Annual Loon Festivalto be at Walker Lake

By Don Quilici

This is a final reminder that the 12th annual Walker Lake Loon Festival will be held at Sportsman's Beach at Walker Lake on Saturday, April 17.

The festival will include presentations, food, prizes and fun.

At this time of the year, in the springtime, the lake makes a perfect resting spot for the loons to feed, rest and prepare for their journey back north to Canada.

NDOW will offer the public the chance to get a closer look at the loons with free barge or boat rides, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 3 p.m.

Also, the public can listen to Native American storytellers and various wildlife presentations throughout the day.

More than 1,000 loons use Walker Lake as an important stop on their migrations in the spring and fall of each year.

Although virtually unknown to bird experts until some years ago, the concentration of loons at Walker Lake is the largest of any on any inland lake in all of North America.

For information, call the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce at (775) 945-2507 during business hours.