A special outdoor event on Saturday in Greene County will get people excited about spring.

A guided birding expedition will take place at Dunbar Slough and will be led by Jefferson Matters: A Main Street and Chamber Community Executive Director Matt Wetrich, who has over 25 years of bird knowledge and being a former Carroll County Conservation Naturalist. He talks about the clout of Dunbar Slough.

“Dunbar Slough is one of the top wildlife birding destinations in the state. And so we have people come visit there often, actually. It’s a hunting destination too (at) different times of the year but for bird watching, and dragonfly/damselfly watching, all that stuff, it’s really a fantastic spot. It’s a real, kind of hidden gem I guess for most folks.”  

Wetrich will be joined by a member of the Raccoon River Watershed Authority (RRWA) Colleen Radebaugh from rural Rippey, as well as Greene County Conservation Director Tanner Scheuermann and Carroll County Conservation Environmental Education Coordinator Kristen Bieret. 

Participants are encouraged to meet at the Casey’s General Store in Scranton at 8am on Saturday and everyone can carpool to several locations to observe birds until noon. Wetrich adds participants should dress for the weather and can bring their own binoculars or there will be some for people to use. 

This event is free courtesy of Jefferson Matters, RRWA, the Iowa Ornithological Union and the Greene and Carroll County Conservation Boards.