19th Annual Montezuma Muckrace — September 18-19th, 2015
Be sure to save the date for one of the favorite annual fundraising events in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex - the 19th annual Montezuma Muckrace. The Muckrace, organized by the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, is a 24-hour birding competition scheduled for Friday and Saturday, September 18th and 19th. That’s one week later than usual to avoid the busy Labor Day and back-to-school week. Mid-September is a great time to be birding at the Complex. This globally-significant Important Bird Area supports a million or more waterfowl of at least 30 species, thousands of inland migrating shorebirds, a myriad of ‘confusing’ fall warblers and many rare and endangered species. The 242-square mile Montezuma Focus Area, which was highlighted under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan as critical migratory bird habitat, serves as the boundary for the Muckrace. Teams register under several categories (Competitive, Youth, Low-Carbon, Photo, Family/Mentor, or Recreational) and bird together from 7:00 PM Friday until 7:00 PM Saturday, trying to locate as many bird species as possible. Winning teams over the past several years have identified as many as 148 species, and collectively, as many as 192 species have been seen by the 15 to 28 teams, in a single day. This event, now in its 19th year, has grown in popularity and set records for participation in each of the past 3 years. Some say it is the cool custom-designed T-shirts that everyone is collecting. Others say it is the prizes, made possible by over 25 generous sponsors, including top sponsor: Wild Birds Unlimited at Sapsucker Woods. In addition to thefunds donated by sponsors, money is also raised through pledges sought by participants. Event organizers include the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation, Audubon NY and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and over 2 dozen volunteers. The Montezuma Audubon Center, 2295 Route 89, Savannah, NY will serve as the event headquarters, with participants returning to this site at the finish on Saturday to compile their checklists, grab a bite to eat, and enjoy recapping highlights of the day. Over the 19 years that the Muckrace has been in existence, funds have supported the restoration of wetlands, the regeneration of important wildlife habitat, and the expansion of environmental education and public use facilities. For more information, including 2015 Montezuma Muckrace registration and sponsorship details, visit the Friends website at www.friendsofmontezuma.org. Thank you! Chris LajewskiCenter DirectorMontezuma Audubon Center2295 State Route 89, Savannah, NY 13146ny.audubon.org/montezuma -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
