Wings Over the Rockies

Welcome to the Columbia Valley and the Wings Over the Rockies Festival, an annual week-long event that celebrates the return of migrating birds. The Columbia Valley is situated in the southeast corner of British Columbia, an area surrounded by the impressive mountain ranges of the Canadian Rockies and the Purcells, and is the setting for the world renowned Columbia River Wetlands. This magnificent natural wonder, the backyard of this valley, inspired the theme for this year:

Our Backyard- The Envy of the World

Columbia River Wetlands

The Columbia River Wetlands, one of the longest undisturbed wetland ecosystems found in North America, stretches over 180 km in length from Canal Flats to Donald, BC. This impressive ecosystem gained international recognition when it was chosen as a Ramsarwetlands in 2005 and represents one of the few remaining intact portions of the Pacific Flyway critical to migrating birds.

Field Trips and Banquet

Choose from a wide selection of high quality, creative and educational events to enjoy. Discover the world of birds and their ecosystems. Birding and nature field trips take participants to the wetlands, grasslands and forests where they learn the history, geology, flora and fauna of the valley’s natural habitats. Visitors can engage in walking, paddling, observing, cycling, and photography. Conclude active daytime activities with informative evening presentations, and a banquet, featuring a special guest speaker, Bruce Kirkby, who will entertain us with a slide show of the magnificence and adventures in the natural world.

Events schedule for 2012

The events for the 2012 festival are now posted! Registration began April 9.

See Day Planner for event descriptions. Click here for cultural events.

News

Injured birds of prey in the Columbia Valley will finally have a safe space to recuperate. Take Flight, a community project to construct a large flight cage for the rehabilitation of injured raptors will facilitate medical care, reduce exposure to humans and increase raptor strength prior to release back into the wild. Click here to read more and see photos of the project.

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Learn about the Columbia Salmon Festival scheduled for the fall 2012. Click here.

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