Kaufman and Kingfisher to Kick-off Celebration of Cherokee Heritage and Wildlife Diversity

The 11th Annual Cherokee Heritage and Sandhill Crane Viewing Weekend will take place in the community of Birchwood, Tennessee on

February 8 and 9, 2003, but will include an added attraction. Kenn Kaufman, widely noted as one of North America's premier birders and renowned for his skill as an author and illustrator of birds, will join Choogie Kingfisher, traditional Kituwah Cherokee storyteller and flute player of the Cherokee Nation, for an inaugural Friday night fundraiser kicking off the annual event.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Ornithological Society are sponsoring this event. Kaufman will provide a special presentation from his unique experiences with birds and birding worldwide. Kingfisher will provide a sample of his life's work, telling "The stories that have been passed down to me from my family, elders, and friends. Creator has also provided (these stories) in dreams that I might heal from these stories and pass them on to others that they too might heal themselves by hearing the message inside."

Tickets for the Friday night fundraiser to be held at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo are $15.00. All proceeds go to conservation and management of nongame birds, including the sandhill and whooping cranes that use the site, and development of the Cherokee Removal Memorial onsite. More information on this event, including directions and how to get tickets can be found at www.tnwildlife.org or www.tnbirds.org.

Attached is a flyer and brochure further explaining the event. Please feel free to circulate any of this information freely.

Troy Ettel

State Ornithologist

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

P.O. Box 40747

Nashville, TN 37204

(615) 781-6653

Troy.Ettel@state.tn.us