages water and habitat to benefit wildlife. Experience some of the most spectacular winter birding on the Pacific Flyway, see large concentrations of ducks, geese, swans and cranes while eagles hunt and feed on the seemingly endless supply of waterfowl. This trip includes visits to areas usually closed to the public. Lunch available to purchase.

8:00 am – 1:00 pm, Meet at the Dow Center entrance
Take a USFWS Refuge sponsored tour of Tule Lake with Dustin Taylor and learn how wetlands and agricultural lands are integrated in ways that maintain ecological integrity. Unique within the National Wildlife Refuge System, “Walking Wetlands” increases wetlands and wildlife habitat while also increasing crop yields, encouraging organic crop production and preserving wetlands on private lands. You will meet Marc Staunton, a local farmer, who participates in the Walking Wetlands program. Lunch available to purchase.

8:30 am – 3:15 pm, Meet at Olympic Inn, 2627 South 6th Street, Klamath Falls (carpool field trip)
The Sunday companion field outing to W6 will continue the teaching/learning experience in a mobile field classroom setting. The goal is for you to be able to identify 90% of the hawks you’ll encounter during our day together and have fun doing it! Carpooling is mandatory so we can access some special spots in the Basin. Includes lunch.

9:00 am – Noon, Meet at the OIT Dow Center entrance (carpool field trip)
Spend a morning with Kevin Spencer for some short walks at some of the best Klamath Basin birding locations in close proximity within Klamath Falls. The places will have a variety of habitats and a diverse number of species. There are always bird surprises lingering that will surely make your day.