VIRGINIA BEACH — The 2022 Winter Wildlife Festival, organized by the Virginia Beach Department of Parks & Recreation in coordination with other organizations and agencies, extends throughout this month and includes photo contests, art projects, birding and boating expeditions, and children’s activities.
The festival began on Saturday, Jan. 1, with a photo contest that is open through Monday, Jan. 31. Contestants are invited to submit original photographs in several categories including wildlife, landscapes and festival events, and a special category is open to youth under 16. As in the past, The Independent News hopes to run some of the winning images from this year’s festival in one of our February editions.
Festival events extend throughout January and include a Zoom presentation by science writer Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent and Think. The presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 28.
The winner of this year’s Mary Reid Barrow Wildlife Advocate Award will also be announced during that presentation, according to festival coordinator Katie Webb.
Other festival events include a service project, scheduled for Friday, Jan. 28, from 1 pm to 3 p.m. Volunteers will clean up the natural areas around Lake Smith, Lake Lawson and Stumpy Lake with particular emphasis on removing discarded fishing lines and other debris that could entangle wildlife. Youth 13 and older are invited to participate in this service project.
Festival events also include an interactive Story Walk scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturdays throughout January at some area libraries
Children are also eligible to submit their creative works to a Community Art Project. Children’s activities, live animals and door prizes are scheduled to be included in the exhibit hall located inside Princess Anne Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 29.
This is the 12th year for the Winter Wildlife Festival, but, in 2021, social distancing requirements forced cancellation of the exhibit hall and limited some other activities.
“We’re excited to bring it back,” Webb said.
Many festival activities require registration, and some events have a fee. Visit www.vbgov.com/winterwildlife for more information or to register for events, and follow the event on Facebook for any updates to its schedule.
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