Trip to Necedah to see the Whooping Cranes

Trip to Necedah to see the Whooping Cranes Sunday August 17, 2008 The trip to Necedah to watch the Whooping Crane flight training will be held on Sunday, August 17, 2008. We will leave from La Crosse at 4:00 am to get to the Necedah Refuge headquarters at 5:30 AM. We should be back in La Crosse by 2:00 pm. The exact itinerary will be sent later to people who sign up.At this point, I have 9 people signed up for that date so there is no point of suggesting a different date unless the interest is high enough to warrant 2 trips. There is a maximum of 20 allowed for a single day with 14 being optimum in terms of room in the blind. Participants will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis (based on when I receive an e-mail or phone call). If I get more than 14 people and less than 20, we will still take a single trip. If we get more than 20, I will try to schedule a second trip since 14 is optimum for the blind. Thanks, Dan Jackson, President Coulee Region Audubon Society (608) 483-2271 The synopsis of the day's itinerary is the following: The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge offers free tours for the public and organizations to witness the training of whooping crane chicks as they learn to fly behind ultralight aircraft in the months of August and September. The group would need to meet Dan Peterson at the Refuge Office parking lot at 5:30am to board a 14-passenger van (14 people fit comfortably in the blind, but it can squeeze a total of 20). The group will arrive at the blind at 7 am. Watching from within the blind will last from 20 to 40 minutes and will be followed with a visit with the ultralight pilots at the Necedah airport. A behind the scenes tour of the Refuge will take place after the airport visit and that tour will last about two hours. Groups often go to the Little Crane Cafe or other Village establishment for Brunch. The tour is free, but doesn't include brunch.