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EDUCATION TAKES FLIGHT
Winter event offers views of birds and ranch life.
WRITTEN BY JEANNE LAUF WALPOLE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARSON VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND EAGLES AND AGRICULTURE
If you’ve ever wondered what life is like on a working ranch, now’s your chance. You can experience a piece of it up close and personal when numerous migrating bald eagles arrive in the Carson Valley to feed on the afterbirth left in the fields during calving season. Ranchers in the area roll out the red carpet to visitors who can hop on a tour bus, with experienced birders as guides, and watch this natural event through viewing scopes while chatting with the host ranchers about what they’re observing.
“If people can witness a calf birth, it’s an epic experience,” says Steve Lewis, extension educator with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. “Also, meeting the ranchers is really special.”
The bus tour is part of the annual Eagles and Agriculture program, which takes place Feb. 21 – 23, 2014 in the Carson Valley. Sponsored by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce, the three-day affair celebrates agriculture and the role it plays in the valley with an eclectic variety of events that includes eco-tours, river rafting, photography classes, an awards dinner, educational programs, and even a mooing contest.
Limited to just 200 people, ranch bus tour tickets sell out fast, so it’s a good idea to reserve ahead of time. For just $70 per person, the tour lasts from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, and includes visits to five ranches followed by lunch at the Carson Valley Inn. The Friday night awards dinner, also at the Carson Valley Inn, is $35.
Nancy Humphries, a retired IT worker and 40-year resident of the Carson Valley, says she goes to the event every year because, as a non-agricultural person, it’s given her a greater appreciation for her natural environment.
“It’s so much fun. I’ve learned more about the ecosystem,” Humphries says. “The interaction with the ranchers is important to folks visiting the valley because agriculture has its place and needs to be preserved.”
Lewis says the program has been successful over the years, but the emphasis is on ensuring a quality, intimate experience rather than growing the event to huge numbers of people.
“It promotes the benefits that agriculture provides,” Lewis says. “We want to sustain that lifestyle.”
For details and to buy tickets, visit http://www.Carsonvalleynv.org or call 775-782-8144.
Jeanne Lauf Walpole is a Reno-based freelance writer who thinks the Carson Valley is one of Nevada’s most scenic treasures.
