SPOKANE -- Save time and money on those road trips to enjoy wildlife this summer by learning how to turn a backyard into a "watchable wildlife" site.

That's the word from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), which will co-sponsor the Spokane area's eighth annual "Open Yard - Bird Fair" June 6- 7 to feature the state's Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Program.

Ron and Gerry Krueger, charter members of the 11-year-old program, host the free event on their property at E. 11415 Krueger Lane (northeast of Argonne and Bigelow Gulch, off Pleasant Prairie Road.)

The Open Yard - Bird Fair is like an "open house," with visitors coming and going from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7. Guided tours show the Kruegers' low maintenance yard and gardens that have become a haven for birds and other wildlife, thanks to plantings that provide food and cover. The Kruegers' three- year-old project to restore 18 acres of farmland to native trees, shrubs and grasses for wildlife habitat also is featured.

WDFW personnel will be on hand to explain the Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary program and to sell the program's $5 informational packet on landscaping, nestboxes, supplemental feeding, problem wildlife, and other topics.

Spokane Audubon Society members, as well as local vendors of backyard birding products, also will be on site throughout the rain-or-shine weekend event.

Over the past seven years, more than 9,000 persons have learned backyard wildlife habitat development by attending this annual event.