Inaugural event kicks
off Wheeler’s 75th anniversary.
The Wheeler
National Wildlife Refuge will hold its first Festival of the Cranes, a one-day
event filled with refuge tours, upclose viewings, workshops, live raptors, and
nature walks, January 12, 2013, kicking off a year-long celebration of
Wheeler’s 75th anniversary. The celebration of Sandhill Cranes and
Whooping Cranes will bring together experienced birders and those who would like
to learn more about birding while providing opportunities to learn about the cranes
and other wildlife that calls the Refuge home.
Over 11,000 Sandhill Cranes along
with several pairs of Whooping Cranes spend the winter each year at Wheeler
National Wildflife Refuge. Hosted by the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association, the
Festival of the Cranes kicks off at 6 a.m. with a Sunrise Breakfast in the
Visitor Center classroom. Following breakfast, Refuge Manager Dwight Cooley
will lead an early morning birding walk to see cranes and other waterfowl
arrive in the fields to begin their day of feeding and loafing. A $5 donation
is suggested and participants are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes
and to bring binoculars and a camera.
Throughout the day, the enclosed Wildlife
Observation Building, complete with bleachers and spotting scopes, will offer views
of thousands of Sandhill Cranes, along with Whooping Cranes, ducks, geese,
raptors, and maybe a bald eagle. Volunteers and staff members will be on hand
to answer questions.
Acclaimed author, storyteller, and
naturalist Brian “Fox” Ellis will be the special guest and featured speaker and
will be presenting his Adventures with
Audubon. His portrayal of Audubon will enchant participants with stories
from some of the wildest places on Earth. At 9 a.m., he will host Bird is the Word writing workshop. In
this participatory workshop, participants will learn tips for effective
journaling, how to use poetry to help write clearer and more exciting essays,
and how to turn field notes into publishable articles. At 11:30 a.m., he presents
Bird Tales: Stories and Songs from Many
Cultures, a blend of his lifelong love for birds and traditional folktales
from different cultures. Through poetry and song, legends and facts, a
celebration of all things crane is planned for 2:15 p.m. when Ellis presents Crane Tales Around the World. At 4 p.m.,
Ellis (as John James Audubon) concludes the day-long event with a recap of his
tales from his travels and travails.
Additional activities include a
showing of Hope Takes Wing, a film by
and about Operation Migration chronicling the history of the Whooping crane; Raptor Trek! Alabama’s Premier Live Bird of
Prey Experience featuring owls, hawks, falcons, and a Bald Eagle presented
by Becky Collier of the Alabama 4-H Center; and children’s activities centering
around the importance of cranes in Japanese culture. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association will sponsor a pizza lunch. A $5
donation to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association is suggested. The day-long
event concludes at 5 p.m.
The Wheeler National Wildlife
Refuge Visitor Center is located at 3121 Visitor Center Road in Decatur. For
more information on the Festival of the Cranes, visit www.friendsofwheelerrefuge.org
or call Teresa Adams, supervisory ranger for Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge,
at 256.350.6639.
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
was established on July 7, 1938 by Executive Order of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt as the first National Wildlife Refuge placed on a multi-purpose
reservoir to provide habitat for wintering and migrating birds. Covering 35,000
acres, it attracts thousands of wintering waterfowl each year and is home to
Alabama’s largest wintering duck population. The Refuge also supports the state’s
largest concentration of Sandhill Cranes. The 75th Anniversary
Celebration featuring live raptors and wildlife, children’s activities, and
special guest and master of ceremonies “T.R. Roosevelt” as portrayed by Joe
Wiegand, is set for October 5, 2013. For more information on Wheeler National
Wildlife Refuge, visit www.fws.gov/wheeler.
