January 4, 2005

Contact: Myrna Hayes, Festival Coordinator (Prior to event electric launch trips on 707.557.9816,cell 707.319.1886 the Napa River or a visit to “Falcon’s Court” can be scheduled for press) Email: [email protected] Website: www.sfbayflywayfestival.com

Television Assignment Editors: raw footage and a 30 second PSA available

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

9th Annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival Migration Celebration Featuring “Falcon’s Court” birds of prey show -- falcons, hawks, and owls

The 9th Annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival will take place Friday through Sunday, January 21-23, 2005 on Mare Island in Vallejo, California. The San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival celebrates the annual migration along the Pacific Flyway of hawks, shorebirds, ducks and geese and even monarch butterflies. The Festival makes its headquarters on the historical former Mare Island Naval Shipyard–founded in 1854. The FREE, family-oriented event features 37 guided hikes, canoe and riverboat trips, birding outings and wetland walks throughout the Bay Area. An additional 16 walks on Mare Island, range from scouting for mushrooms, a popular walk through the historic shipyard, wetland and birding walks, to tours of the Tiffany glass adorned, St. Peter’s Chapel.

The highlight of the Flyway Festival is the Family Wildlife Exploration and Birding Expo held at Building 897 on Mare Island, Saturday, January 22, 9am- 4pm and Sunday, January 23, 9am-3pm. Over 50 exhibitors from Bay Area environmental, recreational, historical and cultural organizations and agencies offer interactive exhibits, activities for all ages and information about the Bay Area’s wild world. The Birding Expo is held indoors and includes slide shows, a fine art exhibition, birding equipment, supplies and nature gifts for purchase. Some of the new Festival exhibitors are the California Waterfowl Association and Don Freundt Photography, based in Marin County.

The only 3-day birding festival in San Francisco Bay, the popular mid winter event drew an estimated 7,000 people last January. It celebrates the return of (more) over one million shorebirds and hundreds of thousands of waterfowl which migrate through or winter in San Francisco Bay. Call 707-649-WING(9464) or 707-557-9816 for a detailed Festival brochure available by mail after January 10th or visit our website: www.sfbayflywayfestival.com

Swarovski Optik makes it possible for Bay Area non-profits, Native Bird Connections and Falcon’s Court(www.falconscourt.org) to show wild birds, answer questions and give raptor information throughout the Festival Expo. Native Bird Connections is based in Martinez; their program is entitled Running with the Big Birds by Jenny Papka, Curator and Marilyn Ellis, Wildlife Educator(see photo of Jenny and a Great Horned Owl at the 2004 Festival). Falcon’s Court has recently moved its operations from southern California and now makes its home on Mare Island. Their program has thrilled Renaissance and Dickens Faire visitors.

Digital image presentations range from a talk on water quality and watershed health clues by Todd Adams, Friends of the Napa River to a presentation by Eileen McLaughlin of Wildlife Stewards, about the Restoration of the South Bay Salt Ponds - the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the West Coast. Expo activities include drawing classes, Mucky Marsh Music–campfire style songs for kids, beginning birding ID classes, self-guided wetland walks, visits by the National Wildlife Refuge System Blue Goose mascot (see photo), Sierra Club led hikes and a fine art exhibition.

New for the Festival this year is a Saturday evening program of entertainment beginning at 6:30pm, with a live bird show by Mare Island based, Falcon’s Court and a poetry reading, "The Kingfisher", by Stephen Ingraham, who lives in Massachusetts and represents Zeiss Sports Optics, followed by a 2-hour concert with a local Bay Area grown blue-grass band–Chojo Jaques and Friends(see bio and press photo).

The Flyway Festival–a project of San Francisco based non-profit, Arc Ecology–is sponsored by close to 50 Bay Area businesses, agencies and non-profit organizations, including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program, the Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund, Weston Solutions, Inc., Lennar Mare Island, AAA of Northern California, The Strong Foundation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service–San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Union Bank of California, CH2MHill, Swarovski Optik of North America, the Napa-Solano, Marin, Madrone and Mt. Diablo Audubon Society chapters, Sierra Club-Solano & Napa Groups, Vallejo Sanitation and Flood Control District and Save the Bay with other local Bay Area non-profit organizations, agencies and environmental groups and businesses. Pg 2 (more)

The timing of the annual January Festival is when migrating birds are most abundant at the Bay Area’s National Wildlife Refuges, California Department of Fish and Game’s Wildlife Areas and other public and private wildlife conservation sites. The Festival provides a greater awareness of and public access to the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, comprised of over 13,000 acres spanning Sonoma, Napa and Solano Counties.

