Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania, has been selected on of 20 nominees in the USA Today's 10Best birdwatching destinations across the nation. An expert panel selected Hawk Mountain for the Best Birdwatching category on October 13, and the world-famous hawkwatching destination currently is in second place.
Any individual with an Internet connection can vote once a day for the candidate of their choice at http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-birdwatching/ until noon on Monday, November 10.
"This is huge for Hawk Mountain and shows that our 2,500-acre Sanctuary can go up against places like the Platte River Valley in Nebraska, southeastern Arizona, the Everglades, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and we already beat every single one of them," says Mary Linkevich, the Director of Communications at the Sanctuary.
"But let's face it: if we're in this, we want Hawk Mountain to be number one," she adds.
Currently the only location standing in the way is Magee Marsh, Ohio, which Linkevich says has been promoting votes on social media since the contest opened.
" Hawk Mountain has been busy promoting fall migration, fall foliage and our October events and programs, so we haven't been able to focus exclusively on this contest. Now we can, and I know the community can push us over the top, and that it can happen in this last few days of the contest, " she explains.
Whether the Sanctuary finishes first or not, the contest already brings enormous reach. The 10Best is promoted by USA Today across all Gannett media outlets, including the websites of its 81 local papers and 43 television stations, and in USA Today Travel Media Group's digital and mobile products, as well as via social media.
"USA TODAY is thrilled to have this method of sharing what 10Best and USA TODAY readers and users love most," said John Peters, president of USA TODAY Travel Media Group. "Our readers are well-informed, well-traveled and opinionated. At the end of the day, content on our platforms is a reflection of them. A destination, organization or business which finds itself the recipient of a 10Best Readers' Choice Award has really accomplished something."
Stretching across the Berks and Schuylkill county border, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary this year celebrates its 80th anniversary as the world's first refuge for birds of prey, and today is an international center for raptor conservation. The 2,600-acre Sanctuary, scenic overlooks and eight mile trail system attracts an average 70,000 visitors yearly, many from across the country and around the world, ranging from hikers to dedicated birders looking for bald eagles, ospreys and broad-winged hawks.
