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Waterfowl Symposium: hotel deadline Feb 11th posted by Ann Oliver on February 8, 2010 at 21:49:38

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	Waterfowl Symposium: hotel deadline Feb 11th         posted by Ann Oliver on February 8, 2010 at 21:49:38
	Hello Fellow Birders and Nature Enthusiasts, The Ohio Ornithological Society and Columbus Audubon, with sponsorship from The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, are hosting a Waterfowl Symposium the weekend of February 26-28 at the new Grange Insurance Audubon Center (GIAC) in downtown Columbus. Don't miss this event! The cost is just $80 for the weekend which includes Friday night's music and food/drinks, Saturday's impressive line-up of seven speakers, and birding Sunday morning at Central Ohio's waterways. Or, you can attend ONLY Friday evening for just $10. Please register ASAP so we can get an accurate head count. The Columbus Dispatch will soon run an article on the Waterfowl Symposium: don’t delay registering because space is limited. There are a multitude of reasons to attend! First reason: have you seen the GIAC building? It's a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), "green" building. It's an inspiring site to behold from either inside or outside the structure. We'll have behind-the-scenes tours of the building on Friday evening, February 26. There's also a sculpture exhibit featuring larger-than-life bronzes in the GIAC lobby: the Lost Birds Project, by a Cornell University professor, depicts the extinct species such as the Great Auk. Second reason: on Friday evening, The Swinging Orangutangs (better known as Julie Zickefoose, Bill Thompson III, and friends) will perform a benefit concert. Bring your dancing shoes and leave your hiking boots in the car! We'll have appetizers, beer, wine, and a taste of the Middle East. Why the Middle East theme? Friday evening is a benefit for Nature Iraq, hence the special food theme (but we'll have regular appetizers, too, for non-adventurous noshers). You may recall, Ohio Army National Guardsman, and birder-extraordinaire Randy Rogers, did bird surveys on his Al Asad base in Iraq, as well as fundraising on behalf of Nature Iraq. In fact, ALL of Ohio backed Randy and this cause: several thousand dollars of donations were raised to support NI's conservation efforts to restore Mesopotamian Marshes drained by the prior Iraqi regime. Randy has been working overtime on behalf of NI since he's returned from Iraq, from guest lecturing around the Buckeye State, to working behind the scenes organizing the Waterfowl Symposium. Third reason: Friday evening, we'll also have bird-themed beer: clarification, the beer is not made with 'actual' birds!!! Mendocino Brewing Company offerings such as Blue Heron Pale Ale, Red Tail Ale, White Hawk IPA, Eye of the Hawk Ale, and Black Hawk Stout will be available for your enjoyment. Drink, and bird, responsibly! Mendocino Brewing Company is supporting the Waterfowl Symposium with a donation of these brews: please register in advance so we'll have an accurate head count so everyone can get a taste. FYI: if you can't attend the entire weekend ($80 for Friday-Sunday), it's just $10 to attend on Friday night! Sign up your friends, family, and co-workers too! Fourth through tenth reasons: the meat and potatoes (actually, the continental breakfast, boxed lunches, and self-serve pasta bar dinner on Saturday)! We've lined up seven speakers on Saturday. You'll hear about Spectacled Eiders, the secret life history of waterfowl, Hooded Merganser habitat restoration, duck stamps, eBird, aerial surveys of Lake Erie and impact on wind turbine development, and a Saturday evening keynote presentation on Nature Iraq's marsh restoration of a Ramsar wetland site of international importance. The keynote speaker is Dr. Azzam Alwash, CEO of NI, who was recently featured on CBS’s “60 Minutes” Sunday news program. But wait, there's more! You also have two bonus reasons to attend: the early pre-symposium birding on Saturday morning on the grounds of GIAC at 8 am and Sunday morning at Central Ohio's local reservoirs, ponds, and rivers! So, don't forget your mittens and long-johns. The special rate on the Hampton Inn South (I-71 at the Stringtown Exit) has been extended through February 11. Please mention the Waterfowl Symposium when making your reservation to get the discount rate: 1-614-539-1177. You can register online with PayPal on the Columbus Audubon website (www.columbusaudubon.org/) or mail in a registration form (attached to this email) or available on the OOS website (www.ohiobirds.org). Hope to see you there! In Appreciation, Ann Oliver, Waterfowl Symposium Planning Committee
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