16th Annual Cherokee - Crane Days
January 19-20, 2008.
LOCATION: Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge &
Birchwood School
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has announced that the 16th Annual Cherokee-Crane Days (formerly the Cherokee Indian Heritage and Sandhill Crane Viewing Days), has shortened the name, expanded the event to include both Saturday and Sunday, and moved the date to January 19-20, 2008.
This annual event pays tribute to Cherokee Indian Heritage and the over ten thousand Sandhill Cranes over-winter at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Activities, including nature and Raptor shows, heritage talks, Cherokee arts, crafts and artifacts, traditional old-time and gospel music, take place at the Birchwood School. Visitors can ride a free bus shuttle from the school to the viewing area at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.
TWRA co-sponsors the free educational festival with the Tennessee Wildlife Federation and partnerships with the nearby Birchwood School each year. Several changes have been made this year to improve the festival. Tthey moved the event to an earlier date in the year when there is still enough corn in the fields at the TWRA Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge to hold the thousands of sandhill and a handful of whooping cranes that rest there on their annual migration. Next, they expanded the festival to three venues to include the wildlife at the Refuge, Cherokee Indian heritage at the Cherokee Indian Removal Memorial (located just beside the Refuge), and this year, for the first time, Birchwood School will be open both days with their efforts aimed at children’s conservation education along with their usual food and related displays.
Shuttles will be available to run from the school and transport visitors to the Refuge and Cherokee Memorial. "We have plans to have wildlife related lectures at the Refuge under heated circus style tents and partnership with the Tennessee Ornithological Society to provide high quality speakers and educational information,” said Dan Hicks, TWRA Information and Education Coordinator.
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