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Japanese flower arranging sessions set

The Ikenobo Ikebana Society, Nevada chapter, will present morning and afternoon Japanese flower arranging workshops Saturday, Feb. 9.

The morning session will focus on Betsuden, a variation of the Shoka style. Ikenobo Senjo, who was headmaster of the Ikenobo school from 1796 to 1830 in Japan, introduced the simple style.

Rikka, one of the oldest Ikebana styles, will be the focus of the afternoon workshop. Despite its age, the style continues to develop as it brings nature's beauty to contemporary life, according to a society member.

Fresh flowers are used to create the arrangements.

The sessions are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Call 655-2447 or 496-3763 for details.

Backyard bird count seeks participants

Millions of novice and accomplished bird watchers are invited to become citizen scientists during the 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, led by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. During President's Day weekend, Feb. 15-18, count birds from wherever you are and enter the results at www.birdcount.org.

"Each tally helps us learn more about how our North American birds are doing and what that says about the health and the future of our environment," said Tom Bancroft, chief science officer for Audubon. "These volunteers are counting not only for fun but for the future."

"Literally, there has never been a more detailed snapshot of a continental bird-distribution profile in history," said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Imagine scientists 250 years from now being able to compare these data with their own."

People of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part -- at home, in schoolyards, at local parks or wildlife refuges.

Observers must count the highest number of each species they see during at least 15 minutes on one or more of the count days. Helpful hints for identifying birds can be found on the bird count Web site.

Participants can compare results from their region with others, as checklists pour in from throughout the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, you can send in digital images for the online photo gallery and contest, or upload a video to YouTube and tag it "Great Backyard Bird Count." The best clips will be posted on the GBBC Web site.

In 2007, Great Backyard Bird Count participants made history, breaking records for the number of birds reported, and the number of checklists. Participants sent in 81,203 checklists tallying 11,082,387 birds of 613 species.

"People who take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count see the results of their efforts in the news and in bird conservation work taking place across the country," said Judy Braus, Audubon education vice president.