Whoop It Up ~ Island Style
12th Annual Celebration of Whooping Cranes & Other Birds
February 22 – 24, 2008
PORT ARANSAS, TX - A birder’s delight! Grab your scopes and binoculars and head to Port Aransas for the one of the country’s premier birding festivals. As one of the world’s top bird watching sites, Port Aransas is home to hundreds of permanent and visiting species and celebrates the conservation of the endangered whooping crane which winters in the area during the festival, scheduled for February 22-24, 2008.
Dr. George Archibald, the keynote speaker, of the International Crane Foundation will be on hand to give us his annual report of cranes around the world. Dr. Lee Fuiman, Director of UTMSI will be a featured speaker on two subjects: “Exciting New Activities at UTMSI” and “Changing Bird Populations on the Beach.”
Other activities include boat trips to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge to view the whooping cranes, nature boat trips, birding bus tours, and guided tours of the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, plus art exhibits and workshops.
A free Nature Trade Show offering related items will be underway at the Port Aransas Civic Center during the festival.
For more information, or to download pre-registration forms and a schedule, visit the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce website at: http://www.portaransas.org/cranes.html email the Chamber at info@portaransas.org or call toll-free 1 (800) 45-COAST.
Don’t miss out on this great event! According to Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Conservationist for the Aransas Wildlife Refuge, a record 261 cranes completed the migration this year.
Created: 25th Jan 2008
