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KERN VALLEY BIOREGIONS FESTIVAL
The Annual Kern Valley Bioregions Festival happens late April in the naturally magnificent Kern River Valley. Located at the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada, the Kern River Valley is where five of California's six major bioregions converge: the Great Basin Desert, the Mojave Desert, Chaparral, Sierra Forest, and the Great Valley Grassland, including the largest remaining contiguous riparian forest in the state.
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Copyright © Casey Christie |
From the towns of Weldon and Kernville, the Kern Valley Bioregions Festival celebrates this natural nexus in a stunning setting: a hanging valley at 2,600' surrounded by 6,000' to 8,000' high peaks of the Sequoia National Forest and less than one hour from the new Giant Sequoia National Monument. Situated below these Sierra peaks are the National Wild & Scenic North Fork and South Fork of the Kern River and Audubon California's 1,167-acre Kern River Preserve, part of the Globally Important Bird Area located along the South Fork of the Kern River.
Bioregions Festival activities include guided bird watching (the last nine festivals have recorded between 182 to 227 different species of birds), natural history exhibits and presentations at the Kern Valley Museum, wildlife art show, live music, river rafting, nature tours, the 6th Annual 5K/10K Bioregions Festival Run, and children’s activities.
The Kern River Valley is one of the richest outdoor recreation areas in the United States; bicycling, boating, camping, catch-and-release fishing, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, golfing, hiking, horseback riding, hot springs soaking, kayaking, lake fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, river fishing, sailing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, spelunking, whitewater rafting, wild trout fishing, and wind surfing are among the myriad of outdoor recreational opportunities available.
For detailed information
on the Bioregions Festival, see valleywild.org/bioregion.htm.
General visitor information is available by calling either
the Kernville Chamber of Commerce toll-free (866) KERNVIL (537-6845)
or the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce, toll-free at (866)
KRV4FUN (578-4386). Or you may check their websites www.kernvillechamber.org.
and www.kernrivervalley.com.
More information is also found at www.kernvalley.com.



