Dec. 13, 2012 — The public is welcome to come and participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count in the Mineral area.

For well more than 100 years people of all ages interested in birds have taken to the field during the holiday season to count birds in and around their communities as part of the annual Christmas Bird Count. Coordinated and sponsored by the National Audubon Society, this year marks the 113 annual count.

This is the 22nd annual Mineral count. Mineral is one of more than 2,000 bird counts across the nation. Count observations are compiled at the end of the count and submitted to a national database.

The count will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14. Participants can join in for the full day, half-day or just a few hours. Counters should meet in Mineral at the Lassen Volcanic National Park headquarters in the lobby of the administration building at 8 a.m. The bird count is open to everyone in the community and surrounding areas and no prior birding experience is needed. Participants will be teamed up with someone who has birding experience. This is a great way to get out and enjoy the birds of the area. All help is welcome! Participants should bring a daypack with snack and water.

If you wish to participate for the full day, bring a lunch as well. Bring binoculars if you have them, gloves, hat and wear sturdy walking shoes or boots.

Call Steve Zachary at 595-6132 or Mike Magnuson at 595-6184 with any questions.

To learn of facility opening activities, trail status, receive updates or check for current conditions, go to the Lassen Volcanic National Park website at nps.gov/lavo, follow LassenNPS on Twitter or Facebook or call park staff from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays at 595-4480.