2024 Snow Goose Festival Schedule of Events

During all activities, indoor, outdoor, and on the buses we will encourage but not require people to wear masks if they feel comfortable. Vaccination is not required. You assume the risks of any communicable diseases by participating in any of the events. The High Plains Snow Goose Festival will not be liable for any illness as a result of your participation. By signing up and attending you agree to any and all risks as mentioned above. 

Friday, Feb. 2, 2024

1:00pm-6:00pm Trade Show & Crafts Fair - This year we will have the vendors up for both Friday and Saturday.  Come see artisans displaying their creations, including artwork, and crafts. Ask questions and see the talent through people’s creations. Information booths from all around southeast Colorado will be here as well. A must see at Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street in the gymnasium. 

4:00pm-6:00pm Hospitality Gathering - unwind after your adventurous day and pick up information. Come meet folks, ask questions, and enjoy some food and friends. This will be held at Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street. 

FRIDAY TOURS 

10:00am-12:00pm John Martin Dam TOUR - Free with LIMITED SPACE. Join U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rangers for an interpretive tour of the historic John Martin Reservoir! Learn about the history and importance of the dam as you explore the dam inside and out. Although there is no cost for this tour, reservations are required as there is a limit on the number of individuals that can go. Transportation is on your own. You will meet at the Dam.

10:30am-12:00pm Colorado Mills TOUR - Free. Take a tour of this unique local manufacturer of Sunflower Oil. See how it all works. This tour is free, but space is limited. Sign up to take advantage of this opportunity. Tour will be at Colorado Mills 505 Hickory Street, Lamar. Meet your tour guide there.

11:30am-5:30pm The Wild Animal Refuge - EXCLUSIVE TOUR - $100.  This tour of the near 10,000 acre wild animal sanctuary will allow you to see lions, tigers, wolves, alpacas, wild mustangs, and more. Get a chance to see for yourself the keynote speaker, Pat Craig’s passionate creation. These rescued animals have been given a second chance at a better life. Hear amazing stories and get an opportunity to see the largest carnivore sanctuary in the world. This specific location is not open to the public, but we have received special permission to do a tour this year. Sign up now. You will not want to miss this unique experience. Tour includes a school bus, hardy snacks, water, and a tour guide. (Return times are approximate). Meet at Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street. 

1:00pm-3:00pm John Martin Dam TOUR - Free with LIMITED SPACE. Join U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rangers for an interpretive tour of the historic John Martin Reservoir! Learn about the history and importance of the dam as you explore the dam inside and out. Although there is no cost for this tour, reservations are required as there is a limit on the number of individuals that can go. Transportation is on your own. You will meet at the Dam.

2:00pm-Sundown Snow Goose TOUR- $30. Join Eric DeFonso on a tour to see the snow geese. Tour includes a school bus, snacks, water, and a tour guide. (Return times are approximate).  Meet at Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street. 

3:00pm-4:30pm Colorado Mills TOUR - Free. Take a tour of this unique local manufacturer of Sunflower Oil. See how it all works. This tour is free, but space is limited. Sign up to take advantage of this opportunity. Tour will be at Colorado Mills 505 Hickory Street, Lamar. Meet your tour guide there.

4:00pm-Sundown Birding TOUR - Free. Join Sue Keefer on a tour of Lamar’s Willow Creek. This area is renowned for exciting and unusual birds, year-round. Join us for a tramp through the riparian area looking for these avian gems. Space is limited so sign up early. Meet behind the Lamar Community College at the north end of the nature area. 

FRIDAY PROGRAMS 

All programs on Friday will be at Lamar High School in the auditorium. 1900 South 11th Street.  All programs are free to the public. 

1:00pm Bent’s Old Fort - A heritage presentation on Bent’s Old Fort. Hear about the adobe trading post on the Santa Fe Trail, where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. Learn more about how the fort solidified one of the most important and last established trading cartels in the Rocky Mountain West. Learn about William and Charles Bent, and Ceran St. Vrain who built the fort in 1833.  

2:00pm Debbie Barnes-Shankster - Owls of Colorado- Whoo gives a Hoot! Come for a fun program to learn about the owls in Colorado. Learn where to find them, what they sound like, and how you can prevent nest abandonment. Debbie has been birding and photographing birds for well over a decade. She teaches raptor identification classes around the Pikes Peak region, including for the Colorado State Raptor Monitors and at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, where she volunteers. 

3:00pm Colorado Mills - The local manufacturer of Sunflower Oil is going to tell you about the operation of their heart-healthy oil. Learn about the environmentally-friendly, zero-waste, full-cycle company that is dedicated to connecting farmers and customers to their sunflower products. Learn about the innovators in the sunflower industry and their harvesting of the oil while using all byproducts in their feed and grain. Sign up for a tour of the facilities for FREE.

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 

8:00am-4:00pm Trade Show & Crafts Fair - This year we will have the vendors up for both Friday and Saturday. Come see artisans displaying their creations, including artworks, and crafts. Ask questions and see the talent through people’s creations. Information booths from all around southeast Colorado will be here as well. A must see at Lamar High School, 1900 S.  11th Street in the gymnasium. 

8:00am-4:00pm Silent Auction - Come check out the Silent Auction. Place your bid on local items and goods as well as awesome items from around Colorado. For years, this Silent Auction has been rocking our participants' worlds! This will be set up in the gymnasium at the Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street. 

