Welcome to the 15th Annual Alaska Bald Eagle Festival in Haines, Alaska!
Celebrating the largest gathering of Bald Eagles in the World!
The American Bald Eagle Foundation and the people of Haines welcome you to the 2009 Alaska Bald Eagle Festival! Most Festival activities are held at the American Bald Eagle Foundation museum, conveniently located at the corner of Second Avenue and the Haines Highway. Here you will attend wildlife workshops, meet for tours, classes and live raptor presentations. Daily busses and/or vans will carry you safely to the Alaska Bald Eagle Preserve to witness the annual "Gathering of the Eagles. " At this time of year, over 3,000 eagles can be found in the Preserve feeding on a late run of salmon. The Festival includes evening entertainment to round out your Festival experience.
 |
Saturday
afternoon Eagle Release © Herb Van Cleve |
 |
Plan to attend the Festival highlight - the rehabilitated eagle release at the Preserve at 1:30 on Saturday. Anyone may bid in the annual "Flight For Freedom" auction for the honor of releasing one of these magnificent birds back into the wild!
 |
Started in 2003, the "Flight For Freedom" auction program raises funds for statewide educational programs having to do with the American Bald Eagle and the preservation of its habitat in Alaska.
Between scheduled events, you will want to visit our many shops and galleries around Haines and in Fort Seward. Haines offers a wide selection of local Alaskan artwork and other special treasures to take home with you.
Thank you for helping us to celebrate our 15th annual Alaska Bald Eagle Festival!
ABEF welcomes Ron Horn - Photographer from Haines, Alaska!
 |
|---|
| Ron Horn |
We are delighted to have Ron Horn as the ABEF 2009 "Photographer of the Year". Haines nature photographer Ron Horn finds inspiration for his work in his backyard: the Chilkat River valley and the pristine waters of the Lynn Canal, North America's longest fjord. The Chilkat River valley is home to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and, each fall, to the largest congregation of bald eagle in the world. Says Horn, "I am fortunate to live in a place where I can observe and photograph these magnificent birds raising their young and gathering in huge numbers". The high, glaciated mountain ranges surrounding Haines provide a spectacular backdrop for Horn's photographs of the bald eagles, trumpeter swans, brown and black bears, moose, wolves, whales, sea lions, and innumerable other birds and mammals making their home here.
A life long hunter, Horn draws on study and careful observation of wildlife behavior to capture his subjects in action and portray their spirit. He has given up his hunting gear and now captures his prey only on digital cameras. Horn's photography is published regularly in his hometown newspaper, the Chilkat Valley News, and has been featured in statewide papers and visitor publications. His wildlife photography has been printed in the Alaska Airlines In Flight magazine, in several calendars and was recently showcased in the "Alaska Wild Art DVD".
Horn has guided numerous photo tours in the Chilkat valley, and works with local photographers on techniques and skills. He also regularly makes presentations in Haines on photography. Ron will be conducting photography workshops during the 2009 Alaska Bald Eagle Festival, Nov. 11-15. Register now
On Wednesday and Friday, Horn will teach full-day workshops on photographing bald eagles in the Preserve. Join a wildlife photographer for this rare opportunity to capture stunning images of our nation's symbol. Class sizes are limited and registration is available only via our Festival internet site until full.
There is an additional $100 charge per day for these classes.
ABEF welcomes Rob Goldberg- Artist from Haines, Alaska!
Rob Goldberg has been painting Alaska's wild places since 1978. An avid mountaineer, sea kayaker and backcountry skier, Rob believes that spending time in wild country is the only way to accurately portray the beauty of Alaska. Rob has been painting the Chilkat Valley since 1984, and has also spent considerable time in Alaska's wild places such as Denali, Glacier Bay and Gates of the Arctic National Parks. The High Sierra of California and the canyon country of the American Southwest are also some of Rob's favorite painting places.
Although Rob is best known for his watercolor landscapes, he also paints wildlife. His painting “Alpine Paradise – Mountain Goats” was purchased by the Sheldon Museum in Haines, Alaska in 2005, and in 2008 Rob completed a six by thirty-six foot painting of grizzly bears for the Haines School.
Since 1981, Rob has had over thirty gallery shows of his artwork. He has done many covers for “Sea Kayaker” Magazine, and fundraising prints for KHNS and KUAC public radio. He has done many public art projects including the Alaska Marine Highway building in Juneau, AK, the Haines School, the Haines Public Library, and the ferry M/V Kennecott. Rob has also received an award for artistic merit from the Rasmuson Foundation.
