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state that doesn't have ocean front prop- erty. And,,,wildlife officers say it isn't unusual lo_ find international visitors who tour the state to see specific birds. "This Wzn .urbanized culture," says Baskfield, "This`is one of the ways peo- ple want to interact with; wildlife." The state boasts mare than 900 dif- ferent species. The variety, says DOW Watchable Wildlife Coordinator John Koshak, is due to Colorado's own diver- sity, going from prairie to high country. In eastern Colorado, Koshak is work- ing on a project to "loop" viewing trails, something like the scenic byways signs along state highways. He's working with public and private landowners, the Rocky Mountain Observatory, Colorado Field Orinthologists, Audubon Colorado and the Colorado Department of Transportation, among others, to link 24 coun- ties. The A -6Wing site locations will be avallai2le on;.the Web and on maps for wfldhfe enthusiasts to follow according to --fhe time they have, area and season. The Web site's completion is expect- ed by summer's end, and the trail loops by the fall. Until then, there are other alternatives, such as the existing watch- able wildlife stations and a variety of view- ing festivals held in various small towns. Says Baskfield, "Really, all you need to do is get in the car and go." At a watchable wildlife station near Georgetown, for instance, DOW installed permanent viewing scopes for the pub- lic. At the site just off Interstate 70, visi- tors can drop in 50 cents to watch 300 or so bighorn sheep bounce from rocky ledge to precipitous foothold on the opposite mountainside. DOW volunteers staff the area on weekends. The sheep are around pretty much all day, every day, fall to spring. At Windy Gap Reservoir near Highway 40, wildlife and birdwatchers can spot bald and golden eagles, a variety of waterfowl and small mammals through permanent scopes. The watchable wildlife area there includes a parking lot off the highway along with a covered picnic area. The watchable wildlife prog =has existed for about 15 years and a couple hundred areas around th Some are simple informational -1 others are blinds, and still others ue scopes, says Baskfield. DOW partners with a variety of agencies and organiza- tions to install and maintain the areas. While watching wildlife maintains its popularity, searching for birds continues to become ffidfo popular all the time. "We knovYurZtig and fishing bring a lot of monejrr)o the state; but only seven percent g1nittion hunts," says DO 's Watch rdinator Renee Herring. "People pay to go to Africa just to see birds, not the charis- matic megafauna. Birds." Which explains the draw of events world, as well as Colorado. The prairie chicken festival in Wray includes a night- before - viewing dinner, sunrise bird viewing, educational film and after- viewing breakfast. After their 4 a.m. wake -up call, visi- tors board vans and ride over bumpy roads for a chance to view leks —the prairie chicken's gathering and courting areas —where DOW parkss eCially fitted 4, .II trailers. Inside the tr..aj` "' Teachers for the birdwatchers`:`` f each trailer opens, says Herring,' ike a hotdog wagon" revealing a win hat looks out onto the prairie. firs are led in and quietly seated before the awning is opened. "At first, you can barely see outside," she says. "Then the light comes up and it's quiet. The sky begins to get light. Then you see the chickens." The males stomp, they dance. They blow up the orange sacs below their beaks._ After the matiii itual, ranch- ers on whose k Ame trailer are parked serve to the visitors and talk with out variety of topics, inclu resources, rangelan' -- n ment and life on the plains. Says Herring: "It was a blast." Prowers County District Wildlife Manager Bryant Will helps a young birdwatcher sight incoming snowgeese during Lamar's 4th annual festival in February. like the Lamar Snowgoose Festival in late February. In its fourth year, the festival drew about 200 people to a weekend of workshops and wildlife viewing. Not only did visitors enjoy the return of between 5- and 15,000 snow geese, Koshak says, they also got to see more than two dozen bald eagles and several other raptors, including rough - legged hawks. "For some of these people," says Koshak, "it's a life changing experi- ence." White - tailed deer were out early Saturday morning and visitors got to see a great blue heron rookery. Free classes at the high school covered everything from Zebulon Pike's historic odyssey across the plains, to how to watch wild- life properly. If you missed Lamar, no worries. There's more, like the Wray greater prai- rie chicken festival in early April. The Wray event, made possible by a collaborative effort among the Wray Chamber of Commerce, Yuma Historical Museum, DOW and private landowners, attracts birdwatchers from around the Several plains and mountain town:;, including Lamar, Wray, Monte Vista and Walden, host weekend festivals for returning birds. Wray's greater prai rie chicken viewing occurs over fiv, weekends beginning March 21. Visi wra ychamber @plains. net The Colorado Division of Wild fe3 offers free workshops from now thro :7h August throughout the state to to ch children and adults how to master u door skills. Some offer college cr Visit www.wildlifewatch.net. For more about birdwatching, vi t: • The Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory at Barr Lake,,..: http: / /www. rmbo. orgl; • Colorado Field Orinthologists, ' www.cfo- link.org; and • The Colorado Birding Trail, www. coloradobirdingtrail. c n, an initiative to link state ou' door recreation sites. COLORADO FOUNDATION FOR WATER EDUCATION .i