Carolina Wildlife Care to release rehabilitated Purple Martins
Contributed by Heather Traylor carolinawildlifecare@sc.rr.com

Young purple martins are cared for by Carolina Wildlife Care in order to be returned to their natural habitat.

Carolina Wildlife Care will host a two hour fundraising cruise aboard the Southern Patriot tour boat on Lake Murray the evening of July 26 from 6- 8 pm. The destination is Bomb Island, where hundreds of thousands of purple martins in the peak of season, circle overhead and roost on the first designated purple martin sanctuary in North America.

The evening will include an experience like no other with special release of two rehabilitated martins back into the wild.

The orphaned martins arrived at Carolina Wildlife Care as hatchlings and are being cared for at its wildlife rehabilitation center in Columbia. Guests will watch in awe as the young martins take their first flights into freedom and disappear into a cloud of martins above them.

The beautiful purple martin is the largest North American swallow and the only species of martin found on this continent. These bluish- black insect eaters migrate thousands of miles each year to and from South America and faithfully return every spring and summer to the backyards of those who put up martin housing. Purple martins are incapable of excavating their own cavities and are almost completely dependant on humans for housing. According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, some populations are undergoing a long- term decline.

"It is so exciting to share with others the thrill of this evening." says Joanna Weitzel, executive director. "The martins on Lake Murray put on an unforgettable show, but to be part of that moment when the young rehabilitated birds join them is truly breathtaking. They are returning to their natural home."

Guests will enjoy cocktails and light hors d'oeuvres throughout the evening. The price of admission for the cruise is $40.00 for CWC members and $50.00 for nonmembers. Reservation forms are available at www.carolinawildlife.org or by calling the wildlife center at 803-772-3994. Corporate sponsors for the event include Homeowners Mortgage, the Roe Young State Farm Agency, and Total Wine & More.

772-3994 or www.carolinawildlife. org.