*Manda. Panda*

tidetravel

AKA - Crazy, internet stalker lady.I never realized that you were in MD/DC area.  Or maybe I did and forgot.  Anyway, I'll extend the same invite to you...I volunteer for a wildlife refuge in Laurel.  SAT is our big wildlife festival, and I'll be there facepainting or button making or something.  Salt is gonna come down, so if you're not busy, you should join us   And - it's free.Patuxent Wildlife FestivalSaturday, October 24th, 200910:00AM - 3:00PMView live animals close-up, learn about cutting-edge wildlife research, participate in children's activities, explore the world of research, and view endangered Whooping Cranes on behind-the-scenes research tours of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Refuge habitat tram tours and refreshments will be available courtesy of Friends of Patuxenthttp://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/index.htm

danieliza1127

And every other crazy lurker now knows exactly where you'll be and when on Saturday.  Awesome!Sorry, couldn't resist.

mandapanda78

Aww, thanks for the invite! Sadly FIs parents are coming into town this weekend and it's our last pre-wedding weekend. That being said, a wildlife festival is right up my alley. Does the refuge do other public events?  And yes, I'm in NoVA.

kate51485

Tide, that sounds really cool.  I live in Annapolis

salt78

Wait WTF. Manda lives near us and I never knew this!? This is so exciting!!!

tidetravel

It's not like I'm waiting for her alone under the bleachers at the football stadium. :)Manda - they do.  They do public programs every month (bird walks, night hikes, etc) and have special events throughout the year.  The website lists all of that.  The refuge and visitor's center is open year-round too.  If you get a chance, you should check it out.  It's a pretty cool place. 

salt78

And Kate too? Yay for Maryland!!!

salt78

Hey Tide! Will you paint my face?? I want to look like a kitty!

tidetravel

Kate too, awesome.  Please stop by - it's an awesome place, and no one knows about it. Salt - I will if I'm at that station, but we usually do wildlife related artwork.  And may artistic talents are best left for kid's faces - they have a better imagination than us adults.

kate51485

Oh yes, Maryland my Maryland.  I've been here for a little over 2 years and it's FI's adopted home now too!Tide: I will come to your event, but only as long you promise to paint Salt's face better than Larissa could.  I'll be waiting for your answer...

tidetravel

I don't know any amount of imagination that could help that trainwreck, so we should be all good!

salt78

Maybe I can be a squirrel then!? Hehehe I'm excited to see you.

salt78

What's this now, Kate? Did you not know that Larissa is doing my wedding makeup?

mandapanda78

Tide I really think I owe you mega thanks. When I lived in South Carolina I went bird watching every weekend (and no I'm not 70- I'm just obsessed with birds of prety). Ever since I moved to the DC area I couldn't find a great place to do that. I think maybe you just gave me what I've been looking for for three years!! Salt- I live near you and I'm coming over for cake eyeballs!! I will bring my awesome goat cheese and prosciutto stuffed chicken.

kate51485

Ooh maybe she can give you the "face mask" look with some tropical looking flowers for your DW???

salt78

[i]Salt- I live near you and I'm coming over for cake eyeballs!! I will bring my awesome goat cheese and prosciutto stuffed chicken.[/i] Yes we seriously need to do this sometime. Kate, I like the way you think. FI will be so surprised when he sees me walking down the aisle!!

tidetravel

Looks like you came to the right place The refuge itself is 12,000 acres.  It's the largest area of uninterrupted "green space" on the Atlantic flyway between New York and Georgia.  As a result, we have over 300 species of birds that stop over at the refuge throughout the year.  We actually have a bird guide at the refuge that lists all of the species known to have been there.  It's broken down by seasons and whether they're common, rare, etc.  I'll pick one up for you.

kate51485

That is unless, of course, you want the full-face Spiderman.  In which case, CEW may show up to relive memories of her wedding guests' costumes from the earlier thread. Tide, I think I work next door to the refuge. 

tidetravel

Kate - we get that ALL THE TIME.  People are always like, "I've lived here for 20 years and never knew about this place..."  

kate51485

it's very close to a certain Fort, no?

mandapanda78

wow Tide this place sounds awesome. I may even look into volunteering (post-wedding madness of course)

tidetravel

Yep Kate - actually the northern 8000 acres were donated by the fort to the refuge.  If you go hiking up there, you have to sign something saying that you won't go off the trails because of the (very slim) possibility of coming across unexpolded ordinance.

kate51485

Interesting!  Yes, I work at the lovely fort.  I'll keep my eye out for hikers

mandapanda78

Ooo! The refuge has nesting Bald Eagles! Today is squee day for me.

tidetravel

We get eagle fly-bys all the time., lots of nesting Osprey too.  And hawks/kestrels galore.  Once, one of the eagles flew by with someone's goldfish/carp that he had obviously plucked out of their pond.

mandapanda78

I once saw a Bald Eagle grab an Ibis right out of the air and then eat it in a tree. I was surprised, because I'd only ever seen them with fish, but it was amazing to watch.

tidetravel

Oooh Manda - you should bring FILs to the refuge with you.

mandapanda78

thought about that and we may do that! Depends on what time they get in. They are flying into Raleigh on Friday and then driving up to DC on Saturday. And then down to Charleston on Wednesday. And then back to Raleigh on Monday so they can fly home to Portland. I realize I just got off track here, but is that not a little silly? Anyway, yes- if they are up for it on Saturday I may ask if they want to go.

tidetravel

That's a lot of driving - uggh.  Just think:  whooping. cranes.