Lab of Ornithology visitor center celebration set for Sept. 14

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is celebrating the reopening of its newly redesigned Visitor Center with a free event, to be held Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event - which will also include a special edition of the annual Migration Celebration - will kick off with a ribbon-cutting at 10:15 a.m., with remarks from Cornell Lab Executive Director Ian Owens.

"We asked the Visitor Center design team to deliver an overall message of 'Welcome, Wow, and What next?'" Owens said. "The first thing that hits you is a wall of media with awe-inspiring footage of birds from every continent and a huge, spinning data globe showing a livestream of what birdwatchers around the world are seeing at that moment. It makes you feel part of something much bigger."

"We're thrilled to have people come and explore all our new, colorful, interactive exhibits," said Lisa Kopp, the Cornell Lab's visitor experience manager. "We want to inspire people, feed their curiosity and show them that science can be fun. We also want them to understand how important it is to care about birds and nature in this rapidly changing world."

The celebration schedule includes guided trail walks, bird-banding demonstrations and live birds of prey from the Cornell Raptor Program. Visitors can learn about birds in Native American culture with dynamic Haudenosaunee storyteller Perry Ground. There will be workshops devoted to native plants; tips on choosing binoculars; and DIY projects that help make windows safe for birds by preventing collisions.

At the new sound table in the Adelson Family Bird Discovery Lab, visitors can touch animal images floating by at any of the headphone stations to get playlists or single sounds of birds, mammals, insects and other creatures.

"We'll be welcoming visitors to peek behind the scenes by taking a tour and learning from our scientists about the Lab's biodiversity-focused work on birds, whales, elephants and more," said Mya Thompson, co-director of the Lab's Center for Engagement in Science and Nature. "And we hope our guests will leave a comment on the new 'Wall of Hope,' describing how nature has touched their lives."

The complete schedulefor the celebration is available on Visitor Center website.

"The refurbished Visitor Center is a big 'thank you' to all the people who have made the Lab what it is today - from the local communities and schools to the millions of people that drive our participatory science programs," Owens said. "We appreciate the generations of Cornell students who have found inspiration here, and especially to all our members and supporters who have so generously made it all possible.

"It's often humbling to feel that affection for the Lab," he said. "This is a chance to give something back."

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Visitor Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; the center is closed on Monday. More informationabout public events at the Lab is available here.

Pat Leonard is a writer for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.