Midwest Birding Symposium

Event Details

The Midwest Birding Symposium (MBS) is returning to Ohio for the first time in a decade. The charming Victorian Chautauqua community of Lakeside will serve as the host site for this year's event. The MBS will feature presentations by North America's leading experts, an extensive vendor area with nature products and information, birding at the area's top birding spots, and the opportunity for both novice and experienced birders to network with fellow enthusiasts.

Past speakers at the MBS have included Tony Award-winning actress Jane Alexander, National Public Radio commentator Julie Zickefoose, nationally published humorist Al Batt and bird photography experts Marie Read and Arthur Morris. This premiere birding event is expected to attract a capacity crowd of 1,000+ birders from around the continent to the shores of Lake Erie.

The MBS is a non-profit birding event held every other year in the Midwest. Since the first symposium in the Chicago suburbs in 1989, the event has been held in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. The symposium was held in Lakeside, Ohio, in 1997 and 1999, drawing 1,000 people each time. The MBS donates a portion of the net proceeds to conservation organizations and causes.

During the past three decades, bird watching has grown in popularity, with about 50 million United States residents taking part in this hobby. Meanwhile, the bird-watching and bird-feeding industries have soared to more than $14 billion in annual sales.

Visit www.midwestbirding.org to register for the MBS and for the latest programming and schedule updates. Please call 888-896-6927 with general questions or for more information about MBS sponsorship.

The Lakeside Association's lovely Chautauqua-style setting was home to the Midwest Birding Symposium in 1997 and 1999. Visit www.lakesideohio.com for more information.