Posted by Laurie Sullivan at 12/12/2009 8:00:00 AM

As most everyone at Barrett knows, I am fascinated with the endangered whooping cranes. As I learned about the cranes with the kindergarten students a few years ago, I discovered the chicks are raised at Patuxent Research Refuge until they are taken to their summer home in Wisconsin. Last June I celebrated my 45th birthday with my family at Patuxant Research Refuge. It was a beautiful day to stroll around the refuge and enjoy the displays inside the Visitor Center. Some of my birthday presents were a whooping crane t-shirt and a painting of a whooping crane adult and chick titled Sunlit Afternoon. Maybe one weekend you can visit Patuxant. Although the live whooping crane chicks are kept far from the noise of visitors, there is a large indoor exhibit about the whooping cranes. There are easy walking trails throughout the refuge and you can take a ride on a tram. Click here for directions and information about the Visitor Center. If you visit, I’d love to hear about it and view any photos you take. Please send an email to Laurie_Sullivan@apsva.us

From Laurie’s Birthday at Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge June 2009