HELENA, Mont. – April 16, 2024 — This year’s celebration of World Migratory Bird Day will take place at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Montana WILD and Spring Meadow Lake State Park from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturday, May 4.
“This year, we look forward to drums and stories from the Last Chance Community Pow Wow to guided bird hikes, building ‘bug hotels,’ games and more,” said Denise Pengeroth, wildlife biologist and organizer of the event. “This is an excellent way to get the whole family out and engaged with the local community while enjoying diverse activities.”
World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated at more than 700 locations from Argentina to Canada. This year’s global theme, “protect insects, protect birds,” draws attention to the importance of insects in supporting migrating bird populations.
This is the second year in a row that Montana WILD has hosted the event.
“We think Montana WILD is a great location for the event,” said Montana WILD Program Manager Corie Bowditch. “It is central to town, has indoor and outdoor spaces for people to enjoy, and allows us to easily and safely feature the live raptor ambassadors from our rehabilitation center as part of the festival.”
Highlighted activities this year include:
- Guided Bird Hikes
- “Bug hotel” construction
- Cookie Decorating
- Bird Crafts
- Bird house building
Helena-area partners working with the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks – Montana WILD include Montana Discovery Foundation, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Prickly Pear Land Trust, Lake Helena Watershed Group, Birds & Beasleys, and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