The Flyway Festival is headquartered on Mare Island in Vallejo, situated at the confluence of the Carquinez Strait, the mouth of the Napa River and the shores of San Pablo Bay, the largest Bay in the San Francisco Bay Estuary. The Flyway Festival takes advantage of Vallejo’s strategic location as the gateway to the five-county wetland and wildlands rich region of more than 50,000 acres of former tidal marsh of the San Pablo Bay delta and thousands more in the Suisun Marsh. The Flyway Festival is an example of the popularity of nature and heritage based tourism, a tourism industry flourishing in many former industrial and military based communities with rich historic resources and ample open space.

According to the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, more than 71 million Americans -- one in four -- watch birds, making bird-watching the fastest-growing outdoor activity in North America. Visits by Americans to nature centers, refuges, wildlife viewing areas and associated programs like birding festivals, contribute substantial revenue to host communities through the purchase of fuel, equipment, lodging and meals. According to the 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife -Associated Recreation conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Americans spent $29.2 billion on activities involving watching and enjoying birds.

Flyway Festival Travel Directions Bus and BART Vallejo Express BARTLink provides Saturday bus service every 30 minutes between the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station and Vallejo from​​​ 6:32am to 8:05pm. At the York and Marin terminal, transfer (free) to the #5 Redwood bus to the Mare Island main gate. The buses are equipped with bike racks. Adult fare is $3.50 each way. Casual carpools can transport folks from the Mare Island entrance to the Festival site. Return Express BARTLink service from Vallejo’s York and Marin terminal to the El Cerrito Del Norte station leaves every 30 minutes 6:00am to 7:30pm, then hourly at 8:30pm, 9:30pm and finally, at 10:30pm. For additional bus information, call 800-640-2877 M-F 8am-5:30pm or visit the website at www.vallejotransit.com.

Ferry The first direct departure from the San Francisco Ferry Building to Vallejo on weekends is an Express Vallejo Transit bus! It departs from the San Francisco Ferry Building to Vallejo at 9:00am, Pg 3 (more) arriving at the Vallejo Ferry Terminal at approximately 9:55am. The first Vallejo Ferry departs the San Francisco Ferry Building to Vallejo at 10am, arriving in Vallejo at 11:25am. Return to San Francisco by ferry or regular BARTLink service to the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station using the convenient Baylink Daypass good on the Vallejo ferry, local Vallejo buses and the BARTLink 80 service to the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station. Afternoon departures to San Francisco from Vallejo by ferry are 4:30pm and 6:40pm. Two additional departures to the San Francisco Ferry Building from the Vallejo Ferry terminal by express bus service are at 7:40pm and 9:35pm. The ferry is equipped with bike racks. Roundtrip fares for one-way tickets purchased onboard the boat and upgraded at the Vallejo Ferry Terminal are $15 for adults, $9.50 seniors (65+), Juniors (6-12) and disabled. Children age 5 and under, ride free. Call 707-557-9816 or 707-649-9464 to pre-arrange for transportation assistance in reaching the Festival site from the ferry or for a return ride to the ferry terminal. For additional ferry information call 877-64FERRY or visit the website at www.baylinkferry.com.

Taxi Service Ferry or bus passengers wishing taxi service the 2-mile distance from the Vallejo Ferry building to the Festival may request that the ferry captain or bus driver call ahead for taxi service or call 707-643-3333 or 707-642-4421 by cell phone or upon arrival at the Vallejo Ferry Terminal.

Auto access to Building 897 on Mare Island From I-80 east or westbound, exit on Tennessee St., continue west to the entrance to Mare Island. Proceed straight ahead to Azuar Dr. Turn right, follow the railroad tracks approximately one block, turn right to Building 897.

From Napa and Sonoma Travel south on Highway 29 to Tennessee St., turn right and follow directions above.

From Contra Costa County Cross the Benicia-Martinez Bridge on I-680. Take I-780 west toward Benicia and Vallejo. Continue on I-780 for approximately 7 miles. Exit at I-80 east. Continue on I-80 toward Sacramento. Exit on Tennessee St. and follow directions above.

