Activity level 5. Participants must be at least 16 years old (youth 16-17 must be accompanied by an adult) and be able to paddle a kayak at least 700 meters across open water (one way). Roundtrip is approximately 2 miles of paddling.
DESCRIPTION: This is a kayaking trip and kayaks will be provided. We will travel across the upper north lobe of Lake Almanor with views of Mt. Lassen before traveling down the western shoreline towards the mouth of the Feather River and then returning to the North Shore campground. The most diverse assemblage of wildlife on Lake Almanor can be found in the shallow waters of our trip. Accessing this area on kayaks will allow us to get much closer to wildlife than we would be able to on foot. While keeping our distance, participants will have the chance to view Western and Clark's Grebes on nests and observe the frenetic behavior of an active nesting colony. August is prime time for viewing many other water birds on this part of the lake including: American White Pelicans, White-faced Ibis, Double-crested Cormorants, shorebirds, terns, gulls, seven species of waterfowl, and often eagles and falcons.
TRIP LEADER: RYAN BURNETT Ryan Burnett is the Sierra Nevada Director for Point Blue Conservation Science (founded as the Point Reyes Bird Observatory). He has nearly two decades of experience designing, leading, and publishing findings from avian ecology and conservation research across the Sierra Nevada. He lives in the Almanor Basin with his wife and children and has been keeping tabs on the Almanor Basin avifauna for the past 19 years.
*To reserve a double kayak for this trip or want to bring your own kayak, please contact Jill Slocum, Grebe Festival Registration Chair, at 530-414-9033 or grebefestival@gmail.com.