Rob is a versatile artist. He paints in watercolor and acrylic, makes hand-printed serigraphs (silkscreen prints), and does architectural etched glass. Rob also makes custom, handmade steel string guitars.
Rob, his wife, artist Donna Catotti, and their two boys live in a home they built themselves in the rainforest south of Haines, Alaska.
 |
| Steve Kroschel |
 |
| Mario Benassi |
Back by popular demand!
Join Steve Kroschel on either Thursday or Saturday for a three-hour outdoor photography workshop of selected animals at the Wildlife Center located approximately 30 miles north of Haines. Steve Kroschel has spent a lifetime working with wildlife, both in animal husbandry and natural history filmmaking. His passionate educational work with live animal lectures has taken him across North America -- from elementary school classrooms, to college campuses, to appearances on national television. His natural history documentaries and cinematography are seen on PBS, TLC, Discovery Channel, and the major networks.
Now, in his forties, Steve wanted to provide the public with a unique opportunity to experience nature up close and approachable. To that end, he has established a wildlife center with tame/trained indigenous animals of Alaska that would otherwise be virtually impossible to intimately experience, unless they were a pelt. Steve will be assisted by Mario Benassi.
At the Kroschel Film's Wildlife & Educational center, visitors can tickle almost all of their senses and photograph these shy native animals like no place else. Natural backdrops and cooperative wildlife become a photographer's dream, with the end result being information, experiences and photographs that benefit both subject and observer without any harm to either. To obtain this result in the wild would otherwise require weeks, months and years, as well as enormous amounts of money to achieve. For example, wolverines are almost impossible to view in the wild, and some biologists that study them for a living, never have seen one! Yet, at the center, habituated wolverines can be photographed and touched without hazard. A world exclusive! The center continues to be a reality thanks to the curiosity and passion of visitors like you.
There is an additional $80 charge for this workshop and space is limited. Please register online when purchasing your festival pass. Bus and/or 15-passenger van transportation from Haines is included. Be prepared to be outside all day and bring a sack lunch and snacks. Buses and/or 15-passenger vans will leave the Bald Eagle Foundation at 9:00 on Thursday and Saturday mornings and arrive at the Wildlife Center at approximately 10:00. The workshop will end at approximately 1:00 on Thursday and at 1:00 sharp on Saturday. On Thursday, transportation will be provided from the Wildlife Center back to Haines. Participants on Saturday will be taken directly to the Preserve in time for the Flight for Freedom Eagle Release at 1:30.
 |
| Marianne Murphy |
Live Bird
Presentations
Anchorage Bird TLC - presenters TBA
Juneau Raptor Center - presenters TBA
Wildlife Center - Steve Kroschel and Mario Benassi
Auburn University's Southeastern Raptor Center - Marianne Murphy
Auburn University's Southeastern Raptor Center - Donna McCain
The ABEF is pleased to announce one of our new presenters for the 2009 Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. Marianne Murphy is a lifelong naturalist and an avid outdoorsman with 12 years of bird training and presentation experience. She is a Wildlife Biologist and Education Specialist at Auburn University's Southeastern Raptor Center in Auburn, Alabama. Her work consists of training and using a variety of non-releasable eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls for educational presentations all over the Southeast, serving approximately 25,000 people per year. She is a passionate falconer and has served as President of the Falconers and Austringers of Alabama and contributed articles for the North American Falconer's Association Journal. Welcome to Alaska Marianne. |
|---|
|
The ABEF is happy to announce we will be hosting Mrs. Donna McCain as a special volunteer in 2009. Donna is a falconer from Lake Martin, Alabama who will be working with our raptor program for 6 weeks during October and November. With 5 years of experience working with raptors she will be a welcome addition to our team of volunteers and staff. The photograph shows Donna with War Eagle, one of Auburn Universty's bald eagles. Donna is a formally trained surgical technologist and hopes to pur her surgical skills to work by developing an injured raptor program with ABEF. We are looking forward to having her share her raptor knowledge and skills with ABEF during our time of growth and expansion. Donna enjoys old and fast cars and motorcycles when she is not working. |
|---|
Wildlife Presentations and Discussions:
Birds of the Chilkat Valley by Tim Shields at 9:00-10:00 on Friday. |
|---|
Join local artist and ecologist Tim Shields for a brief overview of the spectacular valley surrounding Haines. Learn why 3,000 eagles converge here in the Valley of the Eagles each fall. Learn about the different animals, raptors and salmon found around Haines. Welcome to haines and to the start of the 15th Alaska Bald Eagle Festival! |
Avian Flu Update presented by Beth Pattinson at 3:00-4:00 on Friday. |
|---|
Join Beth Pattinson from the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage. Beth will be talking about avian influenza in the north. There will be time for questions and answers following the PowerPoint presentation. |
Gyr Falcons and Ptarmigan in the North presented by Dave Mossop at 1:00-2:00 on Thursday. |
|---|
Dave Mossop, an instructor from Yukon College in Whitehorse and better known as the Bird Man of the Yukon, will present findings from his community study investigating the relationship between ptarmigan and gyr falsons. |
• Naturalist Guided Excursions to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, twice daily
• A Park Ranger is frequently on-site in the Preserve to answer your questions.
