9:00-9:50 - Beginning Birdwatching - Crete Hall. Join Jim Rowoth from San Joaquin Audubon as he reviews the basics of birdwatching, including equipment, ethics, and techniques. Jim will also prepare us for some of the many different birds found locally, especially those likely to be seen this weekend. (Coordinates with tours 20 and 50)

10:00-11:50 - Wildlife Photography Techniques -Crete Hall. David Rosen, naturalist and wildlife photographer, will talk about equipment and techniques for photographing nature and wildlife, with a focus on birds. Beginner or pro, you will enjoy learning more about the art, science, and ethical aspects of nature photography. (Coordinates with tours 31 and 38)

11:00-11:50 - Wild Things! - Patio off Kirst Hall. Join us in welcoming back festival favorites Gabe and Barb Kerschner and some of their special animals. In past years they have shared a mountain lion, raccoon, opossum, eagle, and other animals that were rescued and could not be returned to the their natural habitat.

12:00-1:30 - Flying Cranes - Patio off Kirst Hall. Join Micke Grove Zoo docents and Zoo Ambassador teen volunteers at the craft table and make your own flying crane to take home. Recommended for all ages

12:05-12:30 - Native American Flute Performance - Crete Hall. Dan Ricketts treats us to a concert of magical music from this distinctive instrument.

12:30-1:20 - Reintroduction of the Whooping Crane - Crete Hall. Keynote Speaker Joan Garland, International Crane Foundation (ICF). The elegant whooping crane is on the verge of an extraordinary comeback after being nearly extinct in the 1940s. An ambitious reintroduction project is currently underway to restore a migratory flock of whooping cranes to eastern North America. Discover how the cranes are raised and taught their new migration route. Now in its sixth year, a team of non-profit and governmental organizations, including the ICF, is undertaking this project.

12:30-1:15 - Wartville Wizard Puppet Show - Students from Liberty High School and Heritage Primary School will present a puppet show of the Wartville Wizard story. A wizard is fed up with people dropping trash in his town and Mother Nature helps him solve the problem. Oh that we could be so clever solving real pollution problems in our own world! A fun activity for kids will follow.

1:30-2:20 - Wild Things! - Patio off Kirst Hall. See 11:00 AM Saturday.

2:00-2:50 - The Greater Sandhill Crane in Washington - Crete Hall. Jessica Stocking of the North American Crane Working Group spent this spring and summer studying the breeding population of greater Sandhill cranes at beautiful Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Washington. She will discuss the status of this listed subspecies, which winters in our California delta, and efforts to increase recruitment at their only Washington nesting area.

2:30-3:50 - Pond Creatures - Patio off Kirst Hall. The Lodi Lake Nature Area docents will talk about and bring some pond creatures from the local area for you to see up close. An art activity suitable for children of all ages will follow.

3:00-3:50 - Dragonflies of Northern California - Crete Hall. Greg Kareofelas will share some of his incredibly detailed images of dragonflies found in our local area. Due to their wary nature, dragonflies rarely allow you to get close enough to appreciate their subtle coloration, but Greg's images allow you to see all their beauty up close. You will learn how to identify the commonly seen species and where and when you can find them.

4:00-5:20 - Creatures of the Night with Burleigh - Crete Hall. Welcome back Burleigh Lockwood from the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, as she tells us about some of her favorite creatures of the night. How do bats, owls, raccoons, and other night creatures move and find their food? What special tools would you need if you slept all day and were awake at night? Learn about the adaptations of some of our rarely observed night creatures.

Sunday, November 5, 2007

10:00-10:50 - Water Birds - Crete Hall. Burleigh Lockwood from the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno is back with a delightful presentation on water birds. Living on or near water requires some special talents, but waders, swimmers, shore birds, and even some birds of prey all do it! Do you know which bird uses its foot as a fishing lure? Or which birds can fly underwater? What does your favorite water bird do to stay warm and dry?

11:00-11:50 - California Raptor Center - Patio off Kirst Hall. Learn about raptors from The California Raptor Center. Volunteers will also bring several birds (possibly a hawk, kestrel, and owl) and tell us their stories.

12:00-1:30 - Flying Cranes - Patio off Kirst Hall. See Saturday at noon.

12:05-12:30 - Taiko Drumming - Crete Hall. Denis, Cheryl and Linda Kurata perform this ancient form of Japanese music.

12:30-1:20 - Cranes of the World - Crete Hall. Keynote speaker Joan Garland, International Crane Foundation (ICF). Cranes are a charismatic family of birds, found on five of the seven continents. However, there are only 15 species in the world, with many of them threatened or endangered. Discover the beauty of these majestic cranes and learn how ICF is working in 22 countries to conserve cranes and the ecosystems on which they depend.

12:30-1:15 - Miss Dorothy Presents - Thomas Theatre. A medley of puppets and stories by local favorite Dorothy Maas, including the Lizard's Song, a puppet play, Origami Story, a folding story, and The Runaway Pancake, a puppet play. After the program the children are invited to play with the puppets and use the puppet stage.

1:30-2:20 - California Raptor Center - Patio off Kirst Hall. See 11:00 AM Sunday.

2:00-2:50 - The Yellow-billed Magpie, a California Specialty - Crete Hall. Scott Crosbie, a Graduate Student Researcher at U.C. Davis, will present the natural history and current status of one of California's most striking birds. Topics will include distribution, nesting and roosting behaviors, West Nile virus impacts, and current research.

3:00-3:50 - Growing Cities, Expanding Vineyards and Orchards, and Rising Sea Level - Can the Sandhill Cranes Survive? - Crete Hall. Mike Eaton, long time staff member of The Nature Conservancy, based at the Cosumnes River Preserve, presents an overview of regional land use trends and mitigation programs and looks at the implications for the Sandhill crane and other species dependent on open land.