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Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Orono Weekly Times - 5 Girl Greatness: 1910 to 2010 100 Years of Guiding in Canada Opening at the Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre (at 62 Temperance Street, Bowmanville) on February 13th is "Girl Greatness: 1910 to 2010." This exhibit celebrates 100 years of Guiding in Canada. In collaboration with the Trefoil Guild, Clarington Museums and Archives have created a fully interactive exhibit honouring "Girl Greatness" in Clarington and abroad. It was one year into the Scouting movement, in 1909, when a large rally was held in London, England. To the organizers' surprise, a great amount of girls attended who had been unofficially following Scouting. Founder Lord Baden-Powell immediately asked his sister Agnes to consider building a program geared just for girls. It was only a short time after, that Agnes officially began the Guiding Movement. The popularity of the Guiding Movement spread across the world, due in large part to the success of its predecessor, the Scouting Movement. By 1910, Guiding had reached Canada, forming the first unit in St. Catharines, Ontario. Join us to view 100 years of the history of Guiding and learn more about this popular, longstanding movement. Try your hand at difficult knotting techniques and play a game of survival. See how the uniforms and program have changed over the years. Whether you are a seasoned Guider, familiar with the Guiding Movement, or someone just wanting to learn more, visit Clarington Museums and Archives to learn, play and grow. The Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre will be open on Family Day, February 15th to introduce the public to "Girl Greatness." Crafts, activities, face painting, games and beverages are all included with your regular admission. Day and evening tours are available for booking, and the museum is open to the public from Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For more information, contact the museum at 905-623-2734 or visit our website at www.claringtonmuseum.com. Birds of a Feather Birding by Markus Lise Whoopie! Hip Hip Hurrah! Whooping Cranes have completed their mission. The cranes have reached their migratory destination in Florida, all the way from Wisconsin. Ten endangered Whooping Cranes arrived on January 13 at their wintering grounds at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Citrus County, Florida. The other ten "Class of 2009" ultralight-led cranes reached their final wintering destination at St. Marks NWR in Wakulla County, Florida on January 20. These 20 cranes are the ninth group to be guided by ultralight aircraft more than 1,200 miles from Necedah NWR in central Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast of Florida. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), an international coalition of public and private organizations, is conducting the reintroduction project in an effort to restore this endangered species to part of its historic range in eastern North America. At 89 days, this was the second-longest ultralite-led migration since WCP began reintroducing Whooping Cranes. Unsuitable flying weather caused delays along the migration route. Whooping Cranes were on the verge of extinction in the 1940's. Today, there are only about 550 birds in existence, approximately 375 of them in the wild. Aside from the 85 birds reintroduced by WCEP, the only other migrating population of whooping cranes nests at the Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and winters at the Arkansas NWR on the Texas Gulf Coast. A nonmigrating flock of approximately 30 birds lives yearround in the central Florida Kissimmee region. Whooping cranes, named for their loud and penetrating unison calls, live and breed in wetland areas, where they feed on crabs, clams, frogs and aquatic plants. They are distinctive animals, standing five feet tall, with white bodies, black wing tips and red crowns on their heads. The Sandhill Crane looks very much like the Whooping Crane. WCEP asks anyone who encounters a Whooping or Sandhill Crane in the wild to please give them the respect and distance they need. Do not approach birds on foot within 200 yards; try to remain in your vehicle; do not approach in a vehicle within 100 yards. Also, please remain concealed and do not speak loudly enough that the birds can hear you. Finally, do not trespass on private property in an attempt to view Whooping or Sandhill Cranes. Specializing in Custom Drapery & Interior Design Take 20% OFF any HUNTER DOUGLAS product when you order before Feburary 14th! 4140 Concession Rd. 3, Newcastle Phone & Fax # 905-987-4272 www.sensationalseams.com