With only one week left to vote, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary needs your help.

The popular destination for local birdwatchers, located at 1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton, has been nominated by USA Today in its 10 Best Readers' Choice Award contest. Voting is open at

www.10best.com until 3 p.m. (noon, Pacific time) on Monday."I think it is really cool that we are up against huge regions," Mary Linkevich, director of communications and grants at Hawk Mountain, told the Times News recently."If we make the list, it means more publicity for Hawk Mountain, which draws more attention to our raptor conservation mission, and that is always our ultimate goal. Hawk Mountain has a global mission, but we achieve it with modest staff and budget and so we embrace every opportunity to promote our work and the sanctuary as a hawk-watching destination."Hawk Mountain's entry can be found in the Best Birdwatching category of the Readers' Choice Awards menu of the website.The sanctuary is going up against Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Lower Rio Grande Valley and Big Bend, all in Texas; Bosque del Apache in New Mexico; Cape May, New Jersey; Central Park, New York; Dauphin Island, Alabama; Dry Tortugas, Sanibel Island and Everglades, all in Florida; Hawk Ridge, Minnesota; Kachemak Bay, Alaska; Machias Seal Island, Maine; Magee Marsh, Ohio; Monterey Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore, both in California; Parker River, Massachusetts; Platte River Valley, Nebraska; and Southeastern Arizona.The nominees were chosen by Geoff LeBaron of the National Audubon Society; leading bird authors Don and Lillian Stokes; and author/producer Laura Erickson, who won the 2014 Roger Tory Peterson Award from the American Birding Association.The 10 Best Readers' Choice Award contest launches one new category each Monday at noon, revealing its 20 nominees. People can then vote for their favorite destination once a day over the next four weeks.Two days after voting closes, the winners will be revealed and a description of the winners is listed on the 10best.com website and is promoted across 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 10 Best 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 10 Best Readers' Choice Award has really accomplished something."For more information, or to vote for Hawk Mountain, visit

www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-birdwatching.Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization that aims to conserve birds of prey worldwide by providing leadership in raptor conservation science and education and by maintaining the lands on Hawk Mountain for observing, research and educational purposes.For more information on Hawk Mountain or events taking place, visit

www.hawkmountain.org.