Archive for March, 2009

With the help of tourism and advertising industry experts, the number of firms still in the running for the New Mexico Tourism Department’s advertising and promotion contract has been reduced from the original 16 applicants to six finalists.

An eight-member evaluation committee, which included members of the state’s tourism community, met March 17, 2009 to review the applications. With the help of a point system awarded each application, the committee emerged with the following list of finalists:

* M&C Saatchi (which holds the current contract), with headquarters in Santa Monica, California
* McMurry, with headquarters in Phoenix
* New West, LLC, with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky
* Rick Johnson & Co, with headquarters in Albuquerque
* Sullivan Perkins, with headquarters in Dallas
* TKO Advertising, with headquarters in Albuquerque

The committee will next schedule oral presentations by each of the six finalists in April; and, in consultation with Tourism Department Cabinet Secretary Michael Cerletti, select a finalist. Contract negotiations will follow. The contract term is anticipated to begin on or about July 1, 2009 for one year, with options to renew on an annual basis, or any portion thereof, for up to three additional years. In no case shall the contract and all extensions thereto exceed a total of four years in duration.

The Tourism Department advertising budget is approximately $3 million per fiscal year, contingent on funds appropriated by the New Mexico State Legislature.

May 12: Day trip to Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch in sw New Mexico.  This is a truly amazing property.  Highlights of this trip include:  Hooded Oriole, Bell’s Vireo, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Elf Owl, and numerous spring migrants.  We will meet at the ranch entrance at 7:00am and continue to bird until dusk, covering several
major habitats on the ranch.  Participants should make their own arrangements for lodging the night before and night of the trip.  I have suggestions in the T or C and Kingston area.  $125 per person which
includes the $50 ranch entry fee.

May 20: Day trip to Wind River Ranch in Watrous and Ruby Ranch in Las Vegas.  Two spectacular private ranches will be visited on this tour.  Wind River is in the Mora River canyon west of Watrous, NM.  Ruby Ranch is just north of Las Vegas on Sapello Creek.  The mix of birds this time of year is quite interesting:  Clark’s Grebe, Long-billed Curlew,
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Gray Catbird, Hepatic Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, plus a mix of shorebird and songbird migrants.  $100 per person which includes entrance fees to both ranches.  We will carpool from Santa Fe leaving about 6am.

June 16: Day trip to Elk Mt.  This trip will feature mid and high elevation breeding species including American Dipper, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Dusky Flycatcher, Purple Martin, Gray Jay, Grace’s Warbler,  Pine Grosbeak, and Cassin’s Finch.  $75 per person.  Trip will leave from Santa Fe at 6am.

There are also spaces for my Chihuahua Sierra Madre trip May 25-June 1. We will visit breeding sites for Eared Quetzal, Thick-billed Parrot and Military Macaw.  $1,975 per person double occupancy

To register for any of these expeditions, please contact WingsWest by phone or email.  I will be in the Copper Canyon until April 5 and will answer any emails after that time.  Thanks for your support and all the best, Bill.

WingsWest Birding Tours
Santa Fe, NM, USA
1-800-583-6928
wingswestnm@earthlink.net
www.wingswestnm.com

Who: Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
What: A dramatic performance of the letters between Georgia O’Keeffe and her husband, legendary photographer Alfred Stieglitz.
When: 6:30 PM, May 18, 2009
Where: Christie’s auction house in New York City’s Rockefeller Center
Contact:Virginia Coleman at vcoleman@hwpr.com or (212) 935-1558, ext. 124

On May 18, 2009, please join us, and stars of stage and screen Joan Allen, Sam Waterston, and Marsha Mason, at Christie’s auction house in New York City’s Rockefeller Center. On that evening, these renowned artists will give a dramatic performance of the letters between Georgia O’Keeffe and her husband, legendary photographer Alfred
Stieglitz. Presented only once before to a sold-out audience in Santa Fe, New Mexico, these  exchanges reveal the complexity of the stormy relationship between two of America’s artistic giants, and the extent to which their dreams and aspirations meshed - and clashed. Don’t miss this chance to explore a uniquely intimate portrait of the elusive Georgia O’Keeffe, as she tries to find some balance between her own artistic vision and her love for Stieglitz.

The performance begins at 6:30 PM and will be followed by a cocktail reception. Tickets range from $250-$1,000. Those purchasing $1,000 tickets will be able to attend the special dinner with the actors following the cocktail reception. All proceeds benefit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum’s exhibition and education programs (a portion of your ticket is tax-deductible).

For further information, please contact Virginia Coleman at vcoleman@hwpr.com or (212) 935-1558, ext. 124.