By JIMMY NESBITT Courier & Press staff writer 464-7501 or nesbittj@courierpress.com
June 5, 2005




Seven-year-old Eli Hawkins stared eye to eye with a jumpy bullsnake, his face inches away from 
the reptile's glass cage. "Do any of the snakes have venom?" he asked. "No," replied Lauren Preske, 
outreach coordinator for Wesselman Nature Society. "What is this one's name?" Hawkins asked, pointing 
to another cage. Curious children quizzed Preske all afternoon, asking question after question about 
the wildlife display, one of the attractions at Saturday's Pickin' on the Pigeon Music 
Festival at Garvin Park in Evansville.


Preske enjoyed the attention. "I'm trying to teach (children) 
why wildlife is being endangered," she said.


In addition to snakes, the display included a turtle, a turkey vulture and a 
red-tailed hawk. All of the animals were adopted after they had been injured 
in the wild, Preske said. The birds had been shot, and some of 
the reptiles had been hit by cars.


After Hawkins observed each of the animals, he concluded that the snakes were his favorite.
 "I liked the snake because he moved the most," said Hawkins, who came with his mother, 
 LeighAnn, and 9-year-old sister, Bayleigh, all of Richland City, Ind. But the birds were 
 cool, too, "because they fly" and the ducks "because they swim," he said. The daylong 
 festival, which celebrates National Trails Day, started last year as a fund-raiser for 
 Canoe Evansville, a Wesselman Nature Society program. Program coordinator Amy Brown said 
 she hoped to raise $7,000 to $10,000 on Saturday.


Canoe Evansville has about 40 "very loyal volunteers," Brown said. "One of the volunteers 
is 88, and he is still canoeing at 88 years old." All of the festival attractions - 
the wildlife display, canoe rides and the rock climbing wall - bring children outdoors 
and encourage them to learn about nature, Brown said. Some parents "get busy, and they 
use things like the television for baby-sitting" instead of taking their children outside, 
she said. "There needs to be more education in the schools," Brown added.


Some adults came just to hear live music. Seven regional bands played a variety 
of folk, classic rock and bluegrass. Kim Stevens of Evansville brought her two 
children, 4-year-old Micah and 2-year-old Issac. "They wanted to touch the snake," 
she said. After learning about Canoe Evansville, Stevens said she 
would like to get involved in the program.


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