Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published Oct. 9, 2002

Fall is a treasure

Fall is here, and that is a signal to winged creatures it is time to take to the sky and head south.

For the last several years, we have been fortunate to be on the route of an interesting experiment to teach whooping cranes raised in captivity to migrate south. A century ago the youngsters followed their natural parents but then the species became endangered and ultralite planes were introduced to play the parental role. The reintroduction project proved successful and continues.

This past Monday, another group of young whooping cranes led by their stand-in parents left Wisconsin on another migration south to Florida. Something new has been added this year because of the great interest of Tennesseans in the cranes' flight over our state. On Thursday, October 10 the Whooping Cranes Over Tennessee Walkathon begins to celebrate the flight. The walk starts at the Kentucky state line in Static, TN, on U.S. Hwy. 127 and is divided into five segments. Just as the Olympic torch bearers passed the torch walkers will pass a full-size whooping crane kite at each segment of the route.

From Static the route continues south through Jamestown, Grimsley, Clarkrange and 61.31 miles later ends at the intersection of Hwys. 127 and 68 in Crossville. The second segment follows Hwy. 68 through Grassy Cove, Grandview and into Spring City to the intersection of Hwys. 68 and 27. The third segment follows Hwy. 27 through Dayton where it continues on Hwy. 60 across the Tennessee River. The last two parts of the route continue to Chattanooga where it ends at the entrance to Riverpark.

You must be 12 years old to participate in the walk. For adults the registration fee is $20, and for ages 12-17 it is $15. To sign up go to http://home.earthlink.net/-whoopingcranesovertn/walk.html or call 760-0001. There you will find information on the route segments and dates of departure. Walkers will receive T-shirts as a remembrance of the inaugural walk.

Many other birds, butterflies and bats heed nature's call to go south. Yes, bats - millions of them - migrate to Central and South America. If you are a coffee lover, you may be surprised to learn what an important role they play for coffee growers. They are crucial to the coffee growing regions' ecosystem by feeding on the insects that feast on coffee plants. The other benefit is the rich fertilizer that results from their droppings.

Nature responds to the fall season in many ways. Each day is three minutes shorter than the day before. Each night is three minutes longer. As the need to banish the dark inside our homes comes earlier we will see an increase in our electric bills. On Oct. 27 we will roll back our clocks and darkness will come even sooner.

Fall sees thousands of "leaf peepers" take to the road to find the most brilliant displays of color. According to the experts, we will have an incredible fall color season here. Their answer as to why is surprising. Bad as conditions were this summer because of the drought that very condition stressed the trees to develop brighter colors.

Fall is a treasure so enjoy it!

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.