Duff expected to attend 11th annual Whooping Crane Festival Feb. 23-25

Despite the loss of 17 young whooping cranes as a result of tornadoes in Florida, Joe Duff is expected to be at the11th annualCelebrationofWhooping Cranes and Other Birds.

The festival will be here Friday through Sunday, Feb. 23-25.Duff is co-founder of Operation Migration that has led the young whoopers to Floridain hopes of establishing another flock there. Tornadoes were responsible for the deaths last weekend of 17 out of 18 birds that were led to Florida. The lone survivor has been spotted, thanks to a transmitter attached to its leg. It was seen

among a flock of sandhill cranes. So the festival will go on, presumably with Duff in attendance.

He will be the guest of the Rotary ClubonThursday,Feb.22,afeatured speaker on Friday, Feb. 23, and will join forces with George Archibald, founder of the International Crane Foundation, for a presentation on Saturday, Feb. 24.The festival also will offer tours of the Fennessey Ranch, musical

performances by Lucas Miller, the Singing Zoologist, and Jungle Jill and the Jaybirds, plus several new speakers.

The Civic Center, 710 W. Ave. A, willbefestivalheadquarters,andhost vendors selling birding and nature-related items. Admission to the Civic Center is free,and fees are chargedfor speakers and tours. Early registration, at $20 per person,endsFriday,Feb.16.Preregistration entitles registrants reduced rates for tours and speakers, as well as special discounts and coupons. Tours will be by boat and bus, and speakers will be headquartered at the Visitors' Center at The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute at the end of Cotter Street in Port Aransas. Duff and Archibald will team-up for a Saturday afternoon session on "Human Led Migrations."

For more information, including a schedule of events, and to register for the three- day event, go to the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce-Tourist Bureau Web site, www.portaransasorg., and click on the whooping crane icon at the bottom of the home page. Sponsors for the festival include The Port of Corpus Christi , Eagle Optics, Flint Hills Resources, Bushnell Outdoor Products, HEB and Swarovski Optik. Call the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce office at 800-45-COAST or (361) 749-5919 for more information.