FW: Sandhill Crane Migration Festival

[SHAHIDRAD@charleston.net]

Dear Carolinabirders,
I realize this message does not cover Carolina birding material, but I
thought this festival may be of interest to many of you.

Ann Shahid
Francis Beidler Forest
Harleyville, SC



>Return-path: <ASHAHID@Audubon.org>
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>Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2000 10:18:00 -0500
>From: SHAHID Ann <ASHAHID@Audubon.org>
>Subject: FW: Sandhill Crane Migration Festival
>To: 'shahidradcharlestonnet' <shahidrad@Charleston.Net>
>Original-recipient: rfc822;shahidrad@charleston.net
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:	GROBERT, Kara 
>Sent:	Tuesday, December 19, 2000 11:12 AM
>To:	#Audubon Staff; #NAS Board of Directors
>Subject:	Sandhill Crane Migration Festival
>
>AUDUBON'S ROWE SANCTUARY PREPARES FOR MASS MIGRATION OF SANDHILL CRANES
>
>Cranes and People to Flock to 31st Rivers and Wildlife Celebration
>
>Kearney, Nebraska December 19, 2000 - One of the world's most spectacular
>wildlife migrations will occur this spring on a short stretch of Nebraska's
>Platte River when a half-million Sandhill Cranes, along with millions of
>other migratory birds, cross the Great Plains. Audubon Nebraska's Rowe
>Sanctuary http://rowesanctuary.org <http://rowesanctuary.org> , near Kearney
>will host at least 60,000 Sandhill Cranes as they stop to rest and socialize
>on a 5 ½ mile stretch of the Platte River.  
>
>Mysterious and breathtaking, the arrival of the gray-bodied, red-capped
>cranes on the Platte is attended by thousands of U.S. and international
>visitors who, like the 4-foot-tall cranes, flock to Nebraska. Nature
>enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to attend the Rivers and Wildlife
>Celebration from March 16-18, 2001. Coinciding with the cranes' mass arrival
>on the Platte and the beginning of spring, the festival is the premiere
>wildlife event in the Midwest, if not the entire U.S.
>
>Rowe Sanctuary Manager Paul Tebbel invites enthusiasts of wildlife and
>photography, and families to witness the migration from the sanctuary's
>unique vantage point on the river. "As the birds' silhouettes fill the sky,
>one of the most spectacular bird migrations unfolds before your eyes. Close
>to 80 percent of the world's population of Sandhills stop in the Platte
>River Region, en route to their breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and
>Siberia. The migration of the Sandhill Cranes is truly an awesome sight." By
>mid-April, what Forbes FYI Magazine has called 'the greatest bird spectacle
>in the world' is over and the cranes move on until next spring.
>
>The shallow Platte, dotted with sandbars, provides the cranes with a safe
>haven from predators, before they continue their epic flights north.
>However, the Platte had once been named one of "America's ten most
>endangered rivers."  A 70 percent reduction of its flow had resulted in
>severe ecological degradation and habitat loss, therefore state government,
>local businesses and conservationists led by Audubon have worked together to
>protect the water flows.  Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary has been recognized by
>scientists worldwide as a model of management of river habitat, balancing
>the needs of agriculture, commerce and nature.
>
>Visitors to the Platte also have the opportunity to attend the Annual Rivers
>and Wildlife Celebration (March 16-18).  Speakers include Michael Forsberg,
>Nebraska nature  photographer; Paul Johnsgard, Ornithologist, University of
>Nebraska-Lincoln; James Harris, President, International Crane Foundation,
>Baraboo, Wisconsin; Pete Dunne, Vice President,  New Jersey Audubon Society
>and Director, Society's Cape May Bird Observatory; and Ed Carlson, Director,
>Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples, Florida.
>
>Audubon urges media to cover the migration by calling the press contacts
>listed below.  To order a copy of the Nebraska Spring Migration Guide or to
>arrange for a reservation at Rowe Sanctuary's observation blinds, visitors
>can call the Sanctuary at 308/468-5282.  Registration forms for the Rivers
>and Wildlife Celebration are available through Audubon Nebraska at
>402/797-2301. 
>
>Founded in 1905, and with over 550,000 members and supporters in 530
>chapters throughout the Americas, the National Audubon Society conserves and
>restores natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their
>habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.
>
>MEDIA CONTACTS: 
>Kara Grobert                   	212/979-3027     	kgrobert@audubon.org
><mailto:kgrobert@audubon.org> 
>John Bianchi                   	212/979-3026   	jbianchi@audubon.org
><mailto:jbianchi@audubon.org>  
>
>