[mou] Minnesota Birding Weekends

[Kim Richard Eckert]

Last month, the MOU Board of Directors approved the proposal to
consider Minnesota Birding Weekends (MBW) as part of the MOU's program
of field trips. This arrangement, by the way, was actually in effect
during the first few years after the MBW program started back in 1986
and was called MOU Birding Weekends. Aside from a minor financial
adjustment involving the MOU, MBW participants will not see any
changes in how we operate, and the MOU will continue to offer other
non-MBW field trips under the direction of Bob Williams, the MOU Field
Trips Chairperson.

MBW information (including the schedule, trip descriptions and fees,
the registration procedure, etc.) will continue to appear on the MOU's
website (http://moumn.org/trips.html), on Bob Ekblad's website
(http://www.birding-minnesota.com/MN-MBW.htm), and it will continue as
an annual insert in the January-February issue of the MOU's
newsletter. One change is there will be occasional announcements here
on mou-net with schedule updates, trip summaries, etc., now that MBW
is a part of the MOU and thus an appropriate topic for this listserve.

The first MBW of the 2007-08 season will take place later this month,
and, like several others, it is already filled with a waiting list. If
you are considering registering for a MBW, please check its status
below first, and note you can request by e-mail to be added to a
filled MBW's waiting list without sending a fee. Note as well that the
Friday-only options listed below can be taken separately without
registering for the corresponding Saturday-Sunday MBW. Also, you'll
find the addition of two new MBWs (June 9-10 / Cook County and
November 5-6 / North Shore) which are being offered to accommodate
extra participants.

As of today, April 9, Here is the status of the MBWs on the 2007-08 schedul=
e:

=95 April 20 / Watonwan County pre-Weekend option / $25 // STATUS: 5 vacanc=
ies
=95 April 21-22 / Martin & Faribault Counties / $35 // STATUS: filled; 9
on waiting list

=95 May 5-6 / Lac Qui Parle & Marsh Lakes / $35 // STATUS: filled; 3 on
waiting list

=95 May 26-27-28 / Southwestern Minnesota / $60 // STATUS: filled; 2 on
waiting list

=95 JUNE 9-10 / EXTRA COOK COUNTY MBW / $40 // STATUS: 5 vacancies

=95 June 15 / Wadena County pre-Weekend option / $25 // STATUS: 12 vacancie=
s
=95 June 16-17 / Itasca State Park / $40 // STATUS: 2 vacancies

=95 June 30 - July 1 / Cook County / $40 // STATUS: filled; 14 on waiting l=
ist

=95 July 27 / Pope County pre-Weekend option / $25 // STATUS: 6 vacancies
=95 July 28-29 / Stevens & Traverse Counties / $35 // STATUS: filled; 2
on waiting list

=95 August 10-19, 2007 / California / $100 deposit // STATUS: filled; 1
on waiting list

=95 August 31 / Red Lake County pre-Weekend option / $25 // STATUS: 11 vaca=
ncies
=95 September 1-2-3 / Northwestern Minnesota / $55 // STATUS: 6 vacancies

=95 September 14 / Carlton County pre-Weekend option / $20 // STATUS: 10 va=
cancies
=95 September 15 / Duluth I  / $20 // STATUS: 3 vacancies
=95 September 16 / Duluth II  / $20 // STATUS: 7 vacancies

=95 September 29-30 / Lyon & Lincoln Counties / $30 // STATUS: 7 vacancies

=95 October 13-14 / Rothsay Wildlife Management Area / $30 // STATUS:
filled; 2 on
waiting list

=95 November 3-4 / North Shore / $30 // STATUS: filled; 4 on waiting list

=95 NOVEMBER 5-6 / EXTRA NORTH SHORE MBW / $30 // STATUS: 11 vacancies

=95 November 17-18 / Houston County / $30 // STATUS: 15 vacancies

=95 January 5-6, 2008 / Duluth III / $30 // STATUS: 3 vacancies

=95 February 2-10, 2008 / South Texas / $100 deposit // STATUS: 5 vacancies

Again, for more information about Minnesota Birding Weekends, see the
MOU's or Bob Ekblad's website, and please contact me if you have any
questions or wish to register for a trip.

Kim Eckert
1921 W Kent Rd
Duluth MN 55804
(218) 525-6930
<eckertkr@gmail.com> (note new e-mail address as of April 6)
<kreckert@cpinternet.com> (former e-mail address to expire May 31)