Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival 2012
January 14-15, 2012
Birchwood, TN
The Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival is a celebration of the thousands of Sandhill Cranes that migrate through or spend the winter at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers near Birchwood, TN.
While the cranes are present from November through February each year and viewing is always open to the public at the TN Wildlife Resources Hiwassee Refuge, the festival offers activities for the entire family. There will be speakers, films, and children’s activities centered on the cranes, Tennessee’s other wildlife, and the rich Native American history of the area.
The Special Guest at this year’s festival will be the great artist John James Audubon, as depicted by Brian “Fox” Ellis. Brian is an engaging and entertaining storyteller.
Festival activities will be held at the Birchwood Elementary School, the Hiwassee Refuge, the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park, and the Rhea County Welcome Center. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Ornithological Society are co-hosts of this event.
“Our objective is to share the spectacle of these majestic birds and provide a potentially life-changing wildlife experience for visitors. We also want to build awareness for the need to provide adequate habitat and management for the thousands of Sandhill Cranes that winter and migrate through Tennessee, as well as for the Endangered Whooping Cranes that regularly accompany them” - Melinda Welton Festival Co-chair.
For more information please visit tncranefestival.org
Festival Contacts (Co-chairs)
Melinda Welton
Tennessee Ornithological Society
615-799-8095 home/office
615-210-8095 cell
weltonmj@earthlink.net
Dan Hicks
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
931-484-9571 office
931-261-8451 cell
Dan.Hicks@tn.gov
