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The Montezuma Muckrace
A fall birding event coordinated by Audubon New York and the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex

What:
The Muckrace is a 24-hour birding competition that raises money for bird conservation within the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. It is not mandatory to bird the entire 24-hours.The goal is to raise $11,000 to fund a shorebird habitat restoration project in the North Montezuma area. The 2007 competition raised over $10,000, which is funding an eBird Trail Tracker for the Montezuma Audubon Center. Money is raised through sponsorships, registration fees and pledges sought by participants.

Who:
Anyone! Teams consisting of three or more individuals bird together throughout the period to locate as many birds as possible within Montezuma. There have been between 70-100 participants each year. Youth teams are strongly encouraged to participate.

When:
September 12-13, 2008 . The event starts at 8:00 pm on the 12th and ends with a closing ceremony at 8:00 pm on 13th at the Montezuma Audubon Center.

PAST PARTICIPANTS: NOTE THE CHANGE IN START AND END TIME
IS NOW 8 PM - 8 PM!

Where:
Montezuma Wetlands Complex, Cayuga, Wayne and Seneca Counties, New York

Why:
If you are interested in an adventure this fall, want to directly contribute to bird conservation, or perhaps seek a friendly competition, participate in the Muckrace. Montezuma is truly one of New York's premier habitats for birds and one of the best locations in New York to go birding.This year prizes will be awarded to the team that raises the most money and to those teams that record the greatest number of species.

How:
For more information about participating, becoming a team sponsor, or to be added to the mailing list, contact Jane Graves at jgraves@skidmore.edu. The registration deadline is August 25

Summary from the 2007 Muckrace:

72 birders competed in the eleventh annual Montezuma Muckrace, which took place at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex September 7-8, 2007. The 19 teams, from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, tallied 170 species during the 24-hour event. This is one of the lowest totals seen in the history of the event. This was a particularly challenging Muckrace for everyone, given the extended drought that has plagued the area this summer and the draw-down of the Main Pool at Montezuma NWR, as well as the hot and humid air mass that sat over the area throughout the event, essentially shutting down the hoped-for migration. However, there was an excellent variety of shorebirds, although numbers of individuals were low. Wings over Ithaca, sponsored by the Cayuga Bird Club, was the winning team, with 140 species. The team consisted of Jay McGowan, Mike Harvey, Glenn Seeholzer, Tom Johnson, and Tim Lenz, all from Ithaca. Second place went to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Kingbirds with 130 species. Tied for third place with 122 species were The Gallinagos (in honor of Brenda Carter), and the Scissor-tailed Prairie-Robins, comprised of Cornell students. The Cayuga Bird Club sponsored Downy Chicks won the Youth Team category with 77 species, followed closely by The Hummers, sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, with 74 species. A new Low-Carbon category was introduced this year for participants wanting to reduce their carbon footprint during the event. The Audubon NY No rEgrets participated by bike, riding about 35 miles, and tallied 94 species. Although they were unable to get to all the hotspots, they claim it was their best Muckrace ever and tallied more birds than they expected. Thanks to all who donated to the event and sponsored teams, including Terry Precision Cycling, Wild Birds Unlimited, the New York State Ornithological Association, Nucor Steel, Nikon, Bass Pro, Eagle Optics, the Cayuga Lake Creamery, Sue Adair, and WomanMade Products. In addition, a special thanks to the Montezuma Audubon Center, who hosted the event for the first time.

Muckrace 2006 Final Report (762 kb)

Muckrace 2006 Photo Highlights (1 MB)

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