|
|
RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 17, 2005) — Get tips on living in harmony with urban wildlife at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s State Fair exhibit this year. The exhibit, located downhill from the Village of Yesteryear in the Holhouser Building, is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., Oct. 14-23.
Stroll down the handicapped-accessible boardwalk to view wildlife scenes familiar to many urban dwellers, including deer dining on pansies, raccoons rummaging through garbage cans, Canada geese grazing on the golf course and coyotes stalking livestock. See fish swimming in a re-created lake setting. Learn how to protect fisheries from unauthorized stockings. See what makes a shoreline healthy for both animals and humans. Don’t Forget Your 2006 Wildlife Calendar and Free Wildlife Button!
Wildlife Commission biologists, educators and administrative personnel are staffing an information booth and operating a store where visitors can purchase posters, subscribe to Wildlife in North Carolina magazine or buy the Wildlife Commission’s award-winning calendar. Take a Shot at the Free Air Rifle Range Officers from the Wildlife Enforcement Division are staffing their free air rifle range where visitors not only get opportunities to interact with officers in person, but also learn more about firearms safety from trained professionals. See and Touch Animal Pelts in the Sensory Safari
More State Fair Information Fairground gates are open from 8 a.m. until midnight daily. The fairgrounds are located at 1025 Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh. State fair staff can be contacted at (919) 821-7400. General information can be obtained from the state fair Web site, www.ncstatefair.org. |
The “Living with Wildlife” exhibit
offers visitors suggestions on how to coexist peacefully with the many
creatures that have adapted
well, perhaps too well, to the lawns, gardens and pools that have displaced
so many fields, forests and streams. 
In keeping
with this year’s theme, the wildlife button — a
free, traditional state fair keepsake — features the beaver,
a rodent whose ability to alter the landscape has made it both friend
and
foe to humans. 
Wildlife enforcement
officers also will staff the Sensory Safari, a mobile, kid-friendly
exhibit that encourages
visitors to
learn about
their local
environments by listening to the sounds of birds, viewing
deer and bear mounts and handling pelts and plumage of some common
mammals and birds
found in North Carolina. This 36-foot, learning-facility-on-wheels
promotes conservation of our native wildlife and promotes
hunter
education.