Festivals Round-Up

As 2006 winds down, national wildlife refuges are gearing up for some of the finest and most popular nature-based festivals that welcome outdoor enthusiasts and families to learn more about their outdoor and community heritage.

At Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, old-fashioned cane grinding lives on with the second annual Cane Grinding Exhibition on Nov. 18. After the first frost, the sugarcane is cut and fed it through a mill, pressed into juice and used either a syrupy sweetener or boiled until it crystallizes into sugar. Although some families still practice cane grinding, Refuge Ranger Sallie Gentry notes that, “the festival is a good way to impart some of the cultural history that’s getting lost.” There is a $5 per vehicle entrance fee at Okefenokee Refuge.

In New Mexico, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, in partnership with its Friends organization and the city of Socorro, is hosting the 19th annual Festival of the Cranes, highlighting the annual return of 15,000 or so sandhill cranes to the area. The Nov. 14-19 festival includes more than 100 different events, including tours, workshops and lectures. Many events are free; there is a $3 per vehicle charge to access the refuge’s tour loop.

The annual holiday howling safari will be held from Dec. 9, 5 to 7 p.m., at Alligator National Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina. Once declared extinct in the wild, red wolves now number more than 100 and roam a 1.7-million-acre Red Wolf Recovery area on and around the refuge. The holiday howl is the final safari scheduled for the year.

Contact: Okefenokee Refuge: Sallie Gentry, (912) 496-7836; Bosque Del Apache Refuge: Maggie O’Connell, (505) 835-1828; Alligator River Refuge: Bonnie Strawser, (252) 473-1131, ext. 230.