Hi Trey, David and I heard at Birds & Beers last night in Saint Paul that the
Salt Lake Weekend is scheduled this year for late April. Is there an
announcement posted?
Best, Sherry
Sherry GraySaint Paul, Minnesota
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On Monday, February 17, 2025, 09:18:37 PM CST, Trey Weaver
<trweave...@live.com> wrote:
Fellow birders,
I'm reaching out today with exciting news about Salt Lake Weekend. In January,
Jason Frank announced via the listserv that he would be stepping down as event
organizer. Steve Weston (Vice President of Minnesota River Valley Audubon
Chapter) and myself were not connected enough to the local community to take on
event organization without local representation, so the decision was made to
retire the event. I’m happy to announce that Amy Rager has stepped up to fill
this vacant role of event organizer and will be partnering with MOU/MRVAC to
get Salt Lake Weekend back on track. Amy is from Montevideo, MN and is
Extension Educator and Extension Professor at U of MN Extension for the
Minnesota Master Naturalist Program. The organizational challenges in recent
years have been multifaceted, and we are working on making changes so we can
make it work and be sustainable for the future.
However, this event is for you, dear reader. We do not want to make these
decisions unilaterally. We are looking for input on these proposed changes
from you, as a member of the community who will be enjoying the event. Here
are the key considerations that we're looking for feedback on:
1.
Scheduled this year for the first weekend in May (May 2-4), rather than the
last weekend in April. Data shows that we will not be missing any variety of
shorebird species (habitat on the count weekend is a bigger concern than the
date that we're choosing) and water birds in general, but also increases our
chances of encountering other species groups.
2.
Last year, we only had four guides with about 150 participants, which made the
caravans a logistical nightmare. Due to a lack of guides, we may have locally
sponsored buses to provide free transportation and are considering using other
locations (meeting location and food vendors) in the River Valley to be able to
engage with a wider local community.
3.
We will be requiring pre-registration for the event. This will be at no cost
to you as a participant (paying for meals would need to be paid for by
participants, more to come on this at a later date), but it is simply a way
that we can use an accurate head-count for crucial organizational challenges.
4.
We may have guest speakers at the compilation dinner on Saturday
5.
We may have a beginner birder's workshop on Friday evening.
We are open to all feedback on any items not mentioned above. What changes
from past years do you think could make the event better? Any help from the
community will go into shaping the vision that us organizers are going to make
happen. We will also be looking for volunteers to help us run the event, so
please let me know if you're interested in pitching in. Please take a few
moments to fill out this quick survey to help us plan the best event possible.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE
SURVEY<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesaq7whzU7xKb_R74MTCDyNoT7Uldg7kSj6HzCNXr_Xqp0kg/viewform?usp=header>
MOU is thankful to Amy Rager for her initiative and I am personally looking
forward to enjoying the count weekend with all of you.
Best regards,
Trey Weaver
MOU Field Trip Committee Chairperson
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