Mountain Plover Festival

2022 is the year of the return of the Mountain Plover Festival. And in the month of February, you can ENTER TO WIN a trio for two!

Karval, CO (FEBRUARY 1, 2022)—Mountain Plover Festival organizers announced today that the festival will be held this year after being canceled for the past two years due to the pandemic. In celebration of the festival’s return, the Karval Community Alliance is hosting a contest to win a trip for two to the event which will take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 29-May 1, 2022.

Enter to win at www.seelincolncounty.com February 1-28, 2022. The winner will be notified March 1, 2022, and the prize includes one full festival package for two people with a homestay for two nights (Friday and Saturday evening) on a historic Colorado ranch, daily birding tours, Friday evening sandwich, and ice cream social, Saturday meals and Sunday breakfast. 2022 Mountain Plover Festival contest winners will be required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event. Learn more at www.mountainploverfestival.com

“We bring the plover lovers to the bird,” Karval Community Alliance President Dan Merewether said. “Along with bird watching, our guests get the chance to mingle with farmers and ranchers who have lived on this land for generations, eat home-style food including a chuckwagon dinner with authentic western entertainment and learn about conservation practices and the history of this unique part of Colorado.”

Birders, nature lovers, and families will enjoy unique bird watching on ordinarily inaccessible private land, wildlife viewing, entertainment, history, and lots of great food.  Local museums open for the weekend so travelers can get a true glimpse of life on the prairie during their visit to Lincoln County, Colorado.

The Mountain Plover is a bird that begins arriving on Colorado’s central plains in early April. Plovers find the short grass prairie and fallow fields in the area to be excellent habitat and Karval, Colorado is one of the largest nesting grounds in the nation. Mountain Plovers migrate over the Rocky Mountains from California, hence the name “mountain,” and stay in the area usually through late summer.

Birders visit this area from all over the world to spot the rare Mountain Plover. Often referred to as the “ghost of the prairie,” plovers blend in with the environment.  The Mountain Plover Festival is a terrific time to travel the area in groups searching for nests that are tended by both female and male plovers.  Third-generation ranchers, the sons, and daughters of Colorado homesteaders lead day and evening tours on public and private land including through a historic area where the Goodnight-Loving Cattle Trail ran in the late 1860s, driving the large-scale movement of Texas Longhorns north to Colorado.

This is a weekend full of bird watching, wildlife viewing tours, entertainment, history, arts and crafts, antiques, and LOTS OF GOOD FOOD! Along with bird watching, here are some of the other things you will enjoy:

• You’ll get the chance to mingle with farmers and ranchers who choose to live in the local community and learn about their lifestyles.
• Eat home-style food at every meal. Most meals are prepared by the community’s non-profit organizations.
• Saturday evening includes a Country dinner with authentic western entertainment.
• Learn about conservation practices and the history of the area.
• Tour Private Land that would normally not be accessible.
• Make new friends!

Visit www.mountainploverfestival.com for tickets and more information!