Agenda set for Clay County Wings and Wetlands

The 15th Annual Wings and Wetlands weekend is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday May 9-10, 2009. Explore our unique "Prairie Pothole" region of Northwest Iowa and celebrate National Wetlands Month.

Six counties in Northwest Iowa will be offering a great selection of programs and activities for people of all ages and interests. Programs include bird hikes, canoeing, Watchable Wildlife tours, swan releases, lunch at the winery, and special programs for kids, just to name a few. Call your local Conservation Board to see what activities are planned for your county. The six counties included are Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, O'Brien, Palo Alto and Clay.

A trumpeter swan release is among the many scheduled activities during Wings & Wetlands this weekend. [Order this photo]

Clay County will start Saturday morning meeting Lee Schoenewe for "Breakfast with the Birds." Meet at the Prairie Heritage Center at 7:15 a.m. to carpool to Hannibal Waterman Area and Wanata State Park. Bring binoculars if available as participants are likely to see many different warblers migrating through our area or looking for places to nest.

At 2 p.m., participants can take a short trip to D.U. marsh, eight miles east of Spencer, to get up close and personal with a pair of trumpeter swans ready to be released by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. With a wingspan of more than seven feet and a height of about four feet, the trumpeter swan is the largest native waterfowl species in North America.

On Sunday, a Watchable Wildlife Tour will be offered around Dan Green Slough, currently under shalement with IDNR. Meet at Oneota Cabin at 1:15 p.m. to carpool to these areas. Wear walking shoes and bring binoculars.

* Check out Northwest Iowa's Watchable Wildlife wetbsite at www.watchablewildlifenwia.org