Birdwatching, lectures on nature-related topics

OTHELLO — Sandhill cranes, geographic history, lectures, activities for kids and birdwatching tours will be among the attractions at the 23rd annual Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, scheduled for March 20 through 22.

Tours begin Friday night, March 20. Lectures are scheduled for March 21 at Othello High School, 340 South Seventh Ave, and the main gym will be filled with activity and information booths. Tours and day hikes are scheduled for March 21 and 22.

Jenn Stevenson, head of the organizing committee, said about 1,800 birdwatchers are expected to attend. “It gets bigger and bigger every year,” Stevenson said. With over two weeks to go, about 60 percent of the spaces on the birdwatching tours are booked, Stevenson said. Online registration is closed, but people can still register by calling 509-989-5606. Some tours are being added, Stevenson said, so it’s worth it for birdwatchers to join the waiting list.

The cranes have a lot of room to set up housekeeping, so festival organizers are asking local residents to keep an eye out for the birds, and let organizers know where the cranes are congregating, Stevenson said.

Mid-March is prime time for bird migration, and the festival features three days of birdwatching tours, mostly by bus, some by boat and bicycle. Other tours look at a working farm, a paleontological dig site, eastern Washington geology, Hanford Reach and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

A lecture and lunch is scheduled at 1 p.m. March 20 and March 22 at the Seed Cupboard Nursery and Garden Grill, 12543 SW Rd. H near Royal City. Owner Lisa Villegas will discuss “Kitchen Counter Gardening with Microgreens and Edible Flowers.”

The Old Hotel Art Gallery and Othello Community Museum will be open during the weekend.

Lectures are scheduled for Friday and Saturday night, March 20 and 21. Sarah Koenigsberg will talk about her work restoring beaver habitat Friday, with the lecture followed by the screening of her film, “The Beaver Believers.” The lecture begins at 8:15 p.m. at Othello High School. The annual banquet will be at 7 p.m. March 21, and will feature a lecture by Dr. Kaeli Swift.

Presentations are scheduled throughout the day March 21. Subjects include techniques for bird photography, the lives and habitat of cranes and other birds, amphibians, Northwest mammals, gardening, geology, wildflowers, the impact of wildfires, conservation and the new Washington State University bee research facility in Othello, among other topics.

The Othello Eagles sponsor a spaghetti dinner March 20, starting at 5 p.m. at the lodge, 127 E. Larch St. Othello Rotary members serve breakfast March 21 from 7 to 10 a.m. in the OHS cafeteria, and the Othello Senior Center serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 21 in the OHS auxiliary gym.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.