Recreation

Celebrating Our Nature

Birds, Bugs & Blooms Bash kicks off with 30+ field trips

Eric Christenson |

Thomas Schultz
Thomas Schultz

Being in the Chippewa Valley, we’re constantly surrounded by nature. Rivers, trees, trails, wildlife, birds, flowers, plants, prairies, lakes, bugs – we’ve got it all. Now, there’s a festival to celebrate all the wonderful nature our little valley has to offer at the Birds, Bugs & Blooms Bash – three days full of learning about our local outdoors. The festival consists of over 30 field trips with local experts where patrons can learn about bird banding and tracking at Beaver Creek Reserve or bluebird nest monitoring at Eau Claire’s Pine Meadow golf course. There are too many field trips to list, but they include everything from learning about wildflowers and mosses to canoeing the Red Cedar and Chippewa Rivers. Friday and Saturday of the fest include keynote speeches at UW-Stout’s Memorial Student Center. On Friday June 5, bird illustrator Thomas Schultz will speak about the art of field guide illustration and his creative process. On Saturday June 6, Ben Thwaits of Northwest Passage will present on how nature can be a therapeutic place for healing.

Birds, Bugs & Blooms Bash • June 5-7 • www.birdsbugsblooms.com/schedule