Eagle Creek Celebrates 50 Years
By Chuck Anderson and Ted Meyer
Eagle Creek Park is celebrating its 50-year anniversary on June 10. Admission that day is $1, and there is a free concert with food trucks at the beach starting at 5:30 pm.
There are lots of events at Eagle Creek Park throughout the year. The Summer Concerts kick off on June 1. There are lots of other event during the summer, a photo contest in the fall, and an Owl Fest at the Ornithology Center in October. See these links for more detailed information:
Eagle Creek Park is a 5,300-acre park blessed with a variety of habitats that make for excellent birding all year. One can see 30+ warbler species during spring and fall migration, lots of waterfowl, forest and grassland species, and even shorebirds when the reservoir levels are right. Eagles once again nest in the park.
The Ornithology Center is a wonderful place to start your visit to the park. The building overlooks the reservoir and has an observation deck. Inside there are beautiful exhibits of local birds. The birdfeeder area is a great place to start your hike. There are many trails to choose from that lead to a variety of habitats. Naturalists on staff will be glad to answer your questions. There are often programs that feature several resident birds of prey including hawks, vultures, falcons, and owls. ABAS has funded taxidermy, bird cages, and other projects there over many years.
Join ABAS for their Sunday morning bird hikes. Meet at the Ornithology Center at 9:00 am every Sunday of the year. The overall group can observe over 100 different species many weeks of the year.
For more information on the history of Eagle Creek Park, see our Nov/Dec 2019 Newsletter.
Look for the 1970 photo of what is now the Ornithology Center. The huge log photo is from 1976. The paddle boat rental is on Lily Lake. The Rangers are from 1976 and there are a number of black and white photos of the opening ceremony. All photo courtesy of Eagle Creek Park.