California Duck Days

Written by: Sarah McBride

Park Ranger Todd Eggert quizzes children at the California Duck Days event.Recently, the Bureau of Reclamation participated in California Duck Days! This event is a collaborative effort between the Yolo Basin Foundation, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Waterfowl Association, and many others. California Duck Days is a family oriented, community-based outdoor festival with activities for everyone. Activities for visitors included interactive exhibits, wetland themed arts and crafts, trout fishing in nearby ponds, and more.

The event, held Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, was a great success. Reclamation was represented by Lake Berryessa Park Ranger Todd Eggert. Ranger Eggert presented a table top display in the exhibit hall to educate participants about waterfowl at Lake Berryessa. The display emphasized that water is important to wildlife, as well as people, and informed visitors about the waterfowl that share the lake with us.

The Yolo Bypass Foundation hosted the event and organized a passport program for children to collect stamps from all the exhibitors. Children received a stamp for visiting the Lake Berryessa display and while there, Ranger Eggert quizzed each of the visiting groups on waterfowl trivia and passed out information about the lake and its resources.

Over 300 people visited the Lake Berryessa display over the course of the day and made valuable connections with the lake. Many participants were locals who did not realize they received water from our lake. It was a successful and fun event that Lake Berryessa staff hope to participate in again next year!

Park Ranger Todd Eggert poses by Reclamation's California Duck Days exhibit.

Published on March 20, 2017