From Marin and Sonoma Travel east on Highway 37 to the Mare Island exit just before the Napa River Bridge. Turn right at the north gate to Mare Island and proceed straight ahead following directional signs to Building 897.

Regional and Mare Island Outings at a Glance identified by County as of Jan. 4, 2005 (additional outings may be added)

Friday, January 21

7am–8:45am Sunrise Boat Tour Napa’s New Marsh–board at Kennedy Park. Age 12 & up. $35 per person – www.napariveradventures.com or call 707-224-9080. Napa County 8:30-10:30am Ducks and Shorebirds of American Canyon Wetlands Meet at corner of American Canyon Rd. and Wetlands Edge Rd. Napa County 9am–11:45am Morning Boat Tour Napa’s New Marsh–Kennedy Park. Age 12 & up. $35 per person. Reserve: www.napariveradventures.com or call 707-224-9080. Napa County Pg 4 (more) Friday, January 21, continued 9am Friday-Saturday 2pm Mare Island Landmarks Plein Aire Paintout and Silent Auction Paintout starts Friday and runs through Saturday afternoon. Entry fee $20. Solano County 9:30am–12noon Shollenberger Park Wetlands Tour, Petaluma, Sonoma County 10am-12noon Collect Native Plants for restoration project with Save the Bay. To RSVP email [email protected] or call Denise, 510-452-9261x109. Solano County 11am-12:30pm Sustainable Vineyard Management & wine tasting, Bouchaine Vineyards, Carneros. Call 707-252-9065. Napa County 1-3pm Walking Tour Historic Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Meet Bldg 897. Solano County 1pm–4:30pm Skaggs Island’s Hawks. Call 707-649-WING (9464) preregister. 1:45–5pm Mare Island Birding Hot Spots Tour, Meet at Bldg. 897. Solano County 2–3pm Suisun Wildlife Center Tour. To reserve call 707-429-4295. Solano County 3pm–4:45pm Sunset Boat Tour Napa’s New Marsh–Kennedy Park. Age 12 & up. $35 per person. Reserve: www.napariveradventures.com or call 707-224-9080. Napa County

Saturday, January 22

5:30–6:45am A Railing we will go! Meet at Benicia State Recreation Area south parking lot–Military West exit off I-780. Solano County 7am–8:45am Sunrise Boat Tour Napa’s New Marsh–Kennedy Park. Age 12 & up. $35 per person. Reserve: www.napariveradventures.com or call 707-224-9080. Napa County 8am-noon White Slough/Napa Marshes Wildlife Area Birding Tour. Call 707-643-1287 after January 10th to reserve. Solano County 8am–12noon Skaggs Island’s Hawks, Sonoma County 8:30am–12noon Rush Creek Marsh, Cemetery Marsh and Bahia. Meet at Rush Creek Trailhead near Novato, Marin County 9am-11:45am Morning Boat Tour Napa’s New Marsh–Kennedy Park. Age 12 & up. $35 per person. Reserve: www.napariveradventures.com or call 707-224-9080. Napa County 9am-12noon Tubbs Island/Tolay Creek hike with Marin Audubon. Call Bruce Bajema 415 456- 6271 to pre-register. Sonoma County 9am–12:30pm Discover Bull Island-Napa River by Canoe with Save The Bay. Call Jessica, 510-452-9261 to register. $25 per person, Age 10 & up. Napa County 9am-1pm Wetland Planting with Save the Bay. To RSVP email [email protected] or call Denise, 510-452-9261x109. Sonoma County 9am-3pm Flyway Festival Self-Guided Walk. Starts Azuar Dr. Mare Island. Solano County 9:30am-12noon Shollenberger Park Wetlands Tour, Petaluma, Sonoma County 10am–12noon, Flyway by the Highway Conservation and Restoration. Meet at the "outing tent" Building 897, Mare Island at 9:45am to carpool. Sonoma County 10am-1pm Walking Tour of Historic Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Meet Bldg.897. Mare Island. Solano County

Pg 5 (more)