SATURDAY TOURS 

6:00am-10:30am Raptor and Snow Goose TOUR - $30. Join Debbie Barnes-Shankster as we tour the grasslands in an area known for several species of raptors, and then the Arkansas River bottom for ducks and passerines. Bus included. Indoors and outdoors with minimal walking. (Return times are approximate). Meet the bus at Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street. 

7:30am Birding TOUR - Free. Join Sue Keefer on a tour of Lamar’s Willow Creek. This area is renowned for exciting and unusual birds, year-round. Join us for a tramp through the riparian area looking for these avian gems.Space is limited so sign up early. Meet behind the Lamar Community College at the north end of the nature area. 

9:00am-10:30am Colorado Mills TOUR - Free. Take a tour of this unique local manufacturer of Sunflower Oil. See how it all works. This tour is free, but space is limited. Sign up to take advantage of this opportunity. Tour will be at Colorado Mills 505 Hickory Street, Lamar. Meet your tour guide there.

10:30am-12:00pm Colorado Mills TOUR - Free. Take a tour of this unique local manufacturer of Sunflower Oil. See how it all works. This tour is free, but space is limited. Sign up to take advantage of this opportunity. Tour will be at Colorado Mills 505 Hickory Street, Lamar. Meet your tour guide there.

1:30pm-3:00pm Colorado Mills TOUR - Free. Take a tour of this unique local manufacturer of Sunflower Oil. See how it all works. This tour is free, but space is limited. Sign up to take advantage of this opportunity. Tour will be at Colorado Mills 505 Hickory Street, Lamar. Meet your tour guide there.

2:00pm-Sundown Snow Goose TOUR- $30. Join local birder, Dotti Russell on a tour to see the snow geese. Tour includes a school bus, snacks, water, and tour guides. (Return times are approximate). Meet at Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street. 

3:00pm-4:30pm Colorado Mills TOUR - Free. Take a tour of this unique local manufacturer of Sunflower Oil. See how it all works. This tour is free, but space is limited. Sign up to take advantage of this opportunity. Tour will be at Colorado Mills 505 Hickory Street, Lamar. Meet your tour guide there.

3:00pm-Sundown North Gateway Park TOUR - Free. Meet birder Debbie Barnes for a walk around the Valco ponds to find some local birds. This tour is free and requires quite a bit of walking. Meet at the West Pavilion 1402 Valco Road Lamar CO 

4:00pm Birding TOUR - Free. Join Eric DeFonso on a tour of Lamar’s Willow Creek. This area is renowned for exciting and unusual birds, year-round. Join us for a tramp through the riparian area looking for these avian gems. Space is limited so sign up early. Meet behind the Lamar Community College at the north end of the nature area. 

SATURDAY PROGRAMS 

All programs on Saturday will be at Lamar High School in the auditorium. 1900 South 11th Street.  All programs are free to the public. 

9:30am John Hopper - Camp Amache. Come watch this unique presentation on the historic Japanese internment camp, Camp Amache. Learn about the history of this area and then drive down and take a tour of the site. Event will be at Lamar High School. We also encourage you to go down and visit the site at County Road 23 5/10, Granada, CO 81041. 

11:00am Eric DeFonso - We all love to witness bird migration here in Colorado, but what is it like in other parts of the world? Come learn about how birds migrate and the amazing part of their journey we observe here in southeast Colorado and in other parts of the world. Eric spent a full month in New Zealand in late 2023 and is eager to compare and contrast bird migrations here and there, and talk about the birds that do them!

1:00pm Birds of Prey - Diana Miller from the Raptor Center will present lots of great information with all the wonderful raptors to see. She will be here with hawks, eagles, and owls. See the big predators in the bird world!  See the live birds from the Pueblo Raptor Center and hear of the efforts to rehabilitate injured or orphaned raptors.  

7:00pm-9:00pm Evening Keynote presentation- $15 per person or $25 per couple.  Children under 12 FREE with a paid adult. Flock together with us for a presentation from our Keynote speaker- Pat Craig from The Wild Animal Sanctuary. Pat began saving captive wildlife when he was 19, becoming the youngest state and federally licensed person in the country as well as the first person to build a sanctuary dedicated to saving large carnivores. It is the oldest and largest nonprofit sanctuary in the world dedicated exclusively to the rescue of captive exotic and endangered large carnivores that have been abused, abandoned, exploited or illegally kept. He has also pioneered the art of building large acreage species-specific habitats, giving rescued animals the opportunity to live together and roam freely within large natural spaces. You will not want to miss his presentation. Come hear great stories of rescued animals and their rehabilitation. Dessert will be served after the presentation. This will be held at the Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street.

Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024

5:30am-10:30am Sunrise Tour - $30. Watch the snow geese wake up and fly off to their feeding grounds. Tour State Wildlife Areas and farm fields to see a variety of waterfowl including some raptors. Tour includes a school bus and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife tour guide. (Return times are approximate). Meet at Lamar High School, 1900 S. 11th Street. 

Extra Treat Birders, while you are in town, visit 304 Woodland Drive. You may experience the best in backyard birding. On a good morning, you can view birds in riparian woodland (deciduous and coniferous) and plains habitats. Many mornings more than 20 species will visit the numerous feeders. 

A portion of this year's proceeds will go to The Wild Animal Refuge to continue to support their efforts.