Come and learn more about the Sulphur Springs Valley during the Wings Over Willcox Festival on January 13-17, 2010.   All seminars are free, open to the public and presented in the Willcox Community Center on Stewart Street.  The wide variety of topics is certain to have something for everyone. This is your opportunity to learn more about your world as well as explore the diversity of enticing items offered at the concurrent trade fair.  Vendor’s wares include natural history books, binoculars and other equipment, original art, crafts and more.  Additional information on the seminar topics and speakers is available at  www.wingsoverwillcox.com.    

The seminars start on Thursday January 13 with “Photographs I have Known and Loved and How to Take Them” from 4:00-5:45 pm.  Tom Whetten will show his outstanding wildlife photographs and explain the techniques he used to make them.  At 7:15 pm - 8:15 pm Vincent Pinto will describe how you can use native landscaping to attract wildlife to your backyard using examples from two properties developed by Vincent and his wife Claudia.

The Friday, January 15 free seminars begin with “Sandhill Cranes 101” at 1:30 – 2:30 pm with Steve Marlatt explaining the life history of our winter visitors and where many of them spend the summer months.   At 3:00 – 4:00 pm Sherry Nelson will present “Using Your Digital Photos as References for Bird Painting” based on her 35+ years of developing special painting methods.  Concurrently, Larry Jones will present “Don’t Look Up – Look Down!  Lizard Watching in SE Arizona” or how to expand your outdoor experience to include another colorful group of wildlife.

From 4:30 – 5:30 pm Carl Olsen will show many in the bug world up close and personal and explain how they  add to our world.  Concurrently, “A Flight Through the Universe:  A Journey to the Edge “ by Dr. John Ratje will take you on an extraordinary journey back through time and provide an awesome insight into the grandeur of the Universe. 

From 7:00 – 8:00 pm Adriane Grimaldi will present “Lifecycle of the Butterfly & How to Attract Them to Your Yard” or everything you wanted to know about these colorful creatures and what plants will attract them to your yard. 

On Saturday, January 16, “Nest Box Building & More” runs from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.  Kate Scott’s class is for kids ages 8 and up! Open your eyes and your yard to the wonders of nature, and share this adventure with your children or grandchildren.  Parents or grandparents are also welcome.  This class repeats on Sunday January 17 from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.  At 9:30 – 10:45 a.m.

Glenn Minuth will present “Ice Age Animals and Early Human Fossils of the San Pedro Valley”  or why the San Pedro Valley is recognized as a world-class area for understanding the fauna of the Plio-Pleistocene Epochs.   

“The Sky Island Region of North America:  A Biological Hotspot and Conservation Efforts Across the Region” presented by Sergio Avila at 11:30 am – 12:30 pm explains how the meeting point of four major ecosystems has produced one of the most biologically rich areas in the world.  

In “The OTHER Wings Over Willcox: BATS!” from 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm, Dr. Ronnie Sidner will discuss the biology and ecology of bats of Arizona.  From 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Carlos Robles, the owner of Rancho El Aribabi, will present “El Aribabi:  A Unique Biodiversity Ranch Close to Arizona”.  Located in northern Sonora’s Sierra Azul, El Aribabi demonstrates how community-integrated projects improve local communities while enhancing conservation of the region’s unique biodiversity.