Join FAS on Friday and Saturday March 25–26 for the annual trek to Freezout Lake.
Snow Geese are beginning to move from their wintering grounds to their arctic nesting areas along with thousands of other waterfowl. They stop over at Freezout Lake WMA near Choteau to rest and feed before finishing their journey We will meet on Friday morning at 10 AM at the parking lot of the old K-Mart in Evergreen. From there, we will caravan to Choteau, birding along the way, and arrive in time for some afternoon goose watching. After spending the night in Choteau, we’ll head back out to Freezout just before daybreak on Saturday to watch the “mass ascension” of geese from the ponds. After the morning’s birding, we can return to Kalispell in the early afternoon at our own pace on Saturday. Bob Lee will provide a suggested schedule and route, and will be in the front of the group. With the impacts of the Omicron variant still unknown at this time, we will be taking precautions like limited carpooling, masking and social distancing and no gathering for dinner. Participants may pursue the geese on their own as much or as little as they, the
weather and the birds allow. In 2021, there were an extraordinary number of people congregating to watch the
geese. There is no indication of how many might be there this year. Please make your own arrangements for
lodging. Primitive camping is available at the WMA. If there are lots of people, these sites may be limited. Motel options include the Stage Stop (406-466-5900), Gunther (406-466-5444), and Big Sky (406-466-5318).
Make your reservations early as these motels will likely fill up quickly. For more information, contact Bob at
RML3@centurytel.net or 406-270-0371.