 |
| Four eagles fight for position on Chilkat River in the preserve. |
Join a naturalist for a narrated 21-mile journey up the Chilkat River to the "Eagle Council Grounds" in the heart of the Bald Eagle Preserve north of Haines. This is a unique area where a special underground reservoir in an alluvial fan keeps a mile-long stretch of the Chilkat River ice-free providing access to the unique winter run of spawning salmon when food supplies are exhausted elsewhere. Your drivers enjoy sharing their knowledge of the area's rich natural and cultural history. Questions are encouraged.
  |
| Eagle
landing on Chilkat River |
DURATION: 3 hours including bus ride. Participants who are prepared for the weather can arrange with their guide to stay through lunch in the Preserve for a total of 7 hours, and return on the afternon bus to town. Make sure to arrange this with your guide ahead of time. During the last three festivals the local brown bears were still at large and had not gone to their winter dens yet. Cell phones do not work from the Preserve.
ACTIVITY LEVEL: Moderate. 2 miles of level trails, viewing areas and boardwalks. Participants should be in good health and able to walk for sustained periods outdoors.
DRESS: Dress for the weather, with warm layered clothing, waterproof shell, warm boots, gloves, or mittens.
BRING: Cameras, extra film and batteries, binoculars, and a snack. Heat packs extend battery life on cold days. Will be at the preserve approx 7 hours, so please make sure you take something along to eat and drink.
COST: Included in your festival registration.
WEATHER: It's not nearly as cold as you might think! Just 21 miles from the ocean you can expect everything from 40 F, cloudy and rainy, to 20 F with three feet of snow , to 0 F with clear skies. At this latitude and time of year the sun rises at 8:30 AM and sets around 3:00 PM.
Join us Wednesday evening at 6:00 for a catered dinner celebration inside the American Bald Eagle Museum. Sit down at long tables for a delicious meal among friends. Following dinner, cinematographer and Founder of Kroschel Films Wildlife & Educational Center Steve Kroschel will share with you stories and a wolverine from their center. Many years ago, Steve was invited as a guest on Saturday Night Live with two of his wolverines. Come Wednesday night for a gathering of friends and learn about this magnificent animal!
There is an additional $35 fee for the Wednesday night festival dinner. This annual event sells out each year. Please register online to attend. The main course will offer an option of Prime rib or local Halibut. We apologize to vegetarians that the meal will not provide a vegetarian option.
Kroschel Films Wildlife Center "LIVE ANIMAL PRESENTATION" "The Wolverine".
FREE NIGHT! On Your Own.
BALD EAGLE CHOCOLATE EXTRAVAGANZA!
Please register online to attend the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. Early registration will both secure you a ticket and help us to plan for buses to transport people to the Preserve. You may purchase one, three or five-day festival passes. There is an additional fee for the professional photography workshops and catered Wednesday night dinner. All proceeds go to covering the cost of the Festival and to running our educational programs. Please register online.
One-Day Festival Pass:
- Adults - $35
- Seniors (65+) - $31.50
- Students (age 12-18) - $30
- Children under 12 are FREE.
- Adults - $75
- Seniors (65+) - $60
- Students (age 12-18) - $55
- Children under 12 are FREE.
- Adults - $125
- Seniors (65+) - $100
- Students (age 12-18) - $75
- Children under 12 are FREE.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