Saturday, January 22 continued 11am-1pm Driving Tour to Mare Island’s Scenic Highest Point. “Outing Tent” Bldg. 897. Mare Island. Solano County 12noon-4pm Wildlife Viewing Caltrans’ Guadalcanal Village Wetland Restoration. Shuttle from “outing tent”, Bldg 897 Mare Island or park-Mare Island exit Hiway 37. Solano County 12noon- 4pm Tours of St. Peter’s Chapel–Navy memorial & Tiffany stained glass. Every half hour. Meet at Chapel located south end of Walnut Ave. Mare Island. Solano County 1-2pm Sonoma Baylands Tidal Wetlands Walk. Highway 37 to Port Sonoma Marina then follow directional signs. Sonoma County 1-3pm Discover Back Country and Bay of Mare Island Walk. Access thru locked gate requires prompt departure. Meet corner Oklahoma St. & Azuar Dr. Mare Island. Solano County 1-3pm Don Edwards SF Bay National Refuge Salt Pond Tour, Meet at Bayfront Park, Menlo Park. Call 510-792-0222 ext. 43 for reservations and directions. San Mateo County 1–4:30pm Skaggs Island’s Hawks, Sonoma County 2-3:30pm Driving Tour to Mare Island’s Scenic Highest Point. “Outing Tent” Bldg. 897. Mare Island. Solano County 2-4pm Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden Tour, Call 707-745-3906 to pre-register for 20 min. tours. Solano County 3pm–4:45pm Sunset Boat Tour Napa’s New Marsh–Kennedy Park. Age 12 & up. $35 per person – Reserve: www.napariveradventures.com or call 707-224-9080. Napa County

Sunday, January 23

7am–8:45am Sunrise Boat Tour of Hudeman Slough & Skaggs Island. Age 12 & up. $45 per person. Reserve: www.napariveradventures.com or 707-224-9080. Sonoma County 8am-12noon Skaggs Island’s Hawks, Sonoma County 9-11am Viansa Winery’s Wetland Restoration and Waterfowl Preserve. Audubon guided birding walk around 90-acre wetland. Meet in picnic area. Sonoma County 9–11am or 1-3pm Cullinan Ranch, San Pablo Bay NWR, On right 1.5 miles west of Napa River Bridge, Highway 37 westbound. Solano County 9am–11:45am Morning Boat Tour of Hudeman Slough & Skaggs Island. Age 12 & up. $45 per person. Reserve: www.napariveradventures.com or 707-224-9080. Sonoma County 9am-1pm Hudeman Slough Wetland Walk. Audubon guided birding walk in Carneros. All ages and levels of experience Ramal Road 1 mile west of Skaggs Island Rd. Sonoma County 9am-3pm Flyway Festival Self-Guided Walk. Starts Azuar Dr. Mare Island. Solano County 9:30-11am Birding Brunton Optics Style. Birding guide leads all skill levels to a wetland close to Mare Island. Meet at Bldg 897, Mare Island; walk or drive short distance. Solano County 9:30am-12noon Shollenberger Park Wetlands Tour, Petaluma, Sonoma County

Pg 6 (more)

Sunday, January 23, continued 10-11:30am Mare Island Mushroom Scouting. Meet at “Outing Tent”, Bldg 897 to carpool. Solano County 10am-12:30pm Tour Tolay Valley–A Natural and Cultural Treasure. Hay ride & Native American Indian and farming artifact museum at Cardoza Ranch. Turn east onto Cannon Ln. at 5869 Lakeville Hwy 100 yds south of Papa’s Taverna. Sonoma County 10am-1pm Explore Mare Island’s Hill. 3.5-mile hike to original Mare Island. 360 views. Access thru locked gates. Arrive early. Azuar Dr. Left, Nereus St left to Railroad St. Solano County 10am-1pm Walking Tour of Historic Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Meet Bldg.897. Mare Island. Solano County 10am-2pm Tours of St. Peter’s Chapel–Navy memorial & Tiffany stained glass. Every half hour. Meet at Chapel located south end of Walnut Ave. Mare Island. Solano County 11am-12noon It’s Not My Fault! Explore geological features of Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Visitor Center, Fremont. Geared toward adults. Alameda County 11am-3pm Wildlife Viewing at Caltrans’ Guadalcanal Village Wetland Restoration. Shuttle from “Outing Tent”, Bldg 897 Mare Island or park-Mare Island exit Hiway 37. Solano County 2-4:30pm Beginning Birdwatching for Kids! Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge Environmental Education Center, Alviso. Dress warmly, bring binoculars or borrow ours and wear study shoes. Ages 5 & up. Call 408-262-5513 x102 to reserve. Santa Clara County

(end) pg 7