WOW Festival: Harns Marsh event set for this weekend
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN Harns Marsh.
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the outdoors during the upcoming WOW Festival in Lehigh Acres.
The dates of the celebration are set for this coming Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29 and 30 at Harns Marsh.
On Friday, LA-MSID will host a presentation from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Harns Marsh. There will be discussions of the future plans and development for Harns Marsh and the West Marsh. Admission is free.
Saturday is the WOW Festival Community Day and has grown to include more vendors and exhibitors, a farmer’s market, a plant sale, children’s activities and more.
It’s the fifth annual festival and the owners of Harns Marsh, one of Lehigh’s real gems, are inviting the community to attend the free event.
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN Birds at Harns Marsh.
Activities on Saturday begin at 9 a.m. and continues to 2 p.m.
LA-MSID will also host a presentation on the history, function and future of Harns Marsh.
Explore the history; learn about its water control features. After the presentation, you are welcome to take a self-guided walk and discover the flora and fauna.
Reservations are preferred: “http://www.eventbrite.com/e/wings-over-water-festival-presentation-harns-marsh-history-function-and-future-tickets-5760961190″>www.eventbrite.com/e/wings-over-water-festival-presentation-harns-marsh-history-function-and-future-tickets-5760961190.
For those who have not seen Harns Marsh and all of its splendor, now is the time to come out and listen to the experts and see the many displays, take a hike in its trails and socialize with others with similar outdoor interests.
Harns Marsh is owned by the Lehigh Acres – MSID and David E. Lindsay, manager of LA-MSID, said there are always a spike in calls during this time of the year from residents and visitors looking for more information on a place called Harns Marsh, “where the birding or bird watching is superb and many enjoy passive recreation – walking, running, etc.” Lindsay said.
Lots of people say they just discovered the Marsh one day and didn’t know it was there while others have heard about it through birding groups and stories in the media … and others may ask: “Just what is Harns Marsh?
J. Nathan Stout, a long-time member of LA-MSID’s board of commissioners, said Harns Marsh is a man-made stormwater treatment area.
“We allow public to access the area for passive recreation from dawn until dusk, unless otherwise posted.
“But it is not a park, executive director David Lindsay noted.
In the early 1980s, the agency transformed the 578-acre farmland into an active stormwater facility to filter water and reduce flooding to the Orange River. The water control structures have helped create a lush habitat for snail kites, limpkin and more than 160 species of animals.
Stout said he thinks it is important for visitors and residents alike to understand the vital role water quality and conservation plans in keeping the community and environment safe. Stout is the chairman of the five-member board of commissioners.
He said five years ago, the agency – then known as the East County Water Control District – heard the call from residents and visitors and conceptualized the Wings over Water (WOW) Festival to provide an opportunity for visitors to experience and learn about Southwest Florida’s natural resources.
There will be rubber duck races by Coldwell Banker Preferred Properties to raise money for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event; food and beverage sales, children’s activities, free blood pressure checks by the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District, numerous educational exhibits by local organizations and business guided walks and viewing of various species of flora and fauna.
In addition, Home Depot will host a free children’s activity to build bird houses while supplies last.
As a special addition this year, Mark Renz will host a special early morning walk on Saturday, Jan. 30 from 8 to 9 a.m. before the festival opens.
The topic of the walk, is “How to be yourself behind a camera.”
Renz’s photographs have been published internationally in magazines, newspapers and books.
Admission is free. Reservations are asked for.
Visit online at: www.eventbrite.com/e/wings-over-water-sat-jan-30-early-early-morning-photograpy-walk-tickets-20278393220.
To get to Harns Marsh: From Lee Blvd., head north on Sunshine Blvd., turn left on Olive Ave. N. and then turn left on 38th St. W., and continue into Harns Marsh.
Signs will guide you to enter the marsh parking area.
-
- PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN Birds at Harns Marsh.
WOW Festival: Harns Marsh event set for this weekend
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN Harns Marsh.
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the outdoors during the upcoming WOW Festival in Lehigh Acres.
The dates of the celebration are set for this coming Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29 and 30 at Harns Marsh.
On Friday, LA-MSID will host a presentation from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Harns Marsh. There will be discussions of the future plans and development for Harns Marsh and the West Marsh. Admission is free.
Saturday is the WOW Festival Community Day and has grown to include more vendors and exhibitors, a farmer’s market, a plant sale, children’s activities and more.
It’s the fifth annual festival and the owners of Harns Marsh, one of Lehigh’s real gems, are inviting the community to attend the free event.
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN Birds at Harns Marsh.
Activities on Saturday begin at 9 a.m. and continues to 2 p.m.
LA-MSID will also host a presentation on the history, function and future of Harns Marsh.
Explore the history; learn about its water control features. After the presentation, you are welcome to take a self-guided walk and discover the flora and fauna.
Reservations are preferred: “http://www.eventbrite.com/e/wings-over-water-festival-presentation-harns-marsh-history-function-and-future-tickets-5760961190″>www.eventbrite.com/e/wings-over-water-festival-presentation-harns-marsh-history-function-and-future-tickets-5760961190.
For those who have not seen Harns Marsh and all of its splendor, now is the time to come out and listen to the experts and see the many displays, take a hike in its trails and socialize with others with similar outdoor interests.
Harns Marsh is owned by the Lehigh Acres – MSID and David E. Lindsay, manager of LA-MSID, said there are always a spike in calls during this time of the year from residents and visitors looking for more information on a place called Harns Marsh, “where the birding or bird watching is superb and many enjoy passive recreation – walking, running, etc.” Lindsay said.
Lots of people say they just discovered the Marsh one day and didn’t know it was there while others have heard about it through birding groups and stories in the media … and others may ask: “Just what is Harns Marsh?
J. Nathan Stout, a long-time member of LA-MSID’s board of commissioners, said Harns Marsh is a man-made stormwater treatment area.
“We allow public to access the area for passive recreation from dawn until dusk, unless otherwise posted.
“But it is not a park, executive director David Lindsay noted.
In the early 1980s, the agency transformed the 578-acre farmland into an active stormwater facility to filter water and reduce flooding to the Orange River. The water control structures have helped create a lush habitat for snail kites, limpkin and more than 160 species of animals.
Stout said he thinks it is important for visitors and residents alike to understand the vital role water quality and conservation plans in keeping the community and environment safe. Stout is the chairman of the five-member board of commissioners.
He said five years ago, the agency – then known as the East County Water Control District – heard the call from residents and visitors and conceptualized the Wings over Water (WOW) Festival to provide an opportunity for visitors to experience and learn about Southwest Florida’s natural resources.
There will be rubber duck races by Coldwell Banker Preferred Properties to raise money for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event; food and beverage sales, children’s activities, free blood pressure checks by the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District, numerous educational exhibits by local organizations and business guided walks and viewing of various species of flora and fauna.
In addition, Home Depot will host a free children’s activity to build bird houses while supplies last.
As a special addition this year, Mark Renz will host a special early morning walk on Saturday, Jan. 30 from 8 to 9 a.m. before the festival opens.
The topic of the walk, is “How to be yourself behind a camera.”
Renz’s photographs have been published internationally in magazines, newspapers and books.
Admission is free. Reservations are asked for.
Visit online at: www.eventbrite.com/e/wings-over-water-sat-jan-30-early-early-morning-photograpy-walk-tickets-20278393220.
To get to Harns Marsh: From Lee Blvd., head north on Sunshine Blvd., turn left on Olive Ave. N. and then turn left on 38th St. W., and continue into Harns Marsh.
Signs will guide you to enter the marsh parking area.
-
- PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN Birds at Harns Marsh.
Lehigh News
Suffolk, Tobler Construction to host construction-industry hiring event Feb. 11
Warming Bus slated for Lehigh on Friday morning as Lee and its partners conduct cold-weather outreach
