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July 13, 2017
Contact: Valerie Blaschka, 989-667-0717
Annual Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival returns to Bay City State Recreation Area Aug. 5-6
 The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Frank N. Anderson Foundation will host the 22nd annual Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival Aug. 5-6 at the Saginaw Bay Visitor Center at Bay City State Recreation Area, 3582 State Park Drive, in Bay City.
Activities run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. A Recreation Passport is required for each vehicle that enters the park for the festival. Passports are $11 for those who have not gotten them with their vehicle registration and can be purchased at the park the day of the festival or at any state park prior to the festival.
The weekend’s festivities include the Hunting and Outdoor Recreation Expo, the Michigan Duck and Goose Calling Championship, the 2018 Michigan Duck Hunters Association Michigan Duck Stamp Competition, adult and youth duck-calling clinics, a wildlife arts and crafts show, and a wildlife carving and duck decoy carving show.
Special guest exhibitors include wildlife artist Heiner Hertling (host of TV series “Your Brush With Nature” and 1992 Michigan Duck Stamp artist), wildlife taxidermist Kathy Christensen, waterfowl carver and retired Conservation Officer Phil Babe, and wildlife photographer John Buckelew.
Other activities include:
- Live animal presentations by Wildlife Recovery.
- A waterfowl ID trail.
- A chainsaw carving contest.
- Parent/youth canoe races.
- The Future Duck Stamp Contest for young artists.
- Opportunities to learn from featured artists.
- A wildlife photography contest with professional, amateur and junior divisions.
- The Quack-athlon competition for teams of one adult and two youths.
- Retrieving dog demonstrations and fun trials.
- Special presentations by the DNR, including a 2017-18 hunting season forecast, a hunter safety field day and programs on endangered and invasive species.
- Outdoor sportsmen conservation information booths, where kids can earn a Junior Ranger Patch by visiting selected booths.
Additional sponsors, who make the Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival possible, include the Friends of Bay City State Recreation Area, Michigan Duck Hunters Association, Cabela’s, Ducks Unlimited, Frank’s Great Outdoors, SC Johnson, the Bay Area Community Foundation the Dow Corporation.
For more information about the 2017 Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival, visit the Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival Facebook page or the Friends of Bay City State Recreation Area website at www.friendsofpark.org or call the Saginaw Bay Visitor Center at 989-667-0717.
/Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Suggested captions follow.
Girl with call: The Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival – Aug. 5-6 at Bay City State Recreation Area – will feature a variety of family-friendly activities, including duck-calling clinics for adults and kids.
Canoe race: Canoe races are among the fun activities on the agenda for the Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival, Aug. 5-6 at Bay City State Recreation Area./
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
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