Some pupils serve on an unofficial recycling patrol, making sure each classroom properly sorts trash from recyclables. The recycling award is named after the late Vonnell Mastri, a former educator at Onondaga Community College. Lake Ontario bird fest Birds and the environment will be in the spotlight this weekend at the Lake Ontario Bird Festival in Oswego County. A golden eagle, red-tailed hawk and turkey vulture will be among the live birds of prey on display throughout the day at the fifth annual bird festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in Mexico. The festival moves this year from Mexico Point State Park to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Resort along the Little Salmon River on county Route 16, between Route 104B and Route 104.
Admission is free.
The schedule includes a presentation for beginning birders, a talk about the state bird from the New York State Bluebird Society and free shuttle buses to the nearby Derby Hill Bird Observatory along Lake Ontario. There's a new Web site dedicated to Onondaga Lake. Some people may not consider that a big deal, considering that about a half-dozen Internet sites now focus on Central New York's polluted lake. The Onondaga Lake Partnership was established last year by Congress to coordinate the cleanup among government agencies. The public is welcome to attend any of the committee meetings.