Everyone Can Bird!

(Local View from 4'2, Lake County Press, May 9, 2025)

Everyone Can Bird! Is a local event series that is hosted by Duluth Parks & Recreation, the Lake Superior Reserve, Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve, Sea Grant, Hawk Ridge, Embark, and the Minnesota Land Trust. On Sunday, May 5th they had their first event at Chambers Grove Park in Duluth.

The star of the show was the American Pelican as they migrate through the St. Louis River area on their way to their summer home in Canada. They have the second largest wingspan of birds living today. While on the crushed rock trail using the Duluth Parks Action Trackchair, we also saw an eagle, mergansers, turkey vultures, warblers, and chickadees. I am sure there were more birds to see and hear but to be honest I was just enjoying the blue skies, sunshine, company, and wind in my hair.  

This accessible event thinks of almost everything! There were several accessible parking spots, lots of snacks to fit most diets and needs, an ASL interpreter, bird experts leading groups with microphones and of course the Trackchair. The only unfortunate thing was this year the bathrooms were not open for the season yet, but there was an accessible porta potty.

It was fun seeing this event through the eyes of a friend and board member who was new to this space and event. At the end she also got to try out the trackchair to see what this adaptation feels like. She even went faster in it than I did!

There were several people who recognized me from last year, and I them. I also met two new wheelie friends who live in Duluth and participate in lots of other local outdoor events. It was fun advocating and sharing stories of our trackchair adventures.

There are two more Everyone Can Bird! events happening in 2025. August 21st at Millenium Trail & Woodstock Bay Launch in Superior, WI as well as October 11th at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, MN. The Superior event will have multiple trackchairs so this will be a not to be missed event. Hawk Ridge has considerably less trails but the trackchair makes the outdoor classroom and observation deck possible at this event.

For more information please check out folsr.org or lakesuperiorerr.org

These accessible outdoor events are so fun. We need more of them! If you know of other upcoming accessible events please share them with us at Lake County Press.