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Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 26, 2024
Contact: Starr Anderson, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist, 540-460-1540, starr.anderson@dcr.virginia.gov

Hungry Mother State Park opens registration for new birding festival

(Editors: Follow this link to download an image. Photo caption: Randy Smith)

(Editors: Follow this link to download an image. Photo caption: Eastern Bluebird)

MARION, VA – Registration is open for Hungry Mother State Park’s inaugural Life’s Extras Birding Celebration, a festival to honor the life of long-time volunteer and Virginia Master Naturalist Randy Smith.

Smith, who always looked for “life’s extras,” passed away after a brief illness in January 2023. He loved spending time in nature and was an active birder. He maintained a list of bird species he had seen over his lifetime and took great joy in leading bird walks and owl prowls at Hungry Mother.

The park will honor his memory May 3-5 with a birding festival featuring 15 different birding activities, from bird hikes and owl paddles to a live raptor show and programs on bird rehabilitation. Speakers include birding experts, licensed wildlife rehabilitators, Virginia Master Naturalists and more.

Admission to the festival is $25 for a three-day pass, which includes all festival events, a commemorative patch and a three-day parking pass for Hungry Mother State Park, or $15 for a single-day ticket on Saturday or Sunday, which includes the programs on the day of your choice; parking and a commemorative patch are not included.

Registration for Life’s Extras Birding Celebration closes on April 26. All proceeds from the festival will benefit the Friends of Hungry Mother State Park. To learn more or to register, click here (https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/event?id=2024-01-23-15-25-36-511057-c5s).

The park also offers overnight accommodations for festival goers, including cabins, a family lodge, yurts and camping. Early reservations are encouraged. You can book your stay online at reservevaparks.com or by calling 1-800-933-PARK (7275).

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Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. For more information about Virginia State Parks’ activities and amenities or to reserve one of the more than 1,800 campsites or 300 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center at 800-933-PARK or visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.

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