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At the time of European settlement, Wisconsin had two North American crane species, but the larger Whooping Crane entirely disappeared from the state by the 1880s, and nearly vanished entirely from the world. By the early 1940s, the migratory flock of cranes had been depleted to just 16 individuals, flying between northwestern Canada and coastal Texas. Through conservation efforts, Whooping Cranes have recovered slowly and now number over 300 individuals in the wild.
Similarly, early in the 20th century the Sandhill Crane also nearly vanished from most of its American range a century ago. Conservationist Aldo Leopold placed Sandhills on Wisconsin’s first endangered species list in the 1930s, believing that no more than 25 pairs remained in the most remote wetlands of the state. Strict conservation measures have allowed this stately bird to recover to more than 13,000 individuals in Wisconsin, and now more than 38,000 cranes migrate between the upper Midwest and southeastern U.S.
The future of the endangered Whooping Crane and the more abundant Sandhill Crane in eastern North America is closely tied to the protection of wetlands in the 20 states lying within or alongside the Wisconsin-to-Florida flyway. The majority of these wetlands exist on private lands. Future protection cannot rely solely on purchase of wetlands by federal or state governments, as funding will be insufficient. Conservation on private lands must also occur if we seek to safeguard effectively the future of North America’s two crane species.
Donations to ICF’s North American programs will support the following activities:
- Reintroduction of endangered Whooping Cranes to eastern North America through use of ultralight aircraft to guide these birds on their first migration south;
- Testing of a second release technique for Whooping Cranes called Direct Autumn Release (DAR) to supplement the ultrlight method;
- Management of ICF’s captive flock of Whooping Cranes to breed chicks for release in Wisconsin and also in Florida for the non-migratory population of Whooping Cranes centered on the Kissimmee Prairie;
- Presentation of outreach programs to schools and other venues along the Wisconsin-Florida flyway about our work to protect North American cranes and their habitats;
- Continuation of studies on an environmentally friendly and non-toxic alternative to the substance Lindane, currently used to prevent Sandhill Crane depredation on crops;
- Furthering our research on Sandhill Crane population dynamics by capturing and banding individuals in this population and monitoring their activities and locations;
- Develop standards for the ecosystem components of the Protected Harvest label which is marketed under the brand Wisconsin Healthy Grown®, the first of its kind for potatoes or any other crop